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15 Most Famous People from Chile

*Originally published by  Nellian on October 2022 and Updated by Vanessa R on August 2023 and Updated by Vanessa R in March 2024

Chile, known officially as the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica.

Chile is a developing country that is highly cultured; a culture that reflects upon the population and the geographic isolation of the country in relation to the rest of South America.

Since the colonial times, the Chilean culture has been a mix of Spanish colonial elements with elements of indigenous (mostly Mapuche) culture, as well as that of other immigrant cultures.

Thus naturally, it doesn’t come as a surprise that most of the famous people in Chile are artistic and have done exceptionally well in the field of sports, music, poetry, writing and many others. Here’s a list of the 15 most famous people in Chile.

1. Michelle Bachelet

Official Portrait of Mrs. Michelle Bachelet, President of the Republic of Chile- Author; Gobierno de Chile-

Chilean politician Michelle Bachelet serves as the 7th United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

She became the first female politician in Chilean history who was elected as the country’s President and the first elected female leader in South America.

She managed to serve as the 33rd and 35th President of Chile and held several other prominent positions during her expansive political career.

She is often looked at as an embodiment of feminism and strong women characters

2. Alejandro Jodorowsky

Alejandro Jodorowsky- Author; Lionel Allorge-

Alejandro Jodorowsky is a Chilean-French filmmaker and artist, best known for his avant-garde films.

Being such a multifaceted personality, he is also a novelist, poet, musician, composer, and spiritual guru.

His films are typically filled with surreal images and mysticism thus making them stand out and unique in their own right.

As always much-revered figure in international cinema, he is the recipient of the Jack Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF).

3. Salvador Allende

Salvador Allende Gossens- Author; Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional-

Salvador Allende was a physician who later became the Chilean president. By that achievement, he ended up becoming the first Marxist president of a Latin American nation.

His policies included nationalization and collectivization. Unfortunately, on 11th September 1973, he committed suicide after delivering a farewell speech over the radio, so as to escape General Augusto Pinochet’s coup that intended to throw him out from the government.

4. Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda- Author; Mondadori Publishers-

Chilean poet-diplomat and politician, Pablo Neruda, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.

He was quite a versatile writer and his works include surrealist poems, historical epics, political manifestos, and love poems.

Up to today, he is considered the national poet of Chile. As a politician, he served as a senator for the Chilean Communist Party and held several diplomatic positions.

Having achieved to be a politician and a talented artist, he is quite resprected in Chile.

5. Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez in a football match of Spain vs. Chile- Author; Fanny Schertzer-

Alexis Sanchez is a professional footballer from Chile. He currently plays for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Chile national team. He plays as a forward and is well known as Chile’s all-time leading goalscorer.

In his career so far, Alexis has helped Chile win the 2015 Copa América tournament, thus marking one of the greatest achievements of his career.

6. Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende- Author; Lesekreis-

Isabel Allende is a Chilean author, known very well for her bestselling Spanish-language novels, ‘The House of the Spirits’ and ‘City of the Beasts. ‘

The Chilean National Literature Prize winner is always able to explore women’s perspectives and includes magic realism and autobiographical aspects in her works.

Due to her many great works, she has also succeeded in receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

7. Augusto Pinochet

Augusto Pinochet- Author; Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile-

Augusto Pinochet was the president of the Chilean Military Junta from 1973 to 1981.

Augusto is the one that ousted the elected government of President Salvador Allende through a U.S.-supported coup and became the Chilean President in December 1974.

After taking the presidential seat, he persecuted all political opponents and leftists and also advocated for Operation Condor.

Operation Condor was a regime of political repression and state terror that involved intelligence operations and assassination of opponents.

It was officially and formally implemented in November 1975 by the right-wing dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America and came to an end in 1983.

8. José de San Martín

José de San Martín- Author; Instituto Nacional Sanmartiniano-

José de San Martín was an Argentina-Chilean-Peruvian soldier who is considered a national hero in Argentina, Chile and Peru because of the essential role he played in Spanish-American wars of independence.

