# List of people from Crete

The following is a list of people from the island of Crete in southern Greece.

## Ancient
### Mythology

See also Category:Cretan mythology and History of Crete
* Acacallis daughter of Minos.
* Aerope granddaughter of Minos.
* Androgeus son of Minos.
* Ariadne daughter of Minos.
* Asterion first king of Crete.
* Bianna immigrant to ancient Gaul.
* Catreus son of Minos.
* Deucalion son of Minos, father of Idomeneus.
* Dictys Cretensis legendary companion of Idomeneus, and the alleged author of a diary.
* Glaucus (son of Minos)
* Idomeneus son of Deucalion. He led the Cretan armies to the Trojan War in the side of Achaeans.
* Minos son of Asterion, king of Crete and judge in the Greek underworld.
* Rhadamanthus son of Asterion, king of Crete and judge in the Greek underworld.
* Zeus father of the gods of Olympus, god of the sky, thunder and lightning.

### Dorian
#### Archaic era

* Thaletas early musician and lyric poet
* Epimenides (6th century BC) seer and philosopher-poet
* Chersiphron and Metagenes, father and son, architects, builders of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
* Aristocles, sculptor
* Dipoenus and Scyllis sculptors
* Hybrias lyric poet

#### Classical era (ca.500-335 BC)

* Ergoteles (5th century BC) Olympic runner of Knossos, migrant to Himera, Sicily.
* Kresilas (5th century BC) sculptor, famous for his "Pericles statue".
* Brotachus of Gortyna, mercenary mentioned in an epigram of Simonides.
* Sotades (early 4th century BC) Olympic runner. In his second Olympic victory, he ran for Ephesus.

#### In the army of Alexander the Great

* Eurybotas and Ombrion, generals of archers
* Nearchus admiral, geographer and explorer.
* Sibyrtius general and satrap of Arachosia and Gedrosia.

#### Hellenistic period (323 BC- 69 BC)

* Rhianus (3rd century BC), poet and scholar.
* Lagoras (3rd century BC) mercenary in the service of Ptolemy IV Philopator.

### Roman period (69 BC-330)

* Aenesidemus 1st century BC, Skeptical philosopher.
* Lasthenes and Panares, generals who fought Metellus.
* Saint Titus (1st century) follower of Paul and first bishop of Crete.
* Lucillus of Tarrha writer.
* Mesomedes (2nd century) composer and lyric poet.
* Saint Philip (2nd century) bishop of Gortyna.
* Saint Pinytus (2nd century) bishop of Knossos.

## Byzantine period (330-824, 961-1204)

* Moses of Crete (5th century) Jewish Messiah claimant
* Saint Andrew (7th-century) bishop of Gortyna, theologian and hymnographer
* Saint Eumenes (7th century) bishop of Gortyna
* Saint Andrew (8th-century) martyr under Iconoclasm

## Venetian period (1204-1669)

* Pedro de Candia (1485–1542) mercenary and naturalized Spanish conquistador.
* Constantine Corniaktos (1517–1603) wine merchant and wealthiest man in the Eastern European city of Lviv.

### Clerics

* Pope Alexander V (ca. 1339–1410) antipope during the Western Schism.
* Maximos Margunios (1549–1602) bishop of Cythera, scholar and philo-Latin theologian.
* Patriarch Cyril of Constantinople and Alexandria (1572–1638).

### Artists

* Francisco Leontaritis (1518–1572) Renaissance composer, singer and hymnographer.
* Michael Damaskinos (1530/35-1592/9) icon painter
* Georgios Klontzas (1535-1608) icon painter
* Theophanes the Cretan (?-1559) icon painter
* El Greco (1541–1614) painter, icon painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance.
* Theodore Poulakis (1622–1692) icon painter
* Emmanuel Tzanes (1637–1694) icon painter

### Writers

* Stephanos Sahlikis (1330 - after 1391) Greek satyrical poet in Cretan verse.
* Francesco Barozzi (1537–1604) Italian mathematician, astronomer, translator and writer in Latin.
* Georgios Chortatzis (1545–1610) Greek dramatist in Cretan verse.
* Vitsentzos Kornaros (1553–1613/14) Greek romantic poet in Cretan verse.

