List of English people
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Listed below are English people of note and some notable individuals born in England.
Actors and actresses
- Dame Julie Andrews (born 1935)
- Vanessa Angel (born 1966)
- Gabrielle Anwar (born 1970)
- Richard Armitage (born 1971)
- Gemma Arterton (born 1986)
- Tom Baker (born 1934)
- Christian Bale (born 1974)
- Ben Barnes (born 1981)
- Sacha Baron Cohen (born 1971)
- Mischa Barton (born 1986)
- Mathew Baynton (born 1980)
- Sean Bean (born 1959)
- Kate Beckinsale (born 1973)
- Richard Beckinsale (1947β1979)
- Eliza Bennett (born 1992)
- Rosalind Bennett (born 1966)
- Martin Benson (1918β2010)
- Steven Berkoff (born 1937)
- Brian Blessed (born 1937)
- Orlando Bloom (born 1977)
- Emily Blunt (born 1983)
- Richard Briers (born 1934)
- Kelly Brook (born 1979)
- Kathy Burke (born 1964)
- Saffron Burrows (born 1972)
- Sebastian Cabot (1918β1977)
- Sir Michael Caine (born 1933)
- Helena Bonham Carter (born 1966)
- Kim Cattrall (born 1956)
- Joan Collins (born 1933)
- Daniel Craig (born 1968)
- Michael Crawford (born 1942)
- Mackenzie Crook (born 1971)
- Benedict Cumberbatch (born 1976)
- Tim Curry (born 1946)
- Jack Davenport (born 1973)
- Anthony Dawson (1916β1992)
- Daniel Day-Lewis (born 1957)
- Roger Delgado (1918β1973)
- Dame Judi Dench (born 1934)
- Sarah Douglas (born 1952)
- Minnie Driver (born 1970)
- Christopher Eccleston (born 1964)
- Tamsin Egerton (born 1988)
- Jennifer Ehle (born 1969)
- Idris Elba (born 1972)
- Jennifer Ellison (born 1983)
- Alice Eve (born 1982)
- Rupert Everett (born 1959)
- Craig Fairbrass (born 1964)
- Tom Felton (born 1987)
- Joseph Fiennes (born 1970)
- Ralph Fiennes (born 1962)
- Colin Firth (born 1960)
- Dexter Fletcher (born 1966)
- Jamie Foreman (born 1958)
- George Formby (1904β1961)
- Claire Forlani (born 1972)
- Emilia Fox (born 1974)
- James Frain (born 1968)
- Martin Freeman (born 1971)
- Anna Friel (born 1976)
- Sadie Frost (born 1965)
- Sir Michael Gambon (born 1940)
- Romola Garai (born 1982)
- Patricia Garwood (born 1941)
- Sir John Gielgud (1904β2000)
- Stephen Graham (born 1973)
- Cary Grant (1904β1986)
- Hugh Grant (born 1960)
- Leslie Grantham (born 1947)
- Sydney Greenstreet (1879β1954)
- John Gregson (1919β1975)
- Rupert Grint (born 1988)
- Sienna Guillory (born 1975)
- Sir Alec Guinness (1914β2000)
- Brian Hall (1937β1997)
- Rebecca Hall (born 1982)
- Dani Harmer (born 1989)
- Ricci Harnett (born 1973)
- Frank Harper (born 1962)
- Jack Hawkins (1910β1973)
- Will Hay (1888β1949)
- Georgie Henley (born 1995)
- Audrey Hepburn (1929β1993)
- Tom Hiddleston (born 1981)
- Dame Wendy Hiller (1912β2003)
- Stanley Holloway (1890β1982)
- Bob Hoskins (1942β2014)
- Nicholas Hoult (born 1989)
- Leslie Howard
- Annie Hulley (born 1955)
- Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (born 1987)
- Elizabeth Hurley (born 1965)
- John Hurt (born 1940)
- Jeremy Irons (born 1948)
- Theo James (born 1984)
- Sir David Jason (born 1940)
- Aaron Johnson (born 1990)
- Boris Karloff (1887β1969)
- Toby Kebbell (born 1982)
- William Kempe (died 1603)
- Skandar Keynes (born 1991)
- Sir Ben Kingsley (born 1943)
- Keira Knightley (born 1985)
- Charles Laughton (1899β1962)
- Stan Laurel (1890β1965)
- Hugh Laurie (born 1959)
- Jude Law (born 1972)
- Jane Leeves (born 1961)
- Vivien Leigh (1913β1967)
- Margaret Lockwood (1916β1990)
- Joanna Lumley (born 1946)
- Patrick Macnee (1922-2015)
- Roy Marsden (born 1941)
- Anna Massey (1937β2011)
- Martine McCutcheon (born 1976)
- Sir Ian McKellen (born 1939)
- Sienna Miller (born 1981)
- Wentworth Miller (born 1972)
- Hayley Mills (born 1946)
- Sir John Mills (1908β2005)
- Dame Helen Mirren (born 1945)
- Georgia Moffett (born 1984)
- Dominic Monaghan (born 1976)
- Sir Roger Moore (born 1927)
- Nick Moran (born 1969)
- Kenneth More (1914β1982)
- Joseph Morgan (born 1981)
- Samantha Morton (born 1977)
- William Moseley (born 1987)
- Carey Mulligan (born 1985)
- Billy Murray (born 1941)
- Sophia Myles (born 1980)
- Parminder Nagra (born 1975)
- Anthony Newley (1931β1999)
- Bill Nighy (born 1949)
- David Niven (1910β1983)
- Merle Oberon (born 1911β1979)
- Sophie Okonedo (born 1969)
- Gary Oldman (born 1958)
- Sir Laurence Olivier (1907β1989)
- Clive Owen (born 1964)
- Cecil Parker (1897β1971)
- Dev Patel (born 1990)
- Robert Pattinson (born 1986)
- Simon Pegg (born 1970)
- Alex Pettyfer (1990)
- Rosamund Pike (born 1979)
- Billie Piper (born 1982)
- Anna Popplewell (born 1988)
- Dominic Purcell (born 1970)
- Daniel Radcliffe (born 1989)
- Oliver Reed (1938β1999)
- Joely Richardson (born 1965)
- Miranda Richardson (born 1958)
- Natasha Richardson (1963β2009)
- Sir Ralph Richardson (1902β1983)
- Alan Rickman (1946β2016)
- William Roache MBE (born 1932)
- Tim Roth (born 1958)
- Dame Margaret Rutherford (1892β1972)
- George Sanders (born 1906β1972)
- Peter Sellers (1925β1980)
- Jane Seymour (born 1951)
- Robert Shaw (born 1927β1978)
- Nicollette Sheridan (born 1963)
- Dame Maggie Smith (born 1934)
- Matt Smith (born 1982)
- Terence Stamp (born 1939)
- Shirley Stelfox (1941-2015)
- Rachel Stevens (born 1978)
- Patrick Stewart (born 1940)
- Tilda Swinton (born 1960)
- Dame Elizabeth Taylor (1932β2011)
- Juno Temple (born 1989)
- Kristin Scott Thomas (born 1960)
- Emma Thompson (born 1959)
- Patrick Troughton (1920β1987)
- Sir Peter Ustinov (1921β2004)
- Julie Walters (born 1950)
- Jack Warner (1896β1981)
- Emily Watson (born 1967)
- Emma Watson (born 1990)
- Naomi Watts (born 1968)
- Rachel Weisz (born 1971)
- Dominic West (born 1969)
- Ed Westwick (born 1987)
- Michael Wilding (1912β1979)
- Tom Wilkinson (born 1948)
- Kate Winslet (born 1975)
- Ray Winstone (born 1957)
- Katherine Woodville (1948β2013)
Archaeologists and anthropologists
- George Adamson (1906β1989)
- Leslie Alcock (1925β2006)
- Mick Aston (1946β2013)
- Richard Atkinson (1920β1994)
- Edward Russell Ayrton (1882β1914)
- Churchill Babington (1821β1889)
- Philip Arthur Barker (1920β2001)
- Thomas Bateman (1821β1861)
- James Theodore Bent (1852β1897)
- Geoffrey Bibby (1917β2001)
- Howard Carter (1874β1939)
- Grahame Clark (1907β1995)
- David Clarke (1937β1976)
- Barry Cunliffe (born 1939)
- Glyn Daniel (1914β1986)
- John Disney (1779β1857), barrister and archaeologist
- E. E. Evans-Pritchard (1902β1973), social anthropologist
- Cyril Fox (1882β1967)
- Dorothy Garrod (1892β1968)
- William Greenwell (1820β1918)
- Phil Harding (born 1950)
- Kathleen Kenyon (1906β1978)
- John Leland (1502β1552), antiquary
- John Lubbock (1834β1913), banker, politician, naturalist and archaeologist
- John Robert Mortimer (1825β1911)
- Francis Pryor (born 1945)
- Colin Renfrew (born 1937), archaeologist
- Alice Roberts (born 1973), anatomist, osteoarchaeologist and anthropologist
- Andrew Sherratt (1946β2006)
- E.B. Tylor (1832β1917), anthropologist
- Mortimer Wheeler (1890β1976)
Architects
- Hubert Austin (1845β1915)
- Charles Barry (1795β1860) (Houses of Parliament)
- George Basevi (1794β1845)
- William Burges (1827β1881), architect and designer
- William Butterfield (1814β1900), leader in Gothic revival movement
- Rowland Carter (1875β1916)
- William Chambers (1723β1796) (Kew Gardens Pagoda and Somerset House)
- John Douglas (1830β1911)
- Sir Norman Foster (born 1935)
- James Harrison (1814β66)
- Thomas Harrison (1744β1829)
- Nicholas Hawksmoor (1661β1736)
- Inigo Jones (1573β1652)
- Edmund Kirby (1838β1920)
- Denys Lasdun (1914β2001)
- Thomas Lockwood (1830β1900)
- Edwin Lutyens (1869β1944)
