The following list contains notable people from Brasília and the Brasília metropolitan area.
Contributors to the foundation of Brasília
José Bonifácio - first Brazilian chancellor to suggest the idea of building a capital in the interior of Brazil, away from its predecessor, Rio de Janeiro (never actually lived in Brasília, he died before it was incorporated) Don Bosco - priest, patron saint of Brasília (died before Brasília was incorporated, but did supposedly foresee the city’s incorporation in a dream) Juscelino Kubitschek - former president of Brazil (Brasília was built as part of his campaign to develop the interior of Brazil)Osorio, Mauro; Rego, Henrique Rabelo Sá; Versiani, Maria Helena (2017). "Rio de Janeiro: trajetória institucional e especificidades do marco de poder" [Rio de Janeiro: institutional trajectory and specificities of the power framework]. Cadernos do Desenvolvimento Fluminense (in Portuguese) (12): 73–92. doi:10.12957/cdf.2017.36738. Oscar Niemeyer - architect Lúcio Costa - urban planner Roberto Burle Marx - landscape architect Niemeyer, Costa, and Marx designed and led the construction project to build Brasília.Niemeyer, Oscar (2000). The Curves of Time: The Memoirs of Oscar Niemeyer. London: Phaidon. . p. 70Gerald W. R. Ward -The Grove Encyclopedia of Materials and Techniques in Art 2008– Page 121 ".. and the burgeoning school of modern architecture in Latin America, most notably at the Ministry of Education and Health in Rio de Janeiro (now the Palácio da Cultura, 1937–43) by Lúcio Costa (1902–98) ..."
Notable faculty and almuni of the University of Brasília
Alumni
Leticia Carvalho - oceanographer and international civil servantSecretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, Gender Pioneers for a Future Detoxified: Leticia Carvalho. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
Faculty Darcy Ribeiro - anthropologist, politician"Darcy Ribeiro". academia.org.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Academia Brasileira de Letras. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2026. Oscar Niemeyer - architect, designer of Brasília, winner of the Pritzker Prize in 1988 Athos Bulcão - artist Cyro dos Anjos - journalist, writer Cláudio Santoro - composer, violinist Affonso Arinos de Mello Franco - diplomat, journalist Nelson Pereira dos Santos - film director Cristovam Buarque - mechanical engineer and politician, former governor of the Federal District, former senator, former rector, and economics professor Teotonio Vilela Filho - politician, economist, current governor of Alagoas Otto Richard Gottlieb - chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry nominee Anísio Teixeira - educator, founder Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade - jurist, elected judge of the International Court of Justice, professor of International Relations Francisco Rezek - former Justice of the Brazilian Supreme Court, former judge of the International Court of Justice (1996–2006), professor of Law Gilmar Mendes - justice of the Brazilian Supreme Court, former President of the Supreme Court, professor of law Jorge Antunes - composer Marisa von Bülow - political scientist and sociologist
Athletes Endrick Felipe - football player (currently for Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras) Kaká - footballer (retired)(in Portuguese) Istoé Gente, Kaká vira fera. Archived 7 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine, 21 October 2002. Lúcio - footballer (retired) Márcio Amoroso - footballer (retired) Marílson Gomes dos Santos - long distance runner, winner of the 2006 New York City Marathon Hudson de Souza - middle distance runner Joaquim Cruz - middle distance runner, won the gold medal in the 800m at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the silver medal in the same competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics Oscar Schmidt - basketball player Leila Barros - volleyball player, won bronze at the 1996 Summer Olympics and at 2000 Summer Olympics Paula Pequeno - volleyball player, won gold and was the MVP of the 2008 Summer Olympics Leandro Macedo - triathlon Mariana Ohata - triathlon Tatiana Lemos - swimmer Rebeca Gusmão - swimmer Nelson Piquet - racecar driver Nelson Piquet Jr. - racecar driver Felipe Nasr - racecar driver Rodrigo Medeiros - jiu jitsu world champion Paulo Thiago - MMA fighter Rani Yahya - MMA fighter Ketleyn Quadros - judoka, won the bronze medal at 2008 Summer Olympics
Media Ana Paula Padrão - journalist Poliana Abritta - journalist
Politicians Cristovam Buarque - intellectual, former dean of the University of Brasília, former governor of the Federal District, senator
Artists Rainer Cadete - actor Ney Matogrosso - singer Oswaldo Montenegro - singer Cássia Eller - singer Zélia Duncan - singer, former lead singer of Os Mutantes Patrícia Pillar - actress Murilo Rosa - actor
See also
History of Brasília University of Brasília
References