# Who is the most famous non-fictional Belgian? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986 "2014-10-10T18:00:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/1 "2014-10-10T18:00:45Z")
Vote in the poll and/or explain your answer! ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/2 "2014-10-10T18:09:17Z")
The muscles from Brussels has a U.S. movie career that helped put his name in the public’s memory. Personally, I prefer the Waffle but that wasn’t a choice. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/3 "2014-10-10T18:09:44Z")
Audrey Hepburn! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/4 "2014-10-10T18:10:42Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > Audrey Hepburn! Yep. Followed by the painter Rubens. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/5 "2014-10-10T18:20:44Z")
Probably Rubens but I’m going with Eddy Merckx. Google tells me the inventor of the Saxophone was a Belgian - Adolphe Sax. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/6 "2014-10-10T18:24:32Z")
King Leopold. (Specifically, Leopold II.) Made famous (or rather, infamous) for the brutality carried out in the Congo when it was his private fiefdom. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/7 "2014-10-10T18:57:59Z")
[Albert I](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_I_of_Belgium#World_War_I)comes to mind, who really led the Belgian Army in WWI, and fought with the troops. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/8 "2014-10-10T18:59:59Z")
[Meet James Ensor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ensor), Belgium’s famous painter. Dig him up and shake his hand, appreciate the man. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/9 "2014-10-10T19:08:31Z")
Audrey Hepburn is a good choice, except I don’t think most people know she’s Belgian! Rubens is also a good choice. I don’t think most people are familiar with any kings of Belgium, but if they are, it’s probably Leo II. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/10 "2014-10-10T19:11:42Z")
The Belgian Waffle probably should have been a poll option… ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/11 "2014-10-10T19:14:02Z")
I’d say Audrey Hepburn tops the list. After that, well, a lot depends on whether you count people who were born in what’s NOW Belgium before the nation actually existed. There were many great artists from Flanders, which is NOW part of Belgium. Van Eyck is just one who comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/12 "2014-10-10T19:14:33Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > [Meet James Ensor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ensor), Belgium’s famous painter. Dig him up and shake his hand, appreciate the man. Sigh. I knew someone else would get there first. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/13 "2014-10-10T19:34:57Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > I don’t think most people are familiar with any kings of Belgium, but if they are, it’s probably Leo II. I thought first of Hercule Peroit (sp) and then Albert. I didn’t know that Audrey Hepburn is and Rubens was Belgian. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/14 "2014-10-10T19:37:20Z")
Another vote for Leopold II who is in fact the only non-fictional Belgian I know (forgot Rubens’ nationality and had no idea about Audrey Hepburn). I also forgot about Magritte. And I guess Herve although his creations are a lot more famous than he is. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/15 "2014-10-10T19:39:05Z")
The most famous Belgian is the Manneken Pis! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/16 "2014-10-10T19:40:22Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > King Leopold. (Specifically, Leopold II.) Made famous (or rather, infamous) for the brutality carried out in the Congo when it was his private fiefdom. I came in to say this. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/17 "2014-10-10T19:48:00Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Yep. …wasn’t sure you & I would ever agree on anything, but yeah. Even with Dreyfus, Hunter, Goodman, and ALL of Spielberg’s special effects, she STILL stole the movie ‘Always’. (…good for Her! 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/18 "2014-10-10T20:29:55Z")
I thought Jacques Brel the singer-songwriter might rank somewhere up there… turns out he’s only the _third_ best-selling Belgian musical artist of all time, the first being Salvatore Adamo. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/19 "2014-10-10T20:34:11Z")
Sprouts? ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/20 "2014-10-10T20:35:14Z")
Georges Simenon, most “well-known” in the Biblical sense. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986.md?page=2)