- William Morris (1834β1896), architect and author
- John Nash (1752β1835) (Regent's Park, St. James's Park, Trafalgar Square)
- Henry Paley (1859β1946)
- Joseph Paxton (1801β1865) (The Crystal Palace for The Great Exhibition, London)
- Thomas Mainwaring Penson (1818β64)
- August Pugin (1812β1852) (Houses of Parliament)
- Anthony Salvin (1799β1881)
- Giles Gilbert Scott (1880β1960) (Waterloo Bridge, also supervised rebuilding of House of Commons, London)
- Edmund Sharpe (1809β77)
- John William Simpson (1858β1933)
- John Vanbrugh (1664β1726), Baroque architect (Blenheim Palace)
- Derek Walker (born 1929)
- Alfred Waterhouse (1830β1905) (Natural History Museum, London)
- William Wilkins (1778β1839) (National Gallery, London)
- Christopher Wren (1632β1723)
Artists
- Sophie Gengembre Anderson (1823β1903), painter
- James Andrews (1801β1876), botanical artist
- Richard Ansdell (1815β1885), painter
- Banksy (born c. 1974), graffiti artist
- Aubrey Beardsley (1872β1898), illustrator
- Suzzan Blac (born 1960), painter
- Sir Peter Blake (born 1932), pop artist
- William Blake (1757β1827), painter, poet
- Albin R. Burt (1783β1842), portrait painter
- Sir Anthony Caro (1924-2013), sculptor
- Anna Maria Charretie (1819β1875), miniature painter
- John Constable (1776β1837), landscape painter
- Tracey Emin (born 1963), conceptual artist
- Thomas Gainsborough (1727β1788), painter
- Andy Goldsworthy (born 1956), sculptor (land art)
- Antony Gormley OBE RA (born 1950), sculptor
- James Henry Govier (1910β1974), painter, etcher and engraver
- Steven Harris (born 1975), cartoonist
- Thomas Hazlehurst (c. 1740 β c. 1821), miniature painter
- Dame Barbara Hepworth DBE (1903β1975), sculptor
- Jamie Hewlett (born 1968), comic book artist and designer
- Nicholas Hilliard (1547β1619), miniature painter
- Damien Hirst (born 1965), sculptor/ conceptual artist
- David Hockney (born 1937), painter
- Sir Howard Hodgkin (born 1932), painter
- William Hogarth (1697β1764), painter, engraver
- Master Hugo (fl. c.1130-c.1150), illuminated manuscript artist active in Bury St Edmunds
- William Holman Hunt (1827β1910)
- Sir Edwin Landseer (1802β1873), animal painter
- Richard Long (born 1945), land artist
- Sir John Everett Millais (1829β1896), painter
- Henry Moore (1898β1986), sculptor
- William Morris (1834β1896)
- Lawrence Mynott (born 1954), illustrator, designer and portrait painter
- Chris Ofili (born 1968), painter
- George Passmore (born 1942), artist (Gilbert & George)
- Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723β1792), portrait painter
- Bridget Riley (born 1931), painter
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828β1882), painter
- Sir Stanley Spencer (1891β1959), painter
- George Stubbs (1724β1806), painter
- Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775β1851), landscape and marine artist
- Flora Twort (1893β1985), painter
- Mark Wallinger (born 1959), conceptual artist
- Rachel Whiteread (born 1963), sculptor
- Joseph Wright of Derby (1734β1797), Enlightenment painter
Broadcasters
- Michael Aspel (born 1933)
- Sir David Attenborough (born 1926), naturalist and broadcaster
- Jeremy Clarkson (born 1960), TV presenter, broadcaster and writer
- Simon Cowell (born 1959), TV personality, record producer
- Ray Mears (born 1964), author, TV presenter and survival expert
- Sir Patrick Moore (1923β2012), writer, TV presenter, astronomer
- Michael Parkinson (born 1935), presenter of British television chat show Parkinson
- John Peel (1939β2004), disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist
- Jonathan Ross (born 1960)
- Jimmy Savile (1926β2011), disc jockey, TV presenter, writer and media personality
- Mike Smith (1955β2014), TV and radio presenter
- Ed Stewart (1941-2016), radio and TV presenter
Businessmen
- Sir Richard Branson (born 1950)
- Sir John Brunner (1842β1919), chemicals
- Frank Bustard (1886β1974), shipping
- Joseph Crosfield (1792β1844), soap and chemicals
- Abraham Darby (c. 1678 β 1717), ironmaster
- William Gossage (1799β1877), soap
- Philip Green (born 1952), retail
- James Hanson, Baron Hanson (1922β2004), industrialist
- Thomas Hazlehurst (1779β1842), soap and alkali
- Robert Spear Hudson (1812β1884), soap powder
- John Hutchinson (1825β65), alkali
- Peter Jones (born 1966)
- Sir Freddie Laker (1922β2006), pioneer of cheap air travel
- William Losh (1770β1861), alkali
- Alfred Mond (1868β1930), chemicals
- Henry Mond (1898β1949), chemicals
- Julian Mond (1925β73), industrialist
- Stephan Morais (born 1973)
- William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield (1877β1963)
- Edmund Knowles Muspratt (1833β1923), industrialist
- Richard Muspratt (1822β85), industrialist
- Charles Roe (1715β1781), silk
- Titus Salt (1803β1876), industrialist
- Sir Ivan Stedeford (1897β1975), industrialist
- Sir Alan Sugar (born 1947), electronics
- Richard Tompkins (1918β1992), Green Shield trading stamps
- Josiah Wedgwood (1730β1795), industrialist
Chefs
- Heston Blumenthal (born 1966)
- Keith Floyd (1943β2009)
- Robert Irvine (born 1965)
- Nigella Lawson (born 1960)
- James Martin (born 1972)
- Jamie Oliver (born 1975)
- Gordon Ramsay (born 1966)
- Delia Smith (born 1941)
- Rick Stein (born 1947)
- Marco Pierre White (born 1961)
- Antony Worrall Thompson (born 1951)
Clergy
- Pope Adrian IV (c. 1100 β 1159), only English Pope
- Thomas Arundel (1353β1414), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Richard Bancroft (1544β1610), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Richard Barnes (1532β1587), bishop
- Archbishop Lawrence Booth, of York (1420β1480)
- William Charles Cotton (1813β79), missionary and beekeeper
- Thomas Cranmer (1489β1556), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Gildas (c. 510 β c. 570), monk
- Trevor Huddleston (1913β1998), anti-Apartheid activist
- John Leland (1691β1766), English Presbyterian minister
- John Henry Newman (1801β1890), Catholic cardinal
- Plegmund (died 923), Archbishop of Canterbury
- William Smyth (c. 1460 β 1514), bishop
- Charles Spurgeon (1834β1892), Particular Baptist minister
- Simon Sudbury (died 1381), Archbishop of Canterbury
- Joshua Toulmin (1740β1815), radical dissenting minister
- John Wesley (1703β1791), Methodist minister and evangelist
Criminals
- Myra Hindley (1942β2002), Moors murderer
- Ian Huntley (born 1974), Soham murderer
- The Kray twins (Ronald 1933β1995, Reginald 1933β2000), east London gangsters
- Jimmy Moody (1941β1993), armed robber, reputed contract killer and prison escapee
- Harold Shipman (1946β2004), possibly the most prolific serial killer worldwide; convicted of 15 murders; probably killed over 250[1]
- Peter Sutcliffe (born 1946), the "Yorkshire Ripper"
- Fred West (1941β1995) and Rosemary West (born 1953), serial killers
- Steve Wright (born 1958), serial killer
- Graham Young (1947β1990), the "Teacup Poisoner"
Conspirators
- Guy Fawkes (1570β1606)
Economists
- R. G. D. Allen (1906β1983), economist, mathematician, and statistician
- Norman Angell (1872β1967), British internationalist and economist
- William Beveridge (1879β1963), economist and social reformer
- Edwin Cannan (1861β1935), economist and historian
- Colin Clark (1905β1989), British and Australian economist
- Ronald Coase (1910β2013), Nobel Prizeβwinning economist
- Friedrich Hayek (1899β1992), Nobel Prizeβwinning economist
- John Hicks (1904β1989), Nobel Prizeβwinning economist
- John Holland (1658β1722), founder of the Bank of Scotland in 1695
