Adolf Hitler · John Steinbeck Were Adolf Hitler and John Steinbeck alive at the same time? Yes. Adolf Hitler and John Steinbeck were alive at the same time for 43 years, from 1902 to 1945. Adolf Hitler was 12 when John Steinbeck was born.John Steinbeck was 43 when Adolf Hitler died, aged 56. Adolf HitlerDictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945Born 20 April 1889 · died 30 April 1945, aged 56John SteinbeckAmerican writerBorn 27 February 1902 · died 20 December 1968, aged 66 Mahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert EinsteinAdolf HitlerJohn SteinbeckRonald ReaganNelson MandelaDonald TrumpMichael JacksonBarack Obama Adolf Hitler and John Steinbeck in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.