Famous Germans a to z

Beginning with his first film in 1911 and in the years leading up to World War II, Hans Albers was one of Germany's most beloved movie stars.

Albert, first duke of Prussia and last grand master of the Teutonic Knights, is known chiefly for ending the Teutonic Knights' government of East Prussia.

Alois Alzheimer was a German psychiatrist who discovered the pathological condition of dementia and diagnosed the disease that bears his name.

Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of Henry VIII. She briefly served as queen of England.

Hannah Arendt gained much attention for her writings on totalitarianism and Jewish affairs after World War II.

Fur trader and real estate investor John Jacob Astor was one of the leading businessmen of his day and the founder of an American fur trade dynasty.

Johann Christian Bach was a galant-style German composer of Italian opera during the early Classical period, and the youngest son of famed Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

Nazi leader Klaus Barbie was head of the Gestapo in Lyon from 1942 to 1944, and was held responsible for the death and deportation thousands.

Ludwig van Beethoven was a deaf German composer and the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras.

Benedict XVI served as pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013. He is best known for his rigid views on Catholicism and topics such as birth control and homosexuality.

Cellular and molecular biologist Günter Blobel won the Nobel Prize in 1999 for his discoveries about proteins and their placement in the cell.

Franz Boas was a German-born anthropologist who founded the relativistic, culture-centered school of American anthropology that dominated 20th century thought.

Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist who wrote symphonies, concerti, chamber music, piano works, and choral compositions.

Eva Braun was the mistress and later the wife of Adolf Hitler. Braun and Hitler killed themselves on April 30, 1945, the day after their wedding—an decided alternative to falling into the hands of enemy troops.

Author and poet Charles Bukowski wrote the gritty poetry book Love is a Dog from Hell, and the novels Barfly and Factotum, both of which were made into films.

LeVar Burton is an actor known chiefly for his work in the TV miniseries Roots and the series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Catherine II was empress of Russia, and led her country into the political and cultural life of Europe, carrying on the work begun by Peter the Great.

Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus identified the concept of a heliocentric solar system, in which the sun, rather than the earth, is the center of the solar system.

Graham Coxon is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the guitarist and backup vocalist for the alternative rock band Blur.

German inventor Gottlieb Daimler patented one of the first successful internal-combustion engines and later founded the Daimler company, which produced the first Mercedes car in 1899.

Film actress Marlene Dietrich was known for her sultry, sex appeal. She was a major leading lady in the 1930s and 1940s.

Heinrich Eberbach was a German General der Panzertruppen in the German Army of World War II.

Paul Ehrlich is a German Jewish medical scientist best known for discovering the first effective treatment for syphilis.

Adolf Eichmann would be executed by the state of Israel for his role as coordinator of logistics for "the final solution to the Jewish question."

Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist who developed the theory of relativity. He is considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century.

Personality development, in Erik H. Erikson's view, occurs through a series of identity crises that occur in stages that must be overcome and internalized.

Actor Michael Fassbender has starred in the films 300, Inglorious Basterds, Centurion, Dangerous Method, Prometheus and the comic-book-based X-men: First Class.

Alexandra Feodorovna was consort of the Russian Czar Nicholas II. Her rule precipitated the collapse of Russia's imperial government. She was murdered, along with her entire family, in 1918.

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was an opera singer known for his deep baritone and preeminence in the lieder.

Anne Frank is a Jewish girl that had to go into hiding during World War II. She is best known for the diary that she kept, which continues to touch people today.

Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great, was Prussia's king from 1740 to 1786. By winning wars and expanding territories, he established Prussia as a strong military power.

Joseph Goebbels was minister of propaganda for the German Third Reich under Adolf Hitler. He presented a favorable image of the Nazi regime to the Germans.

Hermann Göring was a leader of the Nazi Party. He was condemned to hang as a war criminal in 1946 but took his own life instead.

Steffi Graf is an internationally renowned pro tennis player who ranked up scores of championship titles in the 1980s and '90s.

Bill Graham was a legendary rock concert promoter who arranged tours for bands like Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones from the 1960s until the '90s.

Jacob Grimm was a 19th century German scholar who, along with brother Wilhelm, published Grimms' Fairy Tales, a collection famous for its children's stories.

Wilhelm Grimm was a 19th century German author who, along with brother Jacob, published Grimms' Fairy Tales, a collection famous for stories like Cinderella and Rapunzel.

Robert Harting is a German discus thrower and Olympic gold medalist. Known for tearing open his shirt after big wins, he is often called "The Incredible Hulk."

German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was one of the creators of German Idealism. He explored how contradictions ultimately integrated.

Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor became king of Germany in 1056 and was abdicated in 1105. He overthrew Pope Gregory VII because of a disagreement about imperial rule.

Henry V served as joint king of Germany with Henry IV until he forced his father to abdicate the throne. Holy Roman emperor from 1111 to 1125, he was the last of the Salian line.

Henry VI was the German king and Holy Roman emperor (1165-1197). His main achievement was increasing his dynasty's power by acquiring of the kingdom of Sicily.

Henry VII was a 13th century German king and son of Frederick II, who was Holy Roman emperor.

Henry VII became the first House of Luxembourg member to serve as king of Germany in 1308. In 1312, he became the House of Luxembourg's first Holy Roman Emperor.

Adolf Hitler appointed Rudolf Hess deputy of the Nazi party in 1939. Following World War II, Hess was convicted at the Nuremberg Trials and sentenced to life in prison.

Heinrich Himmler was commander of Hitler's Schutzstaffel, and later of the Gestapo in Nazi Germany. After World War II, he committed suicide to escape capture.

Adolf Hitler was the leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. He initiated World War II and oversaw fascist policies that resulted in millions of deaths.

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has gained recognition for his work in a series of successful films including Capote and Doubt.

German painter Hans Hofmann was an influential 20th century art teacher whose work paved the way for Abstract Expressionism.

Roy Horn is half of the headlining Las Vegas magical duo Siegfried & Roy who survived severe injuries after an onstage tiger attack.

William Joyce is best known for his involvement in the British Fascist Party during World War II and immigrating to Nazi Germany.

Architect Albert Kahn was known for his designs of American automobile factories. He was considered the world's foremost industrial architect at the time.

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher during the Enlightenment era of the late 18th century. His best known work is the Critique of Pure Reason.

Anselm Kiefer is an internationally acclaimed German painter and sculptor whose work looks at his country’s political past.

Actor Klaus Kinski made his mark in such films as Aguirre (1972), Nosferatu (1979) and Fitzcarraldo (1982).

Paul Klee was a prolific Swiss and German artist best known for his large body of work, influenced by cubism, expressionism and surrealism.

Former supermodel Heidi Klum has produced and served as host and judge of Project Runway, a competitive reality television series about fashion designers.

Helmut Kohl served as chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1988, during which time he oversaw the reunification of East and West Germany.