- William Stanley Jevons (1835β1882), economist and logician
- John Maynard Keynes (1883β1946), economist
- John Neville Keynes (1852β1949), economist, father of John Maynard Keynes
- Arthur Lewis (1915β1991), economist
- Thomas Malthus (1766β1834), demographer
- Alfred Marshall (1842β1924), economist
- Mary Paley Marshall (1850β1944), economist, wife of Alfred Marshall
- James Meade (1907β1995), Nobel Prizeβwinning economist
- John Stuart Mill (1806β1873), philosopher and economist
- Arthur Cecil Pigou (1877β1959), economist
- Lionel Robbins (1898β1984), economist
- Joan Violet Robinson (1903β1983), economist
- Richard Stone (1913β1991), Nobel Prizeβwinning economist
- Robert Torrens (1780β1864), army officer and economist
- Philip Wicksteed (1844β1927), economist
Engineers
- Sir Benjamin Baker (1840β1907), civil engineer, co-designer of the Forth Railway Bridge
- William Baker (1817β1878), railway engineer
- Joseph Bazalgette (1819β1891), civil engineer, best known for creating the London Sewer System, hence making the city a healthier place to live
- James Beatty (1820β1856), railway engineer
- Sir Henry Bessemer (1813β1898), metallurgy engineer
- Ronald Eric Bishop (1903β1989), chief designer of the de Havilland Mosquito
- James Brindley (1716β1772), canal engineer
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806β1859), transport engineer
- Sir Sydney Camm (1894β1966), aeronautical engineer
- Donald Campbell, railway engineer
- William Tierney Clark (1783β1852), civil engineer
- Sir Geoffrey de Havilland (1882β1965), aeronautical engineer
- Edmund Dummer (1651β1713), naval engineer
- Sir John Ambrose Fleming (1848β1945), electrical engineer
- Tommy Flowers (1908β1998), designer and builder of the first electronic computer
- Sir John Fowler, 1st Baronet, civil engineer most famous as co-designer, alongside Benjamin Baker, of the Forth Railway Bridge
- Benjamin Hick (1790β1842), civil and mechanical engineer
- John Hick (1815β1894), civil and mechanical engineer
- Eric Laithwaite (1908β1998), engineer
- William Mackenzie (1794β1851), civil engineer and contractor
- R.J. Mitchell (1895β1937), aeronautical engineer
- Sir Henry Royce (1863β1933), engineer
- Nevil Shute (1899β1960), aeronautical engineer and author
- George Stephenson (1781β1848), railway engineer
- Thomas Telford (1757β1834), engineer
- Charles Todd (1826β1910), meteorologist, in charge of constructing the Overland Telegraph across Australia
- Sir Barnes Wallis (1887β1978), engineer
- John Webster (1845β1914), engineer
- Sir Joseph Whitworth (1803β1887), engineer
Explorers
- Gertrude Bell (1868β1926), traveller in Iraq
- Thomas Cavendish (1560β1592), one of the Elizabethan Sea Dogs, privateer, navigator
- Capt. James Cook (1728β1779), sailor, explorer
- William Dampier (1651β1715)
- John Davis (1550β1605), Sea Dog, explorer and navigator
- Charles Montagu Doughty (1843β1926), explorer in the Middle East
- Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540 β 1596)
- Sir Ranulph Fiennes (born 1944), listed as the "greatest living explorer" by the Guinness Book of Records
- Martin Frobisher (1535β1594), navigator, one of the Elizabethan Sea Dogs
- Rob Gauntlett (1987β2009), youngest Briton to summit Everest
- Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (born 1939), first person to perform single handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe
- Michael Palin (born 1943)
- Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552 β 1618)
- Robert Falcon Scott (1868β1912), Antarctic explorer
- Ed Stafford (born 1975), first person to walk the complete length of the Amazon River
- Freya Stark (1893β1993), Middle East explorer
- Wilfred Thesiger (1910β2003), explorer in East Africa and the Middle East
Filmmakers
- Richard Attenborough (1923β2014)
- John Boorman (born 1933)
- John and Roy Boulting (1913β1985 and 1913β2001)
- Charlie Chaplin (1889β1977)
- Alan Clarke (1935β1990)
- Mike Figgis (born 1948)
- Lewis Gilbert (born 1920)
- David Hare (born 1947)
- Alfred Hitchcock (1899β1980)
- Peter Howitt (born 1957)
- Humphrey Jennings (1907β1950)
- Stan Laurel (1890β1965)
- David Lean (1908β1991)
- Mike Leigh (born 1943)
- Ken Loach (born 1936)
- Nick Love (born 1969)
- Anthony Minghella (1954β2008)
- Mike Newell (born 1942)
- Christopher Nolan (born 1970)
- Nick Park (born 1958)
- Michael Powell (1905β1990)
- Guy Ritchie (born 1968)
- Ken Russell (1927β2011)
- Ridley Scott (born 1937)
- Tony Scott (1944β2012)
Historians
- William Camden (1551β1623)
- Edward Gibbon (1737β1794)
- Richard Holmes (1946β2011), military historian and author
- Sir Peter Leycester (1614β78), historian and antiquarian
- George Ormerod (1785β1873), historian and antiquary
- Nicholas Rodger (born 1949), naval historian
- John Speed (1542β1629), historian and cartographer
- A.J.P. Taylor (1906β1990), popular historian
Humourists
- Chris Addison (born 1972)
- Chesney Allen (1893β1982)
- Stephen K. Amos (born 1967)
- Rowan Atkinson (born 1955)
- Richard Ayoade (born 1977)
- Ronnie Barker (1929β2005)
- Sacha Baron Cohen (born 1971)
- Julian Barratt (born 1968)
- Matt Berry (born 1974)
- John Bird (born 1936)
- Jo Brand (born 1957)
- Charlie Brooker (born 1971)
- Roy 'Chubby' Brown (born 1945)
- Adam Buxton (born 1969)
- Alan Carr (born 1976)
- Jimmy Carr (born 1972)
- Jasper Carrott (born 1945)
- Graham Chapman (1941β1989)
- John Cleese (born 1939)
- Steve Coogan (born 1965)
- Peter Cook (1937β1995)
- Tommy Cooper (1921β1984)
- Barry Cryer (born 1935)
- Jon Culshaw (born 1968)
- Jim Davidson (born 1953)
- Les Dawson (1931β1993)
- Angus Deayton (born 1956)
- Hugh Dennis (born 1962)
- Ken Dodd (born 1929)
- Ade Edmondson (born 1957)
- Jo Enright (born 1968)
- Lee Evans (born 1964)
- Noel Fielding (born 1973)
- Bud Flanagan (1896β1968)
- John Fortune (1939β2013)
- Dawn French (born 1957)
- Stephen Fry (born 1958)
- Ricky Gervais (born 1961)
- Dave Gorman (born 1971)
- Tony Hancock (1924β1968)
- Jeremy Hardy (born 1961)
- Miranda Hart (born 1972)
- Lenny Henry (born 1958)
- Richard Herring (born 1967)
- Matthew Holness (born 1975)
- Russell Howard (born 1980)
- Lee Hurst (born 1963)
- Eric Idle (born 1943)
- Robin Ince (born 1969)
- Eddie Izzard (born 1962)
- Jethro (born 1948)
- Russell Kane (born 1980)
- Peter Kay (born 1973)
- Hugh Laurie (born 1959)
- Stewart Lee (born 1968)
- Alice Lowe (born 1977)
- Matt Lucas (born 1974)
- Lee Mack (born 1968)
- Bernard Manning (1930β2007)
- Rik Mayall (1958-2014)
- Alistair McGowan (born 1964)
- Rory McGrath (born 1956)
- Paddy McGuinness (born 1973)
- Stephen Merchant (born 1974)
- Paul Merton (born 1957)
- Sarah Millican (born 1975)
- David Mitchell (born 1974)
- Bob Monkhouse (1928β2003)
- Eric Morecambe (1926β1984)
- Chris Morris (born 1962)
- Bob Mortimer (born 1959)
- Frank Muir (1920β1998)
- Al Murray (born 1968)
- Denis Norden (born 1922)
- John Oliver (born 1977)
- Michael Palin (born 1943)
- Andy Parsons (born 1967)
- Sue Perkins (born 1969)
- Lucy Porter (born 1973)
- Jan Ravens (born 1958)
- Vic Reeves (born 1959)
- Mike Reid (1940β2007)
- Jennifer Saunders (born 1958)
- Peter Sellers (1925β1980)
- Frank Skinner (born 1957)
- Arthur Smith (born 1954)
- Freddie Starr (born 1944)
- Tracey Ullman (born 1959)
- Tim Vine (born 1967)
- David Walliams (born 1971)
- Holly Walsh (born 1980)
- Robert Webb (born 1972)
- Jack Whitehall (born 1988)
- Norman Wisdom (1915β2010)
- Ernie Wise (1925β1999)
Inventors / engineers
See also List of English inventions and discoveries.
