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

Karl-Heinz Schnellinger is a German former footballer who played as a defender. He was born in Düren. An athletic and hard-tackling player, with a strong physique, he was nicknamed the "Volkswagen" for his continuity of performance, both in quantity and in quality, and for his versatility; indeed, although he was usually deployed as a full-back, he was capable of playing anywhere along the back, and could also play as a centre-back, as a sweeper, or even as a defensive midfielder. In his prime he was often considered one of the best and most complete leftbacks in the world in his era, rivaled only by Giacinto Facchetti, Nilton Santos and Silvio Marzolini.

Jochen Ott is a German teacher and politician of the Social Democrats (SPD) who has been serving as member of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia since 2010.

Tim Jerat is a German retired footballer. He is the son of the football coach Wolfgang Jerat.

Jürgen Rynio is a retired German footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Gelsenkirchen, Rynio played in the Bundesliga for Karlsruher SC, 1. FC Nürnberg, Borussia Dortmund, Rot-Weiss Essen, FC St. Pauli and Hannover 96, appearing in over 450 games in the top two tiers of German football during his career.

Bertram Lutz Wilhelm Passmann, known by the stage name Bertram Engel, is a German rock drummer.

Jörg Albertz is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Between 1996 and 1998, he played three international games for the Germany national team.

Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven was a Nazi leader, best known as the Reichskommissar for Norway during the German occupation of Norway and the Quisling regime.

Leon Seidel is a German actor. Is known for playing the role of Huckleberry Finn in the German film of 2011 Tom Sawyer.

Thorsten Margis is a German bobsledder.

Kai Michalke is German former professional footballer who played as a forward or left winger.