List of Famous people born in Latvia
Catherine I of Russia
Catherine I was the second wife and Empress consort of Peter the Great, and Empress regnant of Russia from 1725 until her death in 1727.
Sergei Eisenstein
Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein was a Soviet film director and film theorist, a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is noted in particular for his silent films Strike (1925), Battleship Potemkin (1925) and October (1928), as well as the historical epics Alexander Nevsky (1938) and Ivan the Terrible. In its 2012 decennial poll, the magazine Sight & Sound named his Battleship Potemkin the 11th greatest film of all time.
Agata Muceniece
Agata Muceniece is a Latvian-born Russian actress and model, and television presenter.
Kristaps Porziņģis
Kristaps Porziņģis is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) tall, and plays both the power forward and center positions.
Jeļena Ostapenko
Jeļena Ostapenko, also known as Aļona Ostapenko, is a professional tennis player from Latvia. She has career-high WTA rankings of No. 5 in singles, achieved on 19 March 2018, and No. 17 in doubles, reached on 2 March 2020.
Mikhail Zadornov
Mikhail Nikolayevich Zadornov was a Soviet and Russian stand-up comedian and writer. Zadornov was born into an artistic family, his father Nikolai Zadornov being a notable writer from Riga. Zadornov’s mother, Elena Matusevich (1909-1992), came from an old noble family, which can trace its roots to the Polish king Stephen Bathory.
Matīss Kivlenieks
Matīss Edmunds Kivlenieks was a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for Prizma Riga of the Latvian Hockey Higher League (LHL), the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), and the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2012 and 2021.
Arkady Raikin
Arkady Isaakovich Raikin was a Soviet stand-up comedian, theater and film actor, and stage director. He led the school of Soviet and Russian humorists for about half a century.
Misha Cirkunov
Mikhail "Misha" Cirkunov is a Latvian-Canadian professional mixed martial artist of Russian heritage, who competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He lives in and fights out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As of September 29, 2020, he is #10 in the UFC Light Heavyweight rankings.
Vitas
Vitaly Vladasovich Grachev, known professionally as Vitas, is a Ukrainian singer and actor. He is known for his unique falsetto which he displays when performing his "turkey call" in "The 7th Element" and his trademark falsetto choruses. His eclectic musical style incorporates elements of techno, dance, classical, jazz, and folk music. His song "Opera #2" and the music video for "The 7th Element" became popular on various social networks, accounting for much of his worldwide recognition.