List of Galician people
This is a list of famous Galician people.
Arts
- Maruja Mallo (1902–1995), painter
- Mariano Grueiro (born 1975), activist, writer, photographer, filmmaker, artist
- Francisco Calvelo (born 1982), filmmaker
- Fernando Álvarez de Sotomayor y Zaragoza (1875–1960), painter
- Gregorio Fernández (1576–1636), Baroque sculptor
- Victor Moscoso (born 1936), Spanish-American artist
- Luís Seoane (1910–1979), lithographer and artist
Actors
- María Casares (1922–1996)
- José Garcia (actor) (born 1966)
- Nancho Novo (born 1958)
- La Belle Otero (1868–1965), dancer, actress, and courtesan
- Fernando Rey (1917–1994)
- Martin Sheen a.k.a. Ramon Estevez (born 1940) (part Irish, part Galician)
- Charlie Sheen a.k.a. Carlos Estevez (born 1965) (father part Galician)
- Emilio Estevez (born 1962) (father part Galician)
- Luis Tosar (born 1971)
- Jesús Vázquez (born 1965)
- Paula Vázquez (born 1974)
Musicians
- Avelino Cachafeiro (1899–1972), bagpiper
- Luz Casal (born 1958), singer
- Manu Chao (born 1961) (father from Vilalba), singer
- Martín Codax (fl. 13th and 14th centuries), medieval composer and performer
- Iván Ferreiro (born 1970), singer
- Fuxan Os Ventos, folk music group
- Jerry Garcia (1942–1995) (part Galician, part Irish and Swedish), founding member of American rock group The Grateful Dead
- Isabel Granada (born 1976) (mother from Ferrol), singer
- Enrique Iglesias (born 1975) (grandfather from Ourense), singer
- Julio Iglesias (born 1943) (father from Ourense), singer
- Carlos Leal (born 1969), Swiss rapper and actor born to Galician immigrants
- Xoel López, singer
- Anxo Lorenzo (born 1974), bagpiper
- Luar na Lubre, Celtic music group
- Mendinho (fl. 13th century), medieval troubadour
- Milladoiro, Celtic music group
- Carlos Núñez (born 1971), musician and bagpiper
- Natalia Oreiro (born 1977), singer
- Cristina Pato (born 1970), bagpiper
- Manuel Ramil (born 1978), power metal keyboardist
- Paulina Rubio (born 1971) (father from A Coruña), singer
- Marta Sánchez (born 1966) (both parents from A Coruña), singer
- Susana Seivane (born 1976), bagpiper
- Siniestro Total, punk rock group
- Los Suaves, hard rock band
- Octavio Vázquez (born 1972), composer
Writers
- Marilar Aleixandre (born 1947)
- Eduardo Blanco Amor (1897–1979), writer and journalist
- Concepción Arenal (1820–1893), writer and feminist
- Castelao (1886–1950), writer, politician, and painter
- Rosalía de Castro (1837–1885), writer
- Camilo José Cela (1916–2002), writer, Nobel Prize in Literature
- Álvaro Cunqueiro (1911–1981), writer and journalist
- Manuel Curros Enríquez (1851–1908), writer
- Suso de Toro (born 1956), writer
- Béa González, writer
- Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín (born 1938), writer, proposed for the Nobel Prize
- Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851–1921), writer and feminist
- Vicente Risco (1884–1963), writer and politician
- Manuel Rivas (born 1957), writer
- Gonzalo Torrente Ballester (1910–1999), writer
- Ramón del Valle-Inclán (1866–1936), writer
- Antón Vilar Ponte
- Concepción Arenal
- Xela Arias
- Carmen Blanco
- Xurxo Borrazás
- Ricardo Carvalho Calero
- Yolanda Castaño
- Ramón Chao
- Álvaro Cunqueiro
- Manuel Curros Enríquez
Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín - Benito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro
- Wenceslao Fernández Flórez
- Agustín Fernández Mallo
- Celso Emilio Ferreiro
- Xesús Ferro Ruibal
- Ricardo Flores Peres
- Xaquín Lorenzo Fernández
- María Mariño
- José María Merino
- Manuel Murguía
- Olga Novo
- Albino Núñez Domínguez
- Otero Pedrayo
- Emilia Pardo Bazán
- Chus Pato
- Miguel Ángel Villar Pinto
- Eduardo Pondal
- José María Posada
- Ignacio Ramonet
- Jacinto Rey
- Vicente Risco
- Manuel Rivas
- Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao
- Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara
- Claudio Rodriguez Fer
- Luís Seoane
- Gonzalo Torrente Ballester
- Ramón del Valle-Inclán
- Lorenzo Varela
