This is list of prominent Serbs and people in some way connected to Serbs or Serbia.
Serbs
Artists
Writers
- Svetislav Basara
- Miodrag Bulatović
- Zoran Ćirić
- Miloš Crnjanski
- Branko Ćopić
- Dobrica Ćosić
- Vladan Desnica
- Radoje Domanović
- Predrag R. Dragić Kijuk
- Nićifor Dučić
- Jakov Ignjatovic
- Đura Jakšić
- Danilo Kiš
- Milan Rešetar
- Baltazar Bogišić
- Petar Kočić
- Dušan Kovačević
- Skender Kulenović
- Stefan Lazarević
- Mateja Matejić
- Branko Miljković
- Dimitrije Mitrinović
- Nikola Moravčević
- Lukijan Mušicki
- Ljubomir Nedić
- Branislav Nušić
- Dositej Obradović
- Milorad Pavić
- Borislav Pekić
- Goran Petrović
- Nenad Petrović
- Petar Petrović Njegoš
- Jovan Sterija Popović
- Nenad Prokić
- Jovan Rajić
- Dejan Ristanović
- Isidora Sekulić
- Meša Selimović
- Ivan Simon
- Biljana Srbljanović
- Stevan Sremac
- Borisav Stanković
- Aleksa Šantić
- Jasmina Tesanović
- Kosta Trifković
- Srđa Trifković
- Duško Trifunović
- Joakim Vujić
- Zoran Živković
Poets
- Mika Antić
- Matija Bećković
- Jovan Dučić
- Jovan Jovanović Zmaj
- Vojislav Ilić
- Laza Kostić
- Dragan Lukić
- Desanka Maksimović
- Dušan Matić
- Miloš Đoka Nikolić
- Sandor Petofi
- Petar Petrović Njegoš
- Sima Pandurović
- Vladislav Petković Dis
- Vasko Popa
- Branko Radičević
- Slobodan Rakitić
- Milan Rakić
- Charles Simic
- Jovan Sundečić
- Aleksa Šantić
- Novica Tadić
- Slobodan Vuksanović
- Radovan Karadzic
Actors
- Slobodan Aligrudić
- Mira Banjac
- Petar Božović
- Dragomir Bojanić Gidra
- Zoran Cvijanović
- Lolita Davidović
- Bogdan Diklić
- Boris Milanović
- Anica Dobra
- Milena Dravić
- Milla Jovovich (Serbian father)
- Karl Malden (Mladen Sekulović)
- Dragan Nikolić
- Miodrag Petrović Čkalja
- Zoran Radmilović
- Zoran Rankić
- Danilo Bata Stojković
- Boro Stjepanović
- Mira Stupica
- Rade Šerbedžija
- Ljuba Tadić
- Bora Todorović
- Srđan Todorović
- Branko Tomovic
- Velimir Bata Živojinović
Filmmakers
- Peter Bogdanovich (director) (Serbian father)
- Boris Mitić (director)
- Srđan Dragojević (director)
- Goran Gajic (director)
- Emir Kusturica (director)
- Brian Linehan (producer/TV host) (Serbian mother)
- Dušan Makavejev (pioneering director)
- Gojko Mitic (director)
- Goran Paskaljević (director)
- Lazar Ristovski (actor/director)
- Ljubiša Samardžić (actor/director)
- Paul Stojanovich (producer/director)
- Steve Tesich (Oscar-winning screenwriter and playwright)
Painters
- Stojan Aralica
- Janko Brašić
- Marko Čelebonović
- Konstantin Danil
- Petar Dobrović
- Pavel Đurković
- Emerik Fejes
- Nedeljko Gvozdenović
- Olja Ivanjicki
- Kosta Hakman
- Mladen Josić
- Paja Jovanović
- Uroš Knežević
- Milan Konjović
- Teodor Kračun
- Đorđe Krstić
- Đorđe Andrejević Kun
- Petar Lubarda
- Milić od Mačve
- Đorđe Mitrofanović
- Mihael Milunović
- Milo Milunović
- Nikola Nešković
- Novak Radonić
- Milena Pavlović-Barili
- Nadežda Petrović
- Zora Petrović
- Mića Popović
- Uroš Predić
- Miodrag B. Protic
- Djordje Prudnikov (Serbian mother)
- Sava Stojkov
- Sava Šumanović
- Ivan Tabaković
Performance artists
Sculptors
- Dušan Džamonja
- Olga Jančić
- Olga Jevrić
- Đorđe Jovanović
- Ferenc Kalmar
- Drinka Radovanović
- Simeon Roksandić
- Toma Rosandić
- Jovan Soldatović
- Risto Stijović
- Sreten Stojanović
- Yevgeny Vuchetich
- Matija Vuković
Architects
Cartoonists
