List of Germans

Famous people from Germany:

Actors

Marlene Dietrich, (1901-1992)
Klaus Kinski, (1926-1991), German actor and father of Nastassia Kinski
Hildegard Knef, (1925-2002)

Artists

Albrecht Altdorfer, (1480-1538), German painter
Joseph Beuys, (1921-1986), artist
Arnold Böcklin, (1827-1901), painter
Lucas Cranach the Elder, (1472-1553), German painter
Albrecht Dürer, (1471-1528), painter
Max Ernst, (1891-1976), surrealist painter
Caspar David Friedrich, (1774-1840), painter
Walter Gropius, (1883-1969), architect
George Grosz, (1893-1959), artist
Hannah Höch - artist
Hans Holbein the Elder, (c.1465-1524), German painter
Hans Holbein the Younger, (c.1497-1543), German illustrator, painter
Franz Marc, (1880-1916), painter
Carl Spitzweg, (1808-1885), painter

Composers

Karl Friedrich Abel, (1725-1787), German composer
Martin Agricola, (1466-1506), German composer
Johann Sebastian Bach, (1685-1750), composer
Ludwig van Beethoven, (1770-1827), German composer
Johannes Brahms, (1833-1897), German composer
Georg Friedrich Händel, (1685-1759), German composer, opera composer
Paul Hindemith, (1895-1963), German composer
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Carl Orff, (1895-1982), German composer
Johann Pachelbel, (1653-1706), German composer
Clara Schumann, (1819-1896), German composer
Robert Schumann, (1810-1856), German composer, songwriter
Karlheinz Stockhausen, (1928-), modern 12-tone composer
Richard Strauss, (1864-1949), German composer, opera composer
Georg Philipp Telemann, (1681-1767), German composer
Richard Wagner, (1813-1883), German composer
Carl Maria von Weber, (1786-1826), composer
Kurt Weill, (1900-1950), was a German composer: Threepenny Opera, "September Song"

Filmmakers

Werner Herzog, (born 1942), German film director
Fritz Lang, (1890-1976), German film director
Ernst Lubitsch, (1892-1947), film director
F.W. Murnau, German film director
Wolfgang Petersen, German film director
Leni Riefenstahl, German female film director
Wim Wenders, (1945-), German-born film director

Royalty

Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, (1819-1861), Queen Victoria's husband & consort
Albert (1828-1902), King of Saxony (1873-1902)
Anton (1755-1836), King of Saxony (1827-1836)
Carol I of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1839-1914), Prince (1867-1881) and King (1881-1914) of Romania
Charles (1823-1891), King of Württemberg (1823-1891)
Ferdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1865-1927), King of Romania (1924-1927)
Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1861-1948), Prince of Bulgaria (1887-1908), King (or Tsar) of the Bulgarians (1908-1918)
Frederick I (1657-1713), Elector of Brandenburg (1688-1713), King in Prussia (1701-1713)
Frederick I (1754-1816), Duke (1797-1803), Elector (1803-1806), and King (1806-1816) of Württemberg
Frederick II the Great (1712-1786), King of Prussia (1740-1786)
Friedrich III (1831-1888), German Emperor and King of Prussia (1888)
Frederick Augustus I (1750-1827), Elector (1763-1806) and King (1806-1827) of Saxony
Frederick Augustus II (1797-1854), King of Saxony (1836-1854)
Frederick Augustus III (1865-1932), King of Saxony (1904-1918)
Frederick William I (1688-1740), King of Prussia (1713-1740)
Frederick William II (1744-1797), King of Prussia (1786-1797)
Frederick William III (1770-1840), King of Prussia (1797-1840)
Frederick William IV (1795-1861), King of Prussia (1840-1861)
George (1832-1904), King of Saxony (1902-1904)
George V (1819-1878), King of Hanover (1851-1866)
John (1801-1873), King of Saxony (1854-1873)
Ludwig I (1786-1868), King of Bavaria (1825-1848)
Ludwig II (1845-1886), King of Bavaria (1864-1886)
Ludwig III (1845-1921), King of Bavaria (1913-1918)
Maximilian I (1756-1825), Elector (1799-1805) and King (1805-1825) of Bavaria
Maximilian II (1811-1864), King of Bavaria (1848-1864)
Otto (1848-1916), King of Bavaria (1886-1913)
Otto of Bavaria (1815-1867), King of the Hellenes (1833-1862)
Wilhelm I (1797-1888), German Emperor (1871-1888) and King of Prussia (1861-1888)
Wilhelm II (1859-1941), German Emperor and King of Prussia (1888-1918)
William I (1781-1864), King of Württemberg (1816-1864)
William II (1848-1921), King of Württemberg (1891-1918)

