This is an incomplete list of some Breton people of note and of some notable individuals born in Brittany, alphabetically within categories. Brittany (Breizh in Breton) is a Celtic nation of northwestern France and has contributed famous names to all walks of life.
Actors and actresses
- Mylène Jampanoï, half Breton from her mother.
- Solenn Heussaff, host, model, internet celebrity, actress, singer, half-Filipina, half-Breton
- Malik Zidi, actor, half Breton from his mother.
Musicians
- Alain Barrière, singer
- Dan Ar Braz, guitarist
- Brigitte Fontaine, singer, actress and writer
- Nolwenn Leroy, singer
- Plouz & Foen, rap duo
- Denez Prigent, singer
- Gilles Servat, singer
- Alain Stivell, musician
- Yann Tiersen, composer notable for the score to the Jean-Pierre Jeunet movie Amélie.
- Tri Yann, folk rock group
- The Red Lady of Brittany, composer of the Lay of the Beach, an instrumental and vocal celebration of William the ConquerorâÂÂs vacation at Barfleur circa 1078 which was popular in the Norwegian royal court around the year 1200
Rulers, politicians, soldiers
- Anne of Brittany, Duchess of Brittany and twice Queen of France
- Claude of France, elder daughter of Anne of Brittany; also a Queen of France
- Robert Surcouf, famous corsair
- Jeanne de Clisson, âÂÂLioness of BrittanyâÂÂ, who conducted naval action against French ships and ports in revenge for her husband's execution
- Riothamus, âÂÂKing of the BritonsâÂÂ, an ally of the Roman emperor Anthemius and a correspondent with Sidonius Apollinaris; a possible inspiration for some of the stories about âÂÂKing ArthurâÂÂ
- Alan I, King of Brittany, âÂÂAlan the GreatâÂÂ, Count of Vannes and ruler of Brittany at the peak of its extent, documented ancestor of Conan I, Duke of Brittany
- Conan I, Duke of Brittany, ancestor of Odo, Count of Penthièvre and William the Conqueror; brother-in-law of Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou; died defending Brittany from Fulk Nerra; buried at Mont St-Michel
- Judith of Brittany, daughter of Conan I and Duchess of Normandy, grandmother of Judith of Flanders (died 1095) and William the Conqueror
- Odo, Count of Penthièvre, older maternal first cousin of Edward the Confessor and sometime Duke Regent of Brittany, younger double-cousin to Robert I, Duke of Normandy and usually an ally of William the Conqueror
- Alan Rufus, commander of William the ConquerorâÂÂs household knights; second of seven legitimate sons of Odo, Count of Penthièvre; founder of Richmond Castle and St Mary's Abbey, York
- Brian of Brittany, first Earl of Cornwall, brother of Alan Rufus
- Stephen, Count of Tréguier, opened EnglandâÂÂs first Parliament, a brother of Alan Rufus and ancestor of the dukes of Brittany from Conan IV onward
- Ribald of Middleham, ancestor of the House of Neville, a half-brother of Alan Rufus
- Bardolph of Ravensworth, ancestor of Baron FitzHugh, a half-brother of Alan Rufus
- William of Bowes, ancestor of the Bowes-Lyon family, a cousin of Alan Rufus
- Alan III, Duke of Brittany, childhood guardian of William the Conqueror and eldest brother of Odo of Penthièvre
- Conan II, Duke of Brittany, son of Alan III, powerful rival to both Odo of Penthièvre and William the Conqueror, overran northern Anjou immediately before his death (allegedly by poisoning)
- Hoël II, Duke of Brittany, technically Duke Consort and then Regent for his son Alan IV; also known as Hoël V, Count of Cornouaille
- Alan IV, Duke of Brittany, son-in-law of William the Conqueror, a crusader, an important ally of Henry I of England, and a grandson of Alan III; frequently mistaken by writers for his close relative Alan Rufus
- Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, his suspected murder by his uncle King John of England accelerated the destruction of the Angevin Empire
- Arthur II, Duke of Brittany, gave peasants seats in the Breton parliament
- Arthur III, Duke of Brittany, Constable of France and architect of French victory in the Hundred Years' War, younger step-brother of Henry V of England, and brother-in-law of Jacquetta of Luxembourg; a possible inspiration for Thomas MaloryâÂÂs âÂÂLe Morte d'ArthurâÂÂ
- Ralph the Staller, Anglo-Breton from Norfolk who served English kings from Cnut the Great to William the Conqueror, while also being lord of Gaël and Montfort in Brittany
- Robert fitz Wymarc, a Staller for Edward the Confessor and present at Edward's death bed; related to King Edward, William the Conqueror and Odo of Penthièvre; advised William the Conqueror to return to Normandy as his force was no match for Harold GodwinsonâÂÂs army
- Alfred of Lincoln, a Domesday tenant-in-chief; probably married a daughter of William Malet
- Cardinal de Rohan, accidentally precipitated the French Revolution
- Jean Cras, naval officer and composer, inventor of the Cras navigational plotter
Scientists
Writers
- René Cardaliaguet, priest and writer
- J. M. G. Le Clézio, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature
- François-René de Chateaubriand, romantic writer and politician
- Tristan Corbière, symbolist poet
- Ernest Renan, philosopher and writer
- Muriel the Poetess, nun at Wilton Abbey who composed verse and corresponded with notable contemporary poets
- Peter Abelard, scholastic philosopher and professor at Paris
- Jules Verne, highly influential novelist, poet, and playwright
Sailors
Sportspeople
Athletics
Cycling
Football
Miscellaneous
References