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 176 of 3,487 notable people

0007 ACTOR

Udo Kier

Born 1944

Preview
0038 CHESS

Robert Hübner

Born 1948

Preview
0096 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Manfred Korfmann

1942 - 2005

Preview
0109 ART HISTORIAN

Benjamin H. D. Buchloh

Born 1941

Preview
0139 ACTOR

Henry van Lyck

Born 1941

Preview
0156 PRODUCER

Jack White (music producer)

Born 1940

Preview
0161 FOOTBALL

Manfred Manglitz

Born 1940

Preview
0164 AUTHOR

Armin Maiwald

Born 1940

Preview
0183 PRIEST

Friedhelm Hofmann

Born 1942

Preview
0236 FOOTBALL

Zvi Rosen

Born 1947

Preview
0262 MUSIC

Tommy Engel

Born 1949

Preview
0318 PLAYER

Hans-Jürgen Pohmann

Born 1947

Preview
0326 JUDO

Wolfgang Hofmann

1941 - 2020

Preview
0344 ACTOR

Sylvia Bourdon

Born 1949

Preview
0361 POLITICIAN

Fritz Schramma

Born 1947

Preview
0377 AUTHOR

Peter Millowitsch

Born 1949

Preview
0408 HISTORIAN

Wilfried Feldenkirchen

1947 - 2010

Preview
0419 WRITER

Úrsula Heinze

Born 1941

Preview
0442 ECONOMIST

Jörg Huffschmid

1940 - 2009

Preview
0443 ACTOR

Lotti Krekel

Born 1941

Preview
0445 PRESENTER

Évelyne Dhéliat

Born 1948

Preview
0449 CYCLIST

Wilfried Peffgen

Born 1942

Preview
0454 CHEMIST

Klaus Müllen

Born 1947

Preview
0456 JOURNALIST

Hermann L. Gremliza

1940 - 2019

Preview
0459 ORIENTALIST

Wolfhart Heinrichs

1941 - 2014

Preview
0476 SCULPTOR

Raimund Böll

1947 - 1982

Preview
0499 ECONOMIST

Wolfgang Wessels

Born 1948

Preview
0511 SINGER

King Size Dick

Born 1942

Preview
0515 SPORT

Ernst Streng

1942 - 1993

Preview
0530 ATHLETIC

Klaus Ulonska

1942 - 2015

Preview
0531 PSYCHOLOGIST

Angelika Kallwass

Born 1948

Preview
0542 THEOLOGIAN

Christoph Theobald

Born 1946

Preview
0561 COMPOSER

Niels Skousen

Born 1944

Preview
0576 BOBSLED

Herbert Gruber

Born 1942

Preview
0594 THEOLOGIAN

Michael Theobald

Born 1948

Preview
0598 COMPOSER

Hans Knipp

1946 - 2011

Preview
0625 ACTOR

Michel Leeb

Born 1947

Preview
0665 SPORT

Dieter Koslar

1940 - 2002

Preview
0675 POLITICIAN

Erich Iltgen

1940 - 2019

Preview
0699 ECONOMIST

Herbert Schui

1940 - 2016

Preview
0709 JOURNALIST

Hildegard Stausberg

Born 1948

Preview
0801 ACADEMIC

Albert Henrichs

1942 - 2017

Preview
0807 ARTIST

Helmut Tollmann

Born 1945

Preview
0831 HOCKEY

Eduard Thelen

Born 1946

Preview
0836 COMPOSER

Monika Kampmann

Born 1946

Preview
0859 PHILOSOPHER

Joachim Kahl

Born 1941

Preview
0860 HISTORIAN

Manfred Clauss

Born 1945

Preview
0955 ACTOR

Claudia Amm

Born 1948

Preview
0967 PAINTER

René Böll

Born 1948

Preview
0979 AUTHOR

Hiltrud Schröter

1941 - 2010

Preview
0990 ACTOR

Ben Hecker

1948 - 2019

Preview
0997 MUSIC

Jürgen Zöller

Born 1947

Preview
1031 CHEMIST

Joachim Seelig

Born 1942

Preview
1038 ACTOR

Elmar Gehlen

Born 1943

Preview
1071 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Herbert Kubicek

Born 1946

Preview
1072 LAWYER

Jürgen Wilhelm (Politiker)

Born 1949

Preview
1082 JOURNALIST

Michael Skasa

Born 1942

Preview
1088 PHILATELIST

Wolfgang Hellrigl

1941 - 2010

Preview
1090 CONDUCTOR

Horst Meinardus

Born 1941

Preview
1116 MUSIC

Rolly Brings

Born 1943

Preview
1153 MEDIEVALIST

Heribert Müller

Born 1946

Preview
1163 ACADEMIC

Michael Schneider (Theologe)

