Famous People Born In Berlin

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 1 
Wilhelm II
(German Emperor and King of Prussia (1888 - 1918))
Wilhelm II
32
Birthdate: January 27, 1859
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Died: June 4, 1941

Wilhelm II reigned as the King of Prussia and German emperor from 1888 to 1918. He is credited with promoting scientific innovation and building a blue-water navy, which strengthened Germany’s position as a great power. However, he was also responsible for getting his country involved in World War I, which eventually brought an end to the Hohenzollern dynasty’s rule.

 2 
Marlene Dietrich
(Actress and Singer)
Marlene Dietrich
47
Birthdate: December 27, 1901
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Died: May 6, 1992
Marlene Dietrich initially performed on stage in Berlin and then shot to fame with The Blue Angel. She continued to rule Hollywood with films such as Morocco, Desire, and Shanghai Express. She helped German and French exiles during World War II. Openly bisexual, she was famous for her androgynous image.
 3 
Alexander von Humboldt
9
Birthdate: September 14, 1769
Sun Sign: Virgo
Died: May 6, 1859

As a child, Alexander von Humboldt was sickly and a bad student. After failing to shine in economics and engineering, he grew up to revolutionize the domain of geography. He is remembered for his research on magnetic storms and his treatise on nature, Kosmos. He also spoke about climate change.

 4 
Zazie Beetz
(Actress Best Known for Her Comedy Series ‘Atlanta’ and Anthology Series ‘Easy’)
Zazie Beetz
44
Birthdate: May 25, 1991
Sun Sign: Gemini

German-American actress, Zazie Beetz, is best known for her role in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta. She became interested in acting while in high school and appeared in many community theater productions. She began her career with small roles in short films and established herself as a popular TV actress in a few years.

 5 
Frederick The Great
(Former King of Prussia (1740 - 1786))
Frederick The Great
19
Birthdate: January 24, 1712
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Died: August 17, 1786
Prussian king Frederick II, also known as Frederick the Great and The Old Fritz, was the longest-reigning Hohenzollern king. He is known for his involvement in the Silesian Wars and the Partitions of Poland. He also supported art and culture, and reformed the judicial system of Prussia.
 6 
Katarina Witt
(German Former Figure Skater)
Katarina Witt
13
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: December 3, 1965
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 7 
Dominic Monaghan
(Actor)
Dominic Monaghan
19
Birthdate: December 8, 1976
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 8 
Karl Dönitz
(German Admiral Who Briefly Succeeded Adolf Hitler as Head of State)
Karl Dönitz
19
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: September 16, 1891
Sun Sign: Virgo
Died: December 24, 1980
Karl Dönitz was the supreme commander of the German Navy and played a crucial role in World War II. Hitler made Dönitz his successor before committing suicide. Dönitz officially surrendered after Germany’s loss in World War II and was convicted as a war criminal at the 1946 Nuremberg Trials.
 9 
Antonio Rüdiger
(German Professional Footballer Who Plays as a Centre-Back)
Antonio Rüdiger
32
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: March 3, 1993
Sun Sign: Pisces
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 10 
Nastassja Kinski
(German Actress and Former Model Known for Her Films: 'Stay as You Are' and 'Tess')
Nastassja Kinski
17
Birthdate: January 24, 1961
Sun Sign: Aquarius

Nastassja Kinski is a German actress who played a major role in the success of several European and American films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. One of the most popular German sex symbols of her generation, Kinski appeared in erotic films like Cat People. She is also renowned for her much-publicized personal life, which includes her relationship with Roman Polanski.

 11 
Mike Nichols
(Director Best Known for His Works 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' and 'The Graduate')
Mike Nichols
8
Birthdate: November 6, 1931
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Died: November 19, 2014

Mike Nichols started as a comedian with the troupe The Compass Players and then performed as part of the Grammy-winning duo Nichols and May. Nichols then delivered Tony-winning directorial stage ventures such as Luv and Death of a Salesman and won the Academy Award for his direction in The Graduate

 12 
Walter Gropius
(Architect)
Walter Gropius
15
Listed In: Architects
Birthdate: May 18, 1883
Sun Sign: Taurus
Died: July 5, 1969

Walter Gropius was a German architect. Along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Alvar Aalto, and Frank Lloyd Wright, he is regarded as a pioneer in modernist architecture. Gropius founded the Bauhaus School. The large-scale housing projects he designed in Berlin, Karlsruhe, and Dessau in the late 1920s and early 1930s became major contributions to the New Objectivity movement.  

