50.9422° N, 6.9578° E

COLOGNE

Most Famous People Born in Cologne, Germany

Notable people
3,487
Peak decade
1960s
Median birth year
1934
Most distinctive
Art Historian 6.5×

A Rhenish capital whose roots go back to Agrippina's Roman colony in 15 AD. Cologne's distinctive professions are art historians and authors at the top — the legacy of one of Europe's oldest cathedral chapters and the Wallraf-Richartz museum — alongside architects, sculptors, and the actors of a postwar German television capital. Adenauer was born here, Offenbach composed here, and Heinrich Böll anchored the postwar literary bench; the city also has one of the deepest pre-1500 tails of any in Germany.

Through the Centuries

One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Cologne during each.

What Cologne Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is Cologne's biggest profession — 10% of all notables (346).

Cologne over-indexes on art historian6.5× the global rate.

Cologne under-produces football — only 0.5× the global rate.

  1. Actor346
  2. Politician277
  3. Football171
  4. Painter157
  5. Writer144
  6. Academic143
  7. Author123
  8. Architect92
  1. Art Historian436.5×
  2. Author1234.1×
  3. Academic1434.0×
  4. Entrepreneur423.5×
  5. Architect923.0×
  6. Sculptor642.8×
  7. Actor3461.9×
  8. Painter1571.7×
  1. Football1710.5×
  2. Politician2770.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Cologne's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

15001550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Writing
  • Film & TV
  • Art & Design
  • Sports
  • Science
  • Politics & Law
  • Other
All3,487
Sort By

Showing 244 of 3,487 notable people

0014 SCREENWRITER

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

1927 - 2013

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0016 ACTOR

Werner Klemperer

1920 - 2000

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0022 NOVELIST

Heinz G. Konsalik

1921 - 1999

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0024 SOCIOLOGIST

Amitai Etzioni

Born 1929

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0032 THEOLOGIAN

Dorothee Sölle

1929 - 2003

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0034 PHILOSOPHER

Hans Albert

Born 1921

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0035 DRIVER

Wolfgang von Trips

1928 - 1961

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0055 PHILOSOPHER

Adolf Grünbaum

1923 - 2018

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0075 FOOTBALL

Fritz Herkenrath

1928 - 2016

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0077 ACTOR

Orna Porat

1924 - 2015

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0090 ACADEMIC

Karl Josef Becker

1928 - 2015

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0094 ACTOR

Trude Herr

1927 - 1991

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0104 HISTORIAN

Thomas Nipperdey

1927 - 1992

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0108 SOCIOLOGIST

Herbert J. Gans

Born 1927

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0117 WRITER

Hans Peter Richter

1925 - 1993

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0122 CONDUCTOR

Franz-Paul Decker

1923 - 2014

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0152 PAINTER

Jimmy Ernst

1920 - 1984

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0168 CLARINET

Rolf Kühn

Born 1929

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0200 PHOTOGRAPHER

Chargesheimer

1924 - 1971

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0217 RESEARCH

Cinna Lomnitz

1925 - 2016

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0231 POLITICIAN

Peter Florin

1921 - 2014

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0247 MATHEMATICIAN

Walter Hayman

1926 - 2020

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0248 CHEMIST

John W. Cahn

1928 - 2016

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0256 NUMISMATIST

Albert Pick

1922 - 2015

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0265 NAZI

Barthel Schink

1927 - 1944

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0278 ENTREPRENEUR

Hans Imhoff

1922 - 2007

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0292 PHILOSOPHER

Ingetraut Dahlberg

1927 - 2017

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0321 PAINTER

Herb Aach

1923 - 1985

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0323 OPERA

Toni Blankenheim

1921 - 2012

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0332 SCULPTOR

Elmar Hillebrand

1925 - 2016

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0360 CHEMIST

Ernest L. Eliel

1921 - 2008

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0420 POLITICIAN

Fritz Theilen

1927 - 2012

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0424 ACADEMIC

Helmut Kentler

1928 - 2008

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0426 PAINTER

Erwin Bechtold

Born 1925

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0458 ARTIST

Karl Oskar Blase

1925 - 2016

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0463 FIGHTER

Gertrud Koch

1924 - 2016

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0493 KÄMPFER

Jean Jülich

1929 - 2011

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0510 PUBLISHER

Alfred Neven DuMont (Verleger, 1927)