- Enki Bilal (Enes Bilal) (cartoonist, director)
- Predrag Koraksić Corax
- Aleksa Gajić
- Branislav Kerac
- Gradimir Smudja
Photographers
Composers
- Isidor Bajić
- Stanislav Binički
- Dejan Despić
- Zoran Erić
- Dragutin Gostuški
- Stevan Hristić
- Jovo Ivanišević
- Petar Konjović
- Petar Krstic
- Ljubica Marić
- Josif Marinkovic
- Miloje Milojević
- Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac
- Vasilije Mokranjac
- Miloš Raičković
- Nikola Resanovic
- Rudolph Réti
- Josif Runjanin
- Kornelije Stanković
- Marko Tajčević
- Vladimir Tošić
- Jasna Veličković
Musicians
- "Weird Al" Yankovic (Serbian descent - singer)
- Seka Aleksić (pop singer)
- Đorđe Balašević (pop singer)
- Zdravko Čolić (pop singer)
- Bora Đorđević (pop singer)
- Uroš Dojčinović (singer)
- Ana Popović (blues guitarist)
- Baja Mali Knindža (folk singer)
- Željko Joksimović (pop singer)
- Jovan Jovičić (classical guitarist)
- Nele Karajlić (rock musician)
- Mile Kitić (singer)
- Alex Lifeson (Aleksandar Živojinović - guitarist with "Rush")
- Stefan Milenković (Violin player)
- Dejan Sinadinovic (pianist)
- Svetlana Veličković (folk singer)
- Milan Mladenović (singer, guitar player, composer, poet)
- Lepa Brena (folk singer)
- Goran Bregović (guitarist, composer)
- Momčilo Bajagić (singer)
- Boban Marković (folk ensemble leader)
- Aleksandar Simić (composer, pianist)
- Miroslav Tadić Classical Guitarist
- Holly Valance (Australian actress/singer)
- Michel Kostović (oboe player)
- Bojan Zulfikarpasic (pianist)
Saints
- Saint Danilo II
- Saint Jovan Vladimir
- Saint Hieromartyr Lazar
- Saint Justin Popović
- Saint Nikolai Velimirović
- Saint Peter of Cetinje
- Saint Sava
- Saint Simeon
- Saint Stephen of Piperi
- Saint Vasilije (Saint Basil of Ostrog, Saint Vasilije Ostroski)
Scientists & Inventors
- Nikola Tesla
- Mileva Marić
- Tatomir Anđelić
- Voja Antonić
- Anton Bilimović
- Milan Budimir
- Jovan Chokor
- Ljiljana Crepajac
- Jovan Cvijić
- Vladimir Ćorović
- Veselin Čajkanović
- Milan Damnjanović
- Stevan Dedijer
- Petar Đurković
- Mihailo Đurić
- Nićifor Dučić
- Bogdan Gavrilović
- Radoslav Grujić
- Slobodan Jovanović
- Pavle Ivić
- Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
- Jovan Karamata
- Zoran Knežević
- Đuro Kurepa
- Laza Lazarević
- Branko Lazarević
- Marko Leko
- Sima Lozanić
- Jasna Mađarevic
- Milutin Milanković
- Veljko Milković
- Dragoslav Mitrinović
- Dimitrije Nesić
- Atanasiјe Nikolić
- Ogneslav Kostović Stepanović
- Josif Pančić
- Branislav Petronijević
- Mihailo Petrović
- Milorad B. Protić
- Mihajlo Pupin
- Jovan Rašković
- Nikolaj Saltikov
- V. Alexander Stefan
- Miodrag Stojković
- Milan Vukcevich
- Jovan Žujović
- Dejan Stojković
Military
Old Times
Balkan Wars and WWI
- Vojvoda Živojin Mišić
- Vojvoda (Duke) Vuk Popović
- Vojvoda Radomir Putnik
- Stevan Sinđelić
- Vojvoda Stepa Stepanović
- General Pavle Jurišić Šturm (Paulus Sturm)
WWII
- Boško Buha
- General Peko Dapčević
- Arso Jovanović
- Žikica Jovanović-Španac
- General Milan Nedić
- Sava Kovačević
- Dimitrije Ljotić
- General Draža Mihailović
- General Koča Popović
- Žarko Zrenjanin
Yugoslav Wars
- General Ratko Mladić
- General Momčilo Perišić
- General Radovan Karadžić
- Goran Radosavljević (Guri)
- Željko Ražnatović - Arkan
- Milorad Ulemek Legija
- Milan Babić (Milan)
