Johann Georg Faust

Dr. Johann Georg Faust (/ˈfaʊst/; c. 1480 or 1466 – c. 1541), also known in English as John Faustus /ˈfɔːstəs/, was an itinerant alchemist, astrologer, and magician of the German Renaissance. His life became the nucleus of the popular tale of Doctor Faust from circa the 1580s, notably culminating in Christopher Marlowe's play The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus (1604), Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's closet drama Faust (1808), and Hector Berlioz's musical composition La damnation de Faust (premiered 1846).

Because of his early treatment as a figure in legend and literature, it is very difficult to establish historical facts about his life with any certainty. In the 17th century, it was even doubted that there ever had been a historical Faust, and the legendary character was identified with a printer of Mainz called Johann Fust. Johann Georg Neumann in 1683 addressed the question in his Disquisitio historica de Fausto praestigiatore, establishing Faust's historical existence based on contemporary references.

...
Wikipedia