1927 - 2015

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0518 ACTOR

Gisela Fackeldey

1920 - 1986

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0539 CONDUCTOR

Otto Gerdes

1920 - 1989

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0575 CONDUCTOR

Wolfgang Rennert

1922 - 2012

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0579 LAWYER

Harry Schwarz

1924 - 2010

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0602 COMPOSER

Rudi von der Dovenmühle

1920 - 2000

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0617 WRITER

Herbert Kaufmann

1920 - 1976

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0631 MUSIC

Günter Eilemann

1923 - 2015

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0635 PRIEST

Klaus Dick

Born 1928

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0644 ACTOR

Hans W. Hamacher

1920 - 2000

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0659 SCULPTOR

Christa von Schnitzler

1922 - 2003

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0669 CONDUCTOR

Frederik Prausnitz

1920 - 2004

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0692 ACTOR

Hans Stetter

1927 - 2019

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0696 POET

Henry Beissel

Born 1929

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0698 EDUCATION

Clark C. Abt

Born 1929

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0713 MUSIC

Ludwig Sebus

Born 1925

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0724 SCULPTOR

Heribert Calleen

1924 - 2017

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0756 MILITAR

Danny Matt

1927 - 2013

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0758 SINGER

Wolfgang Anheisser

1929 - 1974

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0760 ACADEMIC

Werner Hullen

1927 - 2008

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0784 GEOGRAPHER

Karlheinz Hottes

1925 - 2001

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0790 SOCIALITE

Lily Marinho

1921 - 2011

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0795 POLITICIAN

John van Nes Ziegler

1921 - 2006

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0811 SINGER

Peter Meven

1929 - 2003

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0815 ACTOR

Günther Ungeheuer

1925 - 1989

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0838 ARCHITECT

Wilhelm Schlombs

1920 - 1993

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0840 ACTOR

Walter Niklaus

Born 1925

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0857 ECOLOGIST

Hans Frangenheim

1920 - 2001

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0858 ACTOR

Harriet Gessner

1929 - 2012

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0905 SOCIOLOGIST

Erwin Scheuch

1928 - 2003

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0920 WRITER

Heinz-Josef Stammel

1926 - 1990

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0942 ARCHITECT

Hans Schilling (Architekt)

1921 - 2009

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0951 PLAYER

Ernst Buchholz

1920 - 1993

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0963 POLITICIAN

Libet Werhahn

1928 - 2019

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0972 PHYSICIAN

Gerhard Uhlenbruck

Born 1929

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0977 WRITER

Franz Konz

1926 - 2013

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0994 TEACHER

Werner Beutler

Born 1924

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1000 PSYCHOLOGIST

Carl Friedrich Graumann

1923 - 2007

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1012 ACTOR

Harry Kalenberg

1921 - 1993

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1015 SCULPTOR

Paul Nagel

1925 - 2016

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1033 PUBLISHER

Dieter Schütte

1923 - 2013

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1042 ACADEMIC

Lothar Rühl

Born 1927

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1043 PROFESSOR

Ellen Gibbels

Born 1929

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1057 ACTOR

Marlene Riphahn

1922 - 2004

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1108 AUTHOR

Karl Heinz Berger

1928 - 1994

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1117 AUTHOR

André Müller sen.