 13 
Walter Benjamin
(German Jewish Philosopher, Cultural Critic and Essayist)
Walter Benjamin
10
Birthdate: July 15, 1892
Sun Sign: Cancer
Died: September 26, 1940

Walter Benjamin was a German Jewish essayist, philosopher, and cultural critic. An eclectic thinker, Benjamin made significant contributions to literary criticism, aesthetic theory, and historical materialism. Although Benjamin's work did not earn much recognition during his lifetime, it continues to be revered by academics several years after his death.

 14 
André Previn
(Known for His Versatile Orchestral Compositions)
André Previn
5
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: April 6, 1929
Sun Sign: Aries
Died: February 28, 2019
German-American pianist and composer André Previn was a prominent figure in jazz and classical music. He composed tracks for MGM and won four Grammys and four Academy Awards. He was the music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and the main conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, among others.
 15 
Arón Piper
41
Birthdate: March 29, 1997
Sun Sign: Aries

Arón Piper is a German-Spanish actor best known for his portrayal of Ander Muñoz in the Spanish thriller teen drama series, Elite. Apart from being an actor, Piper is also a musician. He joined hands with several other musicians to release a single titled Sigo. In 2020, he released another song titled Rosé.

 16 
Audra McDonald
(American Actress & Singer Primarily Known for Her Work on the 'Broadway Stage')
Audra McDonald
16
Birthdate: July 3, 1970
Sun Sign: Cancer

Audra McDonald is a singer and actress primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has appeared in multiple musicals, operas, and dramas and is the recipient of six Tony Awards. She is a classically trained soprano and has performed with the Los Angeles Opera. She has also acted in many TV shows and films. 

 17 
Jérôme Boateng
(German Football Defender Known for His Association with 'Bayern Munich')
Jérôme Boateng
17
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: September 3, 1988
Sun Sign: Virgo

Starting his career with the club Tennis Borussia Berlin, German footballer Jérôme Boateng later had a decade-long association with Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga 9 times and the UEFA Champions League twice with Bayern. The talented center-back was also part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup-winning German squad.

 18 
Leni Riefenstahl
(Film Director, Photographer and Actress Known for Her Seminal Role in Producing Nazi Propaganda)
Leni Riefenstahl
17
Birthdate: August 22, 1902
Sun Sign: Leo
Died: September 8, 2003

Leni Riefenstahl was a German film director and actress best remembered for her role in producing Nazi propaganda. She made her directorial debut in 1932, becoming one of the few women to direct a movie during the Weimar Period. Riefenstahl is credited with directing two of the most technically innovative propaganda films of all time, Olympia and Triumph des Willens.

 19 
Alexander Grothendieck
(French Mathematician and a Pioneer in the Field of 'Modern Algebraic Geometry')
Alexander Grothendieck
11
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: March 28, 1928
Sun Sign: Aries
Died: November 13, 2014

Alexander Grothendieck was a 20th-century mathematician who was a leading figure in the creation of modern algebraic geometry. With his so-called "relative" perspective, he revolutionized many areas of pure mathematics. During his later career, he became a professor at the University of Montpellier. He is counted among the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century.

 20 
Wilhelm I
(King)
Wilhelm I
3
Birthdate: March 22, 1797
Sun Sign: Aries
Died: March 9, 1888
 21 
Alfred Wegener
(German Climatologist and Geophysicist Known for His 'Continental Drift Theory')
Alfred Wegener
8
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: November 1, 1880
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Died: November 1, 1930

In the early 1900s, meteorologist Alfred Wegener did not find too many takers for his theory that all the continents of the world had initially been a single mass named Pangaea and that continental drift had caused them to split apart. Wegener died on his fourth expedition in Greenland.

 22 
Niko Kovač
(Former Croatian Footballer and Coach)
Niko Kovač
8
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: October 15, 1971
Sun Sign: Libra

Retired Croatian footballer and coach Niko Kovač has headed the Croatian national team as its captain for a long time. He has also had successful stints with Bayern Munich and Red Bull Salzburg as a player. He later tasted success as a manager of Bayern Munich, among other clubs.

 23 
Helmut Newton
(Photographer)
Helmut Newton
6
Listed In: Photographers
Birthdate: October 31, 1920
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Died: January 23, 2004

Helmut Newton was a German-American photographer whose works earned him accolades all over the world. His photographs were featured on popular fashion magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. He also worked closely with Playboy, shooting several pictorials of models like Kristine DeBell and Nastassja Kinski.