Born 1949

Preview
1209 HISTORIAN

Elisabeth Herrmann-Otto

Born 1948

Preview
1231 PHOTOGRAPHER

Boris Nieslony

Born 1945

Preview
1292 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Heinz Günter Horn

Born 1940

Preview
1296 PAINTER

Elisabeth Vary

Born 1940

Preview
1309 ZOOLOGIST

Gunther Nogge

Born 1942

Preview
1317 ACADEMIC

Jürgen Friedrich (Informatiker)

1942 - 2018

Preview
1322 AUTHOR

Jochen Kelter

Born 1946

Preview
1328 ACTOR

Herbert Meurer

Born 1946

Preview
1338 POLITICIAN

Helmut Schröer

Born 1942

Preview
1347 ACTOR

Edda Pastor

Born 1942

Preview
1372 MUSIC

Wolfgang G. Haas

Born 1946

Preview
1407 ACTOR

Ludwig Hansmann

Born 1949

Preview
1411 JUDGE

Peter Tettinger

1947 - 2005

Preview
1413 ACADEMIC

Georg Christoph Tholen

Born 1948

Preview
1423 ARTIST

Hasso von Hugo (Maskenbildner)

Born 1946

Preview
1428 ACTOR

Helmut Stauss

1948 - 2020

Preview
1442 POLITICIAN

Werner Marnette

Born 1945

Preview
1444 ARCHITECT

Thomas van den Valentyn

Born 1945

Preview
1461 ANATOMIST

Jürgen Koebke

1945 - 2012

Preview
1484 ROMANIST

Heinz-Willi Wittschier

Born 1942

Preview
1489 AUTHOR

Rosina Sonnenschmidt

Born 1947

Preview
1508 PHILOLOGIST

Jan-Dirk Müller

Born 1941

Preview
1515 ACTOR

Peter Zilles

1946 - 1998

Preview
1516 AUTHOR

Karin Thomas

Born 1941

Preview
1531 JOURNALIST

Bernd Hinz

Born 1947

Preview
1565 PHOTOGRAPHER

Paul-Jürgen Weber

Born 1942

Preview
1567 FOOTBALL

Karl-Heinz Struth

Born 1948

Preview
1580 SOCIOLOGIST

Heinrich Best

Born 1949

Preview
1585 RADIOLOGIST

Gynter Mödder

Born 1942

Preview
1594 PHOTOGRAPHER

Ivaan Kotulsky

1944 - 2008

Preview
1602 JEWELLERY DESIGNER

Falko Marx

1941 - 2012

Preview
1604 ACTOR

Heta Mantscheff

Born 1948

Preview
1607 PUBLISHER

Gottfried Honnefelder

Born 1946

Preview
1633 ENTREPRENEUR

Peter Heinrichs

1946 - 2016

Preview
1641 MANAGER

Peter Harf

Born 1946

Preview
1685 PHILOLOGIST

Werner Forner

Born 1946

Preview
1686 PHILOLOGIST

Jürgen Hein

1942 - 2014

Preview
1739 WRITER

Viktor Böll

1948 - 2009

Preview
1746 WRITER

Dag-Ernst Petersen

Born 1942

Preview
1749 ACADEMIC

Wolfgang Hiddemann

Born 1949

Preview
1753 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Georg Petzl

Born 1941

Preview
1778 PAINTER

Donatello Losito

1940 - 2008

Preview
1782 WRITER

Reinold Louis

Born 1940

Preview
1807 POLITICIAN

Heribert Scharrenbroich

Born 1940

Preview
1809 ACADEMIC

Jörg Manfred Mössner

Born 1941

Preview
1825 CHEMIST

Wilhelm Kirch

1947 - 2015

Preview
1829 ACTOR

Barbie Millowitsch-Steinhaus

Born 1949

Preview
1850 AUTHOR

Wolfgang Heuer (Politikwissenschaftler)

Born 1949

Preview
1855 POLITICIAN

Achim Reichert

Born 1941

Preview
1868 DRIVER

Hans-Peter Joisten

1942 - 1973

Preview
1927 THEOLOGIAN

Hans-Joachim Kracht

Born 1940

Preview
1951 ARTIST

Maria Vedder

Born 1948

Preview
1968 PSYCHOLOGIST

Helmut Reuter

Born 1946

Preview
2053 MEDIEVALIST

Ludwig Vones

Born 1948

Preview
2059 THEOLOGIAN

Wilfried Weber

Born 1942

Preview
2091 ACADEMIC

Wolfgang Schmitz (Bibliothekar)

