Famous German Women

Traditionally women in Germany were not expected—and allowed—to do anything outside of their domestic responsibilities. A German woman was expected to be a wife and mother who could cook and take care of her family. But when a few brave ladies ventured to break free of these shackles did Germany realize how much intelligence and talents these women possessed! Browse on to discover many more fascinating details about the famous women of Germany.

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 1 
Angela Merkel
(First Female Chancellor of Germany (2005 - 2021))
Angela Merkel
117
Birthdate: July 17, 1954
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 2 
Heidi Klum
(The First German Model to Become a Victoria's Secret Angel)
Heidi Klum
68
Birthdate: June 1, 1973
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 3 
Steffi Graf
(One of the Greatest Tennis Players of All Time)
Steffi Graf
41
Birthdate: June 14, 1969
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Mannheim, Germany
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
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 4 
Marlene Dietrich
(Actress and Singer)
Marlene Dietrich
37
Birthdate: December 27, 1901
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Schöneberg, Berlin, Germany
Died: May 6, 1992
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 5 
Angelique Kerber
(German Professional Tennis Player and Olympic Silver Medalist)
Angelique Kerber
17
Birthdate: January 18, 1988
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bremen, Germany
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 6 
Claudia Schiffer
(German Supermodel and Actress)
Claudia Schiffer
25
Birthdate: August 25, 1970
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Rheinberg, Germany
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 7 
Hannah Arendt
(One of the Most Influential Political Theorists of the 20th Century)
Hannah Arendt
4
Birthdate: October 14, 1906
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Linden - Mitte, Hanover, Germany
Died: December 4, 1975
 8 
Hildegard of Bingen
(German Writer, Composer, Philosopher and Mystic Considered to be One of the Best-Known Composers of Sacred Monophony)
Hildegard of Bingen
6
Birthdate: 1098 AD
Birthplace: Bermersheim vor der Höhe, Germany
Died: September 17, 1179
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 9 
Anne Frank
(Diarist)
Anne Frank
91
Birthdate: June 12, 1929
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Frankfurt, Germany
Died: March 12, 1945
 10 
Diane Kruger
(German and American Actress)
Diane Kruger
19
Birthdate: July 15, 1976
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Algermissen, Germany
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 11 
Nicole Brown Simpson
(Murdered Wife of American Footballer O. J. Simpson)
Nicole Brown Simpson
35
Birthdate: May 19, 1959
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Frankfurt, Germany
Died: June 12, 1994
 12 
Zazie Beetz
(Actress Best Known for Her Comedy Series ‘Atlanta’ and Anthology Series ‘Easy’)
Zazie Beetz
39
Birthdate: May 25, 1991
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 13 
Anne of Cleves
(Former Queen Consort of England (January 1540 - July 1540))
Anne of Cleves
18
Birthdate: September 22, 1515
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Düsseldorf, Germany
Died: July 16, 1557
 14 
Alexandra Feodorovna
(Empress Consort of Russia (1894 - 1917))
Alexandra Feodorovna
18
Birthdate: June 6, 1872
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Darmstadt, Germany
Died: July 17, 1918
 15 
Juliane Koepcke
(Lone Survivor of 1971 LANSA Plane Crash)
Juliane Koepcke
24
Birthdate: October 10, 1954
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Lima, Peru
 16 
Ursula von der Leyen
(President of the European Commission )
Ursula von der Leyen
13
Birthdate: October 8, 1958
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Ixelles, Belgium
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
 17 
Katarina Witt
(German Former Figure Skater)
Katarina Witt
12
Birthdate: December 3, 1965
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Staaken, Berlin, Germany
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
 18 
Victoria, Princess Royal
(German Empress and Queen of Prussia (1888))
Victoria, Princess Royal
8
Birthdate: November 21, 1840
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: London, England
Died: August 5, 1901
 19 
Nico
(Singer Know for Her Song 'The Velvet Underground's' debut album 'The Velvet Underground & Nico')
Nico
20
Birthdate: October 16, 1938
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Cologne, Germany
Died: July 18, 1988
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
 20 
Eva Braun
(Mistress and Later Wife of Adolf Hitler)
Eva Braun
80
Birthdate: February 6, 1912
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Munich, Germany
Died: April 30, 1945
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
 21 
Nastassja Kinski
(German Actress and Former Model Known for Her Films: 'Stay as You Are' and 'Tess')
Nastassja Kinski
15
Birthdate: January 24, 1961
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
 22 
Romy Schneider
(Best Known for Her Role as ‘Empress Elisabeth’ in the Romantic Biopic ‘Sissi’)
Romy Schneider
9
Birthdate: September 23, 1938
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: May 29, 1982
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
 23 
Emmy Noether
(German Mathematician Who Made Many Important Contributions to Abstract Algebra)
Emmy Noether
4
Birthdate: March 23, 1882
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Erlangen, Bavaria, Germany
Died: April 14, 1935
 24 
Sophie Scholl
(German Student and Anti-Nazi Political Activist)
Sophie Scholl
20
Birthdate: May 9, 1921
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Forchtenberg, Germany
Died: February 22, 1943
 25 
Rosa Luxemburg
(Revolutionary Socialist, Marxist Philosopher & Anti-War Activist)
Rosa Luxemburg
13
Birthdate: March 5, 1871
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Zamosc, Poland
Died: January 15, 1919