- Richard Arkwright (1733-1792), revolutionised the cotton industry in England during the Industrial Revolution; once called the "father of the Industrial Revolution"
- Sir Timothy Berners-Lee (born 1955), inventor of the World Wide Web
- Henry Bessemer (1813β1898), inventor of the Bessemer Process which was the first way of mass-producing steel
- Hubert Cecil Booth (1871β1955), inventor of the vacuum cleaner
- Joseph Bramah (1748β1814), inventor of the hydraulic press (beer pump)
- Sir Henry Cavendish (1731β1810), discoverer of hydrogen
- Christopher Cockerell (1910β1999), inventor of the hovercraft
- William Congreve (1772β1828), rocketry pioneer
- Henry Croft (1741β1800), inventor during the Industrial Revolution
- Abraham Darby (c. 1678 β 1717), ironmaster
- James Dyson (born 1947), inventor
- James Hargreaves (1720β1778), weaver and inventor
- Sir John Harington (1561β1612), poet and inventor of the first water closet
- John Harrison (1693β1776), clockmaker
- Rowland Hill (1795β1879), inventor of the modern postal service
- Benjamin Huntsman (1704β1776), inventor of crucible steel
- Archibald Low (1888β1956), radio guidance
- Thomas Newcomen (1664β1729), inventor
- Sir Isaac Newton (1642β1727), founder of modern physics, inventor of the reflector telescope
- James Starley (1831β1881), bicycle pioneer
- George Stephenson (1781β1848), engineer
- Joseph Wilson Swan (1823β1914), inventor of the light bulb
- Charles Wheatstone (1802β1875), inventor
- Sir Frank Whittle (1907β1996), inventor of the jet engine
- Joseph Whitworth (1803β1887), inventor, known for standardising the screw thread
Journalists / newsreaders
- Mark Austin (born 1958)
- Reginald Bosanquet (1932β1984)
- Michael Buerk (born 1946)
- Sir Alastair Burnet (1928β2012)
- Edward Chattaway (1873β1956), editor of The Star
- Jill Dando (1961β1999)
- Sir Robin Day (1923β2000)
- Katie Derham (born 1970)
- Peter Donaldson (born 1945)
- Julie Etchingham (born 1969)
- Anna Ford (born 1943)
- Andrew Gardner (1932β1999)
- Krishnan Guru-Murthy (born 1970)
- Nina Hossain (born 1975)
- Natasha Kaplinsky (born 1972)
- Mary Nightingale (born 1963)
- Jeremy Paxman (born 1950)
- Sophie Raworth (born 1968)
- Angela Rippon (born 1944)
- Peter Sissons (born 1942)
- Jon Snow (born 1947)
- Alastair Stewart (born 1952)
- Moira Stuart (born 1949)
Military: soldiers/sailors/airmen
See also: List of English Victoria Cross recipients.
- John Adams (1767β1829), last survivor of the Bounty Mutineers
- Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (1891β1969), field marshal, Second World War commander
- Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Montreal (1717β1797), general
- George Anson, 1st Baron Anson (1697β1762), Admiral of the Fleet, noted naval reformer
- Sir Claude Auchinleck (1884β1981), Second World War commander
- Reginald Bacon (1863β1947), admiral, pioneer of submarines and torpedoes for the Royal Navy
- Robert Baden-Powell (1857β1941), soldier
- Sir Douglas Bader (1910β1982), fighter pilot
- Ralph Bagnold (1896β1990), founder of the Long Range Desert Group; explorer
- Sir Alexander John Ball (1759β1809), admiral, governor of Malta
- John Benbow (1653β1702), admiral
- George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan (1800β1888), Commander of cavalry at the Battle of Balaclava
- William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood (1865β1951), general, Second World War
- Robert Blake (1599β1657), reforming Royal Navy Admiral
- William Bligh (1754β1817), best known for the mutiny of the Bounty
- Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet (1753β1822), admiral
- Philip Broke (1776β1841), rear admiral, known for his capture of the USS Chesapeake
- James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797β1888), Commander of the Light Brigade
- Richard Francis Burton (1821β1890), soldier, spy, linguist and explorer
- Freddie Spencer Chapman (1907β1971), known for his exploits in the jungle during the Second World War
- Leonard Cheshire VC (1917β1992), Royal Air Force pilot during Second World War and founder of the Cheshire Homes
- John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650β1722), soldier
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874β1965), British prime minister
- Charles Clerke (1741-1779), sailed with James Cook on all three of his expeditions, was the Captain of Discovery at the time of Cook's death he then took command until his own death at sea shortly after
- Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet (1772β1853), Admiral of the Fleet, admiral in charge at the capture and burning of Washington in 1814
- Cuthbert Collingwood (1748β1810), vice admiral, Commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet
- Henry Seymour Conway (1721β1795), general
- John Cooke (1762-1805), captain of the HMS Bellerophon at the Battle of Trafalgar, where he was subsequently killed
- Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738β1805), general
- Oliver Cromwell (1599β1658), Lord Protector of England
- Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (c. 1208 β 1265), English statesman and soldier
- Miles Dempsey (1896β1969), commander of the British Second Army During the D-Day landing
- Sir Francis Drake (1540β1596), sailor
- Sir John Duckworth (1748β1817), admiral, known for the Battle of San Domingo
- Bruce Fraser (1888β1981), Admiral of the Fleet, commander of the British Pacific Fleet during the Second World War
- Prince Frederick, Duke of York (1763β1827), son of King George III, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces during French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
- John French, 1st Earl of Ypres (1852β1925), general, World War I and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
- Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (1819β1904), Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
- Charles George Gordon ("Chinese Gordon") (1833β1885), killed at Khartoum
- Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet (1769β1859), vice-admiral, captained the HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
- Sir Arthur Travers Harris (1892β1984), Marshal of the Royal Air Force, airman
- Eliab Harvey (1758β1830), admiral, captain of HMS Temeraire, which played a crucial role at the Battle of Trafalgar
- Edward Hawke (1705β1781), Admiral of the Fleet, best known as the admiral at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
- John Hawkwood (1320β1394), famous medieval mercenary
- Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (1724β1816), mentor of Nelson
- Brian Horrocks (1895β1985), highly regarded general during World War II
- William Hoste (1780β1828), well-known frigate captain during the Napoleonic War
- John Howard (1912β1999), major, led the raid that captured Pegasus Bridge on D-Day that was part of Operation Deadstick
- Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (1726β1799), admiral
- William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe (1729β1814), general in the American Revolutionary War
- John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe (1859β1935), admiral during the First World War
- Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes (1872β1945), admiral
- Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum (1850β1916), field marshal
- Lofty Large, SAS soldier, author
- John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier (1680β1770), general
- Trafford Leigh Mallory (1892β1944), air commander of the Allied invasion of Normandy
- John Manners, Marquess of Granby (1721β1770), general
- William McMurdo (1819β1894), general
- Andy McNab (born 1959), former Special Air Service soldier and commander of the infamous Bravo Two Zero mission during the first Iraq Gulf War
- Samuel Mitchell (VC) (1841β1894), killed in action during the New Zealand Wars
- George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608β1670), Civil War era general in Chief Command
- Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein ("The Desert Rat") (1887β1976), field marshal and hero of World War II
- Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900β1979), statesman, sailor
- Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson of the Nile (1758β1805), sailor, admiral
- Augustus Charles Newman (1904β1972) VC, The Essex Regiment, No.2 Commando, SAS, led the raid on St. Nazaire
- John Norreys (1547β1597), Tudor soldier
- Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey (1768β1854), general, hero of the Napoleonic Wars
- Sir William Parker (1781β1866), Admiral of the Fleet, was the admiral during the First Opium War
- Arthur Phillip (1738β1814), admiral, commanded the First Fleetinto what is now known as Port Jackson, First Governor of New South Wales
- Basil Charles Godfrey Place VC (1921β1994), along with Donald Cameron VC and crew crippled the pocket battleship Tirpitz during operation Source
- Dudley Pound (1877β1943), Admiral of the Fleet, First Sea Lord during the Second World War
- Bertram Ramsay (1883β1945), admiral, commander of operation Neptune during Second World War
- Bernard Rawlings (1889β1962), admiral, second in command of the British Pacific Fleet during Second World War
- Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts of Kandahar (1832β1914), field marshal, last Commander-in-Chief of the Forces
- Sir William Robertson, 1st Baronet (1860-1933), "Wully" Robertson, distinguished soldier; the only man ever in the British Army to rise from the rank of private soldier to field marshal; the head of the Army for much of World War I; a highly influential figure as to strategy
- Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich (1782β1859)
- Chris Ryan (born 1961), Former Special Air Service soldier and member of the infamous Bravo Two Zero mission during the first Iraq Gulf War
- Siegfried Sassoon (1886β1967), war poet
- Charles Saunders (1715β1775), Admiral, commanded the Fleet at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham
- William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim (1897β1970), Commander in Burma during Second World War, Governor-General of Australia
- Sir Sidney Smith (1764β1840), Napoleon famously said of him "that man made me miss my destiny"
- Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien (1858β1930), general, World War I
- Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788β1855), British commander in the Crimean War
- James Somerville (1882β1949), Admiral of the Fleet, Commander at Mers-El-Kabir
- Bill Speakman VC (born 1927), Black Watch, SAS Regiment
- Richard Strachan (1760β1828), known for his action after the Battle of Trafalgar
- James Brian Tait VC (1916β2007), nicknamed" Tirpitz", commander of 617 squadron
- Henry Tandey VC (1891β1977), the most highly decorated private of the First World War
- Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard (1873β1956), "father of the RAF" and first Chief of the Air Staff
- Sir Thomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet (1758β1807), rear admiral
- Reginald Tyrwhitt (1870β1951), Admiral of the Fleet, commander of the Harwich Force during World War I
- George Vancouver (1757-1798), distinguished Royal Navy Captain and explorer
- Philip Vian (1894β1968), Admiral of the Fleet, distinguished destroyer captain also Commander in Charge of Air Operations, British Pacific Fleet during Second World War
- Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell (1883β1950), World War II general, second to last Viceroy of India
- Jane Whorwood (1612β1684), Royalist agent during the English Civil War
- Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721β1765), captain-general, victor of Culloden
- James Wolfe (1727β1759), general, hero of Quebec during the Seven Years' War
- John Woodhouse (1922β2008), reformed SAS selection and training techniques after World War Two
Monarchs
Further information: List of the monarchs of the Kingdom of England
- Alfred the Great (lived c. 849 β 899) (reigned 880sβ899), King of the Anglo-Saxons
- Queen Anne (reigned 1702β1714), also Queen of Scotland, then Queen of Great Britain after 1707
- Charles I (reigned 1625β1649), also King of Scotland, born 1600 at Dunfermline in Scotland, beheaded 1649
- Charles II (reigned 1660β1685), also King of Scotland
- Cnut (reigned 1016β1035)
- Saint Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042β1066)
- Edward I (reigned 1272β1307), English monarch
- Edward II (reigned 1307β1327), English monarch
- Edward III (reigned 1327β1377), English monarch
- Edward IV (reigned 1461β1470 and 1471β1483), English monarch
- Edward V (reigned 1483β1483), English monarch
- Edward VI (reigned 1547β1553), first English Protestant monarch
- Elizabeth I (reigned 1558β1603), Protestant queen and first Supreme Governor of the Church of England
- Harold Godwinson (reigned 6 January 1066 β 14 October 1066), died in Battle of Hastings
- Harold Harefoot (reigned 1035β1040)
- Harthacnut (reigned 1040β1042)
- Henry I (reigned 1100β1135)
- Henry III (reigned 1216β1272), English monarch
- Henry IV (reigned 1399β1413), English monarch
- Henry V (reigned 1413β1422)
- Henry VI (reigned 1422β1461), English monarch
- Henry VII (reigned 1485β1509) (Henry Tudor, the first Tudor monarch)
- Henry VIII (reigned 1509β1547), separated English Catholicism from link with the Roman Catholic Church
- James II (reigned 1685β1689)
- Lady Jane Grey (de facto 10 July 1553 β 19 July 1553) ("the nine days queen"), beheaded 1554, aged 16
- King John (reigned 1199β1216)
- Mary I (reigned 1553β1558), Roman Catholic queen
- Mary II (reigned 1689β1694), reigned jointly with her husband William III
- Richard the Lionheart (reigned 1189β1199), Richard I, English monarch, leader and hero of the Third Crusade
- Richard II (reigned 1377β1399)
- Richard III (reigned 1483β1485), last Plantagenet King, and last British monarch to die in Battle
- William I (reigned 1066β1087), "William the Conqueror", William of Normandy
- William II (reigned 1087β1100)
- William III (reigned 1689β1702), "William of Orange", born 1650 at The Hague in Holland, married an English princess, reigned jointly with his wife Mary II, until her death
Musicians
- Stuart Adamson, lead singer of Big Country
- Adele, singer
- Thomas Adès (born 1971), composer
- Damon Albarn (born 1968), singer-songwriter
- John Alldis (born 1929), chorus master and conductor
- Lily Allen (born 1985)
- David Arnold (born 1962), composer, musician and film scorer (notably four James Bond films)
- Malcolm Arnold (1921β2006), composer
- Rick Astley (born 1966), singer-songwriter
- Alexander Baillie (born 1956), cellist
- Bryan Balkwill (1922β2007), conductor
- John Barbirolli (1899β1970), conductor
- Gary Barlow (born 1971), singer, songwriter and member of Take That
- Syd Barrett (1946β2006), singer, songwriter, member of the early Pink Floyd
- Victoria Beckham (born 1974), singer, songwriter, dancer, fashion designer, author, businesswoman, actress and model
- David Bedford (born 1937), composer and musician
- Natasha Bedingfield (born 1981), singer
- Thomas Beecham (1879β1961), conductor
- Matthew Bellamy (born 1978), composer for Muse
- Lisa Beznosiuk (1956), flautist
- Acker Bilk (1929-2014), clarinettist and vocalist
- Roger Birnstingl, bassoonist
- Harrison Birtwistle (born 1934), composer
- Cilla Black (1943-2015), British singer and television presenter
- James Blunt (born 1977)
- John Bonham (1948β1980), drummer for Led Zeppelin
- Tim Booth (1960), singer-songwriter and actor
- Adrian Boult (1889β1983), conductor
- James Bourne, member of the former rock group Busted, singer and songwriter
- David Bowie (1947β2016)
- William Boyce (1711β1779), composer
- Billy Bragg (born 1957)
- Havergal Brian (1876β1972), composer
- Sarah Brightman (born 1960), singer, actress, songwriter and dancer
- Benjamin Britten (1913β1976), composer and pianist
- Justin Broadrick (born 1969), vocalist and guitarist, member of Godflesh and Jesu
- Pete Burns (born 1959), singer-songwriter and lead vocalist with Dead or Alive
- Kate Bush (born 1958), singer, songwriter, musician and record producer
- Bilinda Butcher (born 1961), singer-songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of My Bloody Valentine
- William Byrd (1543β1623), composer
- Justin Chancellor (born 1971), bassist, member of Tool
- Eric Clapton (born 1945)
- Adam Clayton (born 1960), bassist, member of U2
- Cheryl Cole (born 1983), singer
- Phil Collins (born 1951), singer-songwriter, musician, member of Genesis
- Imogen Cooper (born 1949), pianist
- Graham Coxon (born 1969), guitarist, singer-songwriter, former member of Blur and solo artist
- Ian Curtis (1956β1980), lead singer and composer for Joy Division
- Roger Daltrey (born 1944), singer, lead of The Who
- Peter Maxwell Davies (born 1934), composer
- Andrew Davis (born 1944), conductor
- Colin Davis (born 1927), conductor
- Chris de Burgh (born 1948), singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
- Gervase de Peyer (born 1926), clarinetist and conductor
- Norman Del Mar (1919β1994), conductor
- Frederick Delius (1862β1934), composer
- Dido (born Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong, 1971), singer and songwriter
- Pete Doherty, former co-lead singer of The Libertines; current lead singer of Babyshambles; solo artist
- Peter Donohoe (born 1953), pianist
- John Dowland (c. 1563 β c. 1626), composer of songs
- Jacqueline du PrΓ© (1945β1987), cellist
- John Dunstaple (c. 1383 β 1453), composer
- Ian Dury (1942β2000), lyricist and vocalist for The Blockheads
- Edward Elgar (1857β1934), composer
- John Entwistle (1944β2002)
- Marianne Faithfull (born 1946)
- Gerald Finzi (1901β1956), composer
- Lita Ford
- George Formby (born 1906), wartime entertainer, famous for his playing of the Banjolele and contribution to film
- Peter Gabriel (born 1950), singer-songwriter and former lead vocalist with Genesis
- Noel Gallagher (born 1967), singer-songwriter
- Orlando Gibbons (1583β1625), composer
- David Gilmour (born in 1946, guitarist, singer and composer of Pink Floyd
- Ron Goodwin (1925β2003), composer and conductor
- Debbie Googe (born 1962), bassist of My Bloody Valentine
- Ellie Goulding (born 1986), singer-songwriter, musician
- Bella Hardy folk musician, singer, songwriter
- Dhani Harrison (born 1978), guitarist, son of George Harrison
- George Harrison (1943β2001), composer, member of The Beatles
- PJ Harvey (born 1969)
- Anthony Hewitt (born 1971), pianist
- Gustav Holst (1874β1934), composer
