# List of people from Madrid

This article is a list of notable people from Madrid, the capital of Spain:

## Born in
### Architecture and urban planning

* Teodoro Ardemans (1664–1726): Spanish architect
* José Benito de Churriguera (1665–1725) and Churriguera family: Spanish Baroque architects and sculptors; the highly decorated Churrigueresque style of architectural construction is named after the family
* Juan de Villanueva (1739–1811): Spanish architect of Neoclassicism
* Arturo Soria (1844–1920): Spanish urban planner, well known for his concept of the linear city
* Antonio González Echarte (1864–1943): Spanish civil engineer; one of the creators of the Madrid Metro
* Carlos Mendoza y Sáez de Argandoña (1872–1950): Spanish civil engineer; one of the creators of the Madrid Metro
* Leopoldo Torres Balbás (1888-1960): restorer, architect and scholar
* Eduardo Torroja (1899–1961): Spanish structural engineer and architect

### Army

* Pedro de Heredia (1505 – c. 1554): Spanish conquistador and founder of Cartagena de Indias
* Alonso de Contreras (1582–1648): Spanish privateer, a friend of Lope de Vega

### Art music

* Dionisio Aguado y García (1784–1849): Spanish classical guitarist and composer
* Francisco Asenjo Barbieri (1823–1894): Spanish composer of the popular Spanish opera form, the zarzuela
* Federico Chueca (1846–1908): Spanish composer of zarzuelas
* Conrado del Campo (1878–1953): composer, violinist and professor at the Madrid Conservatory
* Teresa Berganza (1935–2022): Spanish mezzo-soprano
* Plácido Domingo (1941): international tenor and conductor
* Miguel Álvarez-Fernández (1979): Spanish sound artist, composer, theorist and curator

### Bullfighting

* Antonio Chenel Albadalejo (1932–2011): known as "Antoñete", Spanish bullfighter who had a long career
* Juana Cruz (1917–1981): Spanish bullfighter, one of the earliest women in the profession
* Luis Miguel Dominguín (1926–1996): Spanish bullfighter, a lover of Ava Gardner
* Julián López Escobar, El "Juli" (1982): Spanish bullfighter

### Engineering

* Rafael del Pino (1920–2008): founder of the construction company Ferrovial
* Pedro Duque (1963): Spanish astronaut and aeronautical engineer

### Finances

* Dimas Gimeno: former CEO of El Corte Inglés
* María Eugenia Girón: businesswoman
* Pablo Isla (1964): current chairman and CEO of Inditex
* Alicia Koplowitz (1954): Spanish noble and businesswoman
* Esther Koplowitz (1953): Spanish noble and businesswoman
* Juan Villalonga (1953): Spanish businessman

### Formal sciences

* Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz (1606–1682): Spanish Catholic scholastic philosopher, ecclesiastic, mathematician and writer

### Literature

* Alonso de Ercilla (1533–1594): Spanish soldier and poet
* Félix Lope de Vega (1562–1635): Spanish Baroque playwright and poet; renewed the Spanish theatre at a time when it was starting to become a mass cultural phenomenon
* Tirso de Molina (1579–1648): Spanish Baroque playwright, poet, and Roman Catholic monk, known as the creator of Don Juan
* Francisco de Quevedo (1580–1645): Spanish nobleman, politician, and Baroque writer; his style is characterized by what was called conceptismo
* Pedro Calderon de la Barca (1600–1681): Spanish Baroque playwright and poet; his work is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish Baroque theatre
* Marcela de San Félix (1605–1688): poet, actress, and playwright
* Leandro Fernández de Moratín (1760–1828): Spanish playwright and poet
* Ramón de Mesonero Romanos (1803–1882): Spanish prose writer, author of Guía de Madrid (Madrid guide)
* Mariano José de Larra (1809–1837): Spanish Romantic writer and journalist
* José Echegaray (1832–1916): Spanish engineer, mathematician, and dramatist; Nobel Prize in Literature 1904
* Jacinto Benavente (1866–1954): Spanish dramatist, Nobel prize in Literature 1922
* Pedro Salinas (1891–1951): Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27
* Dámaso Alonso (1898–1990): Spanish poet, philologist, and literary critic
* Enrique Jardiel Poncela (1901–1952): Spanish playwright and novelist who wrote mostly humorous works
* Liboria o "Borita Casas" Casas Regueiro (1911–1999): journalist, playwright, and author known for inventing the character Antoñita la Fantastica (Fantastic Antonia)
* Carlos Semprún (1926–2009), writer and dramatist
* Francisco Umbral (1932–2007): Spanish novelist, journalist, essayist and biographer
* Luzmaría Jiménez Faro (1937-2015) writer, essayist, anthologist, poet, and editor
* Fernando Acevedo Quero (1973): writer, actor and screenwriter.
* Pilar Adón (born 1971), Spanish writer and translator

