List of people from Zürich

Many notable people were either born or adopted in the Swiss city of Zürich.

Native people from Zürich

The following were born or adopted in Zürich. Some became famous after they moved away.

A to D

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (1853–1920 in Zürich), the fifth child and only surviving daughter of Alexander II of Russia
Jost Amman (1539 in Zürich – 1591) artist, chiefly of woodcuts.^[1]
Hans Asper (ca.1499 in Zürich – 1571 in Zürich) a painter of portraits.^[2]
Richard Avenarius (1843–1896 in Zürich), philosopher.^[3]
Johann Georg Baiter (1801 in Zürich – 1877) philologist and textual critic.^[4]
Manon Bannerman (born 2002 in Zürich), Ghanaian-Italian-Swiss singer and member of US-based international girl group Katseye formed by HYBE Corporation and Geffen Records.^[5]
Daniel Barben (born 1961 in Zürich), university professor^[6]
Denise Biellmann (born 1962 in Zürich), Olympic figure skater, eponym of her skating spin
Diego Benaglio (born 1983 in Zürich), footballer
Severin Blindenbacher (born 1983 in Zürich), ice hockey player
Felix Bloch (1905 in Zürich – 1983), physicist
Johann Jakob Bodmer (1698 at Greifensee – 1783 in Zürich) author, academic and poet.^[7]
Rosa Bloch-Bollag (1880 in Zürich – 1922), political activist
Johann Kaspar Bluntschli (1808 in Zürich – 1881) a jurist and politician.^[8]
Alain de Botton (1969 in Zürich), British philosopher and author
Celeste Buckingham (born 1995 in Zürich), Slovak singer
Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575 in Zürich), reformer and theologian.^[9]
René Burri (1933 in Zürich – 2014 in Zürich), photographer
Elias Canetti (1905–1994 in Zürich), novelist
Monika Dettwiler (born 1948 in Zürich), journalist and author
Fabio Digenti (born 1983 in Zürich), footballer
Gottlieb Duttweiler (1888–1962 in Rüschlikon), entrepreneur and politician (founder of Migros)
Ulla E. Dydo (1925 in Zürich – 2017), writer, editor and noted Gertrude Stein expert

E to G

Jeanne Eder-Schwyzer (1894–1957 in Zürich), women's rights activist, President of the International Council of Women
Nico Elvedi (1996 in Zurich) footballer, plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach
Alfred Escher (1819 in Zürich – 1882 in Zürich), politician, business leader and railways pioneer
Lydia Escher (1858 in Zürich-Enge – 1891), daughter of Alfred Escher, founded the Gottfried Keller Stiftung
Arnold Escher von der Linth (1807 in Zürich – 1872) a geologist.^[10]
Ernst Moritz Ludwig Ettmüller (1802 – 1877 in Zürich), a German philologist.^[11]
Wilhelm Filchner (1877–1957 in Zürich), explorer
Peter Fischli (born 1952 in Zürich), artist, part of artistic duo Fischli and Weiss
Robert Frank (1924 in Zürich - 2019), photographer and documentary filmmaker
Max Frisch (1911 in Zürich – 1991 in Zürich), major Swiss playwright and novelist
Christoph Froschauer (ca.1490/–1564 in Zürich), printer of the Froschauer Bible
Henry Fuseli (1741 in Zürich – 1825 in London) a painter, draughtsman and writer on art.^[12]
Daniel Garbade (born 1957 in Zürich), painter, illustrator, art director and publisher
Bruno Ganz (1941 in Zürich – 2019), Swiss actor known for playing Adolf Hitler in Downfall
Patrick Geering (born 1990 in Zürich), ice hockey player
Ueli Gegenschatz (1971–2009 in Zürich), Swiss BASE jumper, died after a failed jump from the Sunrise Tower
Conrad Gessner (1516 in Zürich – 1565 in Zürich), naturalist.^[13]
Salomon Gessner (1730 in Zürich – 1788) painter, graphic artist and poet of Idylls.^[14]
HR Giger (1940 – 2014 in Zürich), artist, designer of the Alien aliens
Hermann Goetz (1840 – 1876 in Zürich) a German composer, wrote the 1872 opera Der Widerspänstigen Zähmung.^[15]
Marcel Grossmann (1878–1936 in Zürich), mathematician

