# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/erich-von-daniken
# Generated: 2026-08-31T18:44:12.155Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/erich-von-daniken"
name: "Erich von Däniken"
slug: "erich-von-daniken"
description: "He built a publishing empire on the idea that ancient monuments were landing pads and gods were astronauts. Scientists dismissed it as fantasy dressed up as scholarship, but millions bought the books anyway."
tagline: "Swiss pseudoscientific writer and ufologist (1935–2026)"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Erich-von-D%C3%A4niken_1610.jpg?width=1200"
gender: "male"
country:
  name: "Switzerland"
  isoCode: "CH"
category:
  name: "Writers"
  slug: "writers"
profileType:
  name: "Writer / Author"
  slug: "writer"
birthDate: "1935-04-14"
deathDate: "2026-01-10"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           73.55
  momentum:             0
  historical:           25.328868
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     85
  profileCompleteness:  90
  trendDirection:       "FALLING"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  12
  category: 243
totalFollowers: 189000
tags:
  - name: "Writers"
    slug: "writers"
  - name: "Writer / Author"
    slug: "writer-author"
  - name: "Literature"
    slug: "literature"
  - name: "Photography"
    slug: "photography"
  - name: "Switzerland"
    slug: "switzerland"
  - name: "Europe"
    slug: "europe"
  - name: "20th Century"
    slug: "20th-century"
platforms:
  - platform:  "X"
    url:       "https://x.com/vondaeniken"
    handle:    "vondaeniken"
  - platform:  "FACEBOOK"
    url:       "https://www.facebook.com/erichvondanikenofficial"
    handle:    "erichvondanikenofficial"
  - platform:  "IMDB"
    url:       "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0902206/"
    handle:    "nm0902206"
  - platform:  "WEBSITE"
    url:       "https://daniken.com/"
  - platform:  "YOUTUBE"
    url:       "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3qRYCKPYsxUlSetk7WJqKg"
    handle:    "@erichvondanikenofficial"
    followers: 189000
sources:
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    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Erich%20von%20D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
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    title: "اريك فون دانكن"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Ерих фон Деникен"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%8F%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95_%E0%A6%AB%E0%A6%A8_%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A8"
    title: "এরিক ফন দানিকেন"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Έριχ φον Ντένικεν"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Erich von Däniken"
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    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%B4_%D9%81%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%AF%D9%86%DB%8C%DA%A9%D9%86"
    title: "اریش فون دنیکن"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9A_%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%9F_%D7%93%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%9F"
    title: "אריך פון דניקן"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hsb.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://io.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Erich von Däniken"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A8%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AA%E3%83%83%E3%83%92%E3%83%BB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A9%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%87%E3%83%8B%E3%82%B1%E3%83%B3"
    title: "エーリッヒ・フォン・デニケン"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
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    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://de.wikiquote.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://pl.wikiquote.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3c11692b-4cb2-4397-869e-79233ec43142"
    title: "MusicBrainz"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://www.discogs.com/artist/507269"
    title: "Discogs"
    type:  "DATABASE"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Born in Switzerland on 14 April 1935, Däniken spent part of his early career in prison for fraud and embezzlement — he wrote one of his books behind bars. In 1968 he published Chariots of the Gods?, which became a global bestseller by arguing that extraterrestrials had visited early civilizations and shaped human history. The hypothesis, labeled pseudoscience and pseudoarchaeology by virtually all scientists and academics, made him the leading voice of the "paleo-contact" movement. He went on to co-found the Archaeology, Astronautics and SETI Research Association and designed Mystery Park, a theme park in Interlaken that opened in 2003. He died on 10 January 2026.