- Martin Veiga
- Benito Vicetto Pérez
- Darío Villanueva (born 1950), literary theorist and critic, director of the Real Academia Española
- Gerda Taro (1910–1937), photojournalist
- Luis Mariñas (1947–2010), journalist
- Salvador de Madariaga (1886–1978), diplomat, writer, historian, and pacifist
Business
- Adolfo Dominguez
- Rosalia Mera, co-founder of the Inditex Group
- Amancio Ortega founder of global fashion manufacturing and retail chain Inditex
- Antonio M. Pérez (born 1947), Spanish-American businessman
- Xoán Vázquez Del Pozo
Exploration
- Pedro Madruga, real name Pedro Alvarez de Sotomayor, alias Cristóbal Colon (Christopher Columbus) (fl. 1434–1506), navigator and explorer
- Juan de Betanzos, historical source on the Incan civilization
- João da Nova (1460-1509) navigator and explorer
- Gonzalo de Vigo cabin boy, first Robinson in History (1522-1526) in Maug Island, at Mariana Islands
- Francisco Albo navigator, pilot of Magellan
- Vasco de Gama (1469-1524) navigator and explorer (galician origin)
- Vasco Núñez de Balboa, (fl. 1475–1519) (galician nobility at Balboa), explorer and conquistador, discoverer of the Pacific Ocean
- Luís Vaz de Torres (fl. 1565–1607), navigator and explorer, first European who saw Australia
- Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira (1542–1595), navigator and explorer, discoverer of Marquesas Islands and Salomon Islands
- Isabel Barreto (fl. 1567–1612), navigator and explorer, first women Admiral in history
- Rodrigo de Quiroga, conquistador, Royal Governor of Chile
- Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, explorer and historian
- Benito de Soto (1805-1830), pirate
Military
- Ángel Castro y Argiz (1875–1956), father of Fidel and Raúl Castro
- Juan de Lángara (1736–1806), naval officer and Minister of Marine
- Pedro Mariño de Lobera (1528–1594), soldier and chronicler of the Arauco War
- Casto Méndez Núñez (1824–1869), admiral
- Patricio Montojo, naval commander at the Battle of Manila Bay
- Alonso Pita da Veiga (fl. 1513–1529), military officer
- Maria Pita, soldier
Nobility
- Alfonso VII of León and Castile (1105–1157), King of Galicia, León, and Castile
- Alfonso X of Castile (1221–1284), King of Galicia and Castile
- Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, 1st Count of Gondomar (1567–1626), Spanish ambassador to England
- Fernán Pérez de Andrade (fl. 1356–1397), Galician knight
- Fernando de Andrade de las Mariñas (1477–1540), First Count of Andrade and Second of Vilalba, Lord of Pontedeume and Ferrol
- Fernando Pérez de Traba (1090–1155), count of the Crown of León
- Fernando Ruiz de Castro (fl. 1354–1377), nobleman of the House of Castro
- Fernando Ruiz de Castro Andrade y Portugal (1548–1601), nobleman, Viceroy of Naples
- Gaspar de Zúñiga, 5th Count of Monterrey (1560–1606), nobleman, Viceroy of New Spain
- Inês de Castro (1325–1355), noblewoman, consort of King Peter I of Portugal
- Manuel de Acevedo y Zúñiga (fl. 1628–1637), Viceroy of Naples
- Menendo González (fl. 997–1008), Duke of Galicia and Count of Portugal
- Pedro Fernández de Castro y Andrade (1560–1622), nobleman, Viceroy of Naples
- Sueiro Gomes de Soutomaior (1417–1490), aristocrat in the kingdom of Galicia
- Vímara Peres (820–873), first ruler of the County of Portugal
Politics
- Fidel Castro (both parents from Galicia) former president of Cuba
- Raúl Castro (both parents from Galicia) president of Cuba
- Pablo Iglesias founder of the Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in 1879 and the Spanish General Workers' Union (UGT) in 1888
- Tabaré Vázquez (of Galician ancestry) president of Uruguay
- Francisco Franco was the leader and later formal head of state of Spain from October 1936, and of all of Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975
- Manuel Fraga Iribarne was President of the Xunta of Galicia from 1990 to 2005 and founder of the People's Alliance (Spain) (Alianza Popular - AP), later refounded as the People's Party (Spain) (Partido Popular - PP).
