37.7775° N, 122.4165° W
SAN FRANCISCO
Most Famous People Born in San Francisco, United States
- Notable people
- 2,619
- Peak decade
- 1960s
- Median birth year
- 1943
- Most distinctive
- Baseball 6.1×
A city of restless reinventions. San Francisco's notables are heavily literary and athletic in the 19th century, then heavily technological and countercultural in the 20th — the same town gave the world Jack London and Steve Jobs, Ansel Adams and Bruce Lee, the Beats and the venture capitalists. The dataset doesn't show the tech industry as a category, but you can see its silhouette in the unusually high share of entrepreneurs, engineers, and screenwriters with day jobs in software.
One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in San Francisco during each.
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1960s with 295 notable births.
What San Francisco Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Actor is San Francisco's biggest profession — 15% of all notables (385).
San Francisco over-indexes on baseball — 6.1× the global rate.
San Francisco under-produces politician — only 0.4× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of San Francisco's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Sports
- Film & TV
- Music
- Politics & Law
- Writing
- Art & Design
- Other
- Filtered to 1940s Clear ×
Bruce Lee
1940 - 1973
O. J. Simpson
Born 1947
Danny Glover
Born 1946
Jerry Garcia
1942 - 1995
David Strathairn
Born 1949
Jeffrey Tambor
Born 1944
Paul Kantner
1941 - 2016
J. T. Walsh
1943 - 1998
Jim Gray (computer scientist)
1944 - 2007
Andraé Crouch
1942 - 2015
Bob Weir
Born 1947
Susan Tyrrell
1945 - 2012
Joe Spano
Born 1946
Ronnie Montrose
1947 - 2012
Michael Shrieve
Born 1949
David Dukes
1945 - 2000
Richard Gant
Born 1944
Barry Diller
Born 1942
Greil Marcus
Born 1945
Sharon Olds
Born 1942
Victoria Vetri
Born 1944
Vonetta McGee
1945 - 2010
Johnny Miller
Born 1947
Bobby Freeman
1940 - 2017
Dennis Ross
Born 1948
Richard A. Muller
Born 1944
Kathleen Chalfant
Born 1945
Sam Farr
Born 1941
Robert Hass
Born 1941
Daria Halprin
Born 1948
Rosemary Casals
Born 1948
Joe Louis Walker
Born 1949
Peter Del Monte
Born 1943
Charles Haid
Born 1943
David Cay Johnston
Born 1948
Gabrielle Roth
1941 - 2012
Jeanne DuPrau
Born 1944
Steve Martini
Born 1946
Ron Jones (teacher)
Born 1941
Mike Holmgren
Born 1948
Hope Cooke
Born 1940
Ross Valory
Born 1949
Christina Maslach
Born 1946
Irene Mecchi
Born 1949
Laurence Yep
Born 1948
Orley Ashenfelter
Born 1942
Linda Gottfredson
Born 1947
Michael Carabello
Born 1947
Denny Carmassi
Born 1947
Kevin Starr
1940 - 2017
John Powell (athlete)
Born 1947
Joseph Tainter
Born 1949
Lucy Saroyan
1946 - 2003
Chris von Saltza
Born 1944
Brooksley Born
Born 1940
Keith Erickson
Born 1944
Jimmie Heuga
1943 - 2010
Kate Wolf
1942 - 1986
Donna Deitch
Born 1945
Joseph Whipp
Born 1941
Linda Tillery
Born 1948
Darius Brubeck
Born 1947
Lyn Hejinian
Born 1941
Abigail Folger
1943 - 1969
