47.3744° N, 8.5411° E

ZURICH

Most Famous People Born in Zurich, Switzerland

Notable people
2,462
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1941
Most distinctive
Author 3.5×

A Reformed Swiss city with a disproportionately large academic-and-letters bench. Zurich's distinctive professions are authors, academics, architects, artists, and physicists — the trades of a German-language university town that runs from Gottfried Keller through Max Frisch on the literary side and Einstein and Pauli on the scientific. Pestalozzi, Rorschach, and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross all belong to this bench, and nearly eighty per cent of the names were born after 1900.

Through the Centuries

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

What Zurich Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Zurich's biggest profession — 7% of all notables (164).

Zurich over-indexes on author3.5× the global rate.

Zurich under-produces football — only 0.4× the global rate.

  1. Politician164
  2. Actor141
  3. Writer128
  4. Football114
  5. Painter102
  6. Academic80
  7. Sport77
  8. Author74
  1. Author743.5×
  2. Academic803.2×
  3. Architect572.6×
  4. Artist632.5×
  5. Physicist252.4×
  6. Film682.3×
  7. Sculptor322.0×
  8. Historian512.0×
  1. Football1140.4×
  2. Politician1640.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Writing
  • Sports
  • Art & Design
  • Science
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Other
All2,462
Sort By

Showing 264 of 2,462 notable people

0003 ACTOR

Bruno Ganz

1941 - 2019

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0012 PRINCE

Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein

Born 1945

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0019 SCREENWRITER

Martin Suter

Born 1948

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0025 MUSIC

Dieter Meier

Born 1945

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0031 FILM

Luc Bondy

1948 - 2015

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0046 INVESTOR

Marc Faber

Born 1946

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0053 AUTHOR

Fleur Jaeggy

Born 1940

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0062 ACTOR

Oliver Tobias

Born 1947

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0066 FOOTBALL

Köbi Kuhn

1943 - 2019

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0076 DRIVER

Peter Sauber

Born 1943

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0081 CONDUCTOR

Leon Botstein

Born 1946

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0085 SCREENWRITER

Charles Lewinsky

Born 1946

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0088 DIPLOMAT

Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein

Born 1947

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0102 PIANIST

Mario Venzago

Born 1948

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0110 PHYSICIAN

Beat Richner

1947 - 2018

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0114 RUNNER

Gabriela Andersen-Schiess

Born 1945

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0119 WRITER

Mariella Mehr

Born 1947

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0132 BIOLOGIST

David Botstein

Born 1942

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0161 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Andreas Furtwängler

