"major figures" is correct and usable in written English
It can be used in a variety of contexts. For example: "This decade has seen the emergence of a number of major figures in the technology industry."
Major figures do show up.
Both are major figures back home.
In the Mahayana tradition several female deities became major figures.
The major figures in these breakthroughs were Ulam and Teller.
But some major figures live in Cambodia and are often mentioned as possible defendants.
She continued: "The major figures who could form such an alliance are dead or in exile.
A number of major figures here are black characters in the process of being radicalized themselves.
Radical labor unions have been major figures in Bolivian politics since then.
The meeting ended after an hour, with none of the major figures volunteering any details.
For me, the three major figures in American Pop Art were Warhol, Lichtenstein, and James Rosenquist.
As McGurl notes, virtually all the major figures in Latino literature have been American academics.