- Dominic Howard (born 1977), member of Muse
- Tony Iommi (born 1948), guitarist for Black Sabbath
- John Ireland (1879β1962), composer
- Robert Irving (1913β1991), conductor
- Jessie J (born 1988), singer-songwriter
- Mick Jagger (born 1943), rock singer and frontman of The Rolling Stones
- Sir Elton John (born 1947), pop star and composer
- Brian Johnson (born 1947), rock singer
- Brian Jones (1942β1969), founding member and guitarist of The Rolling Stones
- Davy Jones (1945β2012), singer/percussionist, member of The Monkees
- John Paul Jones (born 1946), bassist, mandolinist and keyboardist for Led Zeppelin
- Nigel Kennedy (born 1956), violinist
- Thea King (1925β2007), clarinetist
- Adrian Lambert (born 1976), bassist
- Jen Ledger (born 1989), drummer and backing vocalist for Skillet
- Albert Lee (born 1945), guitarist
- John Lennon (1940β1980), pop star, co-founder of The Beatles
- Leona Lewis (born 1985), singer and songwriter
- Cher Lloyd (born 1993), singer
- Andrew Lloyd Webber (born 1948), composer of musicals
- Pixie Lott (born 1991), singer
- Chris Lowe (born 1959), keyboardist and composer, member of Pet Shop Boys
- Zayn Malik (born 1993), singer
- Chris Martin (born 1977), singer-songwriter, lead of Coldplay
- Sir Paul McCartney (born 1942), pop star, co-founder of The Beatles
- Keith Moon (1946β1978)
- Thomas Morley (c. 1557 β 1602), consort composer
- Gareth Morris (1920β2007), flautist
- Morrissey (born 1959), composer, member of The Smiths
- Olivia Newton-John (born 1948), pop star
- John Ogdon (1937β1989), pianist
- Mike Oldfield (born 1953), composer and instrumentalist
- Ozzy Osbourne (born 1948), vocalist for Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne
- Jimmy Page (born 1944), guitarist
- Hubert Parry (1848β1918), composer
- Liam Payne (born 1993), member of British-Irish boy band One Direction
- Peter Pears (1910β1986), tenor
- Robert Plant (born 1948), singer, member of Led Zeppelin
- Anthony Pleeth (born 1948), cellist
- Stephen Preston, flautist
- Henry Purcell (1659β1695), composer
- Simon Rattle (born 1955), conductor
- Martin Roscoe (born 1952), pianist
- Malcolm Sargent (1895β1967), conductor
- Ed Sheeran (born 1991), singer-songwriter
- Slash (born Saul Hudson in 1965), guitarist, member of Guns N' Roses, Slash's Snakepit and Velvet Revolver
- Zak Starkey (born 1965), drummer, son of Ringo Starr
- Ringo Starr (born 1940), composer, member of The Beatles
- Crispin Steele-Perkins (born 1944), trumpeter
- Rod Stewart (born 1945)
- Joss Stone (born 1987)
- Joe Strummer (1952β2002), singer, member of The Clash
- Harry Styles (born 1994), member of British-Irish boy band One Direction
- Bernard Sumner, lead singer of New Order
- Connie Talbot (born 2000), child singer and reality star
- Thomas Tallis (c. 1505 β 1585), composer
- Benson Taylor (born 1983), composer
- Tinie Tempah (born 1988), rapper
- Neil Tennant (born 1954), vocalist, member of Pet Shop Boys
- Lionel Tertis (1876β1975), violist
- Frederick Thurston (1901β53), clarinetist
- Michael Tippett (1905β1998), composer
- Louis Tomlinson (born 1991), member of British-Irish boy band One Direction
- Pete Townshend (born 1945)
- Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872β1958), composer
- Sid Vicious (born John Simon Ritchie in 1957), bassist for Sex Pistols
- Ricky Walters (born 1965), aka rapper Slick Rick
- William Walton (1902β1983), composer
- Roger Waters (born 1943), founder of Pink Floyd
- Thomas Weelkes (c. 1575 β 1623), composer
- Florence Welch (born 1986), lead singer of Florence and The Machine
- John Wilbye (1574β1638), composer
- Cliff Williams (born 1949), bassist
- Robbie Williams (born 1974)
- Steven Wilson (1967), musician, producer, composer and founder of Porcupine Tree
- Amy Winehouse (1983β2011), singer-songwriter
- Christopher Wolstenholme (born 1978), member of Muse
- Henry Wood (1869β1944), conductor
- Thom Yorke (born 1968), singer-songwriter, musician, member of Radiohead
- Marvin Young (born 1967), aka rapper Young MC
Philosophers
- Donald Adamson (born 1939)
- G. E. M. Anscombe (1919β2001), philosopher
- Anselm of Canterbury (born 1033), philosopher, famous for creation of the Ontological Argument
- A. J. Ayer (1910β1989), philosopher
- Francis Bacon (1561β1626), philosopher and essayist
- Roger Bacon (1214β1294), medieval philosopher, alchemist, and theologian
- Jeremy Bentham (1748β1832), philosopher, founder of Utilitarianism
- R. M. Hare (1907β2002), philosopher
- H. L. A. Hart (1907β1992), legal philosopher
- Thomas Hobbes (1588β1679), philosopher
- William Godwin (1756β1836), political philosopher
- John Locke (1632β1704), philosopher
- John Stuart Mill (1806β1873), economist, political philosopher
- G. E. Moore (1873β1958), philosopher
- William of Ockham (c. 1285 β 1349), philosopher, theologian, created Ockham's Razor
- Thomas Paine (1737β1809), theorist
- Derek Parfit (born 1942), philosopher
- Bertrand Russell (1872β1970), philosopher
- Gilbert Ryle (1900β1976), philosopher
- Henry Sidgwick (1838β1900), philosopher
- Herbert Spencer (1820β1903)
- Peter Strawson (1919β2006), philosopher
- William Whewell (1794β1866), philosopher
- Alfred North Whitehead (1861β1947), mathematician
- Bernard Williams (1929β2003), philosopher
Photographers
- David Bailey (born 1938)
- Emma Barton (1872β1938)
- Cecil Beaton (1904β1980)
- John Blakemore (born 1936)
- Samuel Bourne (1834β1912)
- Larry Burrows (1926β1971), photojournalist
- George Davison (1854β1930)
- Terence Donovan (1936β1996)
- Brian Duffy (1933β2010)
- Frederick H. Evans (1853β1943)
- Roger Fenton (1819β1869)
- John French (1907β1966)
- Francis Frith (1822β1898)
- Peter Wickens Fry (1798β1860), early amateur photographer
- Bert Hardy (1913β1995)
- Alfred Horsley Hinton (1863β1908)
- Don McCullin (1935), photojournalist
- Eadweard Muybridge (1830β1904)
- Horace Nicholls (1867β1941)
- Tony Ray-Jones (1941β1972)
- Henry Peach Robinson (1830β1901)
- George Rodger (1908β1995), photojournalist
- Francis Meadow Sutcliffe (1853β1941)
- William Henry Fox Talbot (1800β1877), photographer, inventor of the calotype process
Politicians
- H. H. Asquith (1852β1928), British prime minister
- Clement Attlee (1883β1967), British prime minister
- Stanley Baldwin (1867β1947), British prime minister
- Tony Benn (born 1925), Labour politician
- Ernest Bevin (1881β1951), Labour politician
- Tony Blair (born 1953), British prime minister
- Margaret Bondfield (1873β1953), Labour politician & first female Cabinet Minister
- John Bright (1811β1889), liberal politician
- George Canning (1770β1827), politician
- Barbara Castle (1910β2002), politician
- Sir Austen Chamberlain (1863β1937)
- Joseph Chamberlain (1836β1914)
- Neville Chamberlain (1869β1940), British prime minister
- Lord Randolph Churchill (1849β1895)
- Winston Churchill (1874β1965), British prime minister
- Kenneth Clarke (born 1940), Conservative politician
- William Cobbett (1763-1835), MP and reformer
- Sir Stafford Cripps (1889β1952), Labour politician
- George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (1859β1925), Viceroy of India
- Archibald Dalzel (1740β1811), Governor of the Gold Coast
- Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby (1826β1893)
- Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (1799β1869)
- Spencer Compton Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire (1833β1908)
- William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire (c. 1720 β 1764)
- Benjamin Disraeli (1804β1881), British prime minister
- Alec Douglas-Home (1903β1995), British prime minister
- Anthony Eden (1897β1977), British prime minister
- Michael Foot (born 1913), Labour leader
- Sir Henry Bartle Frere (1815β1884), Colonial administrator
- Hugh Gaitskell (1906β1963), Labour politician
- William Ewart Gladstone (1809β1898), British prime minister
- Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (1735β1811)
- George Grenville (1712β1770), British prime minister
- William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Lord Grenville (1759β1834)
- Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1764β1845)
- William Hague (born 1961), Conservative politician
- Denis Healey (born 1917), Labour politician
- Edward Heath (1916β2005), British prime minister
- Boris Johnson (born 1964), Conservative politician
- John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (1826β1902)
- George Lansbury (1859β1940)
- Nigel Lawson (born 1932), Conservative politician
- John Leland (?β1808), English Member of Parliament for Stamford, 1796β1808
- Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (1815β1891)
- Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (1770β1828)
- John Lubbock (1834β1913), banker, politician, naturalist and archaeologist
- Harold Macmillan (1894β1986), British prime minister
- John Major (born 1943), British prime minister
- Reginald Maudling (1917β1979), Conservative politician
- William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779β1848)
- Herbert Morrison (1888β1965), Labour politician
- Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (1693β1768)
- Frederick North, Lord North (1732β1792)
- Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784β1865), British prime minister
