There has been a Jewish presence in Hungary since Roman times (bar a brief expulsion during the Black Death). Jews fared particularly well under the Ottoman Empire, and after emancipation in 1867. At its height, the Jewish population of Greater Hungary numbered more than 900,000, but the Holocaust and emigration has reduced that to around 100,000, most of whom live in Budapest and its suburbs. Here is a list of some prominent Hungarian Jews.
Historical figures
Scientists
- Laszlo Biro, inventor of the biro
- Joseph Dallos, physician, contact lens pioneer
- Paul Erdös, mathematician
- Dennis Gabor, physicist, holography; Nobel Prize (1971)
- Joseph Goldberger, cure for pellagra
- Peter Goldmark, inventor of the vinyl record and color television
- Alfréd Haar, mathematician
- Paul Halmos, mathematician
- Avram Hershko, biologist, ubiquitin; Nobel Prize (2004)
- George de Hevesy, chemist, radioactive tracers; Nobel Prize (1943)
- Moritz Kaposi, dermatologist, Kaposi's sarcoma
- Theodore von Kármán, aeronautical engineer
- John Kemeny, computer scientist, BASIC
- Nicholas Kurti, physicist
- Cornelius Lanczos, mathematician & physicist
- Imre Lakatos, philosopher of science
- Peter Lax, mathematician
- John von Neumann, computer scientist, mathematician
- George Olah, chemist; Nobel Prize (1994)
- Rózsa Péter, mathematician
- George Pólya, mathematician
- Alfréd Rényi, mathematician
- Frigyes & Marcel Riesz, mathematicians
- Béla Schick, pediatrician, diphtheria test
- Gábor Szegö, mathematician
- Leó Szilárd, physicist
- Edward Teller, physicist, hydrogen bomb
- Paul Turán, mathematician
- Abraham Wald, statistician
- Eugene Wigner, physicist; Nobel Prize (1963)
Social scientists
- Franz Alexander, psychoanalyst
- Michael Balint, psychoanalyst
- Peter Bauer, economist
- Sandor Ferenczi, psychoanalyst
- Milton Friedman, economist; Nobel Prize (1976) (Hungarian parents)
- Ignaz Goldziher, orientalist
- John Harsanyi, economist, game theory; Nobel Prize (1994)
- Nicholas Kaldor, economist
- Margaret Mahler, psychologist
- Karl Mannheim, sociologist, sociology of knowledge
- Karl Polanyi, economist
- Michael Polanyi, polymath
- Aurel Stein, archeologist
- Thomas Szasz, psychiatrist
Films and stage
- Tony Curtis, actor (Hungarian parents)
- Michael Curtiz, director
- Harry Houdini, magician
- Leslie Howard, actor
- Alexander Korda, director & producer
- Zoltan Korda, director
- Robert Lantos, producer
- Peter Lorre, actor
- Paul Lukas, actor
- Emeric Pressburger, director
- István Szabó, director
Musicians
- Paul Abraham, composer
- Leopold Auer, conductor & violinist
- Gábor Darvas, composer & musicologist
- Antal Dorati, conductor
- Adam Fischer, conductor
- Annie Fischer, pianist
- Ivan Fischer, conductor
- Carl Flesch, violinist
- Joseph Joachim, violinist
- Emmerich Kálmán, composer
- Istvan Kertesz, conductor
- Joseph Kosma, composer
- Lili Kraus, pianist
- György Ligeti, composer
- Eugene Ormandy, conductor & violinist
- Fritz Reiner, conductor
- Sigmund Romberg, composer
- Márk Rózsavölgyi, composer, originator of csardas
- András Schiff, pianist
- Paul Simon, singer/songwriter (Hungarian parents)
- Gene Simmons, bass player for KISS (Hungarian parents)
- Georg Solti, conductor
- Janos Starker, cellist
- George Szell, conductor
- Joseph Szigeti, violinist
Writers
- Béla Balázs, poet & film critic
- György Faludy, poet, writer (unconfirmed)
- Susan Faludi, feminist writer (Hungarian father)
- Imre Kertész, author, Nobel Prize (2002)
- Ephraim Kishon, satirist
- Arthur Koestler, novelist & critic
- Melchior Lengyel, playwright & screenwriter
- Paul Lendvai, journalist
- Georg Lukács, philosopher & literary critic
- George Mikes, humorous writer
- Ferenc Molnar, playwright
- Max Simon Nordau, social critic & Zionist leader
- Miklós Radnóti, poet
- Carl Rakosi, poet
- Jenő Rejtő, writer
- Felix Salten, author (Hungarian-born)
- Tivadar Soros, Esperanto writer
- György Spiró, writer
- Antal Szerb, scholar & writer
- George Tabori, writer & theatre director
Artists
Business
Sports
- Zsuzsa & Judit Polgar, chess players
- Isidor Gunsberg, chess player
- Endre Kabos, Olympic fencer (3g1s)
- Ildiko Rejtö-Ujlaki, Olympic fencer (2g2s3b) (does not identify)
- Ilona Elek, Olympic fencer (2g1s) (Jewish father)
- Lily Kronberger, figure skating World Champion (4g2b)
- Emilie Rotter & Laszlo Szollas, figure skating World Champions (4g1s) & Olympic medalists (2b)
- Ágnes Keleti, Olympic gymnast (5g4s1b)
- Béla Guttman, football (soccer) coach (10 championships, 2 European Cups)
- Alfréd Hajós, first Olympic swimming champion (2g)
- Eva Székely & Andrea Gyarmati, mother and daughter Olympic swimmers (1g1s & 1s1b)
- Eva was married to Dezso Gyarmati (see below), while Andrea married canoeist Mihaly Hesz (1g1s)
- Viktor Barna, table tennis World Champion (5 singles, 8 doubles, 2 mixed)
- Anna Sipos, table tennis World Champion (2 singles, 6 doubles, 2 mixed)
- Miklos Szabados, table tennis World Champion (1 singles, 6 doubles, 3 mixed)
- Dezso Gyarmati, Olympic water polo player & captain (3g1s1b)
- György Kárpáti, Bela Komjadi, Gyorgy Brody, Olympic water polo players (3g1b & 2g & 2g)
- Ferenc Kemeny, co-founder and first secretary of the IOC
- Tomas Sipos, Hungarian sports commentator and writer
See also
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