Most Famous Georgian People

From King Parnavaz to the present day, many rulers of Georgia made a name for themselves, including David IV Agmashenebeli (the Builder) and Queen Tamar, whose deeds have been written down in history in golden letters.

The names of state leaders, clergymen, musicians, athletes, and other outstanding figures have been preserved in the history of the country and the world, such as Noe Jordania, Grigol Peradze, Zakaria Paliashvili, George Balanchine, and others.

Nona Gaprindashvili 

Nona Gaprindashvili is one of the most distinguished and title-winning Georgian chest players. She is the International Grandmaster in women's chess and is the first female chess player in the world to be awarded the title of International Grandmaster in the same competition with men.

In 1996, Nona Gaprindashvili was awarded the three highest awards of international sports organizations for her notable contribution to the development of the Olympic movement: the Order of the International Olympic Committee, the Order of Honor of the World Association of National Olympic Committees, and the Order of the European Olympic Committee. In 1997, the 68th Congress of FIDE established a cup named after Nona Gaprindashvili, which is given to the country with the best results in the men's and women's Olympics. 

Khatia Buniatishvili 

Another famous Georgian musician is Khatia Buniatishvili, who has been performing since the age of 6. The pianist is especially popular in France and she has performed both solo concerts and orchestra performances on the stage of many other countries. Khatia Buniatishvili is a laureate of several international competitions, among them, the 3rd Tbilisi International Piano Competition, the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition, and others.

Lasha Talakhadze 

Lasha Talakhadze is a weightlifter from Sachkhere, Imereti Region. Lasha has achieved amazing success in many competitions. He is a two-time Olympian, five-time world champion, and five-time European champion, and also holds the world record in deadlift (267 kg) and double wrestling (492 kg). "Talakhadze, who won a gold medal in the Rio Olympic Championship in 2016, is competing only with himself at the moment", wrote the well-known media outlet The Guardian in 2021. Lasha Talakhadze is a knight of the Order of Honor and the Order of Excellence. 

Merab Ninidze 

Merab Ninidze is a famous Georgian actor who plays in English, Russian, and German language films and TV series. He became known to the Western world with Carolina Link's film Nowhere in Africa, which won Best Foreign Language Film at the 75th Academy Awards in 2003.

Ninidze has participated in dozens of films and TV series, including The Courier, Monanieba (Repentance), Roots, My Happy Family, Homeland, Freud, and others. 

Zaza Patchulia

Zaza Pachulia is the first Georgian basketball player who became an NBA champion twice (in 2017 and 2018) with Golden State Warriors. He is also the Turkish champion (2001) and two-time winner of the Turkish President's Cup (2002, 2003).

Pachulia has played in 1,098 NBA games. During his career, he has played on famous NBA teams including, the Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, and the Detroit Pistons.

Demna Gvasalia

Demna Gvasalia is the creative director of the French fashion house Balenciaga. As noted fashion critics write, the sensational designer rewrote and defined the essence of fashion. It says the industry what's fashionable, what trends are in at the moment, how culture shapes reality. The clothes that Demna creates are often inspired by Georgia, and his native Abkhazia (Abkhazeti) in particular. On his clothes, you will see the flag of Georgia, phrases in the Georgian language, and the names of Georgian poets - Vazha Pshavela, Shota Rustaveli and Galaktion Tabidze.

Demna Gvasalia has received numerous awards in the fashion industry, including the prestigious CFDA Award for Best Designer in 2017 and 2021. Time magazine named Demna among the most influential people in the world in 2022. 

Katie Melua

Georgian singer Katie Melua is one of the most famous artists in Great Britain. She moved to Britain at the age of 8 and made her musical debut in 2003. Within three years, she became the United Kingdom's best-selling female artist.

In 2003, at the age of 19, Melua released her first album, Call Off the Search, which entered the UK top charts, selling 1.8 million copies within 5 months of its release. His second album, Piece by Piece, was released in 2005 and has been certified platinum four times.

Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili is a Georgian athlete working in the USA. He is a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who competes in the UFC. He fought his first UFC match on December 9th, 2017, against Frankie Saenz. Dvalishvili is often referred to by the nickname "The Machine". 

Gia Dvali 

Gia Dvali is a world-renowned physicist who researches elementary particle theory, cosmology, quantum gravity, and the evolution of the early universe. Gia Dvali has been working abroad since 1992. He is an employee of the Cern Center for Atomic Research in Geneva, a professor at New York University, and the director of the Max Planck Institute in Munich. He also participates in the Large Hadron Collider experiment.

For his success in science and technology, he received D. and L. Packards (1999), A. Sloan (2000), and the New York Mayor (2001) award. He also received the title of "Silver Professor" at New York University in 2007 and was awarded the Humboldt Prize in 2008. 

Nino Kharatishvili 

Nino Kharatishvili is a German-speaking Georgian playwright, director, and writer. She works in various theaters in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Her plays are staged in Vienna, Wiesbaden, Berlin, Hamburg, Tbilisi, Bruchsal, Göttingen, and Saarbrucken. In 2010, Nino Kharatishvili became the laureate of the Albert Chamisso Prize, which is awarded to writers by the Bavarian Academy of Arts and the Robert Bosch Foundation.

In Georgia, she was best known for the book "The Eighth Life (for Brilka)", in which the life of a Georgian family unfolds against the background of the history of the 20th-century crises. Critics call the book "phenomenal" and "the best German novel of the year".

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a "rising star" of football. He became the most frequently discussed Georgian football player in 2022 after he officially joined the Italian team Napoli. His transfer value was 10-12 million euros. With his outstanding style and number of goals scored, he soon attracted the attention of the world. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is called a "Georgian sensation" by the New York Times, CNN, and others. 

The world remembers many Georgians who made a special contribution to the development of sports, culture, science, technology, and other fields.