List of people from Zürich

Many of 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.

Richard Avenarius (1843–1896), philosopher, died in Zürich
Daniel Barben (born 1961), university professor^[1]
Celeste Buckingham (born 1995), Slovak singer, born in Zürich
Denise Biellman (born 1962), Swiss champion and Olympic figure skater who popularized the spin named after her
Diego Benaglio (born 1983), footballer, born in Zürich
Severin Blindenbacher (born 1983), ice hockey player, born in Zürich
Felix Bloch (1905–1983), physicist, born in Zürich
Rosa Bloch-Bollag (1880–1922), political activist
Alain de Botton (born 20 December 1969), philosoph
Heinrich Bullinger (1504–1575), reformer and theologian, died in Zürich
René Burri (9 April 1933 – 20 October 2014), photographer
Elias Canetti (1905–1994), novelist, died in Zürich
Monika Dettwiler (born 1948), journalist and author
Fabio Digenti (born 1983), footballer
Gottlieb Duttweiler (15 August 1888 – 8 June 1962 in Rüschlikon), entrepreneur and politician (founder of Migros)
Ulla E. Dydo (1925–2017), writer, editor and noted Gertrude Stein expert, born in Zürich
Jeanne Eder-Schwyzer (1894–1957), Swiss women's rights activist and President of the International Council of Women, died in Zürich
Alfred Escher (1819–1882), politician, business leader and railways pioneer, born and died in Zürich
Lydia Escher (1858–1891), daughter of Alfred Escher, patron of the arts and founder of the Gottfried Keller Stiftung
Wilhelm Filchner (1877–1957), explorer, died in Zürich
Peter Fischli (born 8 June 1952 in Zürich), artist, part of artistic duo Fischli and Weiss
Robert Frank (born 9 November 1924), photographer
Max Frisch (1911–1991), major Swiss playwright and novelist, born and died in Zürich
Christoph Froschauer (c. 1490/1–1564), printer of the Froschauer Bible, died in Zürich
Daniel Garbade (born 1957), painter, illustrator, art director and publisher, born in Zürich
Bruno Ganz (1941–2019), Swiss actor known for playing Adolf Hitler in the German film Downfall
Patrick Geering (born 1990), ice hockey player, born in Zürich
Ueli Gegenschatz (1971–2009), Swiss BASE jumper, died in Zürich after a failed jump from the Sunrise Tower
Conrad Gessner (1516–1565), naturalist, born and died in Zürich
HR Giger (5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014), artist, designer of the Alien aliens
Marcel Grossmann (1878–1936), mathematician, died in Zürich
Markus Hediger (born 31 March 1959 in Zurich), poet and translator
Max Holzmann (1899–1994), cardiologist, born and died in Zürich
Andy Hug (1964–2000), karateka and kickboxer, born in Zürich
Otto Hunziker (1873–1959), pioneer in the international dairy industry, born in Zürich
Hans-Ulrich Indermaur (born 1939), television journalist, moderator, and writer^[2]
Philippe Jordan (born 1974), current Music Director of the Opéra National de Paris, and current chief conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker (Vienna Symphony Orchestra)
James Joyce (1882–1941), Irish novelist, died in Zürich (buried at Fluntern Cemetery in Zürich)
Carl Jung (1875–1961), psychiatrist, lived and died in Zürich
Enes Kanter (born 1992), basketball player
Raynold Kaufgetz (1797–1869), economist, born and died in Zürich
Gottfried Keller (1819–1890), poet, born and died in Zürich
Otto Klemperer (1885–1973), German conductor, died in Zürich (buried at Israelitischer Friedhof Oberer Friesenberg)
Hugo Koblet (1925–1964), cycling champion, born in Zürich
Ursula Koch (born 1941), Swiss politician
Ernesto Korrodi (born Ernst Korrodi) (30 January 1870 in Zürich – 3 February 1944 in Leiria, Portugal), Swiss-born architect who lived and worked in Portugal
Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741–1801), poet and physiognomist, born in Zürich
Antonio Ligabue (1899–1965), Italian painter, born in Zürich
Hugo Loetscher (1929–2009), writer, born and died in Zürich
Rolf Lyssy (born 25 February 1936), movie director
Erika Mann (9 November 1905 in München–27 August 1969 in Zurich), German actress, cabaretist and novelist
Thomas Mann (6 June 1875 in Lübeck–1 August 1955 in Zurich), German novelist, exilant in Zürich during WWII
Mason McTavish (30 January 2003), Canadian ice hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL)^[3]
Dieter Meier (born 1945), conceptual artist and musician with electronica group Yello, born in Zürich
Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825–1898), poet, born in Zürich
Silvio Moser, (24 April 1941 in Zurich–26 May 1974 in Locarno), following an accident during the 1,000-kilometre race in Monza, was a Swiss car driver
Walter Andreas Müller (born 1945), actor and comedian, born in Zürich
Harald Naegeli (born 4 December 1939), artist, renowned as "Sprayer von Zürich"
Ernst Nobs (14 July 1886 – 15 March 1957), trade unionist, publicist, politician, Alt-Bundesrat (former Swiss president and member of the Swiss Federal Council), Social Party
Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958), physicist, died in Zürich
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746–1827), educational reformer, born in Zürich
James Sadleir (c. 1815–1881), fugitive swindler, murdered in Zürich
Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672–1733), scholar, born in Zürich
Hanna Scheuring (1965), actress and theatre director, native in Zürich
Roland Scholl (1865–1945), chemist, born in Zürich
Trudi Schoop (1904–1999), comedy dancer and therapist
Peter Schweri (1939–2016), artist, illustrator, musician, lived over 20 years in Villa Egli and died in Zürich
Nadja Sieger (born 1967), comedian (Ursus & Nadeschkin), born and raised in Zürich
Johanna Spyri (1827–1901), author of Heidi, died in Zürich
Tobias Stephan (born 1984), ice hockey player, born in Zürich
Sandra Studer (10 February 1969), Swiss moderator and singer
Stefi Talman (born 1958), Swiss shoe designer, born in Zürich
King Tribhuvan Shah (1906–1955), King of Nepal, died in Zürich
Shefqet Vërlaci (1877–1946), 12th Prime Minister of Albanian Kingdom (1939–1943)
Pancho Vladigerov (1899–1978), Bulgarian composer, born in Zürich
Max Weber (2 August 1897 – 2 December 1974), trade unionist and politician, Alt-Bundesrat (former Swiss president and member of the Swiss Federal Council), Social Party
Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker (born 25 June 1939 in Zurich), German politician and scientist
Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl (9 November 1885 – 8 December 1955), mathematician
Heidi Wunderli-Allenspach (born 1947), Swiss biologist and first women rector of ETH Zurich
Ozan Yildirim (born 1992), better known as OZ, record producer
Katharina von Zimmern (1478–1547), last abbess of the Fraumünster Abbey