### Media and entertainment

* Hiba Abouk (born born 1986): actress
* Jesús Álvarez (1926–1970): Spanish journalist and first anchorman of Telediario
* Jesús de Polanco (1929–2007): businessman; founder of El País and Cadena SER
* Belén Esteban (1973): Spanish television personality
* Alba Flores, (born 1986): actress
* Matías Prats Luque (1952): Spanish sports and news journalist
* Paloma García Ovejero (1975): Spanish journalist and news broadcaster
* El Gran Wyoming (1955): Spanish humourist and actor
* Ana Rosa Quintana (1956): Spanish journalist and TV presenter
* David Cantolla (1967): founder of companies engaged in technology and entertainment; one of the creators of Pocoyo
* Ana Pastor (1977): Spanish journalist and anchorwoman
* Guillermo García Carsí (1974): director and creator of Pocoyo
* Santiago Ziesmer (1953): German voice actor
* Marian Rivera (born 1984): Filipino actress

### Natural sciences

* Maslama al-Majriti (10th century – 1007 or 1008): Muslim astronomer
* Andrés Manuel del Río (1764–1849): Spanish-Mexican scientist and naturalist
* Ignacio Bolívar (1850–1944): Spanish naturalist and entomologist
* Gonzalo Rodriguez Lafora (1886–1971): Spanish neurologist
* Gregorio Marañón (1887–1960): Spanish physician, scientist, historian, writer and philosopher
* Carlos Jiménez Díaz (1898–1967): Spanish physician
* Manuel Díaz Rubio (1908–1976): Spanish physician; made important contributions in the field of liver and digestive diseases
* Francisco J. Ayala (1934–2023): Spanish-American biologist and philosopher at the University of California, Irvine
* Antonio García-Bellido (1936): Spanish developmental biologist; his ideas and new approaches to the problem of development have been followed and pursued by many researchers worldwide
* Mariano Barbacid (1949): molecular biologist
* José Bermúdez de Castro (1952): Spanish anthropologist; a member of the research team investigating Pleistocene deposits in the Atapuerca Mountains
* Juan Luis Arsuaga (1954): Spanish anthropologist; a member of the research team investigating Pleistocene deposits in the Atapuerca Mountains
* Ignacio Martínez Mendizábal (1961): Spanish anthropologist, a member of the research team investigating Pleistocene deposits in the Atapuerca Mountains

### Philosophy

* Rocío Orsi (1976-2014): Spanish philosopher and professor
* José Ortega y Gasset (1883–1955): Spanish liberal philosopher

### Politics

* Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo (1370–1412): Castilian ambassador to the court of Timur
* Joanna la Beltraneja (1462–1530): Queen of Portugal and claimant to the throne of Castile
* Maria of Spain (1528–1603): spouse of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
* Antonio Perez (1540–1611): secretary of Philip II of Spain
* Philip III of Spain (1578–1621): Spanish Habsburg monarch
* Ferdinand VI of Spain (1713–1759): King of Spain
* Charles III of Spain (1716–1788): King of Spain, Naples (as Charles VII) and Sicily (as Charles V)
* Isabella II of Spain (1830–1904): Queen of Spain
* Alfonso XII of Spain (1857–1885): King of Spain
* Álvaro de Figueroa, 1st Count of Romanones (1863–1950): Prime Minister of Spain
* Francisco Largo (1869–1946): politician and trade unionist
* Julián Besteiro (1870–1940): socialist politician
* Tomás Dominguez, Carlist and Francoist politician
* Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886–1941): King of Spain
* Miguel Maura (1887–1971): politician
* Luis Jiménez (1889–1970): politician; president of Parliament
* José Antonio Primo de Rivera (1903–1936): Spanish lawyer, nobleman and politician; founder of Falange Española
* Adolfo Rincón de Arellano Garcia (1910–2006): politician
* Enrique Tierno Galván (1918–1986): Mayor of Madrid from 1978 to 1986
* Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo (1926–2008): Spanish political figure and prime minister during the period of transition after the end of Francisco Franco's regime
* Javier Solana (1942): Spanish politician; appointed the High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of European Union and the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union
* Boti García Rodrigo (1945): Spanish LGBTI activist and the General Directorate of Sexual Diversity and LGBTI rights (2020–2023)
* Rodrigo Rato (1949): managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2004 to 2007
* Esperanza Aguirre (1952): 3rd President of Madrid (2003–2012) and former president of the Spanish Senate (1999–2012)
* José María Aznar (1952): Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004
* Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (1958): former Minister of Justice; former Mayor of Madrid (2003–2011)
* Philip VI of Spain (1968): current king of Spain
* Pablo Iglesias Turrión (1978): Spanish political scientist and leader of Podemos

