The following is a list of notable people from
Greenland:
*
Maliina Abelsen
Maliina Abelsen was the General Manager for Arctic Winter Games 2016 and is a former Greenlandic politician and MP for the party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), holding the position of the Minister for Finance in the Government of Greenland ( kl, Naala ...
, politician and
MP for the party
Inuit Ataqatigiit
*
Naja Abelsen
Naja Abelsen (born 1964) is a Danish-Greenlandic painter and illustrator. Much of her art is inspired by the myths and sagas of Greenland. In addition to her work as a book illustrator, she has designed 18 stamps for Post Greenland.
Biography
Bor ...
(born 1964), artist, book illustrator
*
Richard Absalonsen
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...
, politician, member of the Atassut party
*
Arnarsaq
Arnarsaq ( – fl. 1778), was an Inuk translator, interpreter and missionary, assistant to Paul Egede, Hans Glahn, and J. Sverdrup from Greenland. She and Hans Punngujooq translated the Bible into the Inuit language. She had an important position ...
, translator, interpreter and missionary
*
Arnarulunnguaq (1896–1933), native Greenlandic woman who accompanied
Knud Rasmussen on his Fifth Thule Expedition
*
Aron of Kangeq, hunter, painter, and oral historian
*
Hermann Berthelsen
Hermann Berthelsen (born 2 March 1956) is a Greenlandic politician and affiliated with the Siumut party. As of July 2010, Berthelsen is the mayor of Sisimiut, a town in central-western Greenland, and the administrative center of the Qeqqata
Q ...
, politician, affiliated with the Siumut (
Forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
) party
*
Julie Berthelsen
Julie Ivalo Broberg Berthelsen also known by her mononym Julie (born 7 June 1979) is a Danish-born Greenlandic pop singer and songwriter. She is known largely for her success on the TV series ''Popstars''. Although she finished in second place, ...
, singer and songwriter
*
Ove Karl Berthelsen
Inuit Ataqatigiit (, , da, Folkets Samfund) is a democratic socialist, separatist political party in Greenland that aims to make Greenland an independent state. The party, founded as a political organisation in 1976, was born out of the increas ...
, politician, Minister for Industry and Mineral Resources
*
Jørgen Brønlund
Jørgen Brønlund (14 December 1877 – November 1907), was a Kalaallit, Greenlandic polar explorer, educator, and Catechism, catechist. He participated in two Danish expeditions to Greenland in the early 20th century.
Early years
Brønlund, ...
, explorer, educator, and catechist
*
Palle Christiansen
Palle Christiansen (born 25 June 1973) is a Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic ocean ...
, member of the
Democrats, Minister for Finance, and Member of the Greenland Government for Nordic Cooperation
*
Nukaaka Coster-Waldau, singer, actress, and former Miss Greenland
*
Agnethe Davidsen, the first female government minister in Greenland
*
Aviâja Egede Lynge
Aviâja Egede Lynge (born 1974) is a Greenlandic social anthropologist who actively supports the rights of indigenous Inuit. In her native Greenland, she has contributed to training teachers to appreciate their cultural identity and their indige ...
(born 1974), indigenous rights activist, childhood rights commissioner
*
Hans Enoksen
Hans Enoksen (born 7 August 1956) is a Greenlandic politician who served as the third prime minister of Greenland from 2002 to 2009.
A Greenlandic monoglot, he has been a member of the Parliament of Greenland since 1995. He became Minister for F ...
, politician, fourth prime minister
*
Agathe Fontain
Agathe Fontain (born 1951) is a Greenlandic politician born in Sisimiut. She is a member of the Inuit Ataqatigiit
Inuit Ataqatigiit (, , da, Folkets Samfund) is a democratic socialist, separatist political party in Greenland that aims to mak ...
, politician, Minister for Health
*
Anthon Frederiksen
Anthon Frederikssen is a Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Can ...
, leader of the Democrats, Minister for Housing, Infrastructure and Transport, and Deputy-Premier
*
Jesper Grønkjær
Jesper Grønkjær (; born 12 August 1977) is a Danish former professional footballer.
A pacey winger, Grønkjær played primarily on the right or left wing, or as a second striker. He played a total 400 league games for a number of European cl ...