Born 1944

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0179 PHOTOGRAPHER

Walter Pfeiffer

Born 1946

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0192 FILM

Richard Dindo

Born 1944

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0212 THEATRE

Matthias Langhoff

Born 1941

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0227 ART DEALER

Bruno Bischofberger

Born 1940

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0240 POLITICIAN

Anna Záborská

Born 1948

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0247 POLITICIAN

Ursula Koch

Born 1941

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0254 BOBSLED

Erich Schärer

Born 1946

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0255 PRESENTER

Roger Schawinski

Born 1945

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0262 CURATOR

Bice Curiger

Born 1948

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0266 MUSIC

Peter Hinnen

Born 1941

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0312 BOBSLED

Willi Hofmann

Born 1940

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0319 TEACHER

Otto Künzli

Born 1948

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0325 ACTOR

Walter Andreas Müller

Born 1945

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0340 ENTREPRENEUR

Werner Rey

Born 1943

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0348 ACADEMIC

Werner Koller

Born 1942

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0349 POLITICIAN

Chiara Simoneschi-Cortesi

Born 1946

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0350 RACER

Silvio Moser

1941 - 1974

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0351 FILM

Kurt Gloor

1942 - 1997

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0354 MANAGER

Peter Kurer

Born 1949

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0373 JOURNALIST

Oswald Sigg

Born 1944

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0378 BOBSLED

Joseph Benz

Born 1944

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0406 POLITICIAN

Ulrich Schlüer

Born 1944

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0417 ARCHITECT

Walter R. Stahel

Born 1946

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0430 POLITICIAN

Erika Forster-Vannini

Born 1944

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0448 ILLUSTRATOR

Hannes Binder

Born 1947

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0449 PHOTOGRAPHER

Werner Sauber

1947 - 1975

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0462 ACADEMIC

Rolf Pfeifer

Born 1947

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0473 ACTOR

Alexander Ziegler

1944 - 1987

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0485 POLITICIAN

Eric Honegger

Born 1946

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0489 COMEDIAN

Ursula Schaeppi

Born 1940

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0491 FILM

Robert Cohen (Germanist)

Born 1941

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0494 CRIMINOLOGIST

Martin Killias

Born 1948

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0519 JOURNALIST

Achille Casanova

1941 - 2016

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0533 CONDUCTOR

Anne Lauber

Born 1943

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0543 POLITICIAN

Verena Diener

Born 1949

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0549 THEATRE

Marco Arturo Marelli

Born 1949

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0554 ACADEMIC

Albert A. Stahel

Born 1943

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0559 HISTORIAN

Elisabeth Raiser

Born 1940

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0563 ACTOR

Suly Röthlisberger

Born 1949

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0565 LINGUIST

Michael Meier-Brügger

Born 1948

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0599 PSYCHOLOGIST

Theodor Abt

Born 1947

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0603 SCULPTOR

Vincenzo Baviera

Born 1945

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0608 GAME

Henry Makow

Born 1949

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0611 ARCHITECT

Gret Loewensberg

Born 1943

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0614 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Marion Lichardus-Itten

Born 1941

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0626 ARCHITECT

Dieter Kienast

1945 - 1998

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0628 HISTORIAN

Regula Frei-Stolba

Born 1940

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0633 FILM

Marianne Pletscher

Born 1946

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0654 ACTOR

Beatrice Kessler

Born 1949

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0658 RACER

Bruno Kneubühler

Born 1946

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0672 PAINTER

Mascha Mioni

Born 1941

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0674 WRITER

Jürg Obrist

Born 1947

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0676 SCÈNE

Claude Stratz

1946 - 2007

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0703 MUSIC

Toni Vescoli

Born 1942

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0710 PHYSICIST

Peter Minkowski

Born 1941

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0718 ACTOR

Katja Paryla

1940 - 2013

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0736 PRINCE

Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein

Born 1946

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0742 THERAPIST

Alice Holzhey-Kunz

Born 1943

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0744 AUTHOR

Roswitha Quadflieg

Born 1949

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0769 WRITER

Jürg Acklin

Born 1945

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0805 FILM

Heinz Nigg

Born 1949

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0808 CHEMIST

Alfons Baiker

Born 1945

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0815 PRIEST

Heinrich Bolleter

Born 1941

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0822 AUTHOR

Jürg Jegge

Born 1943

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0831 CHEMIST

Walter Giger

Born 1943

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0857 ACADEMIC

Konrad Feilchenfeldt

Born 1944

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0858 JOURNALIST

Monika Dettwiler

Born 1948

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0868 ARTIST

Beat Kuert

Born 1946

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0882 ACTOR

Ursula Cantieni

Born 1947

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0894 WRITER

Carlo Formenti (giornalista)

Born 1947

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0909 LIEDERMACHER

Aernschd Born

Born 1949

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0945 ARTIST

Cornelia Hesse-Honegger

Born 1944

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0950 PHOTOGRAPHER

Hannes Schmid

Born 1946

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0964 PHYSICIST

Dieter Imboden

Born 1943

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1010 PHILOSOPHER

Walther Christoph Zimmerli

Born 1945

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1011 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Carlo H. Séquin

