1. Heidi Romanova (1995)

Model

Nude model known for her fiery red hair. She's appeared in as a Playboy Plus Playmate and has over 140,000 followers on Instagram and over 40,000 followers on Twitter. 

2. Alan Melikdjanian (1980)

Latvian Filmmaker

Alan Melikdjanian, otherwise known as CaptainDisillusion, is a YouTuber known for debunking viral videos to explain the unbelievable illusions portrayed in them. His unique explanatory vlogs have earned him more...

3. Wilhelm Ostwald (1853)

German Physical Chemist And Nobe

A German chemist who was known as one of the founders of the field of physical chemistry. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909 for discovering that chemical...

4. Marija Leiko (1887)

Latvian Actor

Latvian silent movie actress in Europe who was especially popular in Latvia, Germany, and Russia.

5. Leo Michelson (1887)

French Painter

Latvian-American artist whose works were considered part of the École de Paris. He was one of the pioneers of German Expressionism.

6. Hermanis Matisons (1894)

Latvian Chess Player

A Latvian chess player who was one of world's highest regarded chess masters in the early 1930s.

7. Valerian Abakovsky (1895)

Inventor

Latvian inventor best known for creating the Aerowagon, a high-speed railcar fitted with an aircraft engine.

8. Gustavs Celmiņš (1899)

Latvian Politician

Latvian politician who was the secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1925 to 1927. He initially collaborated with the Nazis during World War II but soon began to...

9. Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903)

Philosopher

Israeli public intellectual, polymath, and faculty member of Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

10. Walter Zapp (1905)

Estonian Inventor

Inventor whose greatest creation was the subminiature camera.

11. Ernst Jaakson (1905)

Estonian Diplomat

Estonian diplomat who served his country in uninterrupted diplomatic service for 69 years. He notably served as the Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations from 1991 to 1994.

12. Philippe Halsman (1906)

Latvian-american Photographer

Latvian-born American portrait photographer known for his iconic pictures of people jumping.

13. Aleksis Dreimanis (1914)

Canadian Geologist

A Canadian Quaternary geologist who was born in Valmiera, Latvia. He was the President of the American Quaternary Association from 1980 to 1982 and he was awarded the Distinguished Career...

14. Ginta Lapiņa (1989)

Fashion Model

Latvian model known for her campaigns with Prada, Rodarte, and Anna Sui, among others.

15. Gunnar Birkerts (1925)

American Architect

Latvian-American architect who did most of his work in the metropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan. His designs included New York's Corning Museum of Glass, Minneapolis' Marquette Plaza, and Kansas City's...

16. Gil Kane (1926)

Comic Book Artist

Latvian comic book artist who was the co-creator of the modern day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics during his career span from the...

17. Ivar Ivask (1927)

Estonian Poet

Estonian poet and academic who rose to literary prominence in the 1960s. He taught in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department of the University of Oklahoma.

18. Agata Muceniece (1989)

TV Show Host

Television presenter and actress who began serving as the host of the Russian edition of The Voice Kids in its fifth season. She is also known for having played Darya Starkova...

19. Juris Hartmanis (1928)

Computer Scientist

A Latvian computer scientist and computational theorist who received the 1993 ACM Turing Award. He developed many principles of computational complexity theory while working at the General Electric Research Laboratory.

20. Gunārs Astra (1931)

Latvian Human Rights Activist An

Latvian activist known for his anti-Soviet views and his work on behalf of human rights. He served time in a Soviet prison from 1961 until 1976.

21. Vizma Belševica (1931)

Latvian Writer

A Latvian poet, author, and translator of the Twentieth Century, she is best known for such poetry collections as The Sea is Burning and Annual Rings. Her short story collections...

22. Oļģerts Dunkers (1932)

Soviet Film Director

Latvian actor and film director best known for his film A Ghost in the Garden.

23. Mikhail Tal (1936)

Latvian Chess Player

Soviet chess master from Latvia who became just the eighth ever World Chess Champion in 1960.

24. Māris Liepa (1936)

Latvian Ballet Dancer

Soviet Latvian ballet dancer known for dancing with the Moscow State Academic Bolshoi Theatre troupe.