Musicians and singers

Philosophers

Hannah Arendt, (1906-1975), political theorist
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, (1770-1831), philosopher
Johann Gottlieb Fichte, (1762-1814), philosopher
Martin Heidegger, (1889-1976), German philosopher
Immanuel Kant, (1724-1804), German philosopher
Gottfried Leibniz, (1646-1716), physicist, philosopher
Karl Marx, (1818-1883), philosopher and sociologist. Founder of Marxist political and economic philosophy
Friedrich Nietzsche, (1844-1900), German existentialist philosopher and fierce critic of what he called the 'slave
Arthur Schopenhauer, (1788-1860), philosopher

Politicians

Konrad Adenauer, (1876-1967), federal chancellor (CDU)
Otto von Bismarck, (1815-1898), 19th century German statesman
Martin Bormann, (1900-probably 1945), nazi leader
Willy Brandt, (1913-1992), West German Chancellor (SPD)
Heinrich Brüning (1885-1970), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Center Party)
Friedrich Ebert - First President of the Weimar Republic (SPD)
Ludwig Erhard, (1897-1977), federal chancellor (CDU)
Hans-Dietrich Genscher, (born 1927), former minister for foreign affairs (FDP)
Jakob Grimm, (1785-1863), parlamentarian
Wilhelm Grimm, (1786-1859), parlamentarian
Paul von Hindenburg, (1847-1934), general, president
Petra Kelly, (1947-1992), founder of the German Green Party
Kurt Georg Kiesinger, (1904-1988), federal chancellor (CDU)
Helmut Kohl, (1930-), federal chancellor (CDU)
Angela Merkel (CDU)
Franz von Papen (1879-1969), chancellor and politician of the Weimar Republic
Walther Rathenau (1867-1922), foreign minister (DDP)
Johannes Rau - federal president (SPD)
Kurt von Schleicher - general and chancellor in the Weimar period
Helmut Schmidt - federal chancellor (SPD)
Gerhard Schröder, (born 1944), federal chancellor (SPD)
Gustav Stresemann - statesman of the Weimar Republic (DVP)
Guido Westerwelle - party leader of the liberal party (FDP)