Born 1925

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1131 ACTOR

Erich Ebert (Schauspieler)

1922 - 2000

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1185 PAINTER

Karl Marx (Maler)

1929 - 2008

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1190 WRITER

Ernst W. Wies

1922 - 2012

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1195 COMPOSER

Wolfgang Schoor

1926 - 2007

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1222 PHOTOGRAPHER

Max Scheler (Fotograf)

1928 - 2003

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1252 ARTIST

Martina Werner (Künstlerin)

1929 - 2018

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1277 JOURNALIST

Kurt Brumme (Moderator)

1923 - 2005

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1299 ACTOR

Katharina Tüschen

1927 - 2012

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1313 ART HISTORIAN

Eduard Trier

1920 - 2009

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1357 NATURALIST

Heribert Maria Nobis

1924 - 2017

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1364 ACTOR

Ruth Brück

1923 - 1998

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1377 HISTORIAN

Helmut Bock

1928 - 2013

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1383 DRAUGHTSWOMAN

Otto Schwalge

1921 - 2012

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1396 LITERARY

Pietro Antonio Zveteremich

1922 - 1992

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1398 FOOTBALL

Max Wosniak

Born 1926

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1404 ARCHITECT

Gigi Campi

1928 - 2010

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1425 ART HISTORIAN

Erika Billeter

1927 - 2011

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1465 PAINTER

Barbara Erdmann

1929 - 2019

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1466 ENTREPRENEUR

Otto Flimm

1929 - 2020

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1472 HISTORIAN

Heinz Boberach

1929 - 2008

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1482 PIANIST

Grete Wehmeyer

1924 - 2011

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1485 JOURNALIST

Rolf Gillhausen

1922 - 2004

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1486 MUSIC

Toni Steingass

1921 - 1987

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1523 PHOTOGRAPHER

Willi Kemp

Born 1927

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1525 MERCHANT

Hermann J. Strenger

1928 - 2016

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1529 MEDIEVALIST

Hans Martin Klinkenberg

1921 - 2002

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1568 WRITER

Günter Steffens

1922 - 1985

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1574 ARTIST

Udo Sellbach

1927 - 2006

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1609 ACTOR

Ludwig Thiesen

Born 1928

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1620 DRUMMER

Karl Sanner

1928 - 1966

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1622 WRITER

Alfred Antkowiak

1925 - 1976

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1648 POLITICIAN

Jan Brügelmann

1921 - 2012

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1657 MILITAR

Paul Verbeek

1925 - 2019

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1658 AUTHOR

Margot Scharpenberg

1924 - 2020

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1673 ACADEMIC

Helmut Blume

1920 - 2008

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1674 WRITER

Egon Schneider

1927 - 2014

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1731 ACTOR

Ernst Pilick

Born 1927

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1734 POLITICIAN

Karlheinz Gierden

Born 1926

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1796 BIOCHEMIST

Wilhelm Stoffel

Born 1928

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1813 BOTANIST

Evamarie Sander

Born 1928

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1860 SCULPTOR

Raffael Becker

1922 - 2013

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1862 WIDERSTAND

Wolfgang Schwarz (Widerstandskämpfer)

Born 1926

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1863 ACTOR

Gisela Schmidting

1920 - 2005

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1864 BIOCHEMIST

Hans Faillard

1924 - 2005

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1870 MATHEMATICIAN

Hans Laux

Born 1929

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1879 JOURNALIST

Joseph Viehöver

1925 - 1973

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1901 ENTREPRENEUR

Friedrich Wilhelm Waffenschmidt

1925 - 2017

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1906 PRIEST

Josef Anselm Graf Adelmann von Adelmannsfelden –

1924 - 2003

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1915 WRITER

C. Doberman

1928 - 2008

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1971 ACTOR

Lutz Gabor

Born 1927

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1975 CHEMIST

Arnim Henglein

1926 - 2012

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1992 ACTOR

Hans Künster

Born 1927

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1993 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Hagen Biesantz

1924 - 1996

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2007 HISTORIAN

Maria Anders (Historikerin)

1926 - 1997

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2046 LAWYER

Horst Becker (Diplomat)

