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Famous people · San Francisco

Steve Jobs leads the 25 famous people born in San Francisco

Articles about Steve Jobs exist in 231 languages. Jack London is second and Clint Eastwood third. 10 of them are performers, 4.3 times the share across U.S. towns. Most were born between 1920 and 1969: 14 of them.

#1 best knownSteve JobsBusiness · 1955–2011
+21more
Born here
25
notable people
Best known
Steve Jobs
in 231 Wikipedia languages
First
1874
Robert Frost
Youngest
1989
Jessica Jung
Most common field
Film, TV & Stage
10 people
Also called it home
9
notable residents

What stands out about San Francisco’s famous people

★ What stands out · The best known

Born in San Francisco

First, Steve Jobs (231 languages), then Jack London (145) and Clint Eastwood (135).

Steve Jobs#1
Business

Steve Jobs

1955–2011

American entrepreneur; co-founder of Apple Inc.

231 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Jack London#2
Writing & Arts

Jack London

1876–1916

American author, journalist and social activist

145 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Clint Eastwood#3
Film, TV & Stage

Clint Eastwood

born 1930

American actor and film director

135 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for

What San Francisco is known for

Compared with the usual town, performers are the most over-represented field, at 4.3 times.

The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.

Through the years

When San Francisco’s famous people were born

Births peak in the 1930s, with 5 people born in that decade.

Mills & railroadsThe American centuryToday1850190019502000Clint EastwoodLuis Walter AlvarezJack LondonSteve Jobs
Film, TV & StageWriting & ArtsScience & MedicinePolitics & LawMusicBusiness

Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.

Everyone

Everyone else born in San Francisco

Of the other 22, 9 are performers.

Isadora Duncana

Isadora Duncana

1877–1927

American dancer and choreographer

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Luis Walter Alvarez

Luis Walter Alvarez

1911–1988

American experimental physicist, inventor, and professor

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey

1932–1985

American zoologist, gorilla researcher

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood

1938–1981

American actress

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Owen Chamberlain

Owen Chamberlain

1920–2006

American physicist

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
AA

Ansel Adams

1902–1984

American photographer and environmentalist

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone

born 1976

American actress

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne

1914–2011

American exercise instructor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
ML

Monica Lewinsky

born 1973

American activist and writer

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
LS

Liev Schreiber

born 1967

American actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
JB

Jerry Brown

born 1938

Governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
BB

Benjamin Bratt

born 1963

American actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
IS

Irving Stone

1903–1989

American writer

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
LB

Lisa Bonet

born 1967

American actress

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
RS

Richard Serra

1939–2024

American sculptor

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
AN

Allen Newell

1927–1992

American cognitive scientist

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
JJ

Jessica Jung

born 1989

South Korean-American singer

LB

Louise Bryant

1885–1936

American activist and journalist

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
DZ

Daphne Zuniga

born 1962

American actress

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
JW

J. T. Walsh

1943–1998

American actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
A chosen home

Also called San Francisco home

Born elsewhere, they lived here: 9 in all, led by Bruce Lee.

Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee

1940–1973

Hong Kong–American martial artist and actor

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Robin Williams

Robin Williams

1951–2014

American actor and comedian

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Sun Yat-sen

Sun Yat-sen

1866–1925

Chinese politician, physician, and revolutionary

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
NP

Nancy Pelosi

born 1940

American politician

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson

1937–2005

American journalist and author

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Sam Altman

Sam Altman

born 1985

American venture capitalist

DS

Danielle Steel

born 1947

American writer

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
JE

James Ellroy

born 1948

American novelist, short story writer, essayist, memoirist

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
KB

Kari Byron

born 1974

Television host, artist, ''MythBusters'' build team member

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
The town’s pick

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Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

The best known from each town bordering San Francisco.

From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is San Francisco and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.

Photo credits (17)