26.2026° S, 28.0412° E

JOHANNESBURG

Most Famous People Born in Johannesburg, South Africa

Notable people
1,234
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1967
Most distinctive
Golf 14.8×

A young city with an old sporting establishment. Johannesburg's notables are dominated by cricketers, golfers, and rugby players at concentrations that, given the city's size, look almost statistical — the legacy of an English-speaking sporting culture that organised itself around the gold rush of the 1880s. There is almost no pre-20th-century tail at all; the entire bench fits inside the lifetime of the city itself.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Johannesburg during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 247 notable births.

What Johannesburg Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Cricket is Johannesburg's biggest profession — 13% of all notables (156).

Johannesburg over-indexes on golf14.8× the global rate.

Johannesburg under-produces politician — only 0.2× the global rate.

  1. Cricket156
  2. Player153
  3. Football110
  4. Actor65
  5. Sport50
  6. Politician32
  7. Golf31
  8. Singer28
  1. Golf3114.8×
  2. Cricket1569.9×
  3. Player1536.4×
  4. Swimmer254.2×
  5. Rower153.3×
  6. Boxer153.1×
  7. Sport502.4×
  8. Photographer132.2×
  1. Politician320.2×
  2. Writer280.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

19001925195019752000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Music
  • Science
  • Politics & Law
  • Other
Football110
Sort By

Showing 110 of 1,234 notable people

0014 FOOTBALL

Steven Pienaar

Born 1982

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0041 FOOTBALL

Aaron Mokoena

Born 1980

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0052 FOOTBALL

Dimas (footballer)

Born 1969

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0060 FOOTBALL

Panagiotis Retsos

Born 1998

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0078 FOOTBALL

Craig Johnston

Born 1960

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0080 FOOTBALL

Deklan Wynne

Born 1996

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0096 FOOTBALL

Steve Mokone

1932 - 2015

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0101 FOOTBALL

Bradley Carnell

Born 1977

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0105 FOOTBALL

Keagan Dolly

Born 1993

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0106 FOOTBALL

Lebo Mothiba

Born 1996

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0117 FOOTBALL

Matty Pattison

Born 1986

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0119 FOOTBALL

John Thorrington

Born 1979

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0140 FOOTBALL

Ricardo Nunes

Born 1986

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0143 FOOTBALL

Andrew Surman

Born 1986

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0146 FOOTBALL

Gordon Hodgson

1904 - 1951

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0158 FOOTBALL

Morgan Gould

Born 1983

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0159 FOOTBALL

Joel Untersee

Born 1994

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0171 FOOTBALL

Kevin Harmse

Born 1984

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0178 FOOTBALL

Lebogang Phiri

Born 1994

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0179 FOOTBALL

Marc Arnold

Born 1970

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0194 FOOTBALL

Stanton Fredericks

Born 1978

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0213 FOOTBALL

Jomo Sono

Born 1955

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0227 FOOTBALL

Phakamani Mahlambi

Born 1997

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0228 FOOTBALL

Tebogo Langerman

Born 1986

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0243 FOOTBALL

Bradley Grobler

Born 1988

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0249 FOOTBALL

Davide Somma

Born 1985

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0261 FOOTBALL

Gadi Brumer

Born 1973

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0276 FOOTBALL

Brett Evans

Born 1982

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0279 FOOTBALL

William Mokoena

Born 1973

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0280 FOOTBALL

Colin Viljoen

Born 1948

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0292 FOOTBALL

Sérgio Marakis

Born 1991

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0305 FOOTBALL

Tyroane Sandows

Born 1995

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0310 FOOTBALL

Kaizer Motaung Junior

Born 1981

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0353 FOOTBALL

Joshua Silva

Born 1990

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0369 FOOTBALL

Stanton Lewis (footballer, born 1987)

Born 1987

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0375 FOOTBALL

April Phumo

1937 - 2011

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0389 FOOTBALL

Mark Arber

Born 1977

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0391 FOOTBALL

Lukas Schenkel

Born 1984

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0400 FOOTBALL

Bamuza Sono

Born 1980

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0405 FOOTBALL

Larry Cohen (soccer)

Born 1987

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0420 FOOTBALL

Andile Dlamini

Born 1992

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0428 FOOTBALL

Ace Khuse

Born 1968

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0438 FOOTBALL

Kyle Jacobs (footballer)

Born 1991

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0442 FOOTBALL

Burton O'Brien

Born 1981

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0448 FOOTBALL

Justin Miller (footballer)

