Spain produces many exports that are adored around the world, from its food and wine to its art and literature.
The country has given the world many of its most famous artists, politicians, and people from many other areas and disciplines over the years.
Both in the past and in the modern day, Spain has produced some of the most famous people in the world, so today we’re going to look at a broad range of these people from the past and today–so let’s dive into it.
Famous People From Spain
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí is, without doubt, one of the most iconic artists of the 20th Century.
His work is among the most recognizable not just in the modern world but in all of art history.
It is hard to look at a Dalí painting and not instantly recognize it as such.
He was a forerunner and pioneer of surrealist art, producing mind bending images the likes of which no one had ever attempted before.
He was renowned for his skill and craftsmanship.
He is one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th Century, and he died in 1989, at the age of 84.
Pablo Picasso
Perhaps even more so than Dalí one can easily and instantly recognize the most iconic works of Pablo Picasso.
Undoubtedly one of the most well-known artists in living memory, Pablo Picasso was a painter, sculptor, theater designer and ceramicist.
His iconic abstract portraits as well as his abstract depictions of scenes like Guernica, called the most powerful anti-war artwork in history won him huge praise and acclaim.
Though a Spaniard, he spent most of his adult life living in France.
He died in 1973, at the age of 91.
Miguel de Cervantes
Widely regarded as one of the greatest writers not only in the Spanish language but of world literature in general, Miguel de Cervantes produced what remains to this day one of the best known literary works in western history: Don Quixote.
He was born around 1547, and indeed his works like Don Quixote long predated the real emergence of the form we would today call the novel–for this reason, many credit Don Quixote with inventing the genre in the first place.
He died in 1616, after a life mostly in obscurity, having never been recognized for his genius while he was alive.
Hernán Cortés
In many parts of the world, Spain is primarily known for one thing: conquest and colonialism.
Of the Spanish conquistadors who explored, invaded and colonized South and Central America, Cortés is perhaps the most well known.
He led the expedition which would eventually result in the fall of the Aztec Empire, bringing huge swathes of modern day Mexico into the rule of the Spanish king.
Turning locals against each other he managed to “divide and conquer,” winning him huge renown in Spain.
He died in 1547, at the age of 62.
Francisco Goya
As we can see, one thing Spain was for one reason or another fantastic at producing was great artists.
Goya is considered the greatest Spanish artist of the 18th and early 19th Century, being a Romantic era painter and printmaker.
His paintings reflect and depict social upheaval during this time, and in many ways he himself is considered to be a bridge between eras, the last of the Old Masters and the first modern artist.
He died in 1828 at the age of 82.
Rafael Nadal
Moving ahead into the modern day now, undoubtedly one of Spain’s most famous people in the current era is tennis player Rafael Nadal.
He has been ranked world number 1 in tennis singles for a total of 209 weeks, finishing five times as the year-end number 1 and holding the world record for the most consecutive weeks in the top ten of the ATP rankings.
Along with Federer and Djokovich, he is considered one of the “Big Three” of modern tennis.
Penélope Cruz
Among Spain’s most well-known international actors, Penélope Cruz has enjoyed a decades spanning career across both Spanish language and international film.
Her accolades include an Oscar, a BAFTA, four Golden Globes, a Primetime Emmy, and no fewer than five Screen Actors Guild Awards.
She made her television debut at the age of 16, and over the course of the 1990s starred in many feature films.
Antonio Banderas
Another of Spain’s best known film stars, Antonio Banderas has worked across many disparate genres, winning awards from the Cannes Film Festival as well as a European Film Award and many other nominations besides.
He made his feature film debut in 1982’s Labyrinth of Passion, and went on to star in many more over the course of the end of the 20th Century and into the modern day.
Julio Iglesias
A man of many talents, Julio Iglesias is easily Spain’s most commercially successful Spanish singer and is one of the best selling songwriters in the world.
He is also a former professional football player.
He is estimated to have performed a staggering 5,000 concerts over his career and sold over 100 million records in 14 languages.
His linguistic diversity has received a great deal of praise, but at the same time he is at heart a Latin musician.
Pep Guardiola
Currently manager of English Premier League team Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is perhaps one of the best known professional football managers today.
No one can match his run of consecutive wins in three separate leagues: the Premier League, of course, but also the Bundesliga and the La Liga.
He himself, as is usually the case, was a player earlier in his career, playing as a defensive midfielder with Barcelona for of his time as a player.
From the 20th Century’s most famous artists to modern titans of sport and cinema, it’s safe to say that some of the most famous people in living memory have come from Spain.
Spain is a fascinating country with a rich culture and history that has endured many long centuries and a great deal of turmoil, and has come out the other side as one of the most important nations in the world in the modern day in terms of art, sport and culture.
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@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.