Hilmar Kopper was born on 13 March 1935 in Oslanin/Oslonino, Pomorskie, Poland. He was married to Brigitte Seebacher-Brandt and Irene Kopper. He died on 11 November 2021 in Germany.
After a real estate affair, which resulted in a loss of 50 million Deutschmark for Deutsche Bank, he called the amount "peanuts". His quotation was chosen "Doublespeak of the Year" in 1994.