.
Honorary citizens •
Thor Heyerdahl (1914–2002), an adventurer and ethnographer •
Carl Nesjar (1920–2015), a painter, sculptor, and graphic artist who worked with Pablo Picasso •
Antonio Bibalo (1922–2008), an Italian-Norwegian pianist who composed classical operas •
Arne Nordheim (1931–2010), a composer •
Ingvar Ambjørnsen (1956–2025), a writer
Explorers •
Johan Bryde (1858–1925), a ship-owner and whaler •
Carl Anton Larsen (1860–1924), an Antarctic explorer who discovered fossils •
Oscar Wisting (1871–1936), a Norwegian Naval officer and
polar explorer •
Erik Hesselberg (1914-1972), a
Kon-Tiki crew member, author, painter, and sculptor •
Jarle Andhøy (born 1977), a controversial adventurer and sailing
skipper Public Service & public thinking •
Jens Schou Fabricius (1758–1841), a
Vice-admiral and Norwegian Minister of the Navy from 1817–1818 •
Friderich Adolph von Schleppegrell (1792–1850), a Dano-Norwegian military officer •
Johan Sverdrup (1816–1892), a politician who was
Prime Minister of Norway from 1884-1889 •
Thomas Archer (1823-1905), an
Australian
pastoralist and
Agent General for Queensland •
Colin Archer (1832–1921), a Norwegian naval architect and
shipbuilder •
Sophus Bugge (1833–1907) a philologist and linguist •
Karl Gether Bomhoff (1842–1925), a pharmacist, politician, and Governor of
Norges Bank •
Bertrand Narvesen (1860–1939), a businessman who founded
Narvesen •
Bernt Berntsen (1863–1933), a Norwegian-American Protestant Christian missionary to China •
Anna Hvoslef (1866–1954), a journalist, politician, and feminist •
Adolf Fonahn (1873–1940), a physician, medical historian, and orientalist •
Niels Christian Ditleff (1881–1956), a diplomat and architect of
White Buses operation •
Erling Utnem (1920–2006), a theologian, priest, and
Bishop of Agder from 1973-1983 •
Herman Sachnowitz (1921-1978), one of the few
Norwegian Jews who survived deportation to a concentration camp •
Knut Helle (1930–2015), a historian and academic •
Mille-Marie Treschow (born 1954–2018), a landlord and businessperson •
Lars Gule (born 1955), a philosopher and commentator on extremism and terrorism •
Anders Anundsen (born 1975), a politician who was
Minister of Justice from 2013-2016 •
Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow (1990–2013), a Norwegian-Somalian
Islamist terrorist The arts •
Cecil Aagaard (1916–1984), a jazz vocalist and band leader •
Absolute Steel (formed in 1999), a heavy metal band •
Mari Bjørgan (1950–2014), an actress and variety show comedian •
Birgitte Einarsen (born in 1975), a singer and musical theatre artist from Helgeroa •
Terje Gewelt (born 1960), a jazz musician who plays the upright bass who was raised in Larvik •
Hans Holmen (1878–1958), a painter and sculptor •
Anne Holt (born 1958), a crime writer, lawyer, and former minister of justice •
Louis Jacoby (born 1942), a singer and writer •
Ruth Lagesen (1914–2005), a pianist and conductor •
Bjørn Lynne (born 1966), a sound engineer and music composer •
Carl Nesjar (1920–2015), a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and fabricator for
Pablo Picasso •
Arne Nordheim (1931–2010), a composer •
Arthur Omre (1887–1967), a novelist,
liquor smuggler, swindler, and thief •
Gunnar Reiss-Andersen (1896–1964), a lyric poet and author •
Jonas Kilmork Vemøy (born 1986), a jazz trumpeter and composer who was raised in Larvik •
Herman Wildenvey (1885–1959), a poet
Sport •
Sverre Hansen (1913–1974), a footballer who was a team bronze medallist at the
1936 Summer Olympics •
Gunnar Thoresen (1920-2017), a famous footballer who had 261 caps for
Larvik Turn and 64 for
Norway •
Anette Bøe (born 1957), a cross-country skier who was a team bronze medallist at the
1980 Winter Olympics •
Hallvar Thoresen (born 1957), a footballer with 320 club caps and 50 for
Norway •
Tom Erik Oxholm (born 1959), a speed skater and twice bronze medallist at the
1980 Winter Olympics •
Tom Sundby (born 1960), a footballer with 39 caps for
Norway •
Bjørg Eva Jensen (born 1960), a speed skater and gold medallist at the
1980 Winter Olympics •
Gunnar Halle (born 1965), a football manager and player with 509 club caps and 64 for
Norway •
Espen Hoff (born 1981), a retired professional footballer with 427 club caps •
Alexander Hvaal (born 1992), a professional rallycross driver ==Sports teams==