The Most Famous

ACTORS from Switzerland

This page contains a list of the greatest Swiss Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 17 of which were born in Switzerland. This makes Switzerland the birth place of the 39th most number of Actors behind Puerto Rico, and Romania.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Swiss Actors of all time. This list of famous Swiss Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Swiss Actors.

1. Bruno Ganz (1941 - 2019)

With an HPI of 70.35, Bruno Ganz is the most famous Swiss Actor. His biography has been translated into 56 different languages on wikipedia.

Bruno Ganz (Swiss Standard German: [ˈbruːnoː ˈɡants] ; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Francis Ford Coppola, Theo Angelopoulos and Wim Wenders, earning widespread recognition with his roles as Jonathan Zimmerman in The American Friend (1977), Jonathan Harker in Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) and Damiel the Angel in Wings of Desire (1987). Ganz received renewed international acclaim for his portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the Oscar-nominated film Downfall (2004). He also had roles in several English-language films, including The Boys from Brazil (1978), Strapless (1989), The Last Days of Chez Nous (1992), Luther (2003), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), The Reader (2008), Unknown (2011), The Counselor (2013) and Remember (2015). On stage, Ganz portrayed Dr. Heinrich Faust in Peter Stein's staging of Faust, Part One and Faust, Part Two in 2000.

2. Ursula Andress (b. 1936)

With an HPI of 67.49, Ursula Andress is the 2nd most famous Swiss Actor. Her biography has been translated into 60 different languages.

Ursula Andress (born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss actress and former model who has appeared in American, British and Italian films. Her breakthrough role was as Bond girl Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962). She later starred as Vesper Lynd in the 1967 Bond parody Casino Royale. Other credits include Fun in Acapulco (1963), 4 for Texas (1963), She (1965), The 10th Victim (1965), The Blue Max (1966), The Southern Star (1969), Perfect Friday (1970), Red Sun (1971), The Sensuous Nurse (1975), Slave of the Cannibal God (1978), The Fifth Musketeer (1979), Clash of the Titans (1981), and Peter the Great (1986).

3. Emil Jannings (1884 - 1950)

With an HPI of 65.18, Emil Jannings is the 3rd most famous Swiss Actor. His biography has been translated into 57 different languages.

Emil Jannings (born Theodor Friedrich Emil Janenz, 23 July 1884 – 2 January 1950) was a Swiss-born German actor who was popular in Hollywood films in the 1920s. He was the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for starring roles in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. As of 2024, Jannings is the only German ever to win in the category. Jannings is best known for his collaborations with F. W. Murnau and Josef von Sternberg, including the 1930 film The Blue Angel (Der blaue Engel), with Marlene Dietrich. The Blue Angel was meant as a vehicle for Jannings to score a place for himself in the new medium of sound film, but Dietrich stole the show. Jannings later starred in a number of Nazi propaganda films, which made him unemployable as an actor after the defeat of Nazi Germany.

4. Mario Adorf (b. 1930)

With an HPI of 59.57, Mario Adorf is the 4th most famous Swiss Actor. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Mario Adorf (German: [ˈmaː.ʁio ˈaː.dɔʁf] ; born 8 September 1930) is a German actor, considered to be one of the great veteran character actors of European cinema. Since 1954, he has played both leading and supporting roles in over 200 film and television productions, among them the 1979 Oscar-winning film The Tin Drum. He is also the author of several successful mostly autobiographical books.

5. Marthe Keller (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 59.27, Marthe Keller is the 5th most famous Swiss Actor. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Marthe Keller (born 28 January 1945) is a Swiss actress. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film Marathon Man (1976), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

6. Michel Simon (1895 - 1975)

With an HPI of 57.34, Michel Simon is the 6th most famous Swiss Actor. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Michel Simon (French: [miʃɛl simɔ̃]; 9 April 1895 – 30 May 1975) was a Swiss actor of German origin active primarily in France. He appeared in many notable French films, including La Chienne (1931), Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932), L'Atalante (1934), Port of Shadows (1938), The Head (1959), and The Train (1964). Charlie Chaplin said he was ‘the greatest actor in the world’.

7. Vincent Perez (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 54.86, Vincent Perez is the 7th most famous Swiss Actor. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Vincent Perez (born 10 June 1964) is a Swiss actor, director and photographer. He played the title character, Ashe Corven, in The Crow: City of Angels, and starred in Queen of the Damned, playing Marius de Romanus. Some of his films in French cinema include Cyrano de Bergerac, Le Bossu, La Reine Margot and Indochine.

8. Liselotte Pulver (b. 1929)

With an HPI of 51.99, Liselotte Pulver is the 8th most famous Swiss Actor. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Liselotte Pulver (born 11 October 1929), sometimes credited as Lilo Pulver, is a Swiss actress. Pulver was one of the biggest stars of German cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, where she often was cast as a tomboy. She is well known for her hearty and joyful laughter. Her films outside of German cinema include A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958), One, Two, Three (1961) and The Nun (1966).

9. Daniel Bernhardt (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 49.26, Daniel Bernhardt is the 9th most famous Swiss Actor. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Daniel Bernhardt (born 31 August 1965) is a Swiss actor, stuntman, martial artist, and former model. He is known for his work on various action films. He made his acting debut in the leading role in the martial arts film Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite (1996), and appeared in two of its sequels, Bloodsport III (1997) and Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite (1999). Also known for playing villainous characters, he appeared opposite Chuck Norris in The Cutter (2005), Jean-Claude Van Damme in Kill 'Em All (2017), Sylvester Stallone in Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019), and Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Reloaded (2003), and John Wick (2014). He also starred as Siro on the short-lived television series Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998-99), based on the fighting video game of the same name. He has also worked as a stunt performer and fight choreographer on various productions, including Creed II (2018) and Nobody (2021). Bernhardt is a black belt in Taekwondo under Black Belt Hall of Fame member Hee-il Cho (the two also starred together in Bloodsport II). He also studied Kyokushin karate under South Korean master Mas Oyama.

10. David Bennent (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 45.95, David Bennent is the 10th most famous Swiss Actor. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

David Bennent (born 9 September 1966) is a Swiss actor.

People

Pantheon has 18 people classified as Swiss actors born between 1884 and 1989. Of these 18, 14 (77.78%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Swiss actors include Ursula Andress, Mario Adorf, and Marthe Keller. The most famous deceased Swiss actors include Bruno Ganz, Emil Jannings, and Michel Simon. As of April 2024, 1 new Swiss actors have been added to Pantheon including Lukas Ammann.