Famous People From Portugal (10 Examples!)

Many people might simply think of Portugal as Spain’s little cousin, but they do it a grave injustice in doing so.

Portugal is one of the most cultural rich countries in the world, and this is true both historically and in the modern day.

There are dozens of famous people from Portugal who have made their impact both on world history and in the modern culture of today.

We’re going to look at a cross section of some of the most important people from Portugal, whether from the distant past or the here and now.

Let’s get started.

In This Article

Luis de Camoes

Widely considered to be the Portuguese language’s greatest poet, Luis de Camoes was born in 1524 and his confident and dynamic verse has even been compared to the likes of Shakespeare, Homer, and Dante.

He produced a large body of lyrical poetry as well as Portuguese drama, with his best known work being Os Lusíadas.

Just as Shakespeare influenced English, Camoes influence on Portuguese is so great that the language is often called the language of Camoes.

He died in 1580, aged either 55 or 56.

Fernando Pessoa

A more recent poet of the Portuguese language, Fernando Pessoa is among the most celebrated Portuguese poets of the modern world.

He has also produced large bodies of work as a critic, translator, publisher and philosopher.

Not just of Portuguese but of the whole world of literature in the 20th Century, he is considered one of the most important figures.

He was born in 1888 and spent his life in many different places, including going to school in South Africa.

He published under as many as seventy five different names.

He died in 1935 at the age of only 47.

Alfonso I of Portugal

Moving further back in history, perhaps the single most important figure in Portugal’s history is Alfonso I.

He was the first king of an independent Portugal, having managed to wrest the country from the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Léon.

Not only this, he doubled the size of the kingdom, reclaiming much of Christian Portugal from the Moors.

Without him, Portugal may never have existed at all.

He died in 1185 after 46 years of rule.

Henry the Navigator

A much later figure central to a different period of Portugal’s history, Henry the Navigator was born in 1394 and was vital to the early years of the Portuguese Empire.

He is considered to be the instigator of what is now called the Age of Discovery, when Europeans sailed around the world in search of new lands and peoples.

He systematically explored Western Africa and the islands of the Atlantic Ocean.

He died in 1460 at the age of 66 after a long career of exploration.

Almada Negreiros

A prolific creative in many fields, Negreiros is best known in Portugal and the rest of the world as a painter.

He was born in 1893 and had his first exhibition in 1913, displaying 90 of his drawings.

Over the course of his career, he would choreograph ballets, write works of literature, as well as work in the mediums of tapestry, mosaic, stained glass, murals and many more.

He died in 1970 at the age of 77.

Amália Rodrigues

Moving ahead into the modern day, next we have the Portuguese singer Amália Rodridgues.

She popularized the fadista singing style, and is known as the Queen of Fado.

To this day, she is the best selling Portuguese singer in history, and was born in Lisbon in 1920.

She began her singing career in 1935 and was performing at venues by 1939, and was famous by the 1940s.

Her career would then span the better part of the next sixty years, as she was active until 1999.

She died at the age of 79 in that same year, having never retired from her singing career.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Today, the first Portuguese person that comes to mind for most of us is most probably Cristiano Ronaldo, undoubtedly one of the world’s biggest football players.

He is widely considered to be one of the greatest football players of all time, having won a huge number of accolades including four Golden Shoes.

He holds many records in the Champions League, including highest number of appearances at 183 and highest number of goals at 140.

Today, he plays for both the Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr and the Portugal national team.

José Mourinho

Another of the world’s best known names in football, José Mourinho is a former player but better known as a world-class manager today.

He is among the most highly achieving managers of all time particularly in the British football scene, though today he is manager of the Italian club Roma.

His career as a player was fairly uneventful, but eventually his big break as a coach was into Chelsea in 2004 where he went on to become one of the most decorated managers in the world.

António Guterres

Moving into a much different area of life, in the political world António Guterres is one of the best known Portuguese people, having served as Secretary General of the United Nations since 2017.

He is a member of the Portuguese Socialist Party, and served as the country’s Prime Minister from 1995 to 2002.

He is the ninth person to hold the title of Secretary General.

Joaquim de Almeida

One of if not the best known Portuguese actors in the world, de Almeida began his career in theater in the 1980s, getting his film debut in 1982’s The Soldier.

As a Portuguese American he has starred in a number of international films over the years, including the Italian Good Morning, Babylon and has starred in a number of films in The Fast and Furious franchise.

Portugal has for a very long time been producing some of the world’s most iconic figures, from art and poetry to football and exploration.

From the earliest time in its history, Portugal has endeavored in ways where other, similar sized nations might struggle.

Today, many of the world’s most famous people are ultimately from Portugal.

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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