The Most Famous

ACTORS from Belgium

This page contains a list of the greatest Belgian Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 27 of which were born in Belgium. This makes Belgium the birth place of the 30th most number of Actors behind Hungary, and Netherlands.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Belgian Actors of all time. This list of famous Belgian Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Belgian Actors.

1. Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993)

With an HPI of 79.45, Audrey Hepburn is the most famous Belgian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 112 different languages on wikipedia.

Audrey Kathleen Hepburn (née Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Hepburn had a successful career in Hollywood and was recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Hollywood cinema and was inducted into the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame List. Born into an aristocratic family in Ixelles, Brussels, Hepburn spent parts of her childhood in Belgium, England and the Netherlands. She attended boarding school in Kent, England from 1936 to 1939. With the outbreak of World War II, she returned to the Netherlands. During the war, Hepburn studied ballet at the Arnhem Conservatory and by 1944, she performed ballet to raise money to support the Dutch resistance. Hepburn studied ballet with Sonia Gaskell in Amsterdam beginning in 1945 and with Marie Rambert in London from 1948. She began performing as a chorus girl in West End musical theatre productions and then had minor appearances in several films. Hepburn rose to stardom in the romantic comedy Roman Holiday (1953) alongside Gregory Peck, for which she was the first actress to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award for a single performance. That year, she also won a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for her performance in Ondine. Hepburn went on to star in a number of successful films such as Sabrina (1954), in which Humphrey Bogart and William Holden compete for her affection; Funny Face (1957), a musical in which she sang her own parts; the drama The Nun's Story (1959); the romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961); the thriller-romance Charade (1963), opposite Cary Grant; and the musical My Fair Lady (1964). In 1967, she starred in the thriller Wait Until Dark, receiving Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. After that, Hepburn only occasionally appeared in films, one being Robin and Marian (1976) with Sean Connery. Her last recorded performances were in the 1990 documentary television series Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement – Informational Programming. In 1994, Hepburn's contributions to a spoken-word recording titled Audrey Hepburn's Enchanted Tales earned her a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children. She stands as one of few entertainers who have won competitive Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards known as EGOT. Hepburn won three BAFTA Awards for Best British Actress in a Leading Role. In recognition of her film career, she received BAFTA's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and the Special Tony Award. Later in life, Hepburn devoted much of her time to UNICEF, to which she had contributed since 1954. Between 1988 and 1992, she worked in some of the poorest communities of Africa, South America and Asia. In December 1992, Hepburn received the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. A month later, she died of appendix cancer at her home in Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland at the age of 63.

2. Jean-Claude Van Damme (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 72.41, Jean-Claude Van Damme is the 2nd most famous Belgian Actor. His biography has been translated into 76 different languages.

Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (French: [ʒɑ̃ klod kamij fʁɑ̃swa vɑ̃ vaʁɑ̃bɛʁɡ], Flemish: [vɑɱ ˈvaːrə(m)bɛr(ə)x]; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (French: [vɑ̃ dam], Flemish: [vɑn ˈdɑmə]), is a Belgian martial artist and actor. Born and raised in Brussels, his father enrolled him in a Shotokan karate school at the age of ten, which led Van Damme to hold the rank of 2nd-dan black belt in karate, and compete in several karate and kickboxing competitions. As a teenager, he won the middleweight championship of the European Professional Karate Association in 1979 and the Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title in 1978. With the desire of becoming an actor in Hollywood, he moved to the United States in 1982, where he worked on several films, until he got his break as the lead in the martial arts film Bloodsport (1988). He became a popular action film star and followed up with commercially successful films such as Cyborg, Kickboxer (both 1989), Lionheart, Death Warrant (both 1990), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run, Hard Target (both 1993), Timecop, Street Fighter (both 1994), Sudden Death (1995), The Quest, which marked his directorial debut, and Maximum Risk (both 1996). He achieved sex symbol status in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Between 1993 and 1998, three Hong Kong filmmakers collaborated with Van Damme for their debuts in Western cinema: John Woo, Tsui Hark, and Ringo Lam. After a decline in popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he returned to prominence with the critically acclaimed crime drama JCVD (2008). His big return to the action genre was in The Expendables 2 (2012), in which he starred as the villain, opposite Sylvester Stallone's character. From thereon, he continued starring in action films and doing extensive voice work, appearing in the well-received Enemies Closer (2013), The Bouncer, Kickboxer: Retaliation (both 2018), Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022), and Darkness of Man (2024). In television, he starred in the Ridley Scott-produced Jean-Claude Van Johnson (2016-2017). Regarded as an icon of action and martial arts cinema, his films have grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making him one of the most successful action stars of all time. Outside his film career, Van Damme has publicly supported various conservationist causes and animal rights organisations.