Robert Ricklefs
Born 1943
Rick Levin
Born 1947
Duncan Suttles
Born 1945
Robert Boyd (anthropologist)
Born 1948
David Levinthal
Born 1949
Melissa Farley
Born 1942
David G. Dalin
Born 1949
Greg Errico
Born 1948
Mary Heilmann
Born 1940
Allan Alcorn
Born 1948
Jim Fregosi
1942 - 2014
Linda Dangcil
1941 - 2009
Peter Montgomery (mathematician)
1947 - 2020
Billy Mundi
1942 - 2014
Willie Wise
Born 1947
George Seifert
Born 1940
Al Cowlings
Born 1947
Mike Minor (actor)
1940 - 2016
Bob Netolicky
Born 1942
Larry Harvey
1948 - 2018
Laurie Walters
Born 1947
David Alan Harvey
Born 1944
Carolyn Schuler
Born 1943
Greg Shaw
1949 - 2004
Michael Blumlein
1948 - 2019
Chip Douglas
Born 1942
Thomas Joshua Cooper
Born 1946
Don Fernando
Born 1948
Ruthanne Lum McCunn
Born 1946
Stephen Benton
1941 - 2003
Allan Graham
Born 1943
Mark Berger (sound engineer)
Born 1943
Richard John Garcia
1947 - 2018
Gary Beban
Born 1946
Linda Carroll
Born 1944
Denny Martin Flinn
1947 - 2007
Jerry Granelli
Born 1940
John Broderick (producer)
1942 - 2001
Chrystos
Born 1946
Leonard Lake
1945 - 1985
Ned Lagin
Born 1949
Kathleen Brown
Born 1945
Roger Chickering
Born 1942
Jules T. Allen
Born 1947
Dick Tidrow
Born 1947
Cecilia Martinez
Born 1947
Richard Beggs
Born 1942
Steve Bulen
Born 1949
Bob Portman
Born 1947
Patrick Argüello
1943 - 1970
Peter Lyman
1940 - 2007
George B. Purdy
1944 - 2017
Al Gallagher
1945 - 2018
Terry Miller (politician)
1942 - 1989
Richard Rodriguez
Born 1944
John A. Buehrens
Born 1947
Robert Hecht-Nielsen
1947 - 2019
Catherine Yronwode
Born 1947
Charles P. Oman
Born 1948
Stanley Fafara
1949 - 2003
Jay Hammer
Born 1944
Danny Frisella
1946 - 1977
John Boccabella
Born 1941
William G. Sinkford
Born 1946
Judith Hooper
Born 1949
Val Garay
Born 1942
Jon Martin
Born 1947
William Yeager
Born 1940
Michael Yamashita
Born 1949
Robert D. San Souci
1946 - 2014
Malcolm Beasley
Born 1940
Ted Tollner
Born 1940
Ernie Fosselius
Born 1945
Robert Francis Christian
1948 - 2019
Williamson Evers
Born 1948
Doug Hall (artist)
Born 1944
Leon Patillo
Born 1947
Joyce Cooling
Born 1949
Johnny Weissmuller Jr.
1940 - 2006
Indira Stefanianna
Born 1946
Joel Larson
Born 1947
Judy Yung
Born 1946
Jeremy Fogel
Born 1949
Mildred Howard
Born 1945
Joe Ferguson (baseball)
Born 1946
Gus Lee
Born 1946
Edward Imwinkelried
Born 1945
Tiger Fafara
Born 1945
Andrea Way
Born 1949
Carla Borelli
Born 1942
James Hayward (artist)
Born 1943
Norman Yee
Born 1949
Karen L. Gould
1948 - 2012
Dan Fitzgerald
1942 - 2010
Tucker Zimmerman
Born 1941
Jane A. Restani
Born 1948
James Dietz
Born 1946
Edward Stickles
Born 1942
Karen Ludwig
Born 1942
Frank Bertaina
1944 - 2010
Helen Berggruen
Born 1945
Don Hahn (baseball)
Born 1948
Jim Poynter
Born 1943
Carrillo Gantner
Born 1944
Gene Williams (basketball)
Born 1947
Toni Harp
Born 1947
Sal Valentino
Born 1942
Karen Jensen
Born 1944
Tim Grgurich
Born 1942
Laurie Hickox
1945 - 1961
Nancy K. Stanton
Born 1948
Samarpan
Born 1941
Dudley L. Poston Jr.