Personalities of the Nazi Party and Regime

Klaus Barbie, (1913-1991), the "Butcher of Lyon"
Martin Bormann (1900-1945?), Hitler's private secretary
Eva Braun, (1912-1945), Hitler's girlfriend
Karl Brandt, (1904-1948)
Karl Dönitz, (1891-1980), chief of the german marine
Anton Drexler - founder of German Workers Party, which became the NSDAP
Adolf Eichmann, (1906-1962), German SS officer
Hans Frank, (1900-1946), Governor-General of Poland
Roland Freisler, (1893-1945)
Wilhelm Frick, (1877-1946), Minister of the Interior
Walter Funk, (1890-1960), Minister of Economics
Joseph Goebbels, (1897-1945), Chancellor of Germany, propaganda chief for the Nazis
Hermann Göring, (1893-1946), German nazi and chief of Luftwaffe
Rudolf Hess, (1894-1987), Nazi potentate
Reinhard Heydrich, (1904-1942), Nazi officer
Heinrich Himmler, (1900-1945), Nazi head of Gestapo
Adolf Hitler, (1889-1945), dictator
Alfred Jodl, (1890-1946), general, operations chief of the OKW
Wilhelm Keitel, (1882-1946), field marshal, head of the OKW
Franz von Papen (1879-1969), Deputy Chancellor in Hitler's first cabinet.
Erich Raeder, (1876-1960), found guilty on several accounts including war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials
Joachim von Ribbentrop, (1893-1946), Nazi foreign minister
Ernst Röhm, (1887-1934), head of the SA
Erwin Rommel, (1891-1944), Feldmarschall
Alfred Rosenberg, (1893-1946), nazi ideologist
Hjalmar Schacht, Minister of economics
Arthur Seyss-Inquart (1892-1946), Austrian Nazi leader
Albert Speer, (1905-1981), "Hitler's architect", Minister of Armaments
Gregor Strasser, early Nazi leader

Scientists

Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich, (1806-1886), mineralogist, geologist
Wernher von Braun, (1912-1977), space engineer
Joseph von Fraunhofer, (1787-1826), physicist
Justus von Liebig, (1803-1873), chemist
Fritz Haber, (1868-1934), chemist
Johann Bayer, (1572-1625), astronomer
Carl Ferdinand Braun - physicist
Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, (1811-1899), chemist
Georg Cantor, (1845-1918), mathematician
Hans Gerhard Creutzfeldt - neuropathologist
Anton de Bary, (1831-1888), surgeon, botanist, microbiologist
Albert Einstein, (1879-1955), physicist
Erich Fromm, (1900-1980), psychologist
Carl Friedrich Gauss, (1777-1855), mathematician
Ernst Haeckel, (1834-1919), physician
Otto Hahn, (1879-1968), chemist
Werner Karl Heisenberg, (1901-1976), physicist
Johann Homann, (1664-1724), geographer
Erich Hueckel, (1896-1980), physicist
Friedrich August Kekule von Stradonitz, (1829-1896), chemist
Johannes Kepler, (1571-1630), astronomer
Wolfgang Franz von Kobell (1803-1882) - mineralogists
Robert Koch, (1843-1910), physician
Walter Karl Koch - surgeon
Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe, (1818-1884), chemist
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, (1646-1716), mathematician
Konrad Zacharias Lorenz, (1903-1989), behavioural physiologist
Albertus Magnus - alchemist
Lise Meitner - physicist
Lothar Meyer, (1830-1895), chemist
Franz Mertens, (1840-1927), mathematician
August Ferdinand Mobius
Walther Nernst, (1864-1941), physicist
Georg Ohm, (1789-1854), physicist
Adam Riese, (1492-1559), mathematician
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, (1845-1923), physicist
Carl Wilhelm Scheele, (1742-1786), chemist
Matthias Jakob Schleiden, (1804-1881), botanist
Heinrich Schliemann, (1822-1890), archaeologist
Theodor Schwann, (1810-1882), physiologist
Rolf Singer, (1906-1994), mycologist
Alfred Stock, (1876-1946), chemist
August Weismann, (1834-1914), biologist
Wilhelm Wundt, (1832-1920), physiologist, psychologist
Konrad Zuse, (1910-1995), computers

Sportspersons

Max Baer, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
Franz Beckenbauer, (born 1945), footballer
Boris Becker - tennis player
Rudolf Caracciola, race car driver
Steffi Graf, (born 1969), tennis player
Georg Hackl - luger
Armin Hary, (born 1937), athlete
Jürgen Klinsmann - footballer
Bernhard Langer - golfer
Sepp Maier - footballer
Rosi Mittermaier, alpine ski champion
Gerd Müller - footballer
Annegret Richter - athlete
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge - footballer
Uwe Seeler - footballer
Katja Seizinger, alpine ski champion
Renate Stecher - athlete
Berti Vogts - footballer
Rudi Völler - footballer
Fritz Walter, (1920-2002), footballer
Michael Schumacher - racing driver
Manfred Winkelhock - racing driver
Katharina Witt - ice skater