, professional footballer
*
Ole Jørgen Hammeken
Ole Jørgen Hammeken − born in 1956 in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, of Maritha and Motzflot Hammeken − is a Greenlandic explorer and actor, based in Denmark and Russia.
Career
Polar exploration
He participated in 2007 in the 'Global W ...
, explorer and social worker
*
Ane Hansen, politician, Minister for Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture
*
Hans Hendrik, Arctic traveller and interpreter
*
Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam (born 1996), politician, member of the Folketing, Siumut party
*
Arnannguaq Høegh
Arnannguaq Høegh (1956– 15 October 2020) was a Greenlandic visual artist whose art was inspired by the country's symbols and nature. Remembered in particular for her graphic works, she was also active in sculpture and in abstract painting. From ...
(1956–2020), graphic artist and educator
*
Doris J. Jensen (born 1978), politician, member of the Siumut party
*
Lars Emil Johansen
Lars-Emil Johansen (born 24 September 1946) is a Greenlandic politician who served as the second prime minister of Greenland from 1991 to 1997, and Speaker of the Inatsisartut from 2013 to 2018.
Johansen was chairman of the political party ''Si ...
, former prime minister
*
Ricky Enø Jørgensen, racing cyclist for Glud & Marstrand Horsens
*
Mimi Karlsen
Mimi Karlsen (born 23 January 1957 in Maniitsoq, Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark) is a Greenlandic politician. A member of the Inuit Ataqatigiit
Inuit Ataqatigiit (, , da, Folkets Samfund) is a democratic socialist, separatist political party ...
, politician, Minister for Culture, Education, Research and Church Affairs
*
Jessie Kleemann
Marie Jessie Kleemann née Jensine Marie Kristensen (born 1959) is a Greenlandic artist and writer. Educated both as an actor and a graphic artist, from 1984 to 1991 she headed Greenland's College of Art in Nuuk. Now recognized principally as a ...
(born 1959), poet, performance artist
*
Kuupik Kleist
Jakob Edvard Kuupik Kleist (born 31 March 1958) is a Greenlandic politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Greenland between 2009 and 2013. A member of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, he was the first Prime Minister not affiliated with S ...
, politician
*
Makka Kleist
Makka Kleist (born 1951) is a Greenlandic actress. After training to be a schoolteacher, she was inspired to become an actress and received training at the Tuukkaq Teater in western Jutland. As she was unable to find work in Denmark, she moved to C ...
(born 1951), actress
*
Nina Kreutzmann Jørgensen
Nina Kreutzmann Jørgensen (born 1977) is a Greenlandic-Danish singer who is popular in both Greenland and Denmark. From the 1990s, she was the lead singer in the rock band Qulleq. She has frequently performed on Danish television, especially in co ...
(born 1977), singer
*
Angunnguaq Larsen, actor (''
Borgen'')
*
Thorkell Leifsson
Leif Erikson, Leiv Eiriksson, or Leif Ericson, ; Modern Icelandic: ; Norwegian: ''Leiv Eiriksson'' also known as Leif the Lucky (), was a Norse explorer who is thought to have been the first European to have set foot on continental North ...
, son of
Leif Ericson,
paramount chieftain
The ancient Norse rulers of Greenland were called paramount chieftains.
Among the island nation's chieftains were:
*Erik the Red, or Eirikr Thorvaldsson, the nation's first chieftain and its first settler, began rule in 985.
*Leif Ericson, lik ...
of Greenland
*
Katrine Larsen Lenner, politician
*
Kristian Lennert, politician
*
Rasmus Lerdorf, creator of the
PHP programming language
*
Henrik Lund, lyricist, painter and priest
*
Angaangaq Lyberth
Angaangaq Lyberth is a Greenlandic politician. He has been quoted on the effects of global warming in Greenland. He has represented Arctic peoples in the United Nations General Assembly, and frequently speaks before governments and universities. ...
, shaman
*
Aqqaluk Lynge
Aqqaluk Lynge (born in 1947 in Aasiaat, Greenland) was the President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (formerly the Inuit Circumpolar Conference) from 1995 to 2002. He is a former member of the Inatsisartut and one of the founders of the Greenlandi ...
