List of people from San Francisco facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This is a list of famous people from San Francisco, California. It includes people who were born, grew up, or lived a big part of their lives in San Francisco. It also includes music groups that started here. These people are listed by what they are most known for, then in alphabetical order by their last name.

Smart Minds and Inventors

Andrew Smith Hallidie (1836–1900) helped start the first cable car line in San Francisco. He was also a leader at the University of California.
Phoebe Hearst (1842–1919) was the first woman to be a Regent (a kind of board member) for the University of California. She was also a generous helper of good causes and worked for women's right to vote.
Terry Karl (born 1947) is a professor at Stanford University who studies Latin America.

Creative People and Designers

Building Designers (Architects)

Joseph Esherick (1914–1998) designed many homes.
Bernard Maybeck (1892–1957) was an architect known for his work in the Arts and Crafts Movement.
Julia Morgan (1872–1957) was an architect born in San Francisco. She designed many famous buildings, including Hearst Castle.
Timothy Ludwig Pflueger (1892–1946) was an architect and interior designer, born in San Francisco.
Willis Polk (1867–1924) designed many well-known buildings in San Francisco.
William Wurster (1895–1973) was an architect and a professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley.

Designers of Things

Gilbert Baker (1951–2017) was an artist and activist for gay rights. He designed the famous rainbow flag. He lived in San Francisco for many years.
Yves Béhar (born 1967) is an industrial designer who lives in San Francisco.
Gary Grimshaw (1946–2014) was an artist known for his music posters.

Fashion and Clothes Designers

Donald Fisher (1928–2009) and Doris F. Fisher (born 1931) started the clothing company The Gap, Inc. Both were born and lived in San Francisco.
Jessica McClintock (1930–2021) was a fashion designer.
Levi Strauss (1829–1902) came from Germany during the California Gold Rush. He started the first company to make blue jeans, Levi Strauss & Co., which is based in San Francisco.
Douglas Tompkins (1943–2015) started the clothing companies Esprit Holdings and The North Face.
Susie Tompkins Buell (born 1943) also helped start Esprit Holdings.

Comic Book Artists and Illustrators

Scott Adams (born 1957) is the creator of the popular comic strip Dilbert.
Robert Crumb (born 1943) is a famous cartoonist who started his career in San Francisco.
Rube Goldberg (1883–1970) was an American cartoonist, known for his drawings of complicated machines that do simple tasks.
Paul Terry (1887–1971) was a cartoonist and film producer who created Mighty Mouse.
Mark Ulriksen (born 1957) is an illustrator for The New Yorker magazine and lives in San Francisco.

Artists of Many Kinds

Bruce Conner (1933–2008) was an artist who worked with many different types of art, including film and sculpture. He lived in San Francisco in the 1960s.
David Ireland (1930–2009) was an American sculptor and conceptual artist.
Rex Ray (1956–2015) was a graphic designer and collage artist who lived and worked in San Francisco.
Antonio Sotomayor (1902–1985) was a muralist, ceramic artist, and illustrator from Bolivia.
Carlos Villa (1936–2013) was a Filipino-American artist, painter, and teacher. He was born and grew up in the Tenderloin neighborhood.

Painters

Robert Bechtle (1932–2020) was an American painter known for his realistic paintings.
Joan Brown (1938–1990) was a painter.
Richard Diebenkorn (1922–1993) was a painter.
Maynard Dixon (1875–1946) was a painter known for his art of the American West.
Anna Elizabeth Klumpke, a painter born in San Francisco.
Anna Elizabeth Klumpke (1856–1942) was a portrait painter born in San Francisco.
Barry McGee (born 1966) is a painter who is part of the Mission School art movement.
Nathan Oliveira (1928–2010) was a painter who lived in San Francisco for many years.
Peter Saul (born 1934) is an American painter connected to Pop Art and Surrealism.
Wayne Thiebaud (1920-2021) was a famous pop artist.
Martin Wong (1946–1999) was a painter who grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Photographers

Dorothea Lange, a famous documentary photographer.
Ansel Adams (1902–1984) was a world-famous photographer and environmentalist. He was born and grew up in San Francisco.
John Gutmann (1905–1998) was a German-born American photographer and painter.
Dorothea Lange (1895–1965) was a very important documentary photographer.
Fred Lyon (1924–2022) was a photographer.