- Sir Robert Peel (1788β1850), British prime minister
- Henry Pelham (1694β1754)
- Spencer Perceval (1762β1812), British prime minister
- William Pitt (the Elder), 1st Earl of Chatham (1708β1778)
- William Pitt the Younger (1759β1806), British prime minister
- William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (1738β1809)
- Enoch Powell (1912β1998)
- Cecil Rhodes (1853β1902), imperialist
- Frederick John Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon (1782β1859), politician
- Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham (1730β1782)
- John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792β1878)
- Michael Hicks-Beach, 1st Earl St Aldwyn (1837β1916)
- Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830β1903), British prime minister
- Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (1757β1844)
- John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon (1873β1954)
- Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden of Ickornshaw (1864β1937)
- Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733β1800), Home Secretary in the Pitt government; suggested using what is now Australia as a penal colony for Britain
- Margaret Thatcher (1925β2013), British prime minister
- Sir Robert Walpole (1676β1745), British prime minister
- William Wilberforce (1759β1833), abolitionist
- Shirley Williams (born 1930), SDP founder
- Henry Willink (1894β1973), politician
- Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington (c. 1674 β 1743)
- Harold Wilson (1916β1995), British prime minister
Scientists
- Arthur Aikin (1773β1854), chemist and mineralogist
- Nathan Alcock (1707β1779), doctor
- Charles Babbage (1791β1871), mathematician
- Joseph Banks (1743β1820), naturalist
- Isaac Barrow (1630β1677), mathematician
- Thomas Bayes (c. 1702 β 1761), mathematician
- Tim Berners-Lee (born 1955), computer scientist; inventor of the World Wide Web
- Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett (1897β1974), physicist
- George Boole (1815β1864), mathematician
- Robert Boyle (1627β1691), natural philosopher
- Richard Bright (1630β1677), doctor, founder of Bright's Disease (a form of kidney disease)
- Henry Brunner (1838β1916), chemist
- Henry Cavendish (1731β1810), scientist
- Sir George Cayley (1773β1857), polymath and aviator
- Frank Close (born 1945), physicist
- Brian Cox (born 1968), physicist
- Francis Crick (1916β2004), molecular biologist
- John Dalton (1766β1844), chemist and physicist
- Charles Darwin (1809β1882), Founder of The Theory of Evolution
- Richard Dawkins (born 1941), evolutionary theorist
- Henry Deacon (1822β76), chemist
- Paul Dirac (1902β1984), physicist
- Horace Donisthorpe (1870β1951), entomologist, myrmecologist and coleopterist
- Arthur Eddington (1882β1944), physicist
- Michael Faraday (1791β1867), scientist
- Ronald Fisher (1890β1962), geneticist and statistician
- Rosalind Franklin (1920β1958), chemist and x-ray crystallographer
- J. B. S. Haldane (1892β1964), geneticist
- James Hargreaves (1834β1915), chemist
- Stephen Hawking (born 1942), cosmologist
- Oliver Heaviside (1850β1925), physicist
- John Herschel (1792β1871), mathematician and astronomer
- Peter Higgs (born 1929), physicist
- C. A. R. Hoare (born 1934), computer scientist
- Robert Hooke (1635β1703), scientist
- Edward Jenner (1749β1823), doctor
- R. V. Jones (1911β1997), physicist
- James Prescott Joule (1818β1889), physicist
- Joseph Lister (1827β1912), surgeon
- Bernard Lovell (1913β2012), astronomer
- James Lovelock (born 1919), scientist
- Martin Lowry (1874β1936), chemist
- John William Lubbock (1803β1865), banker, mathematician and astronomer
- Sir Charles Lyell (1797β1875), geologist
- John Maynard Smith (1920β2004), geneticist
- John McClellan (1810β81), chemist
- Robert Mond (1867β1938), chemist
- Desmond Morris (born 1928), zoologist
- Roger Needham (1935β2003), computer scientist
- Sir Isaac Newton (1642β1727), founder of modern physics, last of the alchemists
- William Penney (1909β1991), mathematician, physicist, director of British nuclear weapon research
- Roger Penrose (born 1931), cosmologist
- Joseph Prestwich (1812β1896), geologist
- Joseph Priestley (1733β1804), chemist
- Martin Rees (born 1942), cosmologist and astrophysicist
- Adam Sedgwick (1785β1873), geologist
- John Snow (1813β1858), epidemiologist
- Joseph Wilson Swan (1828β1914), physicist and chemist
- George Paget Thomson (1892β1975), physicist
- J. J. Thomson (1856β1940), physicist
- Henry Tizard (1885β1959), chemist and inventor
- Alan Turing (1912β1954), mathematician
- Alfred Russel Wallace (1823β1913), naturalist
- Alfred North Whitehead (1861β1947), mathematician
- Maurice Vincent Wilkes (born 1913), computer scientist
- James H. Wilkinson (1919β1986), mathematician
- William Hyde Wollaston (1766β1828), chemist
- Thomas Young (1773β1829), scientist
Sportsmen and sportswomen
- Barney Aaron (Young) (1800β1850), lightweight boxer, Hall of Fame[2]
- Harold Abrahams (1899β1978), athlete, Olympic champion (100 metre sprint) and silver (4x100-m relay), one of the two subjects of Chariots of Fire
- Sir Sidney Abrahams (1885β1957), Olympic long jumper
- Chris Adams (1955β2001), pro wrestler and judoka
- Neil Adams (born 1958), judoka and two-time silver medalist in Judo (1980 and 1984), younger brother of Chris Adams
- Tony Adams (born 1966), football player
- Simon Andrews (1984β2014), Isle of Man TT rider
- Jo Ankier (born 1982), Britain, record holder (1,500-m & 3,000-m steeplechase)
- Alan Ball (1945β2007), member of the 1966 World Cup winning team
- Gordon Banks (born 1937), goalkeeper of 1966 World Cup winning team
- Sir Roger Bannister (born 1929), first sub-four-minute miler
- Wade Barrett (born 1980), WWE wrestler
- Lord Frederick Beauclerk (1773β1850), cricket player and administrator
- David Beckham (born 1975), football player
- Harry Beckham (born 1987), football player
- Jack Kid Berg (Judah Bergman) (1909β1991), world champion junior welterweight boxer, Hall of Fame
- Richard Bergmann (1919β1970), 7-time table tennis world champion, ITTFHoF
- Andrulla Blanchette (born 1966), IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Chris Bonington (born 1934), mountaineer
- Sir Ian Botham (born 1955), cricketer
- Mark Bott, cricketer[3]
- Geoffrey Boycott (born 1940), cricketer
- Eric Bristow (born 1957), world champion darts player
- Tony Brooks (born 1932), F1 driver
- Paul Burchill (born 1979), professional wrestler
- Jenson Button (born 1980), F1 World Champion
- Angela Buxton (born 1934), won 1956 French Women's Doubles (with Althea Gibson) and 1956 Wimbledon Women's Doubles (with Gibson), highest world ranking #9
- Sir Bobby Charlton (born 1937), member of the 1966 World Cup winning team
- Jack Charlton (born 1935), member of the 1966 World Cup winning team
- Sir Francis Chichester (1901β1972), yachtsman
- Don Cockell (1928β1983), heavyweight boxer
- George Cohen (born 1939), association football right back, World Cup champion
- Paul Collingwood (born 1976), cricketer
- Peter Collins (1931β1958), F1 driver
- Sir Henry Cooper (1934β2011), heavyweight boxer
- Lisa Cross (born 1978), IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Tom Daley (born 1994), youngest olympian diver ever to compete in olympics (participated in Beijing 2008)
- Lawrence Dallaglio (born 1972), World Cup winning rugby footballer
- Laura Davies (born 1963), golfer
- Steve Davis (born 1957), six-time World Snooker Champion
- Matt Dawson (born 1972), World Cup winning rugby footballer
- John Deacon (1962β2001), motorcycle endurance racer
- Christopher Dean (born 1958), figure skater
- Percy Down (born 1883), rugby union player, represented England and Great Britain
- Jonathan Edwards (born 1966), triple jump
- Godfrey Evans (1920β1999), cricketer (wicket-keeper)
- Percy Fender, cricketer
- James Figg (1695β1734), first English bare-knuckle boxing champion
- Bob Fitzsimmons (1863β1917), boxing's first world champion in three divisions
- Andrew Flintoff (born 1977), cricketer
- C B Fry (1872β1956), cricketer and all-round athlete
- Paul Gascoigne (born 1967), football player
- Steven Gerrard (born 1980), football player
- Graham Gooch (born 1953), cricketer
- Pete Goss (born 1961), around-the-world yachtsman
- W G Grace (1848β1915), cricketer
- Jimmy Greaves (born 1940), footballer
- Will Greenwood (born 1972), rugby footballer
- Naseem Hamed (born 1974), featherweight boxer
- Lewis Hamilton (born 1985), F1 World Champion
- Ricky Hatton (born 1978), world champion boxer
- Mike Hawthorn (1929β1959), F1 World Champion
- David Haye (born 1980), world champion boxer
- Johnny Haynes (1934β2005), footballer
- Emile Heskey (born 1978), footballer
- Damon Hill (born 1960), F1 World Champion
- Graham Hill (1929β1975), two times F1 World Champion
- Jimmy Hill (born 1928), footballer
- Jack Hobbs (1882β1963), cricketer
- Glenn Hoddle (born 1957), footballer
- Leslie Housden (1894β1963), Olympic marathon runner
- John Howell (born 1936), Olympic long jumper
- James Hunt (1947β1993), F1 World Champion
- Sir Geoff Hurst (born 1941), member of the 1966 World Cup winning team
- Nasser Hussain (born 1968), cricketer
- Len Hutton (1916β1990), cricketer
- E.J. 'John' Jackett, rugby union player, represented England and Great Britain.