 26 
Franka Potente
(German Actress Best Known for Her Starring Role in the 1998 Film 'Run Lola Run')
Franka Potente
8
Birthdate: July 22, 1974
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Münster, Germany
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
 27 
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
(German Princess and the Mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom)
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
6
Birthdate: August 17, 1786
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Coburg, Germany
Died: March 16, 1861
 28 
Elisabeth Rohm
(Best Known for Her Roles in TV Series: ‘Angel’ and ‘Law & Order’)
Elisabeth Rohm
13
Birthdate: April 28, 1973
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Düsseldorf, Germany
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 29 
Empress Matilda
(Former Holy Roman Empress (1114 - 1125))
Empress Matilda
10
Birthdate: February 7, 1102
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Sutton Courtenay, England
Died: September 10, 1167
 30 
Leni Riefenstahl
(Film Director, Photographer and Actress Known for Her Seminal Role in Producing Nazi Propaganda)
Leni Riefenstahl
14
Birthdate: August 22, 1902
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: September 8, 2003
 31 
Ruth Westheimer
(German-American Sex Therapist, Media Personality and Holocaust Survivor)
Ruth Westheimer
19
Birthdate: June 4, 1928
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Height: 4'7" (140 cm)
 32 
Sibel Kekilli
(German Actress Known for Her Role as 'Shae' on the TV Series 'Game of Thrones')
Sibel Kekilli
3
Birthdate: June 16, 1980
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Heilbronn, Germany
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
 33 
Sabine Schmitz
(Racecar driver)
Sabine Schmitz
13
Birthdate: May 14, 1969
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Adenau, Germany
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 34 
Brittney Powell
(German-American Actress)
Brittney Powell
13
Birthdate: March 4, 1972
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Würzburg, Germany
 35 
Lena Meyer-Landrut
(German Singer Best Known as the Winner of the 'Eurovision Song Contest 2010' for Her Song 'Satellite')
Lena Meyer-Landrut
19
Birthdate: May 3, 1991
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Hanover, Germany
 36 
Heike Makatsch
(Actress)
Heike Makatsch
3
Birthdate: August 13, 1971
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Düsseldorf, Germany
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 37 
Nena
(German Singer-Songwriter Best Known as the Lead Singer of the Band 'Nena')
Nena
5
Birthdate: March 24, 1960
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Hagen, Germany
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
 38 
Edda Göring
(Only Child of German Politician Hermann Göring and Actress Emmy Sonnemann)
Edda Göring
13
Birthdate: June 2, 1938
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: December 21, 2018
 39 
Tatjana Patitz
(Model)
Tatjana Patitz
5
Birthdate: March 25, 1966
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
 40 
Elke Sommer
(Actress)
Elke Sommer
3
Birthdate: November 5, 1940
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
 41 
Margot Frank
(Second World War victim)
Margot Frank
5
Birthdate: February 16, 1926
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany
Died: March 9, 1945
 42 
Luise Rainer
(The First Actress to Win Consecutive Academy Awards for Best Actress)
Luise Rainer
1
Birthdate: January 12, 1910
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Düsseldorf, Germany
Died: December 30, 2014
 43 
Helene Fischer
(Pop Singer Famous for Her 2013 Multi-Platinum Album ‘Farbenspiel')
Helene Fischer
2
Birthdate: August 5, 1984
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Height: 5'2" (157 cm)
 44 
Sophia of Hanover
(Former Electress Consort of Hanover (1692 - 1698))
Sophia of Hanover
1
Birthdate: October 14, 1630
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: The Hague, Netherlands
Died: June 8, 1714
 45 
Monika Dannemann
(German Figure Skater and Painter)
Monika Dannemann
9
Birthdate: June 24, 1945
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Düsseldorf, Germany
Died: April 5, 1996
 46 
Florence Kasumba
(Ugandan-German Actress Known for Her Role as ‘Ayo’ in the Film ‘Captain America: Civil War’)
Florence Kasumba
7
Birthdate: October 26, 1976
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Kampala, Uganda
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 47 
Caroline Herschel
(Astronomer)
Caroline Herschel
6
Birthdate: March 16, 1750
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Hanover, Germany
Died: January 9, 1848
 48 
Meryem Uzerli
(Turkish Actress Known for Her Role as 'Hürrem Sultan’ in the TV Series 'Muhteşem Yüzyl’)
Meryem Uzerli
9
Birthdate: August 12, 1983
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Kassel, Germany
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 49 
Clara Wieck Schumann
(Musician & Composer)
Clara Wieck Schumann
11
Birthdate: September 13, 1819
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Leipzig
Died: May 20, 1896
 50 
Corinna Schumacher
(Michael Schumacher's Wife)
Corinna Schumacher
6
Birthdate: March 2, 1969
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Halver

Hildegard of Bingen, a remarkable woman broke free of traditions way back in the 12th century when she became a writer and theologian—at a time when few women even knew how to read! Taking forward the legacy of her ancient counterpart, Mathilde Franziska Anneke, a 19th century woman writer founded the world’s first feminist newspaper. In the 20th century the status of women in Germany improved considerably after women won the right to vote. Elisabeth Schwarzhaupt became the first woman to hold a ministerial position in Germany when she took over the post of Federal Minister of Health in the German Cabinet in 1961. Today’s German woman is famous for her beauty, poise, confidence and intelligence that have made her successful in several hitherto male dominated spheres of life.