He was a great military commander, and one of the Liberators of Spanish South America. In fact, his nickname is ‘The Liberator of America.’

The Order of the Liberator General San Martín, the highest honor conferred by the government of Argentina, was created in his honor.

9. Cote de Pablo

Cote de Pablo- Author; Hispanic Lifestyle – Flickr-

Cote de Pablo is a Chilean-American singer and actress. She is best known for playing Ziva David in the popular action police procedural TV series NCIS.

After co-hosting episodes of a Latin-American talk show titled Control, at the age of only 15, Cote de Pablo went on to establish herself as a successful actress and musician. She is successful in her own right and continues to be involved in tv shows.

10. Gabriela Mistral

Gabriela Mistral- Unknown Author-

Officially named Lucila Godoy Alcayaga, this very talented Chilean poet and educator is better known by her pseudonym, Gabriela Mistral. She is a Nobel Prize-winner thus going to show how well recognized and valued her works are.

The suicide of her first love is what inspired her popular poem, ‘Dolor. ‘ Her diplomatic assignments later took her to places such as Madrid and Lisbon.

She is fondly remembered for her emotional verses and her feminist ideologies, some of which have been well adopted and emulated.

11. José Miguel Carrera

Carrera was a prominent figure in the Chilean War of Independence. He fought from Montevideo even after the Spaniards regained control of Chile. Upon rejoining the battle, he was captured and executed after a treacherous expedition. Born in Santiago, he was of Basque descent and enlisted in the Spanish Army in 1808. Carrera returned to Chile in 1810 and became involved in politics.

In 1811, he and his brothers, who were also military leaders, mounted a coup d’état. As opposed to those who favoured a more US-like future for Latin America, the Carrera brothers ruled Chile in a nationalistic manner and promoted Chilean identity.

12. Pedro Pascal

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Pedro Pascal is an American actor originally from Chile. He’s most famous for playing Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones’s fourth season in 2014, and Javier Peña in Narcos from 2015 to 2017. Since 2019, he has been part of the HBO drama series The Last of Us, where he plays Joel Miller. Additionally, he’s been acting in the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian since 2023.

Pascal has also appeared in several well-known movies, including The Adjustment Bureau, The Great Wall, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The Equalizer 2, Triple Frontier, Wonder Woman 1984, and The Unbearable Weight of Enormous Talent.

13. Nicole Polizzi

Nicole Elizabeth “Snooki” Polizzi is an American reality TV celebrity who rose to fame as a cast member of MTV’s Jersey Shore. She also starred in Snooki & JWoww. Over the years, Polizzi has become a popular guest on various chat shows like The View, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Show with David Letterman, The Wendy Williams Show, and WWE Raw. She is also one of the highest-paid reality stars, earning a salary of $150,000 per episode as of season five.

14. Arturo Vidal

, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons

Arturo Erasmo Vidal Pardo is a Chilean footballer who currently plays as a midfielder for Juventus and his national team. In his early years, Vidal was a flexible player who played multiple positions on the field. However, he eventually found his place as a top-tier box-to-box midfielder for Juventus, where he excels in both defence and offence.

Vidal is known for his aggressive tackles and tenacious style of play, which earned him the nickname “Il Guerriero” from the Italian press. According to Bloomberg, Vidal was ranked as the eleventh-best footballer in the world in 2013.

15. Violeta Parra

Did you know about Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval? She was a Chilean composer, songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist, and visual artist who’s credited with starting the “Chilean New Song” movement. This movement brought Chilean folk music back to life in a new and exciting way that influenced music beyond Chile. You might be interested to know that there’s even a biographical movie about her called “Violeta Went to Heaven,” directed by Andrés Wood in 2011.

