Leading Figures in History

Discover the people who shaped our world — from rulers and scientists to artists and activists.

21513 persons found

Laurie Metcalf

b. 1955

American actress (born 1955)

Laurie Spina

b. 1963

Australian rugby league footballer

Lauryn Hill

b. 1975

American rapper and singer (born 1975)

Laverne Cox

b. 1972

American actress and LGBTQ advocate (born 1972)

Lavinia Stoddard

b. 1787

American poet, school founder

Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Dutch-born British painter (1836–1912)

Lawrence Block

b. 1938

American writer of crime fiction (born 1938)

Lawrence Haddad

b. 1959

British economist

Lawrence Lessig

b. 1961

American legal scholar and activist (born 1961)

Lawrence N. Guarino

b. 1922

US Air Force officer (1922–2014)

Lawrence Tynes

b. 1978

Scottish gridiron football player (born 1978)

Lawrence Welk

American bandleader and TV impresario (1903–1992)

Lawrence Wilkerson

b. 1945

Chief of Staff to Colin Powell

Lawson Little

b. 1910

American professional golfer (1910–1968)

Lawson Soulsby, Baron Soulsby of Swaffham Prior

b. 1926

British microbiologist and parasitologist

Laxmanrao Kirloskar

b. 1869

Indian businessman (1869–1956)

Layal Abboud

b. 1982

Lebanese pop singer (born 1982)

Lazar of Serbia

Medieval Serbian ruler (1329–1389)

Lazare Carnot

b. 1753

French politician, engineer and mathematician (1753–1823)

Lázaro Borges

b. 1986

Cuban pole vaulter (born 1986)

Lázaro Cárdenas

b. 1895

President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940

Lê Văn Thiêm

Vietnamese scientist

Lea DeLaria

b. 1958

American comedian, actress and singer (born 1958)

Léa Fazer

b. 1965

Swiss film director