Born 1941

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1014 AUTHOR

Annette Kaiser

Born 1948

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1024 LAWYER

Gret Haller

Born 1947

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1033 HISTORIAN

Bruno Lezzi

Born 1945

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1036 CONDUCTOR

Matthias Aeschbacher

Born 1945

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1039 WRITER

Maja Gerber-Hess

Born 1946

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1061 CURATOR

Christoph Vitali

1940 - 2019

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1077 SOCIOLOGIST

Claudia Honegger

Born 1947

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1082 POLITICIAN

Monika Weber (Politikerin)

Born 1943

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1106 LAWYER

Peter Forstmoser

Born 1943

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1109 ART HISTORIAN

Jakob Bill

Born 1942

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1132 MATHEMATICIAN

Heinrich Wolfgang von Weizsäcker

Born 1947

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1133 SCREENWRITER

Erwin Keusch

Born 1946

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1135 LAWYER

Werner Stauffacher (Rechtsanwalt)

1945 - 2012

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1141 AUTHOR

Philippe Welti

Born 1949

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1146 SOCIOLOGIST

Thomas Held

Born 1946

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1189 GERMANIST

Paul Michel (Germanist)

Born 1947

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1193 ARTIST

Suzanne Baumann

Born 1942

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1196 ILLUSTRATOR

Oliver Frey

Born 1948

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1198 POLITICIAN

Jürg Scherrer

Born 1947

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1201 WRITER

Hans Peter Treichler

1941 - 2019

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1203 MUSIC

Hardy Hepp

Born 1944

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1205 COMPOSER

Fritz Voegelin

Born 1943

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1217 PÄDAGOGE

Hans Furrer

Born 1946

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1218 ECONOMIST

Ernst Baltensperger

Born 1942

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1230 HISTORIAN

Roland Beck

Born 1949

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1233 FILM

Peter-Christian Fueter

Born 1941

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1238 SPORT

René Stadler

Born 1940

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1249 POLITICIAN

Christian Huber (Politiker, 1944)

Born 1944

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1260 HISTORIAN

Heidi Witzig

Born 1944

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1280 FILM

Marcel Hoehn

Born 1947

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1285 ART HISTORIAN

Martin Steinmann (Architekt)

Born 1942

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1287 MEDIA

Heinz Bonfadelli

Born 1949

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1307 ACTOR

Albert Freuler

Born 1942

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1310 ACTOR

Peter Bollag

1945 - 1996

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1317 HISTORIAN

Esther Fischer-Homberger

1940 - 2019

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1323 ACADEMIC

Andres Kristol

Born 1948

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1327 HISTORIAN

Mario König

1947 - 2019

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1331 PAINTER

Willi Oertig

Born 1947

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1353 POLITICIAN

Peter Briner

Born 1943

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1358 TRANSLATOR

Peter Schwaar

Born 1947

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1367 PAINTER

Rudolf Stussi

Born 1947

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1368 SOCIOLOGIST

Bettina Heintz

Born 1949

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1369 DESIGNER

Christof Gassner

Born 1941

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1374 AUTHOR

Rudolf Steiger (Militärpädagoge)

Born 1946

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1376 ZOOLOGIST

Claude Martin

Born 1945

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1380 WRITER

Gian Trepp

Born 1947

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1396 WRITER

Claudia Storz

Born 1948

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1398 AUTHOR

Verena Keller

Born 1945

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1399 ARTIST

H.R. Fricker

Born 1947

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1409 PAINTER

Wilhelm Jaeger (Künstler)

Born 1941

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1424 WRITER

Bruno Steiger

Born 1946

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1430 JOURNALIST

Michael Lang (Journalist)

Born 1949

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1453 WRITER

Vera Dillier

Born 1948

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1462 WRITER

Eugen Eduard Hüsler

Born 1944

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1464 ACTOR

Pjotr Kraska

1946 - 2016

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1469 JOURNALIST

Eugen Sorg

Born 1940

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1485 BASSIST

Peter Frei (Musiker)

