Name 10 Famous Belgians

Robbo · 31-07-2002 1:04am #1

Topic says it all really, I've never been able to go past about 3.

Only one footballer is allowed.

It really is the dullest country in existence.

GoneShootin · 31-07-2002 1:13am

great googly woogly batman !!

Dustaz · 31-07-2002 1:23am

without even looking at that website,

Poirot
Bosman
Van Damme
Van outen (?) - famous designer
Magritte

pfft, cba thinking of any more.

Famous Finns is a LOT harder

Robbo · 31-07-2002 1:37am

That site is utter nasty cheetar aimbot skum.

Oh and Tintin is right out as well, his haircut is too silly and I question his relationship with Captain Haddock.

DapperGent · 31-07-2002 2:45am

I was always more worried about his relationship with Snowy.

Wook · 31-07-2002 8:08am

Originally posted by Robbo
Topic says it all really, I've never been able to go past about 3.

Only one footballer is allowed.

It really is the dullest country in existence.

whats your beef against Belgium ?
If you would ask anyone non-irish to name 10 Famous irish persons well i am sure they might have a bit of trouble as well.
so this is not really about famous people is it ? It's something else..why don't you spit it out and share it with your board brothers.

Shinji · 31-07-2002 9:00am

Dr Evil!

(Oh, and Belgium really is as dull as dishwater. I don't think I've ever been anywhere quite so boring.)

mayhem# · 31-07-2002 9:33am

You really haven't got the slightest idea what you are talking about, have you?
Belgium is one of the more interesting and pleasant countries in Europe, in some ways it's very much like Ireland.....

Mercury_Tilt · 31-07-2002 9:42am

This post has been deleted.

Kix · 31-07-2002 9:46am

Marc Dutroux (infamous child murderer)
Hergé (Tintin author)
Eddie Wally (King of the Belgian caberet)

Famous Finns:

Erkki Liikanen (EU Information Society Commissioner)
Sibeleus (Composer)
Renny Harlin (Directror/Formerly married to Geena Davis)
(Marshall) Carl Gustaf Mannerheim (General, defeated the Russians in the "Winter War"/President of Finland)
Linus Torvalds (Mr. Linux)
Matti Alahuhta (Nokia President)
Martti Ahtisaari (Former Finnish President/International Arms Inspector for IRA decommissioning)

That's as many as I can manage off the top of my head

K

mayhem# · 31-07-2002 9:48am

Originally posted by Mercury_Tilt

Nor do I.

But I am gonna pull up a chair anyway.

But then again, you would pull up a chair to anything.........

Kix · 31-07-2002 9:53am

...and a few more which just popped into my head:

Henri Saari (Porn Star/Bonked Spice Girl Mel

Tove Jansson (Childern's Author/Creator of the Moomins)
Linda Lampenius (aka Linda Brava) (Classical Violinist/Playboy centerfold)
Aki Kaurismäki (Director/"Leningrad Cowboys Go America" anybody?)

so many in motorsport:

Kiki Rosberg (took me ages to remember his name)
Mika Hakkinen
Mika Salo
Kimi Raikkonen
Tommi Mäkinen

some premiership footballer who's name I can't remember but which I'm sure Dusty can provide and possibly:

Santa Claus

K

Mercury_Tilt · 31-07-2002 9:53am

This post has been deleted.

mayhem# · 31-07-2002 10:01am

Damn CIE for that!

eth0_ · 31-07-2002 10:14am

Originally posted by Wook

whats your beef against Belgium ?
If you would ask anyone non-irish to name 10 Famous irish persons well i am sure they might have a bit of trouble as well.
so this is not really about famous people is it ? It's something else..why don't you spit it out and share it with your board brothers.

Ah wook calm down, it's only playfulness.
As for ten famous Irish! There's 5 guys in westlife and 5 in Boyzone, is that enough?

Borzoi · 31-07-2002 10:17am

Forgive the spelling:

Eddie Mercs (Belgian Cyclist)

Mika Hakkinen (Finnish Formula 1 Driver)

As I recall the Menu in Belgo (RIP) used to have pictures of ten famous Belgians on the back - and they were struggling, I think some of the pic were of statues.

Wook · 31-07-2002 12:26pm

Originally posted by eth0_

Ah wook calm down, it's only playfulness.
As for ten famous Irish! There's 5 guys in westlife and 5 in Boyzone, is that enough?

it just annoys the **** out of me , to break down belgium , without even knowing anything about it.
Yes it is very calm , but is that a bad thing ?
We have loads of visitors every year to visit our fair Belgium.
The thing i heard about Ireland was that tourist kinda think that they do not get value for the money...

