I found the parenthetical sentence offensive.
It’s not something I pulled out of thin air - it’s a well known cultural reference in the U.K.
Following its release, the music video became popular for the gold hotpants Minogue sported. It resulted in a media sensation regarding her bottom.[37] British national broadsheet newspaper The Sunday Times deemed her bottom a “wonder of nature”[35] and The Sun sponsored a campaign to “have Kylie Minogue’s rear-end heritage-listed, preserved for “posteriority” on the grounds that it’s an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”[38] Readers were requested by the tabloid newspaper to persuade the government to make sure "[Minogue’s] bum remains in safe hands - by turning it into a national institution.
Of course, Kylie Minogue is Australian.
Which of course I know. And she is, nevertheless, regarded as a national treasure in the U.K. I can’t think of any direct parallel in the U.S., but it’s somewhat similar to Dolly Parton - she’s regarded with immense affection by everyone, whatever you might think of her music. Also something of a gay icon.
Yes!!!
And for Germany: Franz Beckenbauer. Despite… ah, never mind. He is a national treasure.
Spain: Joan Manuel Serrat. I’ll be sad when he passes.
Jane Goodall has also, uh, lost her way.
I agree except how crappy a father he has been. I was happier only knowing his amazing movies.
UK/Wales: Anthony Hopkins
Well, Tracey Ullmann certainly thinks so.
Those skits are so hilarious. I can’t stop laughing when I watch them.
Since he starred in the topic-appropriate movies, I’ll nominate Nicolas Cage.
She also is among the Australian living national treasures
Out of an august and eclectic bunch I’d nominate my pick of the merited but less widely known (ie neither musicians or sportspeople)
Sir William Deane, High Court judge and Governor-General of Australia
Peter Doherty, immunologist, professor, Nobel Prize winner
Barry Jones, politician, author, polymath
Graeme Murphy, dancer, choreographer
Noel Pearson, Indigenous Australian leader
Robyn Williams, science broadcaster
I know I am in a tiny minority here but, having met Sir David on a couple of occasions, he can be a bit of an arse.
He should be, but he’s not famous enough. If you’d ask people on the street about him, most would ask “Werner Who?”
Ten years ago, I definitely would have said yes, he used to be regarded a national treasure despite his flaws. But in the meantime, so much wrong-doing and corruption has been revealed that people are no longer willing to turn a blind-eye, which they did before to all his many shortcomings. He has virtually vanished from the public, and though that might also be because of his medical issues, I think it has as much to do with hiding from the public after all his scandals.
So, who else could it be? i’ll nominate Udo Lindenberg, he’s virtually loved by almost anyone, even very young people dig him though he’s pushing eighty.
And if dead people could be nominated, there’d be no question: Loriot probably was the most popular person in Germany in his time:
As for other nations:
America:
Brian Wilson
Bob Dylan
UK:
Paul McCartney
Ray Davies
France:
Catherine Deneuve
Canada:
Joni Mitchell
Neil Young
Greece:
Nana Mouskouri
You can remove ‘something of’.
She ran a gay bar in Galavant and sang “Off with His Shirt”.
I’m going to guess Andrew Lloyd Webber for whichever country he claims.
Mary Berry for the UK.
It’s been a long time since I lived in New Zealand, so my cultural references are from quite a ways back. Most of the people I thought might be considered National Treasures to Kiwis are either long gone, or are internationally known, like Temuera Morrison or Sam Neill or Lucy Lawless.
But a couple spring to mind. Celebrity Chef Alison Holst, and News Presenter Dougal Stevenson. Coincidentally they are both from my home town, but they were beloved during my childhood and still elicit respect today.
A few others: Roger Hall; Ilona Rodgers; Kiri Te Kanawa.
That bum belongs to Australia by birthright, by golly! (I grew up just a few streets away from her when she was at HS, BTW)
Jim Lovell then.
In my view, a “national treasure” must not only be famous, and have contributed something to society (art, science, policy, etc.), but also be generally a good person. So, I would disqualify anyone with known unsavory personalities, behavior or opinions.
For the U.K., I would nominate Stephen Fry, Michael Palin, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Diana Rigg.