List of Famous people born in Latvia
Heinz Erhardt
Heinz Erhardt was a German comedian, musician, entertainer, actor, and poet.
Laima Vaikule
Laima Vaikule is a Latvian actress, singer, director, and choreographer, best known in Europe and in the former USSR for such popular hits as "Vernisage" and "Charlie," among other songs.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet Latvian-born Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male classical dancer of the 1970s and 1980s. He subsequently became a noted dance director.
Mariss Jansons
Mariss Ivars Georgs Jansons was a Latvian conductor. During his lifetime, Jansons was often cited as one of the world's top living conductors. He was best known for his interpretations of Mahler, Strauss and Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich.
Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final. In total, Gulbis has six ATP titles to his name. His best performance at a Grand Slam is reaching the semifinals of the 2014 French Open. He had previously reached the quarterfinals of the 2008 French Open. Gulbis' career-high singles ranking is world No. 10, making him the only Latvian tennis player ever to be ranked inside the top 10 in ATP Singles Ranking. He achieved this in June 2014.
Yuri Bogatyryov
Yuri Georgiyevich Bogatyryov was a Soviet actor, best known for his roles in five films by Nikita Mikhalkov, including At Home Among Strangers (1974). Bogatyryov, one of the leading actors of Sovremennik (1971-1977) and then Moscow Art Theater (1977-1989), was designated People's Artist of Russia in 1988.
Anastasija Sevastova
Anastasija Sevastova is a professional tennis player from Latvia. She reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 in October 2018, after reaching her first Premier Mandatory final at the China Open. She has won four singles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as 13 singles and four doubles titles on the ITF Circuit.
Anton Zabolotny
Anton Konstantinovich Zabolotny is a Russian professional football player. He plays as a striker for PFC Sochi.
Raimonds Pauls
Ojārs Raimonds Pauls is a Latvian composer and piano player who is well known in Latvia, Russia, post-Soviet countries and world-wide. He was the Minister of culture of Latvia from 1988 to 1993.
Ivars Kalniņš
Ivars Edmunds Kalniņš is a Latvian film and television actor. He graduated in 1974 from the Jāzeps Vītols Theatre Department of the Latvian Conservatory. He had already started acting however in 1972 at the Artistic Academic Theatre of J. Rainis. Kalniņš has performed in both Latvian language and Russian language films and television shows.