Born 1940
Eddie Paul
Born 1948
Jerry Hill (politician)
Born 1947
Tom Torlakson
Born 1949
Pamela Dunlap
Born 1941
David Chauner
Born 1948
Bill Hoogs Jr.
1940 - 1978
Matthew Steen
Born 1949
Lenore Chinn
Born 1949
Richard Lerman
Born 1944
Glen Chin
1948 - 2018
Satan's Angel
1944 - 2019
Tom Dooley (racewalker)
Born 1945
Barry Tompkins
Born 1940
Patrick Johnston (American politician)
Born 1946
Walter L. Carpeneti
Born 1945
Raymond C. Smith
Born 1944
Robyn Smith
Born 1944
Charles Breyer
Born 1941
Maxine M. Chesney
Born 1942
Wendy Watriss
Born 1943
Pat Kilroy
1944 - 1967
Mike Taylor (offensive tackle)
Born 1945
Tom Alberg
Born 1940
Al Raffo
Born 1941
Noel Lee (executive)
Born 1948
Rick Estrin
Born 1949
Norm Angelini
1947 - 2019
Susan Rita Schrepfer
1941 - 2014
Robert Primes
Born 1940
Henry Viccellio Jr.
Born 1940
Clark Gruening
Born 1943
Mavis Leno
Born 1946
Toni Graham
Born 1945
Roger Dobkowitz
Born 1945
Fritz Holt
1941 - 1987
Joe Remiro
Born 1947
Mitchell Waite
Born 1946
Bhikkhu Cintita
Born 1949
Martin Baccaglio
Born 1944
Norm Thompson (American football)
Born 1945
Greg Sims
Born 1946
Bob Lunn
Born 1945
Liam Quinn
Born 1949
Rahn Coleman
Born 1949
William Hickox
1942 - 1961
Pete Magrini
Born 1942
Max Gruenberg
1943 - 2016
Royal Nebeker
1945 - 2014
Rob Sperring
Born 1949
Bob Haas
Born 1942
Roger Niello
Born 1948
Nancy Ling Perry
1947 - 1974
Danny Grossman
Born 1942
John Celona
Born 1947
Don Bosch
Born 1942
Fred H. Lau
Born 1949
Dick Davey
Born 1942
Frank Sacherer
1940 - 1978
Michael Cardoza
Born 1944
Jacques Littlefield
1949 - 2009
Eddie Moore
1940 - 1990
Rich Morales
Born 1943
Ralph Barbieri
1940 - 2020
Ed Montague (umpire)
Born 1948
Peter Donald
Born 1945
Jack Abendschan
Born 1942
Avram Miller
Born 1945
Patrick O. Ford
1942 - 1968
Rick Boyle
1942 - 2016
Merle Woo
Born 1941
Jan Ferraris
Born 1947
Sandra Froman
Born 1949
Brent McCall
1940 - 2019
Stephen Privett
Born 1942
Carolyn Jane Rodriguez
1944 - 2002
Steve Smith (singer)
Born 1945
Ron Stratten
Born 1943
Frank Atkinson (American football)
Born 1941
George Sumner (artist)
Born 1940
Dave Frey
1949 - 2015
Bob Watkins
Born 1948
Carl Countryman
1946 - 2006
Philip R. Goode
Born 1943
John Wesson Ashford
Born 1948
Mike Donohoe
Born 1945
Amory Kane
Born 1946
Dick Nold
Born 1943
Robert Dickow
Born 1949
Skeeter McKitterick
Born 1946
Mike Gotch
1947 - 2008
Dion Aroner
Born 1944
Geoffrey F. Brown
Born 1943
Crystal Jang
Born 1946
Mike Buskey
Born 1949
Carlene M. Walker
Born 1947
Kathleen Lynn de Brown
Born 1945
Julián Muñoz (alpine skier)
Born 1946
Robert Delbos
Born 1943
John J. Batbie Jr.
Born 1946
Frances Wasserlein
1946 - 2015
Bruce Grant (Saxophonist)
1949 - 2009