Off course we have our problems , Marc dutroux used to be one of them , but hey your irish priests are doing a pretty good job here as well , just to say , that every country is a bit ****ed up , but that's us...people are just ****ed up..an anomaly

Kix · 31-07-2002 12:51pm

Great chocolate and great beer.

Perhaps the Belgians have realised that are more important things than being famous...

K

ToxicPaddy · 31-07-2002 1:06pm

what about Liechtenstein...??

Name 10 famous people from there..???

mayhem# · 31-07-2002 1:12pm

Let's put it this way:
Over 300 different beers & very "loose" firearms legislation.
Dull? I don't think so......

Von · 31-07-2002 1:18pm

There's James Ensor, who was the subject of a They Might Be Giants song.

"Meet James Ensor
Belgium's famous painter
Dig him up and shake his hand
Appreciate the man"

Born in Ostend, Belgium where his parents had a souvenir shop. Ensor attended the Brussels Beaux-Arts from 1877-1880. A founder member of the group XX, from which he was nearly expelled because of the originality of his art, he began to be respected towards the end of the century. The theme of masks is central to work of Ensor. It produces strangely compelling works of peerless originality, charged with meanings psychological, intellectual and pictural, passing indirect judgement on the nature of mankind and his deepest convictions. A precursor of Expressionism, he influenced Emil Nolde (who adopted his theme of the mask) and Paul Klee. His fantastical universe foreshadows Surrealism.

There's also Plastic Bertrand of poptastic "Ca Plane Pour Moi" fame and ehh Jacques Brel I think.

Shinji · 31-07-2002 1:23pm

Over 300 different beers

Most of them are pretty crap though, it has to be said.

Actually I may be being unfair on Belgium. The only bits of it I've seen are Brussels, and the Eurostar line to and from Brussels. Perhaps exciting stuff happens outside Brussels.

Because it sure as hell doesn't happen /in/ Brussels.

mayhem# · 31-07-2002 1:31pm

Most of them are pretty crap though, it has to be said.

Really? What do you prefer? Harp? Bud?
You obviously have never tasted a Duvel or a Leffe or even a Hoegaarden for that matter...

Actually I may be being unfair on Belgium. The only bits of it I've seen are Brussels, and the Eurostar line to and from Brussels. Perhaps exciting stuff happens outside Brussels.
Because it sure as hell doesn't happen /in/ Brussels.

This reminds me of most people's reaction when I tell them I'm Dutch. "Dutch? Oh I've been to Amsterdam..."

zAbbo · 31-07-2002 1:32pm

Dutch?, huh, I used to support AJAX, we could be brothers?

mayhem# · 31-07-2002 1:39pm

Thanks for proving my point.....

Wook · 31-07-2002 1:48pm

Originally posted by mayhem#
Thanks for proving my point.....

yups got your back bro :P
no, your right , people think about Ireland and all they can think about is that dude with the funny shoes..what's his name..ian Flatly? Lord of Dance or something and off course Ireland is just the country with a farmer and a sheep/cow at every corner.
(well thats what you think if you look at the postcards.

)

SheroN · 31-07-2002 1:50pm

people crying for belgium.....

deco · 31-07-2002 3:10pm

Well in all fairness any country is going to appear dull if you stick in between Holland (Lovely hoe's, lovelier drugs) and France (the eptomie of European civilisation and culture)

And as for that 250 Famous Beligans list....

I only recognise a handfull.....

darthmise · 31-07-2002 3:35pm

Jan Ceullemans. Footballer.
Tom Barman. Lead singer dEUS.
Justine Henin,
Kim Cljuisters,

Dustaz · 31-07-2002 4:35pm

Originally posted by Kix
...and a few more which just popped into my head:

Henri Saari (Porn Star/Bonked Spice Girl Mel
Tove Jansson (Childern's Author/Creator of the Moomins)
Linda Lampenius (aka Linda Brava) (Classical Violinist/Playboy centerfold)
Aki Kaurismäki (Director/"Leningrad Cowboys Go America" anybody?)

Err, the point is 'famous'

i.e., the ability to say the name and people go 'oooooooh, was he from finland??' If you said " yeh, Aki Kaurismaki was in the back of the cab the other day", people would be more interested in the latest belgian farming prices.

some premiership footballer who's name I can't remember but which I'm sure Dusty can provide and possibly:

Santa Claus

Jari Litmanen is the footballer your probably thinking of, or Sami Hyppia

BTW, Santa is not Finnish, hes possibly a laplander but according to my childhood he lived in the north pole :P

Shinji · 31-07-2002 5:37pm

Really? What do you prefer? Harp? Bud?