Born 1943

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1491 AUTHOR

Heiner Hug

Born 1946

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1511 ETCHER

Peter Kneubühler

1944 - 1999

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1515 MUSIC

Suzanne Klee

Born 1945

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1525 GUITAR

Jürg Grau

1943 - 2007

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1539 CINEMA

Hans Liechti

Born 1946

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1542 POLITICIAN

Thomas Wagner (Politiker, 1943)

Born 1943

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1555 ECONOMIST

Hans Geiger (Ökonom)

Born 1943

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1569 LAWYER

J. Alexander Baumann

Born 1942

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1577 WRITER

Kaspar Schnetzler

Born 1942

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1578 THEOLOGIAN

Christof Hardmeier

1942 - 2020

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1581 POLITICIAN

Walter Frey (Politiker, 1943)

Born 1943

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1589 PIANIST

Renato Anselmi

Born 1941

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1590 ARCHITECT

Max Bosshard

Born 1949

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1603 THEOLOGIAN

Urs Baumann

Born 1941

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1605 DESIGNER

Jörg Zintzmeyer

1947 - 2009

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1609 ETHNOLOGIST

Max Matter

Born 1945

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1611 MUSIC

Olivier Eisenmann

Born 1940

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1612 PFARRER

Käthi La Roche

Born 1948

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1619 WRITER

Verena Wyss

Born 1945

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1625 ACADEMIC

Dieter Zobl

Born 1944

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1626 AUTHOR

Peter Baumann (Verleger)

Born 1947

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1629 PHOTOGRAPHER

Hans Gissinger

Born 1946

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1630 ART HISTORIAN

Hans Peter Isler

Born 1941

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1639 PHILOSOPHER

Otto-Peter Obermeier

Born 1941

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1640 HISTORIAN

Klaus Urner

Born 1942

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1643 ACTOR

Peter Holliger

Born 1945

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1651 ARTIST

Dolores Wintersberger-Wyss

1946 - 2005

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1656 ACTOR

Maja Stolle

Born 1943

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1664 CONDUCTOR

Christof Escher

Born 1947

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1667 MATHEMATICIAN

Erwin Neuenschwander

Born 1942

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1682 HISTORIAN

Marthi Pritzker-Ehrlich

1944 - 1998

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1689 ACADEMIC

Beatrice Weber-Dürler

Born 1944

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1710 WRITER

Paul Bösch

1946 - 2020

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1724 CINEMA

Hansueli Schenkel

Born 1946

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1730 PRIEST

Christoph Casetti

1943 - 2020

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1736 ACTOR

Anne-Marie Dermon

1944 - 2018

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1738 AUTHOR

Christian Mürner

Born 1948

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1746 LINGUIST

Daniel Weiss (Slawist)

Born 1949

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1751 FILM

Fee Liechti

Born 1947

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1752 DESIGNER

Werner Nydegger

Born 1945

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1782 AUTHOR

Beat Schmid

Born 1940

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1787 FILM

Eduard Stoeckli

Born 1945

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1793 THEATRE

Adrian Hossli

Born 1943

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1809 ENTOMOLOGIST

Charles Lienhard

Born 1949

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1819 POLITICIAN

Lukas Fierz

Born 1941

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1823 WRITER

Esther Spinner

Born 1948

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1829 AUTHOR

Wanda Schmid

Born 1947

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1837 POKER PLAYER

Chris Bigler

Born 1949

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1847 ARTIST

Bernhard Schobinger

Born 1946

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1857 MOUNTAIN GUIDE

Walter Müller (Bergsteiger)

1948 - 2013

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1861 PROSECUTOR

Andreas Brunner (Staatsanwalt)