- Dragan Vasiljković (Captain Dragan)
Foreign Armies
- Svetozar Boroević von Bojna (Austro-Hungarian General)
- Louis Cukela (Major USMC)
- Mitchell Paige (Colonel USMC)
- Lance Sijan (Captain USAF)
- Butch Verich (Commander USN)
- Mele "Mel" Vojvodich (Major General USAF)
Various
- General Blagoje Adžić
- Janis Bukuvalis
- Stanoje Glavaš
- General Božidar Janković
- Stojan Janković
- General Ljubiša Jokić
- General Veljko Kadijević
- General Nikola Ljubičić
- General Kosta Nađ
- General Dragan Paskaš
- General Nebojša Pavković
- Krsto Žrnov Popović
- General Dušan Simović
- Simela Šolaja
- Serdar Janko Vukotić
Entrepreneurs
- William Jovanovich President and chief executive officer of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Bogoljub Karić
- Milan Mandaric Owner and chairman of the Portsmouth football club
- Milo Medin Vice President for now defunct @Home company
- Ilija Milosavljević Kolarac
- Kapetan Miša Anastasijević
- Miroslav Miskovic Delta Holdings
- Vladimir Mitić (Owner of Robne kuce Beograd)
- Milan Panić President and Chief Executive Officer, MP Global Enterprises & Associates, USA
- Dejan Ristanović, founder and owner of Sezam Pro and PC PRESS
- Djordje Vajfert (Czech originated Serb, owner of old Weifert brewery)
- George Yerich (Successful businessman from Niagara Falls, Canada owns the Skylon and Holiday Inn)
- Philip Zepter (owner of Zepter formerly known as Milan Janković)
- Milan Puskar (Owner and Originator of Mylan Laboratories)
- Alex Machaskee (President and Publisher of the Cleveland Plain Dealer)
Assassins, Outlaws
- Dragutin Dimitrijević Apis - leader of Black Hand organization
- Gavrilo Princip - Serb national activist, assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
- Puniša Račić - parliament assassin of Stjepan Radić and Đuro Basariček
- Jovo Stanisavljević Čaruga - outlaw
- Joco Udmanić - outlaw
- Zvezdan Jovanović - Zoran Đinđić assassin; ex member of special unit of Serbian police; outlaw
- Milorad Ulemek (Legija) - ex leader of special unit of Serbian police; outlaw
- Mijailo Mijailović - Anna Lindh assassin; no political affiliations, mental illness
Athletes
Group sports
Basketball
- Dejan Bodiroga
- Vlade Divac
- Predrag Danilović
- Aleksandar Đorđević
- Dan Gadzuric - NBA Player from Netherlands
- George "Blind Bomber" Glamack
- Dusan Ivkovic
- Marko Jarić
- Igor Kokoskov
- Radivoj Korać
- Nenad Krstić
- Bozidar Maljkovic
- Press Maravich
- Pete Maravich (Hall of Famer)
- Darko Miličić
- Aleksandar Nikolić (Hall of Famer)
- Žarko Paspalj
- Drazen Petrovic (Croat mother)
- Gregg Popovich (NBA coach with San Antonio)
- Vladimir Radmanovic
- Zoran Savić
- Borislav Stanković (Hall of Famer: Secretary-General FIBA)
- Predrag Stojaković
- Zarko Varajic
Football (Soccer)
- Radomir Antić
- Marko Baša
- Milan Biševac
- Vladislav Bogićević
- Goran Đorović
- Predrag Đorđević Olympiakos
- Dragan Džajić
- Saša Ilić
- Ivica Kralj
- Mateja Kežman Atletico Madrid
- Miloš Krasić
- Mladen Krstajić
- Danijel Ljuboja
- Marko Lomić
- Goran Lovre
- Siniša Mihajlović
- Savo Milošević
- Dejan Milovanović
- Bora Milutinović Coach
- Bojan Neziri
- Mike Pejic (Premiership)
- Dejan Stanković
- Dejan Stefanović Portsmouth
- Dragan Stojković-Piksi
- Nemanja Vidic Manchester United
- Mirko Vučinić Lecce
- Simon Vukčević
