List of Famous people born in Wallonia, Belgium
Justine Henin
Justine Henin is a Belgian former professional tennis player known for her all-court style of play and notably being one of the few female players to use a single-handed backhand. She spent a total of 117 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Henin, coming from a country with limited success in men's or women's tennis, helped establish Belgium as a leading force in women's tennis with Kim Clijsters, and led the country to its first Fed Cup crown in 2001.
Luigi Pieroni
Luigi Pieroni is a former Belgian professional football, who played as a forward, and current assistant manager of RFC Seraing.
Déborah François
Déborah François is a Belgian actress. She is best known for her starring role in the Palme d'Or-winning film, The Child (2005), directed by the Dardenne brothers. In 2009, she won a César Award for Most Promising Actress for The First Day of the Rest of Your Life.
Paul Lannoye
Paul Lannoye is a Belgian politician. He was one of the founding members of the Ecolo party and a Member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 2004.
Émilie Dequenne
Émilie Dequenne is a Belgian actress. She first gained attention for playing the title character in the film Rosetta (1999), which earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. She then went on to star in many films such as Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001), The Light (2004), The Girl on the Train (2009), Our Children (2012), Not My Type (2014) and This Is Our Land (2017).
Charles Michel
Charles Yves Jean Ghislaine Michel is a Belgian politician serving as President of the European Council since 2019. He previously served as Prime Minister of Belgium between 2014 and 2019.
Bouli Lanners
Philippe "Bouli" Lanners is a Belgian actor, author and film director. His film The Giants was nominated for twelve Magritte Awards, winning five, including Best Film and Best Director.
René Magritte
René François Ghislain Magritte was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art and conceptual art.
Charles Martel
Charles Martel was a Frankish statesman and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesman Pepin of Herstal and Pepin's mistress, a noblewoman named Alpaida. Charles, also known as “The Hammer”, successfully asserted his claims to power as successor to his father as the power behind the throne in Frankish politics. Continuing and building on his father's work, he restored centralized government in Francia and began the series of military campaigns that re-established the Franks as the undisputed masters of all Gaul. According to a near-contemporary source, the Liber Historiae Francorum, Charles was "a warrior who was uncommonly [...] effective in battle".
Daniel Van Buyten
Daniel Van Buyten is a Belgian former footballer who played as a centre back. Nicknamed "Big Dan", Van Buyten was known for his uncompromising style of play, exploiting both his physical strength and aerial ability.