gold medallist in Barcelona Olympics Bernhard Russi (born 1948), alpine skiing champion Martina Schild (born 1981), downhill skiing champion Hedy Schlunegger (1923–2003), downhill Olympic champion of 1948 Vreni Schneider (born 1964), alpine skiing champion Patty Schnyder (born 1978), professional tennis player Thabo Sefolosha (born 1984), NBA player for the Oklahoma City Thunder Philippe Senderos (born 1985), footballer Xherdan Shaqiri (born 1991), professional footballer Mark Streit (born 1977), NHL defenceman for the Philadelphia Flyers Alain Sutter (born 1968), footballer Kubilay Türkyilmaz (born 1967), footballer Maria Walliser (born 1963), alpine skiing champion Stanislas Wawrinka (born 1985), professional tennis player Jean Wicki (born 1933), gold medallist in bobsleigh Granit Xhaka, footballer (born 1992) Hakan Yakin (born 1977), footballer Murat Yakin (born 1974), footballer Heidi Zurbriggen (born 1967), skier Matthias Zurbriggen (1856–1917), mountain guide and alpinist Pirmin Zurbriggen (born 1963), alpine skiing champion Silvan Zurbriggen (born 1981), skier Writers Peter Bichsel (born 1935) S. Corinna Bille (1912–1979) Ida Bindschedler (1854–1919) Silvio Blatter (born 1946) Charles Victor de Bonstetten (1745–1832) Nicolas Bouvier (1929–1998) Willy Bretscher (1897–1992), newspaper writer and editor Raymond Bruckert (born 1935), writer of novels and educational books Hermann Burger (1942–1989), author, poet, literary scholar, editor Erika Burkart (1922–2010), poet Elias Canetti (1905–1994), 1981 Nobel Prize in Literature, Swiss resident Blaise Cendrars (Frédéric Louis Sauser) (1887–1961), author Victor Cherbuliez (1829–1899), member of the Académie française Jacques Chessex (1934–2009) Anne Cuneo (1936–2015) Erich von Däniken (born 1935), Ancient Astronauts writer Martin R. Dean (born 1955), writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990), author and dramatist Marianne Ehrmann (1755–1795), one of the first women novelists and publicists in the German-speaking countries Heinrich Federer (1866–1928) Jürg Federspiel (1931–2007) Max Frisch (1911–1991), author and architect Salomon Gessner (1730–1788) Friedrich Glauser (1896–1938) Jeremias Gotthelf (Albert Bitzius) (1797–1854), author and pastor Stefan Haenni (born 1958) Eveline Hasler (born 1933) Markus Hediger (born 1959) Hermann Hesse (1877–1962), 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature, Swiss resident Franz Hohler (born 1943), author and comedian Felix Indermaur, author, storyteller, winemaker Hans-Ulrich Indermaur (born 1939) author, magazine editor, and reporter Mirjam Indermaur (born 1967), writer and businesswoman Philippe Jaccottet (1925–2021) Zoë Jenny (born 1974) Gottfried Keller (1819–1890), author Christian Kracht (born 1966), author Hugo Loetscher (1929–2009), author Ella Maillart (1903–1997) Niklaus Meienberg (1940–1993) Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825–1898) Adolf Muschg (born 1934) Suzanne Necker, née Suzanne Curchod (1739–1794) Juste Olivier (1807–1876) Giorgio Orelli (1921–2013), poet, translator Giovanni Orelli (1928–2016), poet, teacher Daniele Pantano (born 1976), poet, translator, editor Erica