H to K

Markus Hediger (born 1959 in Zurich), poet and translator
Albert Heim (1849 in Zürich – 1937) a geologist.^[16]
Max Holzmann (1899 in Zürich – 1994 in Zürich), cardiologist
Johann Heinrich Hottinger (1620 in Zürich – 1667) a philologist and theologian.^[17]
Andy Hug (1964 in Zürich – 2000), karateka and kickboxer
Christine Hug (1980 – 2023), Swiss military officer
Otto Hunziker (1873 in Zürich – 1959), pioneer in the international dairy industry
Hans-Ulrich Indermaur (born 1939 in Zürich), magazine editor, TV reporter and author.^[18]
Philippe Jordan (born 1974 in Zürich), music director of the Opéra National de Paris, and current chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra
James Joyce (1882–1941 in Zürich), Irish novelist, (buried at Fluntern Cemetery in Zürich)
Leo Jud (1482 – 1542 in Zürich), a reformer who worked with Huldrych Zwingli in Zürich.^[19]
Carl Jung (1875 in Zürich – 1961 in Zürich), psychiatrist
Enes Kanter Freedom (born 1992 in Zürich), American basketball player
Raynold Kaufgetz (1797 in Zürich – 1869 in Zürich), economist
Gottfried Keller (1819 in Zürich – 1890 in Zürich), poet.^[20]
Otto Klemperer (1885–1973 in Zürich), German conductor (buried at Israelitischer Friedhof Oberer Friesenberg)
Hugo Koblet (1925 in Zürich – 1964), cycling champion
Ursula Koch (born 1941 in Zürich), politician
Albert von Kölliker (1817 in Zürich – 1905) an anatomist, physiologist and histologist.^[21]
Ernesto Korrodi (born Ernst Korrodi) (1870 in Zürich – 1944), architect who lived, worked and died in Portugal

L to R

Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741 in Zürich – 1801), poet and physiognomist.^[22]
Antonio Ligabue (1899 in Zürich – 1965), Italian painter
Hugo Loetscher (1929 in Zürich – 2009 in Zürich), writer
Rolf Lyssy (born 1936 in Zürich), screenwriter and film director
Erika Mann (1905 – 1969 in Zurich), German actress, cabaretist and novelist
Thomas Mann (1875 – 1955 in Zurich), German novelist, exilant in Zürich during WWII.^[23]
Mason McTavish (born 2003 in Zurich), Canadian ice hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL.^[24]
Dieter Meier (born 1945 in Zürich), conceptual artist and musician with electronica group Yello
Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825 in Zürich – 1898), poet.^[25]
Silvio Moser, (1941 in Zurich – 1974), a racing driver, died from accident during a race in Monza
Walter Andreas Müller (born 1945 in Zürich), actor and comedian
Harald Naegeli (born 1939 in Zürich), artist, renowned as "Sprayer von Zürich"
Ernst Nobs (1886–1957), trade unionist, politician and mayor of Zürich, 1942 to 1944.
Hans Konrad von Orelli (1846 in Zürich - 1912) a theologian.^[26]
Johann Caspar von Orelli (1787 in Zürich – 1849), a classical scholar.^[27]
Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958 in Zürich), physicist
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746 in Zürich – 1827), educational reformer.^[28]
Joachim Raff (1822 in Lachen – 1882) a German-Swiss composer and pianist.^[29]

S to Z

James Sadleir (ca.1815–1881 in Zürich), fugitive swindler, murdered in Zürich
Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672 in Zürich – 1733), scholar.^[30]
Hanna Scheuring (1965 in Zürich), actress and theatre director
Roland Scholl (1865 in Zürich – 1945), chemist
Trudi Schoop (1904 in Zürich – 1999), comedy dancer and therapist
Peter Schweri (1939–2016 in Zürich), artist, illustrator, musician, lived over 20 years in Villa Egli
Jonas Siegenthaler (born 1997 in Zürich), ice hockey player
Nadja Sieger (born 1967 in Zürich), comedian (Ursus & Nadeschkin) raised in Zürich
Johanna Spyri (1827–1901 in Zürich), author of Heidi
Tobias Stephan (born 1984 in Zürich), ice hockey player
Sandra Studer (born 1969 in Zürich), Swiss moderator and singer
Stefi Talman (born 1958 in Zürich), Swiss shoe designer
King Tribhuvan Shah (1906–1955 in Zürich), King of Nepal
Bénédict Turrettini (1588 in Zürich – 1631), an ordained a pastor and professor of theology.^[31]
Shefqet Vërlaci (1877–1946 in Zürich), 12th Prime Minister of Albanian Kingdom (1939–1943)
Pancho Vladigerov (1899 in Zürich – 1978), Bulgarian composer
Heini Waser (1913 in Zürich – 2008 in Zollikon), painter
Max Weber (1897–1974), trade unionist and politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council)
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker (born 1939 in Zurich), German politician and scientist
Hermann Weyl (1885–1955 in Zurich), mathematician
Urs Widmer (1938 – 2014 in Zurich), novelist, playwright, essayist and a short story writer.
Heidi Wunderli-Allenspach (born 1947), Swiss biologist and first women rector of ETH Zurich
Ozan Yildirim (born 1992 in Zurich), known as OZ, record producer
Katharina von Zimmern (1478–1547 in Neumarkt), last abbess of the Fraumünster Abbey