Born 1980

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0468 FOOTBALL

Ntuthuko Radebe

1994 - 2017

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0470 FOOTBALL

Jonti Richter

Born 1983

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0475 FOOTBALL

Brent Carelse

Born 1981

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0476 FOOTBALL

Jason Johannisen

Born 1992

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0490 FOOTBALL

Michael Morton (soccer)

Born 1989

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0501 FOOTBALL

Neil Winstanley

Born 1976

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0523 FOOTBALL

Mich d'Avray

Born 1962

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0531 FOOTBALL

Ian Palmer (soccer)

Born 1966

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0534 FOOTBALL

Keaghan Jacobs

Born 1989

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0548 FOOTBALL

Alon Brumer

Born 1973

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0564 FOOTBALL

Daniel Cardoso (footballer)

Born 1988

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0572 FOOTBALL

Kylie Louw

Born 1989

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0584 FOOTBALL

David Júlio

Born 1932

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0592 FOOTBALL

Bill Perry (footballer)

1930 - 2007

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0593 FOOTBALL

Nicholas Killas

Born 1991

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0604 FOOTBALL

Marc van Heerden

Born 1988

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0660 FOOTBALL

Chad Harpur

Born 1982

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0667 FOOTBALL

Mark Haskins (footballer)

Born 1981

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0688 FOOTBALL

Mzikayise Mashaba

Born 1989

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0690 FOOTBALL

Reagan Noble

Born 1983

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0704 FOOTBALL

Reyaad Pieterse

Born 1992

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0718 FOOTBALL

Sandy Kennon

1933 - 2015

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0758 FOOTBALL

Andrew Parkinson (soccer)

Born 1959

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0759 FOOTBALL

Cliff Durandt

1940 - 2002

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0773 FOOTBALL

Graeme Brown (footballer)

Born 1980

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0786 FOOTBALL

Patrick Kelly (footballer)

1918 - 1985

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0787 FOOTBALL

Dudley Milligan

1916 - 1971

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0800 FOOTBALL

Brad Phillips (soccer)

Born 1987

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0822 FOOTBALL

Luca Bellisomo

Born 1986

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0834 FOOTBALL

Victor Gomes

Born 1982

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0835 FOOTBALL

Miguel Timm

Born 1992

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0841 FOOTBALL

Mike Connell (soccer)

Born 1956

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0850 FOOTBALL

Richard Farrer

Born 1971

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0855 FOOTBALL

Giulio Giuricich

Born 1990

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0856 FOOTBALL

Roger Da Costa

Born 1986

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0869 FOOTBALL

Warren Bishop

Born 1983

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0892 FOOTBALL

Martin Cohen (soccer)

Born 1952

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0930 FOOTBALL

George Wright (footballer, born 1969)

Born 1969

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0946 FOOTBALL

Shane McGregor

Born 1963

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0962 FOOTBALL

Lance Carr

1910 - 1983

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0963 FOOTBALL

Thomas Johnson (South African footballer)

1942 - 2011

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0979 FOOTBALL

Ted Garside

1904 - 1983

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0982 FOOTBALL

Cavin Johnson

Born 1958

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0986 FOOTBALL

Ted Purdon

1930 - 2007

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0995 FOOTBALL

Enrico Adolph

Born 1992

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1010 FOOTBALL

Peter Matshitse

Born 1971

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1025 FOOTBALL

Bruce Clarke (footballer)

1910 - 1954

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1026 FOOTBALL

Gareth Williams (footballer, born 1982)

Born 1982

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1041 FOOTBALL

Phathizwe Sacolo

Born 1991

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1051 FOOTBALL

Warren Goodhind

Born 1977

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1058 FOOTBALL

Ryan Hodgskin

Born 1977

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1063 FOOTBALL

Gerry Francis (footballer, born 1933)

Born 1933

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1067 FOOTBALL

Ivan McKinley

Born 1969

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1087 FOOTBALL

Gavin Nebbeling

Born 1963

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1096 FOOTBALL

Desmond Backos

Born 1950

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1116 FOOTBALL

Doug Rudham

1926 - 1991

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1120 FOOTBALL

C.R. Julian

Born 1899

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1124 FOOTBALL

Billy Arnison

1924 - 1996

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1125 FOOTBALL

Brian Peterson (footballer)

1936 - 2020

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1172 FOOTBALL

Gregory Mulamba

Born 1986

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1194 FOOTBALL

Jimmy Woolf

1916 - 2003

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1195 FOOTBALL

Charlie Thompson (footballer, born 1909)

1909 - 1979

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1197 FOOTBALL

Allan Brown (soccer)

Born 1984

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1208 FOOTBALL

Carlton Ubaezuonu

Born 1998

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1219 FOOTBALL

Brandon Barkhuizen

Born 1990

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