3. Patrick Bauchau (b. 1938)

With an HPI of 56.97, Patrick Bauchau is the 3rd most famous Belgian Actor. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Patrick Nicolas Jean Sixte Ghislain Bauchau (born 6 December 1938) is a Belgian actor best known for his roles in the films A View to a Kill, The Rapture and Panic Room, as well as the TV shows The Pretender and House.

4. Johnny Galecki (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 54.24, Johnny Galecki is the 4th most famous Belgian Actor. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

John Mark Galecki (born April 30, 1975) is an American actor. The accolades he has received include a Satellite Award, alongside nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and six Screen Actors Guild Awards. He played Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007–2019), and David Healy in the ABC sitcoms Roseanne (1992–1997; 2018) and The Conners (2018–2019). Galecki also appeared in the films Prancer (1989), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Suicide Kings (1997), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Bookies (2003), In Time (2011), and Rings (2017). Galecki was one of the highest paid television actors in the world, with his role in The Big Bang Theory earning him approximately US$900,000 per episode between 2017 and 2019. In 2018, he was estimated to be the world's second highest-paid male TV actor by Forbes (behind only his The Big Bang Theory co-star Jim Parsons), earning $25 million.

5. Jean Servais (1910 - 1976)

With an HPI of 52.78, Jean Servais is the 5th most famous Belgian Actor. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Jean Servais (French: [ʒɑ̃ sɛʁvɛ]; 24 September 1910 – 17 February 1976) was a Belgian film and stage actor. He acted in many 20th century French cinema productions, from the 1930s through the early 1970s. He was married to actress Dominique Blanchar (1952-1953) and later to Gilberte Graillot.

6. Annie Cordy (1928 - 2020)

With an HPI of 52.72, Annie Cordy is the 6th most famous Belgian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Léonie Juliana, Baroness Cooreman (16 June 1928 – 4 September 2020), also known by her stage name Annie Cordy, was a Belgian actress and singer. She appeared in more than 50 films from 1954 and staged many memorable appearances at Bruno Coquatrix' famous Paris Olympia. Her version of "La Ballade de Davy Crockett" was number 1 in the charts for five weeks in France in August 1956. She was born in Laeken, Belgium, where in 2004, King Albert II of Belgium bestowed upon her the title of Baroness in recognition for her life's achievements.

7. Benoît Poelvoorde (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 51.71, Benoît Poelvoorde is the 7th most famous Belgian Actor. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Benoît Poelvoorde (French: [bənwa pulvɔʁd], Flemish: [bəˈnʋaː pulˈvoːrdə]; born 22 September 1964) is a Belgian actor and comedian.

8. Johan Leysen (1950 - 2023)

With an HPI of 51.61, Johan Leysen is the 8th most famous Belgian Actor. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Johan Leysen (19 February 1950 – 30 March 2023) was a Belgian actor. He appeared in more than 130 films and television shows from 1977. He starred in the film De grens, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. In 1998, he won the Golden Calf for Best Actor for his role in the movie Felice...Felice.... In the 2010 film The American, he appeared as Pavel, mysterious handler of Jack, the assassin character played by George Clooney.

9. Yolande Moreau (b. 1953)

With an HPI of 51.57, Yolande Moreau is the 9th most famous Belgian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Yolande Moreau (born 27 February 1953) is a Belgian comedian, actress, film director and screenwriter. She has won three César Awards from four nominations.

10. Jan Decleir (b. 1946)

With an HPI of 51.09, Jan Decleir is the 10th most famous Belgian Actor. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Jan Decleir (born as Jan Amanda Gustaaf Decleir on 14 February 1946) is a prolific Belgian movie and stage actor born in Niel, Antwerp.

People

Pantheon has 35 people classified as Belgian actors born between 1910 and 1996. Of these 35, 30 (85.71%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Belgian actors include Jean-Claude Van Damme, Patrick Bauchau, and Johnny Galecki. The most famous deceased Belgian actors include Audrey Hepburn, Jean Servais, and Annie Cordy. As of April 2024, 8 new Belgian actors have been added to Pantheon including Johan Leysen, Paolo Ferrari, and Lucas Belvaux.