Born here
25
notable people
Best known
Steve Jobs
in 231 Wikipedia languages
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).
#1 Business Steve Jobs 1955–2011 American entrepreneur; co-founder of Apple Inc.
#2 Writing & Arts Jack London 1876–1916 American author, journalist and social activist
#3 Film, TV & Stage Clint Eastwood born 1930 American actor and film director
Known for What San Francisco is known for Compared with the usual town, performers are the most over-represented field, at 4.3 times.
Film, TV & Stage 10 people 40%4.3× usual Writing & Arts 5 people 20%2× usual Science & Medicine 4 people 16%2.7× usual Politics & Law 3 people 12%below usual Music 2 people 8%1.5× usual Business 1 person 4%1.6× usual 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 & railroads The American century Today 1850 1900 1950 2000 Clint Eastwood Luis Walter Alvarez Jack London Steve Jobs Film, TV & Stage Writing & Arts Science & Medicine Politics & Law Music Business
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.
All · 22 Politics & Law · 3 Music · 2 Film, TV & Stage · 9 Writing & Arts · 4 Science & Medicine · 4
Any time Mills & railroads · 7 The American century · 12 Today · 3
Robert Frost 1874–1963 American poet
Isadora Duncana 1877–1927 American dancer and choreographer
CL Courtney Love born 1964 American rock musician
Luis Walter Alvarez 1911–1988 American experimental physicist, inventor, and professor
Dian Fossey 1932–1985 American zoologist, gorilla researcher
Natalie Wood 1938–1981 American actress
Owen Chamberlain 1920–2006 American physicist
AA Ansel Adams 1902–1984 American photographer and environmentalist
Alicia Silverstone born 1976 American actress
Jack LaLanne 1914–2011 American exercise instructor
ML Monica Lewinsky born 1973 American activist and writer
LS Liev Schreiber born 1967 American actor
JB Jerry Brown born 1938 Governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019
BB Benjamin Bratt born 1963 American actor
IS Irving Stone 1903–1989 American writer
LB Lisa Bonet born 1967 American actress
RS Richard Serra 1939–2024 American sculptor
AN Allen Newell 1927–1992 American cognitive scientist
JJ Jessica Jung born 1989 South Korean-American singer
LB Louise Bryant 1885–1936 American activist and journalist
DZ Daphne Zuniga born 1962 American actress
JW J. T. Walsh 1943–1998 American actor
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home Also called San Francisco home Born elsewhere, they lived here: 9 in all, led by Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee 1940–1973 Hong Kong–American martial artist and actor
Robin Williams 1951–2014 American actor and comedian
Sun Yat-sen 1866–1925 Chinese politician, physician, and revolutionary
NP Nancy Pelosi born 1940 American politician
Hunter S. Thompson 1937–2005 American journalist and author
Sam Altman born 1985 American venture capitalist
DS Danielle Steel born 1947 American writer
JE James Ellroy born 1948 American novelist, short story writer, essayist, memoirist
KB Kari Byron born 1974 Television host, artist, ''MythBusters'' build team member
The town’s pick Who’s the most famous person from San Francisco? Pick one and say why. Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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Did you grow up with someone famous from San Francisco? → Who should be on this list but isn’t? → 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) Steve Jobs: MetalGearLiquid, based on File:Steve_Jobs_Headshot_2010-CROP.jpg made by Matt Yohe, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Jack London: published by L C Page and Company Boston 1903, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Clint Eastwood: Raffi Asdourian, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Robert Frost: Fred Palumbo, World Telegram staff photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Isadora Duncana: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Luis Walter Alvarez: Donald Cooksey / Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (per [3], Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Dian Fossey: Tribune Publishing, no photographer credited, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Natalie Wood: Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Owen Chamberlain: Nobel foundation, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Alicia Silverstone: Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Jack LaLanne: Nathan Cremisino from Ventura, CA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Bruce Lee: National General Pictures, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Robin Williams: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Sun Yat-sen: 上海波尔照相馆, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Hunter S. Thompson: Photograph credited to "Cashman Photo Enterprises, Inc." Published by Random House., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons Sam Altman: Steve Jurvetson, CC BY 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Jimmy Doolittle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons