# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/21 "2014-10-10T21:08:14Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > 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. Not Plastic Bertrand? ---
**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, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/22 "2014-10-10T21:34:07Z")
Tintin may be fictional, but Hergé wasn’t, of course. Realistically, though, it’s the Muscles from Brussels. ---
**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, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/23 "2014-10-10T21:58:39Z")
I wish Simenon would be the answer, as then the most famous fictional and non-fictional Belgians could be associated with mystery novels! Lots of good answers here. Be honest: did anyone even know who Herman van Rompuy was without looking him up? There may be some money riding on this for me… ---
**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, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/24 "2014-10-10T22:01:26Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > Be honest: did anyone even know who Herman van Rompuy was without looking him up? I never heard of him. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/25 "2014-10-10T22:17:32Z")
Ambiorix. Obviously. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/26 "2014-10-10T22:23:09Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I thought first of Hercule Peroit (sp) and then Albert. I didn’t know that Audrey Hepburn is and Rubens was Belgian. 🙂 You realize that Hercule Poirot did not actually exist, right? ---
**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, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/27 "2014-10-10T23:34:23Z")
> [@Svejk\_1](#): > > You realize that Hercule Poirot did not actually exist, right? Yes, that is why I went for Albert. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/28 "2014-10-10T23:47:03Z")
[Jacky Ickx](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacky_Ickx), outside the US, at least. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/29 "2014-10-10T23:55:21Z")
Hergé was the first Belgian that came to my mind. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/30 "2014-10-11T00:07:49Z")
King Leopold, unfortunately. ---
**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 11, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/31 "2014-10-11T00:31:15Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Not Plastic Bertrand? #4 on the list ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/32 "2014-10-11T00:47:29Z")
Probably Charlemagne. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/33 "2014-10-11T00:51:12Z")
Without looking at the other answers: Eden Hazard. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/34 "2014-10-11T00:53:04Z")
I thought of Hergé and Leopold II before anyone (real) in the poll, and now I am reminded, I should have thought of Plastic Bertrand too. [Adolphe Quetelet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe_Quetelet) is quite an important figure in the history of statistics. Never heard of Herman van Rompuy before. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/35 "2014-10-11T00:58:09Z")
> [@](#): > > The whole of Gaul is divided into three parts … the wort of which are the Belgians. Julius Caesar ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/36 "2014-10-11T02:08:24Z")
King Albert I ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/37 "2014-10-11T02:14:09Z")
Kim Clijsters or Justine Henin. Both women tennis players who were ranked #1 in the last 10 years. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/38 "2014-10-11T02:20:34Z")
Another vote for Hepburn and Rubens ahead of the people in the poll. ---
**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 11, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/39 "2014-10-11T02:41:23Z")
Rubens doesn’t count because Belgium did not exist back then. Am glad Magritte is getting some votes! He’s who I think of first. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986/40 "2014-10-11T03:02:52Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > Be honest: did anyone even know who Herman van Rompuy was without looking him up? > . Yes, I knew, but that’s because I’m French, so we hear sometimes about Belgium. Being French also means that the obvious answer to the poll is Jacques Brel, no contest (and [Stromae](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_xH7noaqTA) should be on the list, now. He has a tremendous (deserved) success that goes well beyond the borders of Belgium) Worldwide, I would have gone with Vandamme, but if Audrey Hepburn was Belgian, then I guess she wins. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-most-famous-non-fictional-belgian/700986.md?page=3)