1924 - 2005

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2052 OFFICER

David Scott-Barrett

1922 - 2003

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2066 ACADEMIC

Fritz Kemper

1927 - 2017

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2067 COMPOSER

Oswald Gilles

Born 1926

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2075 COMPOSER

Johannes Pütz

1926 - 1971

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2078 ACADEMIC

Fritz Hilgers

1921 - 2014

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2082 GOLDSMITH

Wilhelm Nagel (Goldschmied)

1927 - 2014

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2083 ECONOMIST

Fritz Klein-Blenkers

1924 - 2015

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2115 PHYSICIAN

Wilhelm Brass

1926 - 2011

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2133 WRITER

Peter Fuchs (Journalist)

1921 - 2003

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2163 PUBLISHER

Margret Krick

1926 - 2016

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2193 SCULPTOR

Sepp Hürten

1928 - 2018

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2201 LAWYER

Hubert Bung

1920 - 2004

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2202 ROMANIST

Walter Mettmann

1926 - 2011

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2204 POLITICIAN

Hedda Heuser-Schreiber

1926 - 2007

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2207 ACTOR

Margret van Munster

1920 - 2010

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2218 PHOTOGRAPHER

Alice Brill

1920 - 2013

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2223 JOURNALIST

Helmut Signon

1923 - 1978

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2255 ART HISTORIAN

Ernst-Heinz Lemper

1924 - 2007

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2272 ECONOMIST

Theo Thiemeyer

1929 - 1991

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2279 ANAESTHETIST

Kurt Wiemers

1920 - 2006

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2299 LAWYER

Norbert Montfort

1925 - 2016

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2316 FOOTBALL

Fritz Breuer (Fußballspieler)

1929 - 2017

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2317 POLITICIAN

Wilhelm Lenz (Politiker, 1921)

1921 - 2015

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2323 ACADEMIC

Anna Gisela Johnen

1925 - 2014

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2324 ACADEMIC

Hansjörg Salmony

1920 - 1991

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2329 SCULPTOR

Kurt Link

1926 - 1996

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2357 ART HISTORIAN

Hilda Lietzmann

1925 - 2008

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2358 SKATER

Inge Minor

Born 1929

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2361 THEATRE

Heinz Dieter Köhler

1926 - 2019

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2400 ETHNOLOGIST

Carl August Schmitz

1920 - 1966

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2404 PAINTER

Ilse Hangert

1925 - 2015

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2408 POLITICIAN

Heinz Müller (Politiker, 1920)

1920 - 1983

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2414 PHYSICIAN

Kurt Höck

1920 - 2008

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2443 DIPLOMAT

Klaus Meyer (Diplomat)

1928 - 2014

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2474 LAWYER

Franz Keil (Diplomat)

1929 - 2018

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2477 MUSIC

Wolfram Gehring

Born 1928

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2480 SCULPTOR

Hubert Bruhs

1922 - 2005

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2500 ART HISTORIAN

Günter Aust

1921 - 2018

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2515 HERPETOLOGIST

Pedro Trebbau

Born 1929

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2560 PUBLISHER

Kaspar Horst

1929 - 2014

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2586 EDUCATION

Hans Elsner

Born 1923

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2595 KIND

Hans Abraham Ochs

1928 - 1936

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2623 LITERARY

Ilse Pracht-Fitzell

Born 1926

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2630 BOOKSELLER

Günter Stephan (Gewerkschafter)

1922 - 2012

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2639 POLITICIAN

Karl-Heinz Hoffmann (Politiker)