Theologians

Heinrich Abeken, (1809-1872)
Johannes Agricola, (1494-1566), Protestant reformer
Eusebius Amort, (1692-1775)
Karl Barth, (1886-1968)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (1906-1945), German Theologian
Rudolf Bultmann
Alfred Delp
Martin Luther, (1483-1546), of the Protestant Reformation
Philipp Melanchthon, (1497-1560), Protestant Reformation
Elisabeth Moltmann-Wendel
Jürgen Moltmann
Joseph Ratzinger - Cardinal
Friedrich Schleiermacher, (1768-1834)
Dorothee Sölle, (1929-2003)
Helmut Thielicke
Paul Tillich, German philosopher
Adolf Harnack

Writers

Ernst Moritz Arndt - poet
Achim von Arnim, German poet
Bettina von Arnim, German poet
Ingeborg Bachmann, (1926-1973), poet
Heinrich Böll, (1917-1985), author
Bertolt Brecht, (1898-1956), playwright, poet
Clemens Brentano, (1778-1842), poet
Georg Büchner, German poet
Wilhelm Busch, (1832-1908), poet
Matthias Claudius - poet
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, (1797-1848), German poet
Michael Ende, (1929-1995), German poet
Joseph von Eichendorff - poet
Hans Magnus Enzensberger, German poet
Wolfram von Eschenbach, (died 1220), poet
Theodor Fontane, (1819-1898), poet
Paul Gerhardt, (c. 1606-1676), poet
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, (1749-1832), author, poet
Günter Grass, (born 1927), author
Heinrich Heine, (1797-1856), poet
Johann Gottfried von Herder, (1744-1803), poet
Hermann Hesse, (1877-1962), author
Rolf Hochhuth, (born 1931), playwright
Ernst Jünger, (1895-1998), German poet
Erich Kästner, (1899-1974), poet, novelist
Siegfried Lenz, (born 1926), German novelist
Gotthold Lessing - playwright, poet
Thomas Mann, (1875-1955), author
Karl May, (1842-1912), German poet
Christian Morgenstern, (1871-1914), poet
Novalis - poet
Erich Maria Remarque, (1898-1970), German novelist
Rainer Maria Rilke, (1875-1926), poet
Friedrich Schiller, (1759-1805), poet, playwright
Theodor Storm - poet
Patrick Süskind, (born 1949), author of Perfume
Kurt Tucholsky, German poet
Walter von der Vogelweide - poet
Christa Wolf, German poet

Others

Rodolphus Agricola, (1443-1485)
Rudolf Diesel, (1858-1913), Diesel engine
Johann Eck, (1486-1543)
Gudrun Ensslin - terrorist
Anne Frank, (1929-1945), diarist and victim of the Holocaust
Klaus Fuchs, (1911-1988)
Herschel Grynszpan
Johann Gutenberg, (circa 1390s-1468), printer
Hildegard von Bingen, (1098-1179), abbess, mystic
August Horch, (1868-1951), car designer/manufacturer (AUDI)
Karen Horney - psychoanalyst
Ulrike Meinhof, (1934-1976), terrorist
Gerardus Mercator, (1512-1594), cartographer
Carl von Ossietzky, (1889-1938), journalist and pacifist
Ludwig Quidde, (1858-1941), historian and pacifist
Albert Schweitzer, (1875-1965), physician , humanitarian
Edith Stein, (1891-1942), nun, victim of Holocaust
Johann Tetzel
Manfred von Richthofen, (1892-1918), pilot
Diedrich Hermann Westermann, (1875-1956), linguist

See also: List of people by nationality Sc