 24 
Elke Sommer
(Actress)
Elke Sommer
3
Birthdate: November 5, 1940
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 25 
Edda Göring
(Only Child of German Politician Hermann Göring and Actress Emmy Sonnemann)
Edda Göring
17
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: June 2, 1938
Sun Sign: Gemini
Died: December 21, 2018
Edda Göring was the only child of Nazi Party member Hermann Göring and actor Emmy Sonnemann. She grew up amidst luxury and received expensive art as gifts as a child, one of which, a painting of Madonna and Child by Lucas Cranach the Elder, dragged her into legal disputes.
 26 
Ernst Lubitsch
(Film director)
Ernst Lubitsch
2
Birthdate: January 29, 1892
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Died: November 30, 1947
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 27 
Horst Buchholz
(Actor)
Horst Buchholz
2
Birthdate: December 4, 1933
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Died: March 3, 2003
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 28 
Kevin-Prince Boateng
(Professional Football Player Who Plays as Midfielder)
Kevin-Prince Boateng
12
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: March 6, 1987
Sun Sign: Pisces
German-born Ghanaian footballer Kevin-Prince Boateng, nicknamed “Prince,” plays for Serie B club Monza, as a midfielder and forward. He has earlier won the La Liga with Barcelona and the Serie A with Milan. While he played for the Bundesliga club Schalke 04, he also represented Ghana in two World Cups.
 29 
Max Riemelt
(German Actor Best Known for His Role as 'Wolfgang Bogdanow' in the Netflix Series 'Sense8')
Max Riemelt
4
Birthdate: January 7, 1984
Sun Sign: Capricorn

Max Riemelt is a German actor who achieved international recognition after portraying Wolfgang Bogdanow in the popular American science fiction TV series, Sense8. His performance in the series landed him opportunities to play important roles in German as well as international projects, such as Berlin Syndrome and World on Fire.

 30 
Jürgen Prochnow
(German-American Actor)
Jürgen Prochnow
1
Birthdate: June 10, 1941
Sun Sign: Gemini
Height: 6'0" (183 cm)
 31 
Herbert Marcuse
(Philosopher and Sociologist His Best-Known Works are "Eros and Civilization" (1955) and "One-Dimensional Man.")
Herbert Marcuse
3
Birthdate: July 19, 1898
Sun Sign: Cancer
Died: July 29, 1979

The proponent of the Frankfurt School of critical theory, Herbert Marcuse largely influenced the leftist student revolts of the 1960s. Equipped with a PhD in German literature, he wrote Hegel’s Ontology and the Theory of Historicity, with Martin Heidegger. His Eros and Civilization spoke at length about capitalism.

 32 
Georg Simmel
(One of the First Generation of German Sociologists and Neo-Kantian Philosopher)
Georg Simmel
0
Birthdate: March 1, 1858
Sun Sign: Pisces
Died: September 26, 1918

Georg Simmel was a German sociologist, philosopher, and critic considered a forerunner to structuralist styles of reasoning in the social sciences. He was neo-Kantian in his approach and laid the foundations for sociological antipositivism. He broadly rejected academic standards and wrote extensively on the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. He was married to philosopher Gertrud Kinel and had one son. 

 33 
Franz Wagner
(German Basketball Player Who Plays as Small Forward)
Franz Wagner
7
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: August 27, 2001
Sun Sign: Virgo
Height: 6'9" (206 cm)
 34 
Marina Wheeler
(Boris Johnson's Wife)
Marina Wheeler
4
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: 1964 AD
Marina Wheeler, daughter of BBC journalist Sir Charles Wheeler, is a renowned barrister whose area of interest is public law, including human rights and mental-health issues. She was named a Queen's Counsel in 2016. In 2020, she divorced her ex-husband, British prime minister Boris Johnson, after a 25-year marriage.
 35 
Frederick William I of Prussia
(Former King of Prussia (1713 - 1740))
Frederick William I of Prussia
2
Birthdate: August 14, 1688
Sun Sign: Leo
Died: May 31, 1740

The Soldier King Frederick William I of Prussia is remembered for transforming his nation into a prosperous state. He was known for his simple lifestyle, as opposed to his father’s kingly excesses. His experience at the War of the Spanish Succession led him to strengthen Prussia militarily, too.