Born 1949

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1862 ACADEMIC

Rémy Droz

Born 1940

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1863 INTERNIST

Gianpiero Lupi

1942 - 2013

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1871 BUSINESS

Thomas W. Bechtler

Born 1949

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1872 PSYCHOLOGIST

Manfred Wettler

Born 1941

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1876 AUTHOR

Werner Pfändler

Born 1946

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1884 NEUROLOGIST

Theodor Landis

Born 1945

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1887 ACADEMIC

André Kilchenmann

Born 1941

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1905 ACADEMIC

Hans-Rudolf Wenk

Born 1941

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1926 PAINTER

René Fehr

Born 1945

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1929 LITERARY

Peter Fröhlicher

Born 1949

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1938 CHEMIST

Wolfgang Kläui

Born 1945

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1940 ACADEMIC

Emil Walter-Busch

Born 1942

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1946 MUSIC

Barbara Wappmann-Sulzer

Born 1941

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1947 THEATRE

Fredy Kunz (Schauspieler)

Born 1944

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1963 ORNITHOLOGIST

Christoph Imboden

Born 1946

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1970 WRITER

Hans Büchler (Lehrer)

Born 1942

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1974 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Ulrich Ruoff

Born 1940

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1975 ILLUSTRATOR

Art Ringger

Born 1946

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1979 ARCHITECT

Willi Egli

Born 1943

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1990 AUTHOR

Silvia Hüsler

Born 1943

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1993 ACTOR

Peter Dolder

Born 1945

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1995 HOST

Peter Burkhart (Konzertveranstalter)

1942 - 2014

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2015 WRITER

Hanspeter Bleisch

Born 1945

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2048 ACTOR

Ruth Oswalt

Born 1946

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2049 ACTOR

Erica Hänssler

1947 - 2016

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2051 POLITICIAN

Cornelia Füeg

Born 1941

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2059 AUTHOR

Monika Schnyder

Born 1945

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2100 PIANIST

Urs Voerkel

1949 - 1999

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2127 PRESENTER

Hans Jucker (Moderator)

1946 - 2011

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2133 SINGER

Yvonne Perrin

Born 1941

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2145 SURGEON

Dieter Grob

Born 1949

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2156 JOURNALIST

Peter Schellenberg

Born 1940

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2175 MANAGER

Rudolf Wehrli

Born 1949

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2178 AUTHOR

Katrin Wiederkehr

Born 1942

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2191 CHEMIST

Edwin Haselbach

1940 - 2014

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2202 BANDLEADER

Robi Weber

Born 1941

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2211 PIANIST

Christiane Engel

Born 1942

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2219 KATHOLISCHER

Hans-Peter Röthlin

Born 1941

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2230 ACTOR

Joe Stadelmann

1940 - 2003

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2258 BIOLOGIST

Hans-Peter Hauri

Born 1945

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2271 ROWER

Franz Rentsch

Born 1943

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2275 ROWER

Fred Rüssli

Born 1942

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2287 SPORT

Santiago Udaeta

Born 1949

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2295 LAWYER

Till Lufft

Born 1940

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2301 ATHLETIC

Reto Diezi

Born 1949

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2310 SINGER

Paul Schmidhauser

Born 1948

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2324 MUSIC

Urs Wäckerli

Born 1945

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2325 ILLUSTRATOR

Beat Kennel

Born 1945

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2327 PAINTER

Christine Schachenmann

Born 1940

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2338 BUSINESS

Hans-Peter Lang

Born 1948

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2358 SWIMMER

Maya Hungerbühler

Born 1943

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2374 THEOLOGIAN

Thomas Wipf

Born 1946

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2381 SAXOPHONIST

Ernst Gerber (Saxophonist)

1941 - 2010

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2382 JOURNALIST

Christa Zopfi

Born 1947

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2389 BASS

Turi Schellenberg

Born 1940

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2408 LAWYER

Herbert Winter (Jurist)

Born 1946

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2410 ACADEMIC

Franco Clivio

Born 1942

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2425 OFFICER

Marcel Muggensturm

Born 1945

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2433 POLITICIAN

Adrian Guggisberg

Born 1943

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2450 ENGRAVER

Ernst Sigrist

Born 1947

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2452 POLITICIAN

Josy Biedermann

Born 1941

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