Born 1949

Preview
2099 GOVERNOR

H. Robert Heller

Born 1940

Preview
2149 NEUROLOGIST

Hermann Stefan

Born 1945

Preview
2222 ECONOMIST

Heinz Klandt

Born 1947

Preview
2251 ACADEMIC

Hermann Horstkotte

Born 1947

Preview
2273 PHYSICIST

Günter Schwichtenberg

Born 1942

Preview
2281 ENGINEER

Wolfgang Maus

Born 1946

Preview
2291 BUSINESS

Jörn Kreke

Born 1940

Preview
2293 PAINTER

Heinz Zolper

Born 1949

Preview
2337 POLITICIAN

Konrad Gilges

Born 1941

Preview
2392 AUTHOR

Armin Foxius

Born 1949

Preview
2415 ACADEMIC

Christa Berg

Born 1940

Preview
2418 PHOTOGRAPHER

Adolf Clemens

Born 1942

Preview
2424 LAWYER

Peter Mes

Born 1943

Preview
2509 SCULPTOR

Dennis Thies

Born 1947

Preview
2535 JOURNALIST

Heinz Welz

Born 1949

Preview
2554 ABT

Andreas Range (Abt)

Born 1947

Preview
2561 SCREENWRITER

Kalle Kubik

Born 1948

Preview
2564 MUSIC

Günter Kleinen

Born 1941

Preview
2580 WRITER

Elisabeth Mick

Born 1947

Preview
2597 AUTHOR

Ursula Erler

Born 1946

Preview
2621 TELEVISION

Klaudi Fröhlich

1940 - 2019

Preview
2628 POLITICIAN

Dirk Pfeil

Born 1948

Preview
2631 POLITICIAN

Franz-Josef Knieps

Born 1942

Preview
2676 SINGER

Kölnbarde

Born 1947

Preview
2690 JUDO

Rolf-Jürgen Krutwig

Born 1943

Preview
2709 POLITICIAN

Günter Schlatter

Born 1941

Preview
2719 FOOTBALL

Willi Marzok

Born 1946

Preview
2728 PHILOSOPHER

Peter Schmitter

1943 - 2006

Preview
2732 PHYSICIST

Erwin Müller-Hartmann

1941 - 2020

Preview
2776 RUNNER

Helmut Urbach

Born 1942

Preview
2783 POLITICIAN

Gisela Frick

Born 1946

Preview
2796 SURGEON

Klaus Meurers

1941 - 2019

Preview
2802 PAINTER

Josta Stapper

Born 1941

Preview
2841 JOURNALIST

Wolfgang Kenntemich

Born 1946

Preview
2845 MANAGER

Werner Spinner

Born 1948

Preview
2871 FOOTBALL

Günther Nasdalla

Born 1945

Preview
2945 POLITICIAN

Marie-Theres Ley

Born 1940

Preview
2993 ACTOR

Marie-Agnes Reintgen

1944 - 2017

Preview
3023 ACTOR

Ulla Willick

1940 - 2019

Preview
3090 ROWER

Helmut Wolber

Born 1947

Preview
3140 COOK

Herbert Schönberner

Born 1949

Preview
3173 MILITAR

Rolf Schmitz (Admiral)

Born 1949

Preview
3191 ORGANIST

Joachim Riepen

Born 1941

Preview
3199 ACTOR

Ursel Eberz

Born 1942

Preview
3217 HOCKEY

Detlef Langemann

Born 1947

Preview
3230 FOOTBALL

Josef Fuhrmann

Born 1940

Preview
3257 POLITICIAN

Hans-Werner Tovar

Born 1948

Preview
3297 POLITICIAN

Helmut Dockter

Born 1949

Preview
3302 POLITICIAN

Rita Klöpper

Born 1944

Preview
3306 PUBLISHER

Wolfgang Pütz

Born 1940

Preview
3325 FOOTBALL

Paul Kindervater

Born 1940

Preview
3327 FARMER

Friedhelm Decker

Born 1946

Preview
3349 POLITICIAN

Manfred Uedelhoven

Born 1948

Preview
3374 LYRICIST

Christa Drmota

1945 - 2019

Preview
3410 DIPLOMAT

Klaus Dieter Düxmann

Born 1949

Preview
3418 POLITICIAN

Rolf-Rüdiger Forst

Born 1946

Preview
3423 POLITICIAN

Annelie Kever-Henseler

Born 1947

Preview
3425 FOOTBALL

Karl-Heinz Goldau

Born 1941

Preview