Famous People Born In Genoa

George Eastman revolutionized the world of photography with his Eastman Kodak Company and the roll film, which also came to be used in movies. Initially a banker, he later devoted himself to his camera company. A dedicated philanthropist, too, he contributed financially to music, dentistry, and medicine.

Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian journalist, politician, and activist. He played a major role in the Italian revolutionary movement and in the unification of Italy. His efforts gave rise to an independent and unified Italy, which replaced many separate states that were dominated by foreign powers. Mazzini is widely regarded as the most influential European revolutionary.

Pritzker Prize-winning Italian architect Renzo Piano was born into a family of builders from Genoa. His firm Piano and Rogers, was co-established with British architect Richard Rogers. The Renzo Piano Building Workshop worked on a number of museum commissions, most notably those of Menil Collection.

Once likened to pop icon Samantha Fox, Sabrina Salerno was a pop diva from the 1980s. She began her career winning a beauty contest and then became a known face on Italian TV, with shows such as Premiatissima. She later soared to fame with tracks such as Sexy Girl and Boys.

Beppe Grillo is an Italian actor, comedian, politician, and blogger. The co-founder of a political party called Five Star Movement, Grillo turned to the internet in the early-2000s to popularize his ideas. After launching a website called beppegrillo.it, which became an influential website, he started writing influential blogs, which made him a leading Italian popularizer of digital utopianism.

A 15th-century Byzantine soldier, Giovanni Giustiniani, who belonged to one of the most powerful families of the Republic of Genoa, is remembered for his valiant campaign to defend Constantinople against the Turkish army of Sultan Mehmed II. He was eventually wounded and died, while the Ottomans took control of Constantinople.

Vanessa Beecroft is a contemporary performance artist who often works with professional models to stage tableaux vivants. In 2018, she used Kim Kardashian as her model for the release of the latter's perfume brand. A controversial personality, Vanessa Beecroft's unsuccessful attempt to adopt Sudanese twins inspired a derogative documentary titled The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins by Pietra Brettkelly.

Through his stunningly realistic masterpiece, Il Disinganno, or Release from Deception, which he completed in 7 years, Italian sculptor Francesco Queirolo symbolically showed a man’s release from sins. The fisherman’s net in the sculpture is so intricately carved that people don’t believe it’s made out of marble.

Ambrogio Spinola, 1st Marquess of Los Balbases was an Italian nobleman and condottiero. He is best remembered for his service as a Spanish general, leading his army and winning many important battles during his lifetime. Nicknamed Ambrosio, Ambrogio Spinola, 1st Marquess of Los Balbases is widely regarded as one of the greatest military leaders of his generation.

An influential art historian, critic, and curator, Germano Celant is known for coining the term, Arte Povera to describe the radically economical art of some post WWII Italian artists. Beginning his career with Geneva based art magazine Marcatrè, he eventually become the curator of New York’s Guggenheim museum and Director of Milan’s Prada Foundation, concurrently authoring many books on art.

Legendary Italian baritone Giuseppe Taddei was just 21 when he made his debut at the Rome Opera. However, his Metropolitan Opera debut came at the age of 69. He performed in many iconic operas, such as The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, and was equally successful in both comedy and drama.

Baroque architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt was also a military engineer and influenced 18th-century European architecture to a great extent. Known for his unique architectural decoration, he designed some of the most impactful buildings of his era, such as the Belvedere in Vienna, the Schönborn Castle, and the Mirabell Palace.

Benedetto Zaccaria was an Italian admiral, diplomat, mercenary, adventurer, and statesman. He also served as the Lord of Phocaea and the first Lord of Chios. Benedetto Zaccaria is credited with founding Zaccaria fortunes in Latin Greece and Byzantine. He also served in the Genoese fleet, serving as the principal commander and defeating Pisa at the Battle of Meloria.