 36 
Konrad Zuse
(Pioneering German Computer Scientist Who Created the World's First Programmable Digital Computer)
Konrad Zuse
2
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: June 22, 1910
Sun Sign: Cancer
Died: December 18, 1995

Award-winning German computer scientist Konrad Zuse created the world's first program-controlled computer, named Z1. He then moved on to Z3, the first fully functional programmable computer in the world, and Z4, the first commercial digital computer in the world. Post-retirement, he spent most of his time painting.

 37 
Max Schreck
(Actor)
Max Schreck
0
Birthdate: September 6, 1879
Sun Sign: Virgo
Died: February 20, 1936
Height: 6'3" (190 cm)
 38 
Conrad Veidt
(Best Known for His Roles in the Films: ‘Different from the Others’ and ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’)
Conrad Veidt
5
Birthdate: January 22, 1893
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Died: April 3, 1943
Ironically, though he and his wife fled from Nazi Germany to Britain, actor Conrad Veidt was cast as a Nazi villain in quite a few films. Best known for his roles in Casablanca and The Thief of Baghdad, he died playing his favorite sport, golf, at an LA golf course. 
 39 
Maria Riva
(American Actress and One of the First Stars of Early Kinescope-Era Television)
Maria Riva
4
Birthdate: December 13, 1924
Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Born to actor Marlene Dietrich, Maria Riva started her career as a child actor, working in films such as The Scarlet Empress. The Emmy-nominated actor had also been part of CBS teleplays such as The Milton Berle Show. She had penned a bestselling memoir on her mother, too.

 40 
Lucian Freud
(British Painter Who was One of the Foremost 20th-Century English Portraitists)
Lucian Freud
4
Birthdate: December 8, 1922
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Died: July 20, 2011

The son of architect L. Freud and the grandson of legendary psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, painter Lucian Freud was born in Berlin but later moved to London to flee Nazism. He showed an inclination toward surrealism initially but later drifted to realism. Cedric Morris remains one of his notable works.

 41 
Moritz Wagner
(German Basketball Player Who Plays Center or as Power Forward )
Moritz Wagner
4
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: April 26, 1997
Sun Sign: Taurus
Height: 6'11" (211 cm)
 42 
Bella Dayne
(Actress)
Bella Dayne
3
Birthdate: January 8, 1988
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 43 
Frederick William II of Prussia
(Former King of Prussia (1786 - 1797))
Frederick William II of Prussia
1
Birthdate: September 25, 1744
Sun Sign: Libra
Died: November 16, 1797

Though he wasn’t a politically experienced ruler, Frederick William II’s reign as the king of Prussia proved to be beneficial for the country in terms of expansion. However, his excesses and his affinity for Protestantism made him unpopular. He patronized art and culture and even played the cello.

 44 
Nouman Ali Khan
(Preacher)
Nouman Ali Khan
3
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: May 4, 1978
Sun Sign: Taurus
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 45 
Dana Wynter
(Television actor, Film actor, Actor)
Dana Wynter
1
Birthdate: June 8, 1931
Sun Sign: Gemini
Died: May 5, 2011
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 46 
Sophia Thomalla
(German Model, Actress, and Television Presenter)
Sophia Thomalla
7
Listed In: Fashion
Birthdate: October 6, 1989
Sun Sign: Libra
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 47 
Klaus Voormann
(Artist)
Klaus Voormann
1
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: April 29, 1938
Sun Sign: Taurus
 48 
Fritz Perls
(Psychologist, Psychiatrist)
Fritz Perls
2
Listed In: Physicians
Birthdate: July 8, 1893
Sun Sign: Cancer
Died: March 14, 1970

Fritz Perls initially fought in World War I, following which he treated brain injuries of soldiers. He was later drawn to Freudian psychoanalysis. During World War II, he was the psychiatrist for the South African military. His Gestalt therapy, which he co-created with his wife, Laura, redefined psychology.

 49 
Laura Berlin
(Actress)
Laura Berlin
2
Birthdate: January 1, 1990
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 50 
Clement Freud
(Former Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom)
Clement Freud
2
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: April 24, 1924
Sun Sign: Taurus
Died: April 15, 2009

Better known as the grandson of Sigmund Freud, Clement Freud was a broadcaster who made a name as a panelist on the BBC Radio 4 show Just a Minute. He was also a Liberal MP. His reputation was tainted later, after he was accused of molesting several underage girls.