Born 1928

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2641 SCULPTOR

Joseph Höntgesberg

1920 - 2019

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2645 TEACHER

Else Yeo

Born 1920

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2656 PRIEST

Hermann Joseph Weisbender

1922 - 2001

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2663 ACTOR

Fritz Korn

1920 - 1994

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2679 PHYSICIST

Erwin Bodenstedt

1926 - 2002

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2696 GYMNAST

Jos Bernard

1924 - 2020

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2713 ACADEMIC

Wolfgang Thoenes

1929 - 1992

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2714 DIPLOMAT

Heinz Wersdörfer

Born 1925

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2737 PAINTER

Karl-Heinz Lingner

1925 - 1998

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2741 WRITER

Heinz Linnerz

1926 - 2007

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2753 LAWYER

Johannes von Vacano

1926 - 2006

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2764 ENTREPRENEUR

Karl Walter Hitschler

1922 - 2010

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2808 ACADEMIC

Gustav Adebahr

1924 - 2008

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2817 SCHOLAR

Manfred Frings

1925 - 2008

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2827 POLITICIAN

Theo Lück

1921 - 2012

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2859 ACTOR

Claus-Peter Lüttgen

Born 1927

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2906 SKATER

Hermann Braun (Eiskunstläufer)

1925 - 2002

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2911 PHYSICIAN

Kaspar Roos

1921 - 1986

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2915 AUTHOR

Ruth Brühl

Born 1927

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2927 CYCLIST

Willy Trost

1924 - 1977

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2940 FOOTBALL

Hans Graf (Fußballspieler)

1923 - 1970

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2949 WIDERSTAND

Hans Fricke (Widerstandskämpfer)

1926 - 2015

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2991 POLITICIAN

Benno Weimann

1926 - 1996

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3012 MISSING

Maria Bierganz

1927 - 2013

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3027 POLITICIAN

Isabel Ernst

1924 - 2000

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3030 MILITAR

Leonard Webb

1921 - 2011

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3032 KATHOLISCHER

Erich Endlein

1925 - 2017

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3038 BANK

Karin von Ullmann

1922 - 2009

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3050 PAINTER

Ruth Underberg

1924 - 2002

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3074 SAXOPHONIST

Willi Sanner

Born 1925

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3082 ROWER

Peter Betz

1929 - 1991

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3085 ROWER

Stefan Reinartz (rower)

1925 - 2007

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3086 ROWER

Michael Reinartz

1928 - 2001

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3092 ROWER

Heinz Zünkler

1929 - 2018

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3096 HOCKEY

Otto Brandenburg (Eishockeyspieler)

1923 - 2010

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3098 POLITICIAN

Kurt Schmelter

1925 - 2013

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3121 ARMY

Herbert E. Wolff

1925 - 2009

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3147 ARCHITECT

Gisbert Brovot

1923 - 2016

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3155 JUDGE

Günter Heidecke

1922 - 2011

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3160 POLITICIAN

Heinz Soénius

1929 - 2020

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3176 ROWER

Anton Reinartz

1926 - 2002

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3192 SCULPTOR

Franz Günter Lossow

1925 - 1975

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3220 PAINTER

Lothar Brandes

1926 - 2011

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3236 ARCHITECT

Fritz Haferkamp

1925 - 1994

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3242 POLITICIAN

Franz Josef Kayser

1928 - 2015

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3268 ATHLETIC

Marlies Müller

Born 1927

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3296 SPORT

Karl Czernik

1923 - 1949

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3321 ENTERTAINER

Karlheinz Jansen (Karnevalist)

1926 - 2017

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3336 PLAYER

Walter Than

1921 - 2011

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3363 POLITICIAN

Hans-Jürgen Baumann

1923 - 1981

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3379 FOOTBALL

Walter Radant

1922 - 1969

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3384 FOOTBALL

Hans Broich

Born 1928

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3393 FOOTBALL

Barthel Thomas

1929 - 2005

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3406 ACADEMIC

Rudolf Hecker (Physiker)

1926 - 2014

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3408 BOTSCHAFTER

Joseph J. Thomas

Born 1920

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3428 MISSING

Hans Lehmacher

1925 - 1992

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3442 FOOTBALL

Willi Nagelschmidt

1922 - 1986

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3445 PAINTER

Manfred Karsubke

1929 - 2011

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3462 POLITICIAN

Franz-Heinrich Jürgens

1924 - 1989

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3465 FOOTBALL

Anton Schütz (Fußballspieler)

1927 - 2007

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3485 DENTIST

Franz Josef Grimmeisen

1921 - 2020

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