### Scholars

* John Rhosos (15th century) scribe, calligraphist and translator.
* Marcus Musurus (1470–1517) professor of Greek at the University of Padua, scholiast and epigrammatist.
* Nicholas Kalliakis (1645–1707) classical professor in universities of Italy.

## Ottoman period (1669-1898)
### Christian

* Erasmus of Arcadia (18th century) Greek Orthodox bishop.
* Daskalogiannis (?–1771) rebel against Ottoman rule.
* Dimitrios Kallergis (1803–1867) statesman.
* Eleftherios Venizelos (1864–1936) politician, Prime Minister of Greece.
* Evangelos Sarris (1881–1917) army officer.
* Emmanouil Tsouderos (1882–1956) economist and politician.
* Nikos Kazantzakis (1885–1957) poet and author.

### Muslim

See also Cretan Turks
* Ahmed Resmî Efendi (18th century) statesman, diplomat and author.
* Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi (18th century) Ottoman author, diplomat.
* Salacıoğlu (1750–1825) (18th century) Turkish folk literature poet.
* Giritli Sırrı Pasha (1844–1895) Ottoman author, statesman.
* Leyla Saz woman poet and composer.
* Rahmizâde Bahaeddin Bediz (1875–1951) the first Turkish professional photographer.
* Paul Mulla (1882–1959) (alias Mollazade Mehmed Ali) Roman Catholic bishop and author.
* Ali Fuat Cebesoy (1882–1968) Turkish statesman.
* Mustafa Ertuğrul (1892–1961) Turkish naval officer.

## Modern

| Name | Born | Died | Age | Profession |
| Alexis Minotis | 1900 | 1990 | 90 | Actor |
| Sapfo Notara | c. 1907 | 1985 | 78 | Actress |
* Manolis Hatzidakis (1909-1998) art historian and author.
* Manos Katrakis (1909–1984) actor.
* Odysseas Elitis (1911–1996) poet, Nobel laureate.
* Stylianos Pattakos (1912-2016) member of Greek military junta.
* Konstantinos Mitsotakis (1918-2017) politician, Prime Minister of Greece.
* Rena Kyriakou (1918–1994) pianist.
* Ilya Livykou (1919–2002) actress.
* George Psychoundakis (1920–2006) World War II resistance fighter, poet and translator.
* Thanasis Skordalos (1920–1998) Cretan folk singer and composer.
* Mikis Theodorakis (1925) musician.
* Kostas Mountakis (1926–1991) folk singer and composer.
* Terpsichori Chryssoulaki-Vlachou (1926–1944) member of the Greek resistance.
* John Aniston (1933) actor.
* Rika Diallina (1934) actress.
* Nana Mouskouri (1934) singer and politician.
* Rita Sakellariou (1934–1999) singer.
* Nikos Xilouris (1936–1980) composer and singer.
* Konstantinos Volanakis (1937) painter.
* Giannis Markopoulos (1939) composer.
* Manolis Mavrommatis (1941) sports journalist and politician.
* Psarantonis (1942) musician and singer.
* Christoforos Liontakis (1945) poet.
* Yannis Smaragdis (1946) film director.
* Maro Douka (1947) author.
* Giannis Dragasakis (1947) politician.
* Fotis Kafatos biologist
* Joseph Sifakis (1946) computer scientist, laureate of the 2007 Turing Award.
* Nikolaos Sifounakis (1949) politician.
* Mimis Androulakis (1951) author and politician.
* Maria Damanaki (1952) politician.
* Manolis Kefalogiannis (1959) politician.
* Kostas Hatzidakis (1965) politician.
* Nikos Machlas (1973) footballer.
* Georgios Samaras (1985) footballer.