25. Aivars Gipslis (1937)

Chess Player

A Latvian chess Grandmaster and chess writer who represented Latvia in tournaments for many years.

26. Vija Celmins (1938)

American Artist

Latvian-born artist known for her photo-realistic art and for her monochromatic paintings and pop sculptures.

27. Imants Kalniņš (1941)

Latvian Composer

One of the greatest composers in the history of Latvian music. He wrote six symphonies and several operas during his career that spanned several decades.

28. Laila Freivalds (1942)

Swedish Politician

Swedish Social Democratic politician and who served as Minister for Justice from 1994 to 2000. She was also the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden for one month in 2004.

29. Rutanya Alda (1942)

American Actor

Latvian-American actress best known for her performance in the movie The Deer Hunter.

30. Mariss Jansons (1943)

Latvian Conductor

Latvian maestro who conducted the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert.

31. Gatis Jahovičs (1984)

Latvian Basketball Player

Latvian small forward who joined VEF Riga in 2009 after spending two seasons with ASK Riga.

32. Aminata Savadogo (1993)

Pop Singer

After rising to fame for representing her native Latvia in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, Savadogo released her debut album, Inner Voice, on the Universal Music label.

33. Mischa Maisky (1948)

Latvian-israeli Cellist

Renowned cellist known for his recordings of works by composers like Beethoven and Bach. He has worked with some of the world's most prominent orchestras, like the London Symphony Orchestra.

34. Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948)

Russian Ballet Dancer

Acclaimed Russian ballet dancer who defected and began a career in Hollywood TV and movies.

35. Stas Davydov (1987)

YouTube Star

Latvian YouTube host most well known as the face of the curated channel This is Хорошо. It has accumulated more than 5 million subscribers with its collection of some of...

36. Ksenia Solo (1987)

Actress

Actress who became known for her role as Tasha on the series Life Unexpected. She also played Kenzi on Lost Girl. 

37. Andris Biedriņš (1986)

Latvian Basketball Player

Latvian center known for his shot-blocking and defense; broke into the NBA with the Golden State Warriors in 2004.

38. Ingūna Butāne (1986)

Latvian Model

Model who has worked with brands including Bergdorf Goodman, L'Oréal, and Neiman Marcus, among others.

39. Mārtiņš Karsums (1986)

Latvian Ice Hockey Player

Latvian right winger who joined the Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2012.

40. Andris Nelsons (1978)

Latvian Conductor

Latvian conductor who was the Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Birmingham, England.

41. Elvis Merzļikins (1994)

Latvian Ice Hockey Player

Latvian professional ice hockey who's best known for playing for HC Lugano of the National League. He also played for the Latvia men's national ice hockey team.

42. Helmuts Balderis (1952)

Ice Hockey Player

Latvian ice hockey player who played right wing for Dinamo Riga.

43. Raitis Ivanāns (1979)

Latvian Ice Hockey Player

Latvian left wing who joined Dinamo Rīga of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2012.

44. Zemgus Girgensons (1994)

Latvian Ice Hockey Player

Latvian hockey centre who, by being drafted with the fourteenth overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2012 NHL Draft, became the highest-drafted Latvian player in history. In 2013,...

45. Gidon Kremer (1947)

Latvian Musician

Latvian violinist and conductor known for his wide repertoire.

46. Andrejs Grants (1955)

Latvian Photographer

Latvian photographer and teacher known for his documentary photography and for his photographs full of criticism.

47. Kaspars Kambala (1978)

Latvian Basketball Player

Latvian power forward who began his professional career with Efes Pilsen in 2001 and went on to play for over ten professional teams in the next 13 years.

48. Natasha Shneider (1956)

Russian Musician

Best known as the keyboardist for the 1990s hard rock band Eleven, she also performed with Queens of the Stone Age during their Lullabies to Paralyze tour in 2005.

49. Arkadij Naiditsch (1985)

Chess Player

A German chess Grandmaster who is known for winning the Dortmund Sparkassen 2005 Tournament.

50. DJ Lethal (1972)

Disc Jockey

DJ most known for his time spent with rock band, Limp Bizkit--a band that has sold over 35,000,000 albums worldwide.