I’ve discovered why there seem to be no famous Belgians. It’s because you think they are French (Magritte, Simenon), Dutch (Dries van Noten, Kim Clijsters), British (Audrey Hepburn) or American … or something (Django Reinhardt).
I have also discovered that this, like so many of my other ideas, has already occurred to somebody else.
Perhaps the reason it happens is that very few of them stay in Belgium once famous.
My brother has been known to try to get away with citing viola guru Eugene Ysaye as a “famous” Belgian in games of twenty questions. So I always look for him in lists like this – and am usually disappointed.
I think you could add Jacques Brel to this list – well, I always thought he was French.