Famous residents

A to K

Sibylle Berg (1962 in Weimar), German novelist and essayist
Max Bill (1908 in Winterthur– 1994 in Berlin), Swiss architect, designer and member of the Swiss National Council
Anne-Marie Blanc (1919 in Vevey– 2009 in Zurich), Swiss actress
Boris Blank, (born 1952) musician with Yello
Georg Büchner (1813 – 1837 in Zurich), German revolutionary, dramatist, writer and physician
Johann Gottfried Ebel (1764–1830) author of the first guidebook to Switzerland, lived in Zurich from 1810.^[32]
Albert Einstein (1879 in Ulm – 1955) lived in Zurich, 1896–1900, 1909–1911, 1912–1914.^[33]
Stephanie Glaser (1920 in Neuchâtel– 2011 in Zollikerberg), Swiss actress, lived in Zürich-Witikon
Hermann Greulich (1842 in Breslau– 1925 in Zurich), politician, founder of the first Social Party in Switzerland
Franz Hohler (born 1943 in Biel), Swiss novelist, cabaretist and songwriter
Udo Jürgens, (1934–2014) an Austrian composer and singer of popular music
Patricia Kaas, (born 1966) a French singer and actress.
Jonas Kaufmann, (born 1969) a German operatic tenor.
Adolf Keller (1872–1963) Swiss Protestant theologian and writer
Tina Keller-Jenny (1887–1985) Swiss physician and Jungian psychotherapist
Erich Kleiber (1890–1956 in Zürich), an Austrian, later Argentine, conductor

L to Z

Vladimir Lenin [1870–1924), travelled to Russia from Zürich in 1917.^[34]
Moritz Leuenberger (born 1946 in Biel), Swiss politician, member of the Swiss Federal Council)
Mileva Maric, (1875 – 1948 in Zürich), Serbian mathematician, first wife of Albert Einstein
Alina Popa, (born 1978) a Romanian-born professional female bodybuilder
Manuel Rivera-Ortiz (born 1968) a stateside Puerto Rican photographer.
Elisabeth von Rapperswil (ca.1251 – 1309 in Rapperswil), Burgrecht of Zürich, last Countess of the House of Rapperswil
Roger Sablonier (1941–2010), historian and writer of non-fiction publications
Ernst Sieber (1927–2018), pastor, member of the Swiss National Council, worked with the homeless and drug addicts.
Lee 'Scratch' Perry (1936–2021), reggae and dub producer and singer.
Kurt Tucholsky (1890–1935) German journalist, satirist and writer, lived in Zürich, 1932–1933
Tina Turner (1939-2023), singer, dancer, actress and composer of American origin and naturalized Swiss
Tristan Tzara (1896–1963), a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist.
Georg von Vollmar (1850–1922) a Bavarian democratic socialist politician, lived in Zürich 1879 to 1882.^[35]
Richard Wagner (1813–1883) a German composer and conductor, lived in Zürich, 1849–1861.^[36]
Raphael Zuber (born 1973 in Chur), architect und visiting professor at the ETH Zurich

References

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^ "Asper, Hans" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 767.
^ "Avenarius, Richard Heinrich Ludwig" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 53.
^ "Baiter, Johann Georg" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 225.
^ "Hybe, Geffen Records Unveil New Girl Group Katseye". Retrieved April 22, 2024.
^ "Anticipatory Governance of Science and Technology Challenges to Democracy". Academia Engelberg. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
^ "Bodmer, Johann Jakob" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 111.
^ "Bluntschli, Johann Kaspar" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 93.
^ Gordon, Alexander (1911). "Bullinger, Heinrich" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). pp. 790–791.
^ "Escher von der Linth, Arnold" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 765.
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^ "Hottinger, Johann Heinrich" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 807.
^ https://www.media-press.tv/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Hans-Ulrich-Indermaur-TELE-44-2017.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
^ "Jud, Leo" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 534–535.
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^ Foster, Michael (1911). "Kölliker, Rudolph Albert von" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). pp. 889–890.
^ "Lavater, Johann Kaspar" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 291.
^ Author:Thomas Mann (1875-1955) – via Wikisource.
^ "Mason McTavish". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
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^ "Orelli, Hans Konrad von" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 251.
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^ "Pestalozzi, Johann Heinrich" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 284–285.
^ "Raff, Joseph Joachim" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 813.
^ Coolidge, William Augustus Brevoort (1911). "Scheuchzer, Johann Jakob" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). p. 322.
^ "Turretin" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 483; see second para. Benoît Turretin (1588–1631)....
^ Coolidge, William Augustus Brevoort (1911). "Ebel, Johann Gottfried" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). p. 840.
^ Author:Albert Einstein – via Wikisource.
^ Author:Vladimir Ilyich Lenin – via Wikisource.
^ "Vollmar, Georg Heinrich von" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 195.
^ Rockstro, William Smyth; Tovey, Donald Francis (1911). "Wagner, Wilhelm Richard" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). pp. 236–243.