Famous People Born In Düsseldorf

Luise Rainer, the first actor to win consecutive Academy Awards, had decided to make a career as an actor after watching a circus performance at age 6. A prominent stage actor in Germany, she secured an MGM movie deal and move to the U.S. during the Nazi regime.

The daughter of former German ice-hockey player Rainer Makatsch, Heike Makatsch initially apprenticed as a dressmaker. She began her entertainment career hosting shows such as Interaktiv. She later appeared in movies such as Love Actually and Am I Beautiful? She also earned an Emmy nomination for Margarete Steiff.

German philosopher and sociologist Jürgen Habermas is counted among the most influential philosophers across the world and is identified with the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. He influenced many disciplines through his work which addresses communicative rationality and the public sphere, and includes topics starting from social-political theory to aesthetics, language to philosophy of religion, and epistemology.

Monika Dannemann was a German painter and figure skater whose professional achievements were overshadowed by her relationship with legendary guitar player Jimi Hendrix; she is often referred to as the last girlfriend of Jimi Hendrix. A year before her death, Monika Dannemann published a book titled The Inner World of Jimi Hendrix.   

Heinrich Heine was a German poet, literary critic, and writer. He is known internationally for his lyric poetry, which was popularized by composers like Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann who adapted Heine's lyric poetry into art songs. Heinrich Heine's radical political views forced the German authorities to ban his works, which only added to his popularity.

Born in Germany, Tetsuya Kakihara later established himself as a fine voice actor in Japan. He now also owns his own agency. Best known for his performances in manga/anime productions such as Fairy Tail, he later also released singles. He has also worked in adult media as Raku Kaiou.

Felix Christian Klein was a German mathematician and educator remembered for his work on complex analysis, group theory, and non-Euclidean geometry. He is also popular for his work on the relationship between group theory and geometry. He is credited with teaching advanced courses to students like Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, who went on to become a renowned mathematician in his own right.

Anne of Cleves was the Queen of England for 6 months in 1540, as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Their unconsummated marriage deprived led to the annulment of the marriage, following which she received a settlement and came to be known as the King's Beloved Sister.

Wim Wenders is a German filmmaker and playwright. He is considered to be a major figure in New German Cinema.  Buena Vista Social Club and Pina are among his best-known works. He has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Besides filmmaking, he is also active as a photographer and has published several books. 

Born to pianist parents Robert and Clara Schumann, Eugenie Schumann grew up to be not just a fine pianist but also an author, who had penned her memoir, The Schumanns and Johannes Brahms. It is believed, she was in a long-term lesbian relationship with Austrian singer Marie Fillunger.

Antonis Remos is a Greek singer best known for releasing several multi-platinum studio albums like Kleista Ta Stomata and Kardia Mou Min Anisiheis. Over the course of his illustrious music career, Antonis Remos has won several prestigious awards, such as Arion Music Awards, Cyprus Music Awards, MAD Video Music Awards, and Pop Corn Music Awards. 

Kurt Franz was a German SS officer. Franz was one of the most influential personalities in the Treblinka extermination camp, where he served as one of the commanders. A major perpetrator of genocide, Kurt Franz also played an important role during the Holocaust. Although he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1965, Kurt Franz was granted release in 1993.