Madrid has been the birthplace or adopted home of countless influential figures throughout history.
* **Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616):** The legendary author of *Don Quixote*; he lived, worked, and is buried in Madrid's Barrio de las Letras. * **Diego Velázquez (1599–1660):** The leading artist in the court of King Philip IV and a giant of the Spanish Golden Age. * **Francisco de Goya (1746–1828):** The romantic painter and printmaker who documented the royal court and the Peninsular War in Madrid. * **Pedro Almodóvar (b. 1949):** Internationally acclaimed filmmaker whose colorful, transgressive movies are deeply tied to the *Movida Madrileña* cultural renaissance of the 1980s. * **Penélope Cruz (b. 1974):** Academy Award-winning actress born in the Madrid suburb of Alcobendas. * **Plácido Domingo (b. 1941):** World-renowned operatic tenor and conductor. * **Felipe VI (b. 1968):** The current King of Spain, born in Madrid and residing at the Zarzuela Palace.