# Poll: Who is the most famous person from your country? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 25, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668 "2004-11-25T19:07:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@RickQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickQ)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/1 "2004-11-25T19:07:35Z")
My wife ( **Brynda** ) and I were talking the other day about famous people and we got to thinking about who the most famous people are from the countries we are from. I am from the UK and Brynda is from the US. I suggested that Shakespeare may be the most famous person from England and Elvis may be the most famous person from the US. Those two were just off the top of my head. We talked about it some more and decided that the definition of famous that we meant was someone who 1000 random people were most likely to have heard of. That might cut out some celebrities and sports stars etc. So, what do you all think? Who is the most famous person from the US, England or your country? ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/2 "2004-11-25T19:46:00Z")
Nelson Mandela - No contest for the past 40 years, before that, probably Chaka Zulu… Grim ---
**Author:** ![professor\_folk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df788c/32.png) [@professor\_folk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/professor_folk)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/3 "2004-11-25T19:57:21Z")
CBC tv is actaully having a Greatest Canadian contest right now here in Canada, so I guess when that’s over we’ll know. But, I guess fame doesn’t mean greatest. Most famous Canadian??? bryan Adams, Michael J. Fox, Pamela Anderson…Peter Jennings. having a brain-fart at the moment to think of someone internationally historic. ---
**Author:** ![Trillionaire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Trillionaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trillionaire)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/4 "2004-11-25T20:21:24Z")
New Zealand: I’d like to think it’s Sir Edmund Hillary or Lord Ernest Rutherford, but it’s almost certainly Peter Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/5 "2004-11-25T20:26:39Z")
> [@professor folk](#): > > CBC tv is actaully having a Greatest Canadian contest right now here in Canada, so I guess when that’s over we’ll know. But, I guess fame doesn’t mean greatest. Most famous Canadian??? bryan Adams, Michael J. Fox, Pamela Anderson…Peter Jennings. having a brain-fart at the moment to think of someone internationally historic. Pamela Anderson and Celine Dion would probably be the ones with the highest international “Q” rating from Canada, although there’s [this](http://www.dashan.com/en/index.htm) guy, who is one of the most popular entertainers in China, from what I understand. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/6 "2004-11-25T20:35:05Z")
I’m living in Ireland. Irish political figures don’t really figure too highly on the international stage, but for monstrously famous, I’d say Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Liam Neeson, and Bono for a start. However, I’m actually from England. I’ll allow Shakespeare as numero uno. Churchill too, perhaps. Benny Hill? And of course we mustn’t forget Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![snorlax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@snorlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snorlax)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/7 "2004-11-25T21:02:01Z")
**jjimm** , surely you remember the BBC [Great Britons](http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/programmes/greatbritons.shtml) poll? I’m not sure I understand the Jesus reference. Is this something to do with _Jerusalem_? ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/8 "2004-11-25T21:03:48Z")
I’m from Finland, and I don’t know who the most famous Finn would be. Jean Sibelius? For the most famous American, I’d say Elvis Presley, too, but probably not Shakespeare for the most famous Brit - or hell, maybe he is. I’m a bit hard-pressed to say who the most famous Brit would be, actually, but Lady Di would probably be a strong choice. For the most famous Irish person, Bono. For the most famous Canadian, Pamela Anderson (unless you measure on how many people actually know that she’s Canadian.) For New Zealand, Peter Jackson (again…) ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/9 "2004-11-25T21:05:21Z")
(One choice for the most famous American: Walt Disney. Or maybe that’s just Finland’s Donald Duck fanaticism talking…) ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/10 "2004-11-25T21:06:01Z")
In terms of the highest profile/recognizability around the world, the most famous American has to be George W. Bush (at the moment). After that, yeah, Elvis. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/11 "2004-11-25T21:12:48Z")
I’m not Indian, but the Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa both spring to mind for that country. For Australia, nobody seems to stand out. Elle MacPhearson, Kylie or Sir Donald Bradman (in the Commonwealth at least) perhaps. Ian Thorpe would also be a contender, since he’s a known entity in China and the US, two highly populated countries. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/12 "2004-11-25T21:17:24Z")
> [@Jervoise](#): > > I’m not Indian, but the Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa both spring to mind for that country. > > For Australia, nobody seems to stand out. Elle MacPhearson, Kylie or Sir Donald Bradman (in the Commonwealth at least) perhaps. Ian Thorpe would also be a contender, since he’s a known entity in China and the US, two highly populated countries. I bet Paul Hogan or The Crocodile Hunter would get a disturbingly high rating in this. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/13 "2004-11-25T21:28:33Z")
> [@Jervoise](#): > > I’m not Indian, but the Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa both spring to mind for that country. Err…Mother Theresa in not from India. I think if you ask who’s the most famous person from Macedonia, she wins, hands down. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/14 "2004-11-25T21:34:36Z")
Oh wait. Unless you count Alexender the Great…after all Oliver Stone never made a movie about Mother Theresa… ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/15 "2004-11-25T21:40:10Z")
> [@Raygun99](#): > > Pamela Anderson and Celine Dion would probably be the ones with the highest international “Q” rating from Canada, although there’s [this](http://www.dashan.com/en/index.htm) guy, who is one of the most popular entertainers in China, from what I understand. I was surprised to hear a tv show on this exact topic call Shania Twain the Canadian winner. That was a few years ago though. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/16 "2004-11-25T21:44:12Z")
> [@Kantalooppi](#): > > I’m from Finland, and I don’t know who the most famous Finn would be. Jean Sibelius? If the poll took place online, it’s be Linus Torvalds… As for Britons not already mentioned, there’s Newton, Lennon, Darwin, Diana, … Perhaps a way of measuring it is to pick those who’s names have entered the language as actual words: Henry Rolls & C S Royce, James Watt, Alexander Graham Bell (who scores twice, with both the colloquial “give a bell” and the various company names)… ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/17 "2004-11-25T21:56:17Z")
I think the answer is obvious. Worldwide _Karl Marx_ would be a very strong second, although some people abroad seem the think he was Russian. Unfortunately very often you have to define what you mean by “German,” but I think we can safely include those two. > [@professor folk](#): > > CBC tv is actaully having a Greatest Canadian contest right now here in Canada, so I guess when that’s over we’ll know. We had such a contest as well and the result was a rather embarassing vote for _Konrad Adenauer_, first Chancellor of the Federal Republic (1949-1963.) ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/18 "2004-11-25T22:02:00Z")
> [@betenoir](#): > > Oh wait. Unless you count Alexender the Great…after all Oliver Stone never made a movie about Mother Theresa… I stand corrected on M. Theresa, but I’ll point that the Greeks also claim Alexander for their own. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/19 "2004-11-25T23:03:29Z")
> [@Ilsa\_Lund](#): > > In terms of the highest profile/recognizability around the world, the most famous American has to be George W. Bush (at the moment). After that, yeah, Elvis. Wouldn’t Washington be more famous than Elvis? Or am I just naive? (Or Marilyn Monroe, perhaps?) For France, I assume it’s Napoleon. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668/20 "2004-11-25T23:31:38Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Wouldn’t Washington be more famous than Elvis? Or am I just naive? > > (Or Marilyn Monroe, perhaps?) Or maybe Amerigo Vespucci? 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-who-is-the-most-famous-person-from-your-country/276668.md?page=2)