Other
- Norm Bulaich (NFL)
- Nick Cvjetkovich (Pro Wrestling)
- Walter Dropo (baseball) (AL Rookie of the Year: 1950)
- Nikola Grbić (volleyball)
- Vladimir Vanja Grbić (volleyball)
- Sam Jankovich (sports administration)
- Mike Kekich (baseball)
- Mike Mamula (NFL)
- Ivan Miljković (volleyball)
- John "Big Serb" Miljus (baseball)
- Bob O'Billovich (CFL)
- Jeff Samardzija (NCAA football)
- Aleksandar Šapić (waterpolo)
- Dragan Škrbić (handball)
- Goran Vujević (volleyball)
- Peter Vuckovich (baseball) (AL Cy Young winner: 1982)
- Peter Zezel (ice hockey)
Solo sports
- Milorad Čavić (swimming)
- Jelena Dokić (tennis)
- Svetozar Gligorić (chess) - grandmaster, once rated the strongest European chess player outside Russia.
- Ana Ivanovic (tennis)
- Novak Djokovic (tennis)
- Jelena Jankovic (tennis)
- Alex Kasich (cross country runner)
- Daniel Nestor (Nestorović) (tennis)
- Danny Nikolic (Australian Jockey)
- Nataša Pavlović (flight)
- Snežana Perić (karate)
- Jasna Šekarić (shooting sports)
- Bojan Vještica (Snowboard)
- Bill Vukovich (car racing) (Two-time Indy 500 winner)
- Nenad Zimonjić (tennis)
- Miloš Pavlović (Formula racing)
World Record Holders
Rulers and Politicians
Historical
Medieval
- Vuk Branković (Medieval lord)
- Prince Lazar
- Tsar Stefan Dušan Silni (tzar)
- Tsar Jovan Nenad
- Stefan Lazarević
- Vlatko Vuković (Medieval lord)
Communist
- Jovanka Broz Budisavljević (Tito's third wife)
- Milovan Đilas (Communist leader and dissident)
- Veselin Djuranović (Communist leader)
- Dragoslav (Draža) Marković - mentor of Slobodan Milošević
- Moma Marković father-in-law of Slobodan Milošević
- Mirjana Marković
- Miloš Minić (Communist leader)
- Marko Nikezić (Communist leader)
- Latinka Perović (Communist leader)
- Moše Pijade (Communist leader of Jewish descent)
- Milentije Popović (Communist leader)
- Aleksandar Ranković - UDBA secret service
- Ivan Stambolić (Head of Serbian Communists)
- Slobodan Krstic (Head of Krstina's House Communists)
Other
- Zoran Đinđić
- Stevan Doronjski
- Pavle Beljanski (diplomat)
- Dragiša Cvetković (pre-WWII prime minister)
- Aleksandar Cincar-Marković (pre-WWII prime minister)
- Sekule Drljević (politician)
- Ilija Garašanin (foreign affairs advisor and minister)
- Đoko Jovanić
- Borisav Jović (former president of Yugoslavia)
- Radovan Karadžić
- Nikola Koljević
- Svetozar Marković (Socialist)
- Milan Martić - leader of the former Republic of Serbian Krajina
- Milan Babić
- Slobodan Milošević
- Kosta Musicki (general)
- Milan Panić
- Stojan Protić
- Nikola Pašić (prime minister)
- Mehmed Paša Sokolović (Ottoman pasha)
- Slobodan Penezić Krcun
- Milanko Renovica
- Jovan Rašković (Serb party leader)
- Jovan Veselinov
- Veljko Vlahović
- Radovan Vlajković
- Svetozar Vukmanović - Tempo
- Žarko Zrenjanin
- Vidoje Zarković
- Zoran Živković
Current
- Voja Antonić
- Rod Blagojevich (Governor of Illinois)
- Nenad Bogdanović
- Predrag Bubalo
- Momir Bulatović
- Dragan Čavić
- Nebojša Čović
- Ivica Dačić
- Vuk Drašković
- Bogdan Dzakovic
- Vojislav Koštunica
- Miroljub Labus
- Slobodan Lalović
- Zoran Lončar
- Predrag Marković
- Svetozar Marović
- Dragan Maršićanin
- Mitchell Melich (Utah State Senate)
- Nataša Mićić
- Dejan Mihajlov
- Tomica Milosavljević
- Milan Milutinović
- Radomir Naumov
- Tomislav Nikolić