- Anxo Quintana politician, former leader of the Galician Nationalist Block (Bloque Nacionalista Galego), the main Galician Nationalist party
- Adolfo Suárez González (his father was from La Coruña) Spain's first
Mariano Rajoy - Xosé Manuel Beiras politician, economist, writer and intellectual
- Benigno Álvares Leader and founder of Galician Communist Party
- Alexandre Bóveda
- Elena Espinosa Minister of the Environment and currently represents Ourense in the Spanish Congress
- Amada Garcia Communist activist
- Francisco Caamaño Domínguez (born 1963)
- José Patiño (1666-1736) secretary of state
- Ricardo Mella writer, intellectual and libertarian activist
- Emilio Pérez Touriño politician and economist
- Mariano Rajoy current leader of the conservative People's Party (PP) and prime minister of Spain
- Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao writer, politician and one of the main symbols of Galician nationalism
- Elena Salgado former Second Vice President and Minister of Economy and Finance in Spain
- Juan Niño de Tabora former governor of the Philippines.
- Ramón Franco pioneer of aviation, a political figure and brother of later dictator Francisco Franco
- Juan Camilo Mouriño, politician
- Enrique Líster Forján, a communist politician and military, serving as a general in the armies of the Spanish Republic, the Soviet Red Army and the Yugoslav People's Army
- José Calvo Sotelo (1893–1936) leader of the opposition, his assassination by Socialists agents marked the outbreak of the Spanish civil war
- Eugenio Montero Ríos (1832–1914) prime minister of Spain (19th century)
- José Canalejas (1854- 1912) prime minister of Spain (20th century)
- Manuel Portela Valladares (1868- 1952) prime minister of Spain (20th century)
- Eduardo Dato e Iradier (1856 - 1921) prime minister of Spain (20th century, 3 times)
- Santiago Casares Quiroga Prime Minister of Spain when Spanish civil war broke out
Religion
- Alonso III Fonseca (1475–1534), Catholic archbishop and politician
- Antonio María Rouco Varela (born 1936), Catholic prelate
- Benito Jerónimo Feijoo e Montenegro, neoclassical monk and scholar
- Diego Gelmírez (1069–1149), Catholic archbishop
- Hydatius (400–469), Catholic bishop
- Marina of Aguas Santas (119–139), Portuguese Catholic saint
- Pope Damasus I (305–384)
- Rudesind (907–977), Catholic bishop and abbot
- Senorina (fl. 982), Catholic abbess
- Theodemar of Iria (fl. 818–847), Catholic bishop
Sports
- David Cal, flatwater canoer
- Támara Echegoyen (born 1984), sailor
- Beatriz Gómez Cortés (born 1994), Olympic swimmer
- Francisco Javier Gómez Noya (born 1983), triathlete
- Carlos Pérez (born 1979), flatwater canoer
- Iván Raña, triathlete
- Fran Vázquez (born 1983), basketball player
Association football
- Amancio Amaro, footballer, 1964 European Football Championship.
- Francisco Buyo (born 1958), footballer
- Ricardo Cabanas, Swiss-born Galician footballer
- Nacho Novo (born 1979), footballer
- Míchel Salgado footballer
- Luis Suárez Miramontes (born 1935), footballer, winner of the L'Équipe Ballon d'Or
Cycling
- Gustavo César (born 1980)
- David García Dapena (born 1977)
- Ezequiel Mosquera (born 1975)
- Óscar Pereiro, winner of the 2006 Tour de France
- Álvaro Pino (born 1956)
- Gonzalo Rabuñal (born 1984)
Others
- Benito de Soto (1805–1830), pirate
- Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968), philologist and historian
- Antonio Palacios (1872–1945), architect
- Domingo de Andrade (1639–1712), Baroque architect
- Simón Rodríguez (1769–1854), philosopher and educator