Top 15 Incredible Facts about Chileans

1. Family matters

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In Chilean society, families are super important. It’s very common for grandparents, parents, and children to live together or close by. This makes it easy for them to spend time together and help each other out. Whether it’s emotional support, looking after the kids, or helping with money matters, families are there for each other.

Even when adults start their own families, they still rely on their parents and grandparents for advice and support. And when there’s a special occasion like a birthday or a holiday, the whole family comes together to celebrate and strengthen their bonds.

2. Learning good manners from a young age really matters

In Chile, kids start learning about good manners from a young age. They’re taught to speak politely to older people, like saying “please” and “thank you.” They’re also encouraged to make eye contact when they’re talking to someone, to show that they’re listening.

And when they meet someone new, they learn to give a firm handshake as a sign of respect. Being on time for things, like meetings or appointments, is also really important. Even little kids are taught to help out at home by doing chores or homework without complaining. These lessons about manners stick with them as they grow up.

3. Getting a good education is important

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Getting a good education is a big deal in Chile. No matter if you’re rich or poor, families believe that education is the key to a better life for their kids. Kids go to school to learn important things like reading, math, and science.

They study hard so they can get good jobs when they grow up. Some of the smartest students go on to study at really good universities. These students might become famous writers, scientists, or business owners one day. The stories of successful people from Chile’s past inspire kids to dream big about their futures.

4. Chilean people have had tough political times

Chile has had some tough times when it comes to politics. Over the years, different groups have fought for power, which has caused a lot of problems. Sometimes, there have been leaders who wanted too much control, leading to unfairness and hardship for the people.

But even during these difficult times, Chileans have shown that they won’t give up on what they believe in. They’ve fought for their rights through protests and demanded changes to make things better. Nowadays, people have the chance to vote for their leaders freely, and the government listens to what the people want.

5. Most Chilean’s are Catholics

Catholicism has been a big part of Chilean life for a long time. It came to Chile with the Spanish settlers and has stayed ever since. Many Chileans are Catholic, and their faith influences a lot of things in their lives. It affects the way they think about family, marriage, and even how they celebrate important events like births and deaths. Even though there are other beliefs in Chile now, Catholic traditions are still very important to many people.

6. They have a diverse background

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Most Chileans today come from a mix of different backgrounds. They have ancestors from indigenous tribes who lived in Chile long before the Spanish arrived. They also have ancestors from the Spanish settlers who came to Chile and mixed with the indigenous people.

Over time, these different cultures blended together, creating a unique mix of traditions and customs. Even though some of the indigenous cultures were lost during colonization, efforts are being made to preserve and celebrate what’s left of them.

7. Rural life is important to them

Even though most Chileans live in cities now, rural life is still really important to them. In the countryside, people work on farms, raise animals, and make things by hand.

These activities have been a big part of Chile’s economy for a long time. For city dwellers, visiting rural areas is a way to relax and get away from the busyness of urban life. It’s a chance to enjoy nature and spend time with family and friends in a peaceful setting.

8. Chilean food is very flavorful

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Chilean food is a mix of indigenous and Spanish influences, and it’s known for being hearty and flavorful. Some popular dishes include stews made with beef or seafood, empanadas filled with meat or cheese, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Chile is also famous for its wines, which are made from grapes grown in the country’s fertile valleys. Whether it’s a special occasion or just a regular meal, food is an important part of Chilean culture.

9. They are great artists

Chile has a vibrant arts scene that combines old and new traditions. Traditional music and dance celebrate the country’s indigenous heritage, while modern artists push boundaries with new forms of expression.

Writers explore themes of identity and culture in their books, and visual artists create works that reflect both the past and the present. Whether it’s music, literature, or visual arts, Chilean artists are proud of their heritage and eager to share it with the world.

10. They are great sportsmen

Sports, especially football (soccer), are a big deal in Chile. Watching a game is a chance for families and friends to come together and support their favorite teams. The atmosphere at a football match is electric, with fans cheering and chanting for their team. Win or lose, the experience of watching a game brings people together and creates a sense of unity and belonging.