List of Famous people born in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Mitchell-Elijah Weiser is a German professional footballer who plays as a right back for Bayer Leverkusen.

Monika Grütters is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has been serving as Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel since 2013. She has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2005 and was chairwoman of the Committee on Culture and Media Affairs from 2009 to 2013. Since December 2016, Grütters has also been the chairwoman of the CDU Berlin and an elected member of the CDU Federal Executive Board.

Elmar Peter Brok is a German politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1980 until 2019, who is best known for his role as chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is a member of the CDU, which is part of the European People's Party.

Peter Wohlleben is a German forester and author who writes on ecological themes in popular language. He is the author of the New York Times Bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, which was translated from German into English in 2016.

Marcell Jansen is a German former footballer and current president of Hamburger SV. He was well known for his accurate crossing and pace, despite his tall stature. A versatile player, Jansen primarily played as a full back or wing back on the left flank, but could also play as a left-winger.

Svenja Pages is a German television actress.

Esther Silvana Koch-Mehrin is a German politician and former Member of the European Parliament with the Free Democratic Party of Germany. Until May 2011, she was Vice Chairwoman of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. She was a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Budgets. She also was a substitute member of the Committee on Budgetary Control and a member of the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union. EU Representative to the Executive Board of W20, Member of the Advisory Board of the Council of Women World Leaders (CWWL), and Alumni of the Young Global Leaders Network of the World Economic Forum.

Max Otte is a German-American economist, book author, fund manager, and conservative political activist. Otte is a member of the German Christian Democrats (CDU) and the chairperson of the advisory board of the Desiderius Erasmus Foundation. He obtained his Ph.D. from Princeton University. Max Otte the founding sponsor of the Human Roots Award.

Wilma Elles is a German actress, model and fashion designer.

Ralph Morgenstern is a German actor and TV host.