List of Famous people born in Poland

Catherine II, most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was Empress of All Russia from 1762 until 1796—the country's longest-ruling female leader. She came to power following a coup d'état that overthrew her husband and second cousin, Peter III. Under her reign, Russia grew larger, its culture was revitalised, and it was recognized as one of the great powers worldwide.

Robert Lewandowski is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and is the captain of the Poland national team. He is renowned for his positioning, technique and finishing, and is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, and one of the best strikers in Bundesliga history. He has scored over 500 senior career goals for club and country.

Marie Skłodowska Curie, born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. As the first of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes, she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. She was the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris in 1906.

Helena Modrzejewska, known professionally as Helena Modjeska, was a renowned Polish actress who specialized in Shakespearean and tragic roles.

Jan Maciej Błachowicz is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. A professional since 2007, he also competed for KSW and is the former KSW Light Heavyweight Champion. He is the second Polish champion in UFC history, after Joanna Jędrzejczyk and the first male Polish champion. As of January 25, 2021, he is #14 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Klaus Kinski was a German actor. He appeared in more than 130 films, and was a leading role actor in the films of Werner Herzog, including Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Woyzeck (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982), and Cobra Verde (1987). He also appeared in many Spaghetti Westerns, such as For a Few Dollars More (1965), A Bullet for the General (1966), The Great Silence (1968), And God Said to Cain (1970), Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead (1971) and A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (1975).

Pope John Paul II was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. He was elected pope by the second papal conclave of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I, who had been elected in August to succeed Pope Paul VI, died after 33 days. Cardinal Wojtyła was elected on the third day of the conclave and adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him. John Paul II is recognised as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and the rest of Europe.

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance-era mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at the center of the universe. In all likelihood, Copernicus developed his model independently of Aristarchus of Samos, an ancient Greek astronomer who had formulated such a model some eighteen centuries earlier.

Lukas Josef Podolski is a German professional footballer who plays as a forward for Turkish team Antalyaspor. Famed for his powerful and accurate left foot, he is known for his explosive shot, technique and probing attacks from the left side.

Yoram Jerzy Gross was a Polish-born Australian producer of children's and family entertainment. Internationally acclaimed for his films and television series, Gross established a worldwide reputation for the adaptation of children's characters from books and films to animation that won the hearts of children and adults worldwide. His company is best known for producing the films Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala and Dot and the Kangaroo.

Kurt Demmler, born Kurt Abramowitz was a German songwriter. He was a noted lyricist and songwriter for many German rock bands.

Bernhard Klemens Maria Grzimek was a renowned German zoo director, zoologist, book author, editor, and animal conservationist in postwar West Germany.

Benjamin Maximillian Mehl was an American dealer in coins, selling them for over half a century. The most prominent dealer in the United States, through much of the first half of the 20th century, he is credited with helping to expand the appeal of coin collecting from a hobby for the wealthy to one enjoyed by many.

Joanna Jędrzejczyk is a Polish professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer. She currently competes in the women’s Flyweight and women’s Strawweight divisions for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She is a former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion. As of October 19, 2020, she is #2 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings and #6 in UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Ralph Modjeski was a Polish-American civil engineer who achieved prominence as a pre-eminent bridge designer in the United States.

Sebastian Paweł Janikowski is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida State University and was selected by the Oakland Raiders 17th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft, where he spent all but one season of his professional career. During his final season in the NFL, he played for the Seattle Seahawks.

Miroslav Josef Klose is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. He currently is a first-team assistant coach for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Klose is widely regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and holds the record for the most goals scored in FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Paul Ziemiak is a German politician of the CDU who has been serving as Secretary General of his party since 8 December 2018, under the leadership of chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. He is a member of the Bundestag.

Hanna Schygulla is a German actress and chanson singer. Associated with the theater and film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, for whom she first worked in 1965, she was active in the New German Cinema. She won the 1979 Berlin Silver Bear for Best Actress for Fassbinder's The Marriage of Maria Braun, and the 1983 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for the Marco Ferreri film The Story of Piera.

Marcin Tybura is a Polish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Tybura previously fought for M-1 and was an M-1 Global Heavyweight Champion and M-1 Grand Prix 2013 Heavyweight Champion. As of January 25, 2021, he is #15 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.