Sculptors

Ruth Asawa (1926–2013) was a sculptor who lived and died in San Francisco. She is known for her wire sculptures.
Beniamino Benvenuto Bufano (1890–1970) was a sculptor who lived and died in San Francisco.
Alexander Calder (1898–1976) was a sculptor known for his mobiles.
Sargent Johnson (1888–1967) was one of the first African-American artists in California to become nationally famous for his sculptures.
Manuel Neri (1930–2021) was a sculptor.

Business Leaders

Sam Altman (born 1985) is a well-known leader in the tech world, including OpenAI.
Marc Benioff (born 1964) is the founder and co-CEO of Salesforce, a big software company.
Nathan Blecharczyk (born 1983), Brian Chesky (born 1981), and Joe Gebbia (born 1981) are the co-founders of Airbnb, a popular travel company.
Donald Fisher (1928–2009) and Doris F. Fisher (born 1931) co-founded The Gap clothing company.
Gordon Getty (born 1934) is an oil heir, a generous giver to good causes, and a composer. He was born and raised in San Francisco.
Steve Jobs (1955–2011) was the co-founder of Apple Inc.. He was born and adopted in San Francisco.
Max Levchin (born 1975) was a co-founder of PayPal.
Lew Hing (1858–1934) was a Chinese-American industrialist and banker who helped establish Chinatowns in San Francisco and Oakland.
James Lick (1796–1876) was a wealthy real estate investor and supporter of science.
Marissa Mayer (born 1975) is a technology executive who used to be the CEO of Yahoo!.
Gordon E. Moore (1929–2023) co-founded Intel Corporation and is known for Moore's law about computer chip power.
Craig Newmark (born 1951) is the founder of Craigslist, a popular website for local ads.
Alexis Ohanian (born 1983) was a co-founder of Reddit.
Charles R. Schwab (born 1937) founded the Schwab investment firm.
Levi Strauss (1829–1902) founded the company that makes blue jeans, Levi Strauss & Co., headquartered in San Francisco.
Adolph Sutro (1830–1898) was a German-American engineer and businessman who became the 24th Mayor of San Francisco.
Peter Thiel (born 1967) was a co-founder of PayPal.

Chefs and Food Experts

Cecilia Chiang, a famous chef and restaurateur.
Cecilia Chiang (1920–2020) was a famous chef, restaurant owner, and cookbook writer.
Dominique Crenn (born 1965) is a chef and owner of the highly-rated restaurant, Atelier Crenn, in San Francisco.
Corey Lee (born 1977) is a chef and restaurant owner, founder of Benu.
Michael Mina (born 1969) is a chef and restaurant owner.
Judy Rodgers (1956–2013) was a chef, cookbook writer, and founder of Zuni Cafe.
Jeremiah Tower (born 1942) was a well-known chef at famous restaurants like Chez Panisse and Stars.
Martin Yan (born 1948) is a popular television chef.

Entertainment Stars

Danny Glover, a well-known actor.

Actors

Gracie Allen (1895–1964) was an actress and comedian born in San Francisco.
W. Kamau Bell (born 1973) is a comedian and television host.
Lisa Bonet (born 1967) is an actress.
Benjamin Bratt (born 1963) is an actor.
Carol Channing (1921–2019) was a famous actress.
Margaret Cho (born 1968) is a comedian and actress.
Jamie Chung (born 1983) is an actress.
Darren Criss (born 1987) is an actor known for his role in Glee.
Clint Eastwood (born 1930) is a famous actor and film director.
Barbara Eden, a popular actress.
Barbara Eden (born 1931) is an actress, famous for I Dream of Jeannie.
Danny Glover (born 1946) is a well-known actor.
Bruce Lee (1940–1973) was a legendary actor and martial artist.
Cheech Marin (born 1946) is an actor and comedian.
Patton Oswalt (born 1969) is a comedian.
Rob Schneider (born 1963) is an actor and comedian.
Liev Schreiber (born 1967) is an actor.
Alicia Silverstone (born 1976) is an actress.
Sharon Stone (born 1958) is a famous actress.
Jeffrey Tambor (born 1944) is an actor.
Aisha Tyler (born 1970) is an actress and TV personality.
Robin Williams (1951–2014) was a beloved comedian and actor.
Ali Wong (born 1982) is an actress, comedian, and writer.
Natalie Wood (1938–1981) was a famous actress.