### Popular music

* María Dolores Pradera (1924–2018): Spanish singer and actress
* Fina de Calderón (1927–2010): Spanish writer, poet, songwriter and musician
* Julio Iglesias (1943): Spanish singer and songwriter who has sold over 300 million records worldwide
* Rocío Durcal (1944–2006): Spanish singer and actress
* Massiel (1947): Spanish pop singer; winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1968
* Rosendo Mercado (born 1954), rock singer and songwriter
* Antonio Vega (1957–2009): Spanish pop singer-songwriter; member of Nacha Pop
* Antonio Flores (1961–1995): Spanish singer-songwriter and actor
* Alejandro Sanz (1968): Spanish singer-songwriter and musician
* Los Chichos (1973–1995, 1990–2008): Spanish rumba band
* Enrique Iglesias (1975): Spanish singer-songwriter, model, and actor
* Barón Rojo (1980): Spanish heavy metal band
* Mecano (1981–1992): Spanish pop band
* Hombres G (1982–1992; 2002–present): Spanish pop-rock band
* Mägo de Oz (1988): Spanish rock and folk/heavy metal band
* Belinda (1989): Mexican singer, songwriter and actress
* Quevedo (born 2001), rapper

### Religion

* Saint Isidro Labrador (1070–1130): Catholic patron saint of farmers and Madrid
* Juan Eusebio Nieremberg (1595–1658): Spanish Jesuit and mystic
* Álvaro del Portillo (1914–1992): former prelate of the Opus Dei

### Scenic arts

* María GuerreroMaría Calderón, "La Calderona" (1611–1646): Spanish theatre actress and lover of Philip IV of Spain
* María Guerrero (1867–1928): Spanish theatre actress, producer and director
* Edgar Neville (1899–1967): Spanish playwright and film director, a member of the Generation of '27
* Antonio Castillo (1908–1984): Academy Award winning costume designer
* Juan Antonio Bardem (1922–2002): Spanish screenwriter and film director
* César Fernández Ardavín (1923–2012): Spanish film director and screenwriter; won the Golden Bear at the 10th Berlin International Film Festival
* Lina Morgan (1936–2015), Spanish actress & comedienne
* José Luis Garci (1944): Spanish director, won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1982
* Carmen Maura (1945): Spanish actress; has collaborated with Pedro Almodóvar in several times
* Emilio Martínez Lázaro (1945): Spanish film director; shared a Golden Bear at the 28th Berlin International Film Festival
* María Kosti (1951): Spanish actress
* Fernando Trueba (1955): Spanish director; won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1994
* Belén Rueda (1962): Spanish actress, known for her roles as Julia in The Sea Inside (2004) and as Laura in The Orphanage (2007)
* Santiago Segura (1965): Spanish film actor, screenwriter, producer and directorMercedes Bengoechea
* Maribel Verdú (1970): Spanish actress
* Elsa Pataky (1976): Spanish & Australian actress & model
* Amarna Miller (1990): Spanish actress
* Nathalia Ramos (1992): Spanish & American actress; born/lived in Madrid for two years

### Social sciences

* Mercedes Bengoechea (born 1952): feminist sociolinguist, professor
* Margarita María Birriel Salcedo (born 1953): professor, expert in women's history and women's studies
* Clara Campoamor (1888–1972): politician, lawyer, writer, mother of the Spanish feminist movement
* María Goyri (1873–1954): literary critic, researcher, educator, advocate for women's rights
* Juan Lopez de Hoyos (1511–1583): Spanish schoolmaster and Miguel de Cervantes' teacher
* Claudio Sánchez Albornoz (1893–1984): Spanish historian
* Manuel Tuñón de Lara (1915–1987): Spanish historian
* Pio Filippani Ronconi (1920–2010): Italian orientalist
* Jesús Huerta de Soto (1956): economist

### Sports

* Antonio Rebollo (born 1955): Paralympic archery
* José Navarro Morenés (1897–1974): Spanish horse rider
* Luis González Maté (born 1931): retired Spanish boxer
* Luis Aragonés (1938–2014): former Spanish footballer and national coach
* Manolo Santana (1938–2021): former amateur tennis champion
* Florentino Pérez (born 1957): Spanish businessman, civil engineer, former politician; current president of Real Madrid C.F., and Grupo ACS
* Begoña Gómez Martín (born 1964): Olympic judoka
* Carlos Sainz (born 1962): Spanish rally driver
* Fernando Martín Espina (1962–1989): Spanish basketball player
* Emilio Butragueño (born 1963): Spanish retired footballer
* Pedro García Aguado (1968): former water polo player; current psychologist
* Jesús Ángel García (born 1969): Spanish race walker
* Mario Gimeno (born 1969): Spanish retired footballer
* Rafael Pascual, "El Toro" (1970): Spanish volleyball player
* Raúl González (1977): professional football player
* Estela Giménez (1979): retired rhythmic gymnast
* Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño (1980): professional golfer
* Alberto Falcón (born 1970): former professional fencer
* Gabi Fernández (born 1983): professional footballer
* Fernando Verdasco (1983): professional tennis player
* Coke Andújar (1987): professional footballer
* Jenni Hermoso (1990): professional footballer for the Spain national team
* Claudia Zornoza (1990): professional footballer for the Spain national team
* David De Gea (1990): professional football player
* Javier Fernández López (1991): professional figure skater, 2018 Olympic games bronze medalist, double world champion (2015, 2016), 7-times European champion.
* Koke Resurrección (born 1992): professional footballer
* Adrián Mateos (1994): professional poker player
* Carlos Sainz Jr. (born 1994): Spanish Formula One racing driver

### Visual arts

* Sebastián Herrera Barnuevo (1611–1616): Spanish painter, architect and sculptor
* Francisco Camilo (1615–1673): Spanish Baroque painter
* Francisco Rizi (1608–1615): Spanish Baroque painter
* Francisco de Solís (1620–1645): Spanish Baroque painter
* Claudio Coello (1642–1693): Spanish Baroque painter
* Eduardo Rosales (1836–1873): Spanish realist painter
* José Gutiérrez Solana (1886–1945): Spanish expressionist painter and printmaker
* Juan Gris (1887–1927): international artist of Cubism
* Lucio Muñoz (1929–1998): Spanish abstract painter and engraver
* Eduardo Arroyo (1937–2018): Spanish painter and graphic artist
* Juan Muñoz (1953–2001): Spanish sculptor, working primarily in papier-mâché, resin and bronze
* Ouka Leele (1957–2022): Spanish photographer
* Chema Madoz (1958): Spanish photographer, best known for his black and white surrealist photography
* Muelle (1966–1995): Spanish graffiti pioneer
* Arturo Berned (1966 – ), Spanish sculptor

### Others

* María Cayetana de Silva (1762–1802): 13th Duchess of Alba
* Manuela Malasaña (1791–1808): one of the townspeople who lost their lives during the Dos de Mayo Uprising against the troops of Napoleon I of France during the Peninsular War
* Enma Iranzo Martín (1959): pharmaceutical biochemist and Spanish politician
* Agatha Ruiz de la Prada (1960): Spanish designer
* Victoria Zárate Zurita (1893-1964): teacher and trade unionist

## Other influential people who have lived in Madrid
### Architecture and urban planning

* Juan de Herrera (1530–1597): Spanish architect, mathematician and geometrician
* Filippo Juvarra (1678–1736): Italian architect and stage set designer
* Ventura Rodríguez (1717–1785): Spanish architect and artist
* Francesco Sabatini (1722–1897): Italian architect
* Antonio Palacios (1872–1945): Spanish architect
* Miguel Otamendi (1878–1958): Spanish civil engineer, known for being one of the creators of the Madrid Metro

### Army

* Don John of Austria (1545–1578): illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, best known for his victory at the Battle of Lepanto

### Engineering

* Leonardo Torres y Quevedo (1852–1936): Spanish civil engineer and mathematician