Famous residents:

Sibylle Berg (born 2 June 1962 in Weimar), German novelist and essayist
Max Bill (22 December 1908 in Winterthur–9 December 1994 in Berlin), Swiss architect, designer and member of the Swiss National Council
Anne-Marie Blanc (2 September 1919 in Vevey–5 February 2009 in Zurich), Swiss actress
Boris Blank, musician with Yello
Georg Büchner (17 October 1813 in Goddelau–19 February 1837 in Zurich), German revolutionary, dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, and physician
Albert Einstein (1896–1900, 1909–1911, 1912–1914)
Nico Elvedi (1996) Swiss defender playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach
Stephanie Glaser (22 February 1920 in Neuchâtel–14 January 2011 in Zollikerberg), Swiss actress, lived in Zürich-Witikon
Hermann Greulich (9 April 1842 in Breslau–8 November 1925 in Zurich), politician, founder of the first Social Party in Switzerland
Franz Hohler (born 1 March 1943 in Biel), Swiss novelist, cabaretist and songwriter
James Joyce (1915–1919)
Udo Jürgens, German singer
Patricia Kaas, singer
Jonas Kaufmann, opera singer
Adolf Keller (1872–1963) Swiss Protestant theologian and writer
Tina Keller-Jenny (1887–1985) Swiss physician and Jungian psychotherapist
Erich Kleiber (1890–1956), conductor, died in Zürich
Vladimir Lenin (1917)
Moritz Leuenberger (born 21 September 1946 in Biel), Swiss politician, Alt-Bundesrat (former Swiss president and member of the Swiss Federal Council), Social Party
Thomas Mann (1933–1942)
Mileva Maric, Serbian mathematician and the first wife of Albert Einstein
Alina Popa, IFBB professional bodybuilder
Manuel Rivera-Ortiz
Elisabeth von Rapperswil (c. 1251 or 1261–1309 probably in Rapperswil, Burgrecht of Zürich), last Countess of the House of Rapperswil
Florian Roth, musician and member of the country music duo Flo & Jessie
Roger Sablonier (1941–2010)
Ernst Sieber (1927–2018), pastor, member of the Swiss National Council, worked with homeless and drug addict.
Lee 'Scratch' Perry (born 1936), reggae and dub producer and singer.
Kurt Tucholsky (1932–1933)
Tina Turner (1939), singer, dancer, actress and composer of American origin and naturalized Swiss
Tristan Tzara (1896–1963)
Richard Wagner (1849–1861)
Jessice Wezel, singer and member of the country music duo Flo & Jessie
Urs Widmer (21 May 1938 in Basel–2 April 2014 in Zurich), Swiss novelist
Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia (1853–1920), Duchess of Edinburgh, died in Zürich