Passion or Profession: Activist, president

Period: 1918–

Mandela was a vocal antiapartheid activist, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964. Twenty-six years later, Mandela was released, and apartheid came to an end. In 1993, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Then in 1994, he became the first president elected by all of South Africa. His determination and endurance in the cause of freedom have made him an international hero.