### Finances

* Ramón Areces Rodríguez (1905–1989): Spanish businessman and founder of El Corte Inglés
* Emilio Botín (1934–2014): Spanish banker; former Executive Chairman of Spain's Grupo Santander

### Formal sciences

* Grégoire de Saint-Vincent (1584–1667): Flemish Jesuit mathematician
* Jean-Charles de la Faille (1597–1652): Flemish Jesuit mathematician
* Johann Baptist Cysat (1587–1657): Swiss Jesuit mathematician and astronomer
* Hugh Sempill (between 1589 and 1596 – 1654): Scottish Jesuit mathematician and linguist

### Literature

* Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616): Spanish novelist, poet and playwright; soldier; his magnum opus, Don Quixote, is the first modern European novel
* Luis de Góngora (1561–1627): Spanish Baroque lyric poet
* Manuel de Faria e Sousa (1590–1649): Portuguese poet and historian
* Miguel Unamuno (1864–1936): Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher; Greek professor and later rector at the University of Salamanca
* Pío Baroja (1872–1956): Spanish Basque writer, one of the key novelists of the Generation of '98
* Vicente Aleixandre (1889–1984): Spanish poet, Nobel Prize in Literature 1977
* Federico García Lorca (1898–1936): Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director
* Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961): American author and journalist
* Camilo José Cela (1916–2002): Spanish novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize in Literature 1989
* Mario Vargas Llosa (1936): Peruvian-Spanish writer, politician, journalist, essayist, and recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature

### Media and entertainment

* Torcuato Luca de Tena (1861–1929): Spanish journalist, founder of the ABC newspaper
* Matías Prats Cañete (1913–2004): Spanish radio and television journalist

### Music

* Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757): Italian composer; spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families
* Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805): Italian classical era composer
* Tomás Bretón (1850–1923): Spanish musician and composer of zarzuelas
* Lola Flores (1923–1995): Spanish singer, dancer and actress
* Joaquín Sabina (1949): Spanish singer, songwriter, and poet
* José Antonio Bowen (born 1952): American jazz musician and president of Goucher College
* Nacho Canut (1957): bass player and one of the main composers (along with Alaska) of the bands Alaska y los Pegamoides, Alaska y Dinarama and Fangoria
* Loquillo (1960): Spanish rock singer and founder of Loquillo y Trogloditas
* Alaska (1963): Spanish-Mexican singer, DJ, and TV personality; one of the main characters in the so-called Movida
* Shakira (1977): Colombian singer-songwriter, dancer and model
* Sharon Corr (1970): Irish singer-songwriter, musician and television personality, member of The Corrs

### Natural sciences

* Alexius Sylvius Polonus (1593–1653): Polish Jesuit astronomer and maker of astronomical instruments
* Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852–1934): Spanish pathologist, histologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel laureate (1906)
* Severo Ochoa (1905–1933): Spanish–American Doctor of Medicine and Biochemist, and joint winner of the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

### Philosophy

* Baltasar Gracián (1601–1658): Spanish Jesuit and baroque prose writer and philosopher; his proto-existentialist writings were lauded by Nietzsche and Schopenhauer
* María Zambrano (1904–1991): Spanish essayist and philosopher

