Cape Town
Cape Town ranks 259th in number of biographies on Pantheon, behind San José, Costa Rica, Belo Horizonte, and Birmingham, Alabama. Memorable people born in Cape Town include J. M. Coetzee, Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, and Abba Eban. Memorable people who died in Cape Town include F. W. de Klerk, Desmond Tutu, and Wilbur Smith. Cape Town has been the birth place of many athletes, and soccer players and the death place of many politicians, and writers. Cape Town is located in South Africa.
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the country's second-largest city, after Johannesburg, and the largest in the Western Cape. The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. Read more on Wikipedia
People
Between 0 and 2005, Cape Town was the birth place of 75 globally memorable people, including J. M. Coetzee, Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, and Abba Eban. Additionaly, 27 globally memorable people have passed away in Cape Town including F. W. de Klerk, Desmond Tutu, and Wilbur Smith.
People Born in Cape Town
Go to all RankingsJ. M. Coetzee
WRITER
1940 - Present
HPI: 69.76
Rank: 1
Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark
NOBLEMAN
1942 - Present
HPI: 63.85
Rank: 2
Abba Eban
POLITICIAN
1915 - 2002
HPI: 58.70
Rank: 3
Ronald Harwood
WRITER
1934 - 2020
HPI: 53.41
Rank: 4
David Cooper
PHYSICIAN
1931 - 1986
HPI: 52.33
Rank: 5
Trevor Jones
COMPOSER
1949 - Present
HPI: 52.23
Rank: 6
Abdullah Ibrahim
MUSICIAN
1934 - Present
HPI: 52.13
Rank: 7
Marlene Dumas
PAINTER
1953 - Present
HPI: 51.88
Rank: 8
Laurence Oliphant
WRITER
1829 - 1888
HPI: 51.64
Rank: 9
Denis Goldberg
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1933 - 2020
HPI: 47.34
Rank: 10
Cecil Kellaway
ACTOR
1890 - 1973
HPI: 46.84
Rank: 11
Belle Delphine
MODEL
1999 - Present
HPI: 46.48
Rank: 12
Newly Added People Born in Cape Town
Go to all RankingsCharlbi Dean
ACTOR
1990 - 2022
HPI: 42.06
Rank: 18
Ian Hunter
ACTOR
1900 - 1975
HPI: 41.06
Rank: 19
Antony Sher
ACTOR
1949 - 2021
HPI: 39.57
Rank: 21
Mark Fish
SOCCER PLAYER
1974 - Present
HPI: 33.63
Rank: 29
Trevor Immelman
GOLFER
1979 - Present
HPI: 19.40
Rank: 47
Tamsin Cook
SWIMMER
1998 - Present
HPI: 16.30
Rank: 48
Luke Fleurs
SOCCER PLAYER
2000 - 2024
HPI: 0.00
Rank: 49
Chris Dry
RUGBY PLAYER
1988 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Rank: 50
Mustapha Cassiem
ATHLETE
2002 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Rank: 51
Jean van der Westhuyzen
ATHLETE
1998 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Rank: 52
Zoya Kravchenko
ATHLETE
1999 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Rank: 53
Dominique Scott-Efurd
ATHLETE
1992 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Rank: 54
People Deceased in Cape Town
Go to all RankingsF. W. de Klerk
POLITICIAN
1936 - 2021
HPI: 69.24
Rank: 1
Desmond Tutu
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1931 - 2021
HPI: 67.29
Rank: 2
Wilbur Smith
WRITER
1933 - 2021
HPI: 62.84
Rank: 3
Ian Smith
POLITICIAN
1919 - 2007
HPI: 59.17
Rank: 4
Hendrik Verwoerd
POLITICIAN
1901 - 1966
HPI: 57.57
Rank: 5
Sholem Schwarzbard
WRITER
1886 - 1938
HPI: 56.27
Rank: 6
John Vorster
POLITICIAN
1915 - 1983
HPI: 54.53
Rank: 7
Mary Renault
WRITER
1905 - 1983
HPI: 50.89
Rank: 8
Nico Diederichs
POLITICIAN
1903 - 1978
HPI: 50.44
Rank: 9
Demetrios Petrokokkinos
POLITICIAN
1878 - 1942
HPI: 50.33
Rank: 10
J. G. Strijdom
POLITICIAN
1893 - 1958
HPI: 49.97
Rank: 11
Frank Watson Dyson
ASTRONOMER
1868 - 1939
HPI: 49.57
Rank: 12
Newly Added People Deceased in Cape Town
Go to all RankingsSholem Schwarzbard
WRITER
1886 - 1938
HPI: 56.27
Rank: 6
Colin Davis
RACING DRIVER
1933 - 2012
HPI: 42.48
Rank: 21
Bruce Johnstone
RACING DRIVER
1937 - 2022
HPI: 40.51
Rank: 24
Stanley Skewes
MATHEMATICIAN
1899 - 1988
HPI: 38.31
Rank: 26
Occupations
Most individuals born in present day Cape Town were athletes (19), soccer players (15), actors (7), swimmers (5), and tennis players (4), while most who died were politicians (10), writers (4), biologists (2), racing drivers (2), and religious figures (1).
Occupational Trends
Over the past 100 years, soccer players have been the top profession of globally memorable people born in Cape Town, including Benni McCarthy, Quinton Fortune, and Anele Ngcongca. Whereas, throughout history, athletes have been the profession with the most memorable people born in present day Cape Town, including James Thompson, Mustapha Cassiem, and Jean van der Westhuyzen.
Places
Overlapping Lives
Below is a visual represetation of the lifespans of the top 13 globally memorable people born in Cape Town since 1700.