Hans Müller was born in Düsseldorf-Golzheim, Germany as the only child of Henriette Müller née Ballin (a niece of the shipping magnate Albert Ballin, died 1949) and Simon Fred Müller (died 1952). His father owned an electrical goods factory in Düsseldorf. Because he was Jewish, Simon Fred Müller was held captive in the Theresienstadt concentration camp from 1942 to 1945.