List of Famous people born in Riga, Latvia

Māris Rūdolfs Liepa was a Soviet Latvian ballet dancer. He graduated from Riga Choreography School where he was taught by Valentin Blinov. He performed in Moscow for the first time in 1950. At the height of career, Liepa was considered one of the finest male dancers in the world and one of the most versatile, at home in a wide range of roles.

Alfons Bērziņš was a Latvian long track speed skater. He competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics. In 1939 he became overall champion at the European Championships.

Lūcija Garūta was a Latvian pianist, poet and composer.

Ivars Godmanis is a Latvian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Latvia from 1990 to 1993 and again from 2007 to 2009. He was the first Prime Minister of Latvia after the country restored its independence from the Soviet Union.

Ainars Bagatskis is a Latvian former professional basketball player and coach, who currently works as the head coach of Kyiv-Basket. He also was a head coach of the senior Latvian national basketball team.

Elīna Garanča is a Latvian mezzo-soprano. She began to study singing in her hometown of Riga in 1996 and continued her studies in Vienna and in the United States. By 1999 she had won first place in a significant competition in Finland and had begun a career in Europe. Worldwide engagements followed her 2003 Salzburg Festival appearances.

Pauline of Württemberg was a daughter of Duke Louis of Württemberg and Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg. She married her first cousin King William I of Württemberg and was his consort.

Vera Ignatyevna Mukhina was a prominent Soviet sculptor and painter. She was nicknamed "the queen of Soviet sculpture".

Marija Naumova is a Latvian singer. Under the stage name Marie N, she sings a broad range of music ranging from pop to musical theatre and jazz, and has recorded several albums, with songs in Latvian, French, English, Russian and Portuguese. In 2002, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Latvia with her song "I Wanna".

Ilonda Lūse is a Latvian speed skater. She competed at the 1994, 1998 and the 2002 Winter Olympics.