Er no. Actually truth to be told the lager I drink most is Stella, but that's not actually made in Belgium any more. And yes, I have tried quite a lot of Belgian beers. It's not like there's anything else to do in that pointless little country other than sit there drinking their horribly gassy beer and waiting to go home.

mayhem# · 31-07-2002 5:50pm

So I won't run the risk of bumping into ye over there then?

tHE vAGGABOND · 31-07-2002 5:57pm

I don't think I've ever been anywhere quite so boring

Where u from again rob

thegills · 31-07-2002 6:11pm

I availed of a cheap Ryanair flight to Brussels. Next time they'll have to pay me to go there. Everywhere closed around Saturday atfernoon and nothing opened Sunday. And before you say 'he's only been to Brussels', I can add that I was in Ghent recently watching St. Pats - same story - crap bars, clubs, etc.
The Belgo's thing is funny - if you name the 10 people you get a free beer - to date nobody has succesfully managed to get that elusive free beer.

Kix · 31-07-2002 9:40pm

Originally posted by Dustaz

Err, the point is 'famous' i.e., the ability to say the name and people go 'oooooooh, was he from finland??' If you said " yeh, Aki Kaurismaki was in the back of the cab the other day", people would be more interested in the latest belgian farming prices.

Aye. Fair cop. After all, they are Finnish

K

Dave · 31-07-2002 11:53pm

There's a country called Belgium now?

DRakE · 01-08-2002 12:31am

Originally posted by Wook

whats your beef against Belgium ?
If you would ask anyone non-irish to name 10 Famous irish persons well i am sure they might have a bit of trouble as well.

Nah, they'd name U2, Roy Keane, WEstlife, Boyzone etc...

And tbh I'm not too fond of Belgium since they knocked us of the playoffs for th Euro Championships/WorldCup whatever

p.s I dont hate Belgium.. just not my fave country

eth0_ · 01-08-2002 1:55am

Having just seen the new Austin Powers movie, I was reminded of the fact Dr Evil is Belgian! And HE is famous!

beardedchicken · 01-08-2002 2:10am

10? not quite
i've got 6-

hercule poirot
soulwax

Dave · 01-08-2002 9:08am

The guy who plays poirot is british... if that is who you are referring to.

Jimi-Spandex · 01-08-2002 10:16am

I posed this question last night in the pub and within a mere hour and a half of guesses, we had nine, can't remember any of them tho' cept for that Duseburg fella, president of the ecb

and poirot is british, the actor at least. I'm assuming fictional characters don't count

Dave · 01-08-2002 10:49am

And those 9 would be.....

koneko · 01-08-2002 10:59am

Err, Wim Duisenberg isn't Belgian, he's Dutch.

Big difference.

Makaveli · 02-08-2002 12:39am

Originally posted by Wook

no, your right , people think about Ireland and all they can think about is that dude with the funny shoes..what's his name..ian Flatly? Lord of Dance or something

Michael Flatly. And he's American.

beardedchicken · 02-08-2002 2:06am

Originally posted by Dave
The guy who plays poirot is british... if that is who you are referring to.

yes, but the CHARACTER is belgian

Jimi-Spandex · 02-08-2002 11:25am

This was a pub conversation, and 5 out of the nine turned out to be dutch, gah bugger, two out of the others didn't exist.

Dave · 02-08-2002 3:38pm

Originally posted by beardedchicken

yes, but the CHARACTER is belgian

Yeah but the character doesn't exist. It's like saying the leprechaun type Irishman in the simpsons is a famous Irishman.

simon_partridge · 02-08-2002 3:49pm

Originally posted by DRakE
Nah, they'd name U2, Roy Keane, WEstlife, Boyzone etc...

Only people from the UK would know any of those guys were Irish, which is equivalent to saying French people probably know more Belgians than we do.

As a case in point, Dustin Hoffman thought Graham Norton was English on his show last week...

beardedchicken · 03-08-2002 3:18am

As a case in point, Dustin Hoffman thought Graham Norton was English on his show last week...

then again, graham norton does affect a ridiculous english accent most of the time anyway, so you can forgive him this one thing, can't you?? "hook" on the other hand, no, for that he must die.

kamobe · 04-08-2002 4:50am

No one's mentioned Luc Nilis?
*shock*

plastic membrane · 06-08-2002 3:07pm

It says a lot about a country when their most famous export is a tubby, washed up, direct-to-video kickboxer whose most famous role was in Streetfighter The Movie.

Still, nice chocolate though.

Name 10 Famous Belgians

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