- Milan Panić
- Borislav Paravac
- Milan Parivodić
- Desnica Radivojević
- Dejan Ristanović
- Zoran Šami
- Mirko Šarović
- Goran Svilanović
- Vojislav Šešelj
- Boris Tadić
- George Voinovich (US Senator - Ohio)
- Helen Delich Bentley (Former Maryland Congresswomen)
- Melissa Bean (US Congresswomen - Illinois)
- Rose Ann Vuich (First woman elected to California Senate)
- George N. Zenovich (Fmr. California State Senator)
- Slobodan Vuksanović
Royals
Obrenović Dynasty Members
- Miloš Obrenović
- Milan Obrenović
- Mihailo Obrenović
- King Milan Obrenović
- King Aleksandar Obrenović
- Ljubica Obrenović
- Queen Natalija Obrenović
- Draga Mašin
- Karađorđe Petrović (or Supreme Commander Karađorđe or Đorđe Petrović)
- Prince Alexander Karađorđević,
- HM King Petar I Karađorđević,
- HM King Alexander I Karađorđević,
- Princess Maria of Romania and Hohenzollern HM Queen Mother Maria,
- HRH Tomislav Karađorđević
- HM King Petar II Karađorđević,
- Prince Pavle Karađorđević
- Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark
- HRH Princess Jelisaveta of Serbia and Yugoslavia
- Aleksandar Karađorđević
Others
- Tijana Arnautovic (Miss World Canada - 2004)
- Archimandrite Sebastian Dabovich (First US born Serbian Orthodox priest: San Francisco 1863)
- Jefto Dedijer
- Bill Dorich
- George Fisher, American adventurer, linguist, and politician
- Marko Lopušina (journalist)
- Đuka Mandić - mother of Nikola Tesla
- Mateja Matejić (Priest)
- Stevan Moljević
- Mila Mulroney (nee Mila Pivnicki: Canada's First Lady)
- Nikola Djuric (attorney with Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan)
- Filip Višnjić (self-taught gusle player and poet)
- Hieromonk Makarije (printed the first book in Serbian)
- Rod Blagojevich (Fmr. US Representative, Current Governor of the State of Illinois)
- Helen Delich Bentley (Fmr. US Congresswoman from Maryland)
- George Chanak (Fmr. State Supreme Court Judge - Minnesota)
- William Jovanovich (President and CEO of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers)
Connected to Serbs
Of course, a lot of world politicians are in some way connected to Serbs. But this list lists people intimately connected to Serbia or Serbs.
- Madeleine Albright (saved by Serbs in Second World War)
- Josip Broz (was married to Jovanka Broz Budisavljević)
- Major Richard L. Felman (USAF, ret.)
- Pierre-Henri Bunel
- Luc Besson (was married to Milla Jovovich)
- Patrick Besson
- Albert Einstein (was married to Mileva Maric)
- Mira Furlan (married to Goran Gajić)
- Ivan Gundulić (Croatian, wrote about Serbian epic history)
- Prentis Cobb Hale (married to Denise Minnelli Hale)
- Ivan Mestrovic (Croatian sculptor, author of the Victor statue in Kalemegdan fortress Belgrade)
- Peter Handke
- Lothar Matthäus (coached FK Partizan Beograd,also married to Marijana Matthaus, ex Kostic)
- Francis Mackenzie
- Henry McIver soldier of fortune - Serbian general de brigade
- Vincente Minnelli (married to Denise Minnelli Hale)
- Catherine Oxenberg
- Archibald Reiss publicist, a professor, famous criminologist
- Monica Seles (tennis player; an ethnic Hungarian born in Vojvodina)
- Aleksandar Solovjev (Александр Соловьёв)
- Bruce Sterling
- Sir John Tavener (composed: The Epistile of Love and The Veil of the Temple on Serbian Medieval Poetry)