, former president of the
Inuit Circumpolar Council
*
Nauja Lynge
Nauja Lynge (born 21 January 1965) is a Greenlandic people in Denmark, Greenlandic-Danish writer and lecturer. A graduate in languages from the Copenhagen Business School, she has specialized in storytelling since 1995. She is the chair of the Rig ...
(born 1965), writer, lecturer
*
Jonathan Motzfeldt
Jonathan Jakob Jørgen Otto Motzfeldt (25 September 1938 – 28 October 2010) was a Greenlandic priest and politician. He is considered one of the leading figures in the establishment of Greenland Home Rule. Jonathan Motzfeldt was the first pr ...
, former prime minister
*
Josef Motzfeldt
Josef Tuusi Motzfeldt
mzv.cz, 10.09.2010 (born 24 November 1941) is a Asii Chemnitz Narup
Asii Chemnitz Narup (born 1954) is a Greenlandic politician and MP for the party Inuit Ataqatigiit. Narup was the country's environmental and health minister between 2005 and 2006. She resigned in protest against what she felt was a poorly function ...
, politician and MP for the party Inuit Ataqatigiit
*
Alfred Olsen, politician
*
Anders Olsen
Anders Olsen (1718-1786) was a Norwegian trader, explorer and colonial administrator, who founded several important towns in Greenland including Qaqortoq (Julianehåb) and Maniitsoq (Sukkertoppen) as well as the village of Igaliku.
Anders Olsen ...
, trader and colonial administrator
*
Marius Olsen, politician
*
Maligiaq Padilla Maligiaq Johnsen Padilla (maligiɑq jonˀsn padiɬa) is a Greenlandic kayaker known for his skill with the sea kayak. In 1994, at the age of 12, he won every event in his age group at the National Kayaking Championship.
History
Born in Greenland
...
, famous kayaker
*
Lena Pedersen, Canadian politician and social worker
*
Fritz Baumann Petersen
Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridolin a ...
, politician
*
Johan Carl Christian Petersen, seaman and interpreter
*
Gertrud Rask
Gertrud Rask (167321 December 1735) was the first wife of the Danish-Norwegian missionary to Greenland Hans Egede and was the mother of the missionary and translator Paul Egede.
Life in Norway
Gertrud Rask (the parish register records her as Gj ...
, wife of missionary Hans Egede and mother of Paul
*
Knud Rasmussen, polar explorer and anthropologist
*
Henriette Rasmussen
Henriette Ellen Kathrine Vilhelmine Rasmussen née Jeremiassen (1950 – 2017) was a Greenlandic educator, journalist, women's rights activist and politician. In 1992, she provided support for the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the ...
(1950–2017), educator, journalist, women's rights activist and politician
*
Signe Rink (1836–1909), writer and ethnologist
*
Lars Rosing
Lars Rosing (born 25 January 1972) is a Danish-Greenlandic actor. Brother of film director Otto Rosing. Born in Maniitsoq, a town in western Greenland, he grew up in Ilulissat
Ilulissat, formerly Jakobshavn or Jacobshaven, is the municipal s ...
, actor, brother of film director Otto
*
Otto Rosing, film director, brother of actor Lars
*
Augusta Salling
Augusta Salling (born 1954) is a former finance minister of Greenland. She began as a teacher. Her political roles before finance minister included being a member of a Parliament and mayor of Qeqertarsuaq
Qeqertarsuaq () is a port and town in ...
, politician, former finance minister
*
Morten Siegstad, politician
*
Agathe Martha Storch, politician, member of the Atassut (
Feeling of Community
Atassut ( en, Cohesion / Link / Togetherness / Solidarity; also referred to as Feeling of Community) is a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative and The unity of the Realm, unionist list of political parties in Greenland, political party in ...
) party
*
Minik Wallace
Minik Wallace (also called Minik or Mene) (ca. 1890 – October 29, 1918) was an Inughuaq (Inuk) brought as a child in 1897 from Greenland to New York City with his father and others by the explorer Robert Peary. The six Inuit were studied ...
, brought as a child in 1897 to New York by Robert Peary
*
Karla Jessen Williamson
Karla Jessen Williamson (born 1954 in Appamiut, Maniitsoq, Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark) is an assistant professor of educational foundations at the University of Saskatchewan. Formerly, she was the executive director of the Arctic Institute of N ...
, Executive Director of the
Arctic Institute of North America
{{Greenland topics
People
Greenland