Dancers

Isadora Duncan (1877–1927) is known as the "mother" of modern dance.

Filmmakers

Chris Columbus (born 1958) is a director.
Francis Coppola (born 1939) is a famous film director, writer, and producer.
Sofia Coppola (born 1971) is a director.
David Fincher (born 1962) is a director.
Philip Kaufman (born 1936) is a film director.
George Lucas (born 1944) is the director and producer who created Star Wars.
Jay Ward (1920–1989) created and produced animated TV series like Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Wayne Wang (born 1949) is a director.

Music Promoters

Bill Graham (1931–1991) was a famous rock music promoter known for venues like The Fillmore.
Chet Helms (1942–2005) was a rock promoter during the 1960s.

Theatre People

David Belasco (1853–1931) was a theater producer, director, and writer, born in San Francisco.
Alice Oates, a theatre manager and pioneer of American musical theatre.
Alice Oates (1849–1887) was an actress and a pioneer in American musical theatre who lived and worked in San Francisco.

Musicians and Bands

4 Non Blondes is a rock band.
American Music Club is an indie rock band.
Lorin Ashton (born 1978), also known as Bassnectar, is a DJ and record producer.
Avengers is a punk band.
Marty Balin (1949–2018) was a singer for Jefferson Airplane.
Jello Biafra (born 1958) is the singer for Dead Kennedys.
Blue Cheer was an early hard rock band.
Vanessa Carlton (born 1980) is a singer.
Tracy Chapman (born 1964) is a singer-songwriter.
Counting Crows is an alternative rock band.
Dead Kennedys is a punk band.
Paul Desmond (1924–1977) was a jazz saxophonist.
Faith No More is a rock band.
Michael Franti (born 1967) is a singer-songwriter.
Bobby Freeman (1940–2017) was a rock, soul, and R&B singer.
Grateful Dead was a very famous rock band.
- Jerry Garcia (1942–1995) was the guitarist and singer for Grateful Dead.
- Bob Weir (born 1947) is a songwriter and guitarist for Grateful Dead.
Vince Guaraldi (1928–1976) was a jazz musician and pianist, born in San Francisco, known for his Peanuts music.
Sammy Hagar (born 1947) is a singer for bands like Van Halen.
Chris Isaak (born 1956) is a singer and musician.
Etta James (1938–2012) was a blues, R&B, and soul music icon.
Janis Joplin (1943–1970) was a legendary rock singer.
Jefferson Airplane was a famous rock band.
Journey is a rock band.
Paul Kantner (1941–2016) was a rock musician and co-founder of Jefferson Airplane.
CoCo Lee (1975–2023) was a CantoPop singer and actress.
Huey Lewis (born 1950) is the lead singer for Huey Lewis and the News.
Courtney Love (born 1964) is a singer and actress.
Johnny Mathis (born 1935) is a pop singer.
Bobby McFerrin (born 1950) is a singer-songwriter, known for "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
Metallica is a very famous heavy metal band.
- Cliff Burton (1962–1986) was the bass guitarist for Metallica.
- Kirk Hammett (born 1962) is the lead guitarist for Metallica.
- James Hetfield (born 1963) is the singer and rhythm guitarist for Metallica.
- Lars Ulrich (born 1963) is the drummer for Metallica.
Sonny John Moore (born 1988), known as Skrillex, is an electronic music producer and DJ.
Graham Nash (born 1942) is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Linda Perry is the lead singer of 4 Non Blondes.
Linda Ronstadt (born 1946) is a singer.
Carlos Santana (born 1947) is a famous rock, blues, and salsa guitarist and singer.
Santana is a rock band.
Boz Scaggs (born 1944) is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
Grace Slick (born 1939) was a singer for Jefferson Airplane.
Sly Stone (born 1943) is a funk music icon.
Steve Miller Band is a rock band.
Sylvester (1947–1988) was a disco singer.
Third Eye Blind is an alternative rock band.
Michael Tilson Thomas (born 1944) is a famous conductor, who led the San Francisco Symphony.
Peter Tork (1942–2019) was a keyboardist and bassist for The Monkees.
The Tubes is a new wave/punk band.
Martha Wash (born 1953) is an R&B, Soul, and pop singer.
George Watsky (born 1986) is a hip hop artist.