### Politics

* Philip II of Spain (1527–1598): Habsburg King of Spain and Portugal; during his reign, Spain reached the height of its influence and power
* Count-Duke of Olivares (1587–1645): Spanish royal favourite of Philip IV; minister
* Philip IV of Spain (1605–1665): King of Spain and Portugal (as Philip III)
* Philip V of Spain (1683–1743): first Spanish King of the House of Bourbon
* Elizabeth Farnese (1692–1766): Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip V, and de facto ruler of Spain from 1714 until 1746
* Joseph Bonaparte (1768–1844): elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, King of Spain (1808–1813, as José I)
* Simón Bolivar (1783–1830): Venezuelan military and political leader; played a key role in Hispanic America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire
* Ferdinand VII of Spain (1784–1833): Spanish monarch
* Baldomero Espartero (1793–1879): Spanish general and political figure; associated with the radical (or progressive) wing of Spanish liberalism and would become their symbol and champion after taking credit for the victory over the Carlists in 1839
* Leopoldo O'Donnell (1808–1867): Spanish general and statesman
* Francisco Pi y Margall (1824–1901): liberal Spanish statesman and romanticist writer; was briefly president of the short-lived First Spanish Republic in 1873
* Práxedes Mateo Sagasta (1825–1903): Prime Minister of Spain during the Spanish–American War of 1898 (during which time Spain lost its remaining colonies), and founder of the Liberal Party
* Antonio Cánovas del Castillo (1828–1897): Spanish politician and historian, known principally for serving six terms as Spanish Prime Minister
* Emilio Castelar y Ripoll (1832–1899): Spanish republican politician, and a president of the First Spanish Republic
* Amadeo I of Spain (1845–1890): the only King of Spain from the House of Savoy
* José Rizal (1861–1896): Filipino nationalist and revolutionary
* Francisco Franco (1892–1975): Spanish dictator from 1939 to 1975
* Pablo Iglesias (1887–1927): Spanish socialist and labour leader, founder of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and the Spanish General Worker's Union (UGT)
* Manuel Azaña (1880–1940): first Prime Minister of the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1933)
* Juan Perón (1895–1974): Argentine military officer and politician
* Carlos Lopez-Cantera (1973): Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. State of Florida (2014–2019)
* Santiago Carrillo (1915–2012): general secretary of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) from 1960 to 1981
* Manuel Fraga Iribarne (1922–2012): Spanish People's Party politician
* Adolfo Suárez (1932-2014): Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and the key figure in the country's transition to democracy
* Simeon II of Bulgaria (1937): important political and royal figure in Bulgaria
* Juan Carlos I of Spain (1938): King of Spain from 1975 to 2014
* Queen Sofía of Spain (1938): Queen consort and wife of King Juan Carlos I of Spain
* Felipe González (1942): Prime Minister of Spain, after having served four successive mandates from 1982 to 1996
* Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida (1952): Minister of Governance and Institutional Relations of the Generalitat de Catalunya
* Mariano Rajoy (1955): current Prime Minister of Spain, elected on 21 December 2011
* José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (1960): Prime Minister of Spain from 2004 to 2011

### Religion

* Josemaría Escrivá (1902–1975): Roman Catholic priest from Spain and founder of Opus Dei

### Scenic arts

* Luis Buñuel (1900–1983): Aragonese filmmaker who worked in Spain, Mexico and France
* Fernando Fernán Gómez (1921–2007): Spanish actor, screenwriter, film director, theater director and member of the Royal Spanish Academy
* Sara Montiel (1928–2013): Spanish singer and actress
* Alfredo Landa (1933–2013): Spanish actor; winner of Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival 1984)
* Pedro Almodóvar (1949): Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer; member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences since 2001
* Javier Bardem (1969): Spanish actor; won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2007
* Alejandro Amenábar (1972): Chilean-Spanish film director, screenwriter and composer; won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2005

### Social sciences

* Beatriz Galindo, "La Latina" (1465?–1534): Spanish physician and educator; writer, humanist and a teacher of Queen Isabella of Castile and her children
* Francisco Giner de los Ríos (1839–1915): Spanish philosopher, educator; one of the most influential Spanish intellectuals at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century
* Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968): Spanish philologist and historian

### Sports

* Cristiano Ronaldo (born 1985): Famous Portuguese striker who has played in Real Madrid C.F.
* Santiago Bernabéu Yeste (1895–1978): former president of Real Madrid C.F.
* Vicente Calderón (1913–1987): Spanish businessman and president of Atlético Madrid for twenty years

### Visual arts

* Vincenzo Carducci (1598–1638): Italian painter
* Francisco de Zurbarán (1598–1664): Spanish Baroque painter
* Diego Velázquez (1599–1660): Spanish Baroque painter, important as a portrait artist
* Giambattista Tiepolo (1696–1770): Italian painter and printmaker
* Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779): German painter
* Francisco Goya (1746–1828): Spanish Romantic painter and printmaker, regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns
* Federico de Madrazo (1815–1894): Spanish realist painter
* Juan Luna (1857–1899): Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution
* Pablo Picasso (1881–1973): Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer; spent most of his adult life in France
* Salvador Dalí (1904–1989): Spanish Catalan surrealist painter
* Francis Bacon (1909–1992): Irish-born British figurative painter
* Fernando Botero (1932–2023): Colombian figurative artist and sculptor; considered the most recognized and quoted living artist from Latin America
* Antonio López García (1936): Spanish painter and sculptor
* Carmen Cervera (1943): Spanish philanthropist, socialite and art dealer and collector