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Famous People From Florence

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Updated June 8, 2017 4.2k views 759 items

List of famous people from Florence, including photos when available. The people below are listed by their popularity, so the most recognizable names are at the top of the list. Some of the people below are celebrities born in Florence, while others are simply notable locals. If you're from Florence you might already know that these prominent figures are also from your hometown, but some of the names below may really surprise you. This list includes people who were born and raised in Florence, as well as those who were born there but moved away at a young age.

This list is made up of many different people, including Sandro Botticelli and Rose McGowan.

If you want to answer the questions, "Which famous people are from Florence?" or "Which celebrities were born in Florence?" then this list is a great resource for you.
Rose McGowan is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Famous People From Florence
Age: 45

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Rose Arianna McGowan (born September 5, 1973) is an American actress, activist, writer, and model. After her film debut in a brief role in the comedy Encino Man (1992), McGowan achieved wider ...more

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Florence Nightingale is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 90 (1820-1910)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Florence Nightingale, (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a ...more
Jean-Baptiste Lully is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 55 (1632-1687)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Jean-Baptiste Lully (UK: , US: ; French: [ʒɑ̃ baˈtist lyˈli]; born Giovanni Battista Lulli, Italian: [ˈlulli]; 28 November [O.S. 18 November] 1632– 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French ...more

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Sandro Botticelli is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 65 (1445-1510)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (c. 1445 – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, Italian: [ˈsandro bottiˈtʃɛlli]), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. He belonged to ...more

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Franco Zeffirelli is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Famous People From Florence
Age: 96

Birthplace: Europe, Eurasia, Italy, Florence, Southern Europe, + more

Gian Franco Corsi "Franco" Zeffirelli (Italian: [fraŋko ddzeffiˈrɛlli]; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian director and producer of operas, films and television. He was ...more
Roberto Cavalli is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Famous People From Florence
Age: 78

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Roberto Cavalli (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto kaˈvalli]; born 15 November 1940) is an Italian fashion designer and inventor. He is known for exotic prints and for creating the sand-blasted ...more

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Giovanni Papini is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 75 (1881-1956)

Birthplace: Europe, Eurasia, Italy, Florence, Southern Europe, + more

Giovanni Papini (January 9, 1881 – ibid. July 8, 1956) was an Italian journalist, essayist, literary critic, poet, philosopher and writer.
Darian Durant is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Famous People From Florence
Age: 36

Birthplace: Florence, South Carolina

Darian Bernard Durant (born August 19, 1982) is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He played college football at the University of North Carolina. By the end of his college ...more

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Sam Phillips is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 80 (1923-2003)

Birthplace: USA, Alabama, Florence

Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer who played an important role in the development of rock and roll during the 1950s. He was the founder ...more
John Singer Sargent is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 69 (1856-1925)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of ...more
Giulio Racah is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 56 (1909-1965)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Giulio (Yoel) Racah (Hebrew: ג'וליו (יואל) רקח‎; February 9, 1909 – August 28, 1965) was an Italian–Israeli physicist and mathematician.
W. C. Handy is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 85 (1873-1958)

Birthplace: Florence, Alabama, United States of America

William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was a composer and musician, known as the Father of the Blues. An African American, Handy was one of the most influential ...more

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Niccolò Galli is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 18 (1983-2001)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Niccolò Galli is the name of: Niccolò Galli (footballer, born 1983), former footballer Niccolò Galli (footballer, born 1988), current footballer
Giorgio van Straten is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Famous People From Florence
Age: 64

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Giorgio van Straten (born 1955) is an Italian writer and manager of arts organizations. His first novel Generazione was published in 1987. In 2000 he won four literary prizes for Il mio nome a ...more
Arthur Gamgee is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 68 (1841-1909)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Prof Arthur Gamgee FRS FRSE (11 October 1841 – 29 May 1909) was a British biochemist.
Giovanni di Bicci de' Me... is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 69 (1360-1429)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici (c. 1360 – February 1429) was an Italian banker and founder of the Medici Bank. While other members of the Medici family, such as Chiarissimo di Giambuono de' ...more
Mario Chiari is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 80 (1909-1989)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Mario Chiari (14 July 1909 – 8 April 1989) was an Italian production designer and art director. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film Doctor
Fosco Maraini is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 92 (1912-2004)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Fosco Maraini (Italian: [ˈfosko maraˈiːni; ˈfɔs-]; 15 November 1912 – 8 June 2004) was an Italian photographer, anthropologist, ethnologist, writer, mountaineer and academic.
Anna Banti is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 90 (1895-1985)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Anna Banti (born Lucia Lopresti in Florence on 27 June 1895; died in Massa on 2 September 1985) was an Italian writer, art historian, critic, and translator.
George P. Cosmatos is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 64 (1941-2005)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

George Pan Cosmatos (4 January 1941 – 19 April 2005) was a Greco-Italian film director and screenwriter. Following early success in his home country with drama films such as Massacre in Rome ...more
Filippo Brunelleschi is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 69 (1377-1446)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Filippo Brunelleschi was one of the foremost architects and engineers of the Italian Renaissance. He is perhaps most famous for his development of linear perspective and for engineering the dome ...more

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Alessandro Galilei is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 46 (1691-1737)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Alessandro Maria Gaetano Galilei was a Florentine mathematician, architect and theorist, a member of the same patrician family as Galileo. He received architectural and engineering training from ...more
Francesco Barberini is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 82 (1597-1679)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Francesco Barberini (23 September 1597 – 10 December 1679) was an Italian Catholic Cardinal. The nephew of Pope Urban VIII (reigned 1623–1644), he benefited immensely from the nepotism practiced ...more
Houston Person is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Famous People From Florence
Age: 84

Birthplace: Florence, South Carolina

Houston Person (born November 10, 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best ...more

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Valentino Bucchi is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Famous People From Florence
Dec. at 60 (1916-1976)

Birthplace: Florence, Italy

Valentino Bucchi (29 November 1916 – 8 May 1976) was an Italian composer.