Political Leaders and Activists

Jeff Adachi (1959–2019) was the San Francisco Public Defender.
Art Agnos (born 1938) was the 38th Mayor of San Francisco.
Tom Ammiano (born 1941) is a former California State Assemblyman and an activist for LGBT rights.
London Breed (born 1974) is the current Mayor of San Francisco.
Stephen Breyer (born 1938) was a Justice on the United States Supreme Court.
Jerry Brown (born 1938) was a former Governor of California and Mayor of Oakland.
Pat Brown (1905–1996) was a Governor of California.
Willie Brown (born 1934) was the Mayor of San Francisco from 1996 to 2004 and Speaker of the California State Assembly.
Dianne Feinstein (1933–2023) was San Francisco's first female mayor (1978–1988) and a U.S. Senator for many years.
Kamala D. Harris (born 1964) was the San Francisco District Attorney and a U.S. Senator. She is now the Vice President of the United States.
Frank Jordan (born 1935) was a police chief and former Mayor of San Francisco.
Ed Lee (1952–2017) was the Mayor of San Francisco.
Monica Lewinsky (born 1973), an activist, was born in San Francisco.
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were activists and the first same-sex couple to get a marriage license in San Francisco.
Harvey Milk (1930–1978) was a city supervisor in San Francisco and a very important figure for gay rights.
George Moscone (1929–1978) was the 37th mayor of San Francisco.
Gavin Newsom (born 1967) is the current Governor of California and was a former Mayor of San Francisco.
Nancy Pelosi (born 1940) is a Congresswoman and was the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
James Duval Phelan (1861–1930) was a civic leader and banker who served as Mayor of San Francisco. He helped bring water to the city from Hetch Hetchy.
James Rolph Jr. (1869–1934) was the 27th governor of California and the longest-serving mayor of San Francisco.
George P. Shultz (1920-1933) held many important roles in the U.S. government, including Secretary of State.
Theresa Sparks (born 1949) is an activist and businesswoman who was the former president of the San Francisco Police Commission.
Cecil Williams (born 1929) is a pastor and community leader.

Scientists and Thinkers

Paul Ekman (born 1934) is a pioneer in studying emotions and how they show on our faces.
Dian Fossey (1932–1985) was a primatologist who studied gorillas and worked to protect them.
Eugene Gu (born 1986) is a doctor and researcher, born in San Francisco.
Mary Halton (1879–1948) was a doctor and suffragist, born and raised in San Francisco. She was the first woman appointed to the Harvard Medical School faculty.
Daniel Levitin (born 1957) is a cognitive psychologist, neuroscientist, writer, and musician.
Mervyn Silverman was a physician and public health leader in San Francisco during the early days of the AIDS crisis.
John W. Young (1930–2018) was an astronaut and the ninth person to walk on the Moon.

Writers and Authors

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) was a famous poet and author.
Ambrose Bierce (1842 – c. 1914) was a journalist and author.
Richard Brautigan (1935–1984) was a poet and writer.
Neal Cassady (1926–1968) was a beatnik poet.
Diane di Prima (1934–2020) was a poet.
Dave Eggers (born 1970) is an author.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919–2021) was a poet and co-founder of City Lights Bookstore, a famous San Francisco landmark.
Robert Frost (1874–1963) was an iconic American poet.
Adam Gidwitz (born 1982) writes children's books.
Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997) was an iconic poet of the Beat Generation.
Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961) was an author known for his detective novels.
Daniel Handler (born 1970) is better known as Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Robert Hunter (1941–2019) was a lyricist for the Grateful Dead.
Shirley Jackson (1916–1965) was an author.
Jack London (1876–1916) was a famous writer.
Armistead Maupin (born 1944) is a writer.
Anne Rice (1941–2021) was an author, known for her vampire novels.
Gary Snyder (born 1930) is a poet of the Beat Generation.
Rebecca Solnit (born 1961) is a writer.
Danielle Steel (born 1947) is a very popular author.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was an author who lived in San Francisco for a time.
Amy Tan (born 1952) is an author.
Alice B. Toklas (1877–1967) was a cookbook author, born and lived in San Francisco.
Mark Twain (1835–1910) was a famous American author.
Oscar Wilde, a famous author and playwright.
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was a famous author and playwright who spent time in San Francisco.
Naomi Wolf (born 1962) is a feminist author.
Laurence Yep (born 1948) is an Asian-American writer.
Helen Zia (born 1952) is a writer, journalist, and activist.

Athletes

Baseball Players

Ping Bodie (1887–1961) was an outfielder who played for the New York Yankees. He was born and raised in San Francisco.
Barry Bonds (born 1964) was a famous outfielder.
Bobby Bonds (1946–2003) was an outfielder.
Madison Bumgarner (born 1988) is a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.
Matt Cain (born 1984) is a pitcher.
Orlando Cepeda (born 1937) was a first baseman and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Joe Cronin (1906–1984) was an infielder and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was born and raised in San Francisco.
Dom DiMaggio (1917–2009) was an outfielder.
Harry Heilmann (1894–1951) was an outfielder and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Keith Hernandez (born 1953) was a first baseman.
Jackie Jensen (1927–1982) was a baseball player and is also in the College Football Hall of Fame.
George Kelly (1895–1984) was a first baseman and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Steve Kerr (born 1965) is the head coach of the Golden State Warriors basketball team and has won many championships.
Tony Lazzeri (1903–1946) was an infielder and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Tim Lincecum (born 1984) is a pitcher.
Willie McCovey (1938–2018) was a first baseman and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Hunter Pence (born 1983) is an outfielder.
Mark Prior (born 1980) was a baseball pitcher, born in San Francisco.

Basketball Players

Jason Kidd (born 1973) is a famous basketball player.
Pete Newell (1915–2008) was an Olympic and college basketball coach.
Gary Payton (born 1968) is a former NBA player.

Boxing Champions

James J. Corbett (1866–1933) was a World Heavyweight Boxing Champion.
Andre Ward (born 1984) won a gold medal in boxing at the 2004 Olympics.

Football Players

Tom Brady (born 1977) is a legendary NFL quarterback.
Joe Montana (born 1956) is a famous NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Jerry Rice (born 1962) is a legendary NFL wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
O. J. Simpson (born 1947) was an NFL running back and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Steve Young (born 1961) is a former NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Golfers

Danielle Kang (born 1992) is a professional golfer.
Johnny Miller (born 1947) is a professional golfer and TV commentator.
Michelle Wie (born 1989) is a professional golfer.

Other Sports Stars

Vicki Draves, an Olympic gold medalist in diving.
Mark Crear (born 1969) won two Olympic medals in hurdles.
Ann Curtis (1926–2012) won two Olympic gold medals in swimming.
Vicki Draves (1924–2010) won two Olympic gold medals in diving and was the first Asian American to win a gold medal.
Laird Hamilton (born 1964) is a famous surfer.
Helen Jacobs (1908–1997) was a tennis player.
Jeremy McGrath (born 1971) is a famous motocross rider.
Jonny Moseley (born 1975) won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle skiing.
Katelyn Ohashi (born 1997) is an artistic gymnast known for her viral routines.
Shannon Rowbury (born 1984) is an Olympic track and field athlete.
Ben Wildman-Tobriner (born 1984) won an Olympic swimming gold medal.

Other Notable People

Emperor Norton (1818–1880) was a famous and eccentric San Francisco resident who declared himself "Emperor of the United States." He was also an early visionary for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
Tye Leung Schulze (1887–1972) was the first Chinese-American woman to vote in a U.S. primary election.