- Joe Jacobson (born 1986), association football left back (Oldham Athletic & U21 national team)
- Peter Jaffe, Olympic silver (yachting; star-class)
- Allan Jay (born 1931), Γ©pΓ©e & foil fencer, Olympic two-time silver, world champion
- Martin Johnson (born 1970), World Cup winning rugby union footballer
- Trish Johnson (born 1966), golfer
- Amir Khan (born 1986), lightweight boxer
- Frank Lampard (born 1978), footballer
- Dougie Lampkin (born 1976), Motorcycle Trials World Champion
- Mark Lazarus, footballer, right winger
- Jason Leonard (born 1968), World Cup winning rugby union footballer
- Edward Lawrence Levy (1851β1932), English world champion weightlifter
- Lennox Lewis (born 1965), world champion heavyweight boxer
- Ted "Kid" Lewis (Gershon Mendeloff) (1893β1970), world champion welterweight boxer, Hall of Fame
- Josh Lewsey (born 1976), rugby footballer
- Gary Lineker (born 1960), footballer
- Dar Lyon, cricketer
- Dame Ellen MacArthur (born 1976), sailor who holds the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe
- George Mallory (1886β1924), mountaineer
- Nigel Mansell (born 1953), racing driver, F1 and CART champion
- Terry Marsh (born 1958), world champion boxer
- Darren Matthews (born 1968), professional wrestler
- Stanley Matthews (1915β2000), footballer
- Daniel Mendoza (1764β1836), world heavyweight champion boxer, Hall of Fame
- Gordon Miller (born 1939), Olympic high jumper
- Alan Minter (born 1951), world champion boxer
- Bobby Moore (1941β1993), captain of the 1966 World Cup winning team
- Stirling Moss (born 1929), F1 driver
- Andy Murray (born 1987), tennis player, current no.2 seed
- Alfred Mynn (1807β1861), cricketer
- Gary Neville (born 1975), footballer
- Phil Neville (born 1977), footballer
- Alison Nicholas (born 1962), golfer
- Ronnie O'Sullivan (born 1975), three times World Snooker Champion
- Michael Owen (born 1979), football player
- Bob Paisley (1919β1996), 3-time European Cup winning manager with Liverpool F.C.
- Rachel Parish (born 1981), markswoman and fencer
- Michael Park (1966-2005), WRC co-driver
- John Parrott (born 1964), world snooker champion
- Fred Perry (1909β1995), Wimbledon champion tennis player
- Martin Peters (born 1943), member of the 1966 World Cup winning team
- Kevin Pietersen (born 1980), cricketer
- Daniel Prenn (1904β1991), tennis player, highest world ranking #6
- Stephanie Proud (born 1988), backstroke swimmer
- Samuel Rabin (1903β1991, Olympic bronze wrestler (freestyle middleweight)
- Paula Radcliffe (born 1973), distance runner
- John Raphael, cricket and rugby union
- Sir Steve Redgrave (born 1962), rower, winner of gold medal in five consecutive Olympics
- William Regal (born 1968), WWE Wrestler and Commentator
- Sir Gordon Richards (1904β1988), jockey, holder of several records
- Sir Bobby Robson (1933β2009), Football Manager
- Wayne Rooney (born 1985), footballer
- Paul Scholes (born 1974), footballer
- Nicola Shaw, professional female bodybuilder
- Alan Shearer (born 1970), footballer, all-time leading goal scorer in the premiership
- Teddy Sheringham (born 1966), football player
- Kelly Simm (born 1995), artistic gymnast
- Davey Boy Smith (1962β2002), professional wrestler
- Nobby Stiles (born 1942), football World Cup winner
- Andrew Stoddart (1863β1915), rugby and cricket player
- Karen Stupples (born 1973), golfer
- Laurie Taitt (1934β2006), Olympic sprint hurdler
- Phil Taylor (born 1960), multi world champion darts player
- John Terry (born 1980), footballer
- Joanna Thomas (born 1976), IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Jayne Torvill (born 1957), figure skater
- Marcus Trescothick (born 1975), cricketer
- Fred Trueman, fast bowler
- Phil Tufnell (born 1966), cricketer
- Randolph Turpin (1928β1966), middleweight boxer
- Michael Vaughan (born 1974), cricketer
- Virginia Wade (born 1945), tennis player
- Sir William Wavell Wakefield (1898β1983), rugby footballer and politician
- Frank Warren (born 1952), boxing promoter
- Dan Wheldon (1978β2011), 2005 and 2011 Indy 500 Winner, 2005 Indycar Series Champion
- Jimmy White (born 1962), snooker player
- Jonny Wilkinson (born 1979), world cup winning rugby footballer
- Justin Wilson (born 1978), Champ Car racer
- Billy Wright (1924β1994), footballer
Writers
Main article: List of English writers
Other notables
- Douglas Adams (1952β2001), author, comic and radio dramatist
- Rachel Ashwell (born 1959), author, designer and entrepreneur
- Edward Betts (1815β1872), civil engineering contractor
- Thomas Brassey (1805β1870), civil engineering contractor
- Capability Brown (1715β1783), landscape gardener
- Donald Campbell (1921β1967), world land and water speed record holder
- Sir Malcolm Campbell (1885β1949), automobile and speedboat racer
- William Caxton (c. 1422 β c. 1491), printer
- Sir John Chesshyre (1662β1738), lawyer
- Grace Darling (1815β1842), heroine
- William Emes (c. 1729 β 1803), landscape gardener
- Elizabeth Fry (1780β1845), prison reformer
- Thomas Grissell (1801β1874), public works contractor
- Hilda Hewlett (1864β1943), pioneer aviator and aviation entrepreneur
- Ebenezer Howard (1850β1928), urban planner
- Daniel Howell (1991-), YouTube personality and radio host
- Edward Kemp (1817β91), garden designer
- Gideon Lester (born 1972), dramaturg, adaptator, theatre artistic director
- Philip Lester (1987-), YouTube personality and radio host
- Peter Molyneux (1959), video game designer
- Sir Samuel Morton Peto (1809β1889), civil engineering contractor
- Joshua A. Norton (1811β1880), Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico
- Wat Tyler (died 1381), leader of the Peasants' Revolt (1381)
- William Wakefield (1801β1848), founder of Wellington, New Zealand
- Richard Walker (1918-1985), writer and pioneer of modern-day angling in Britain
- Sarah Elizabeth Wardroper (1814β1892), Matron of St Thomas's Hospital from 1854 to 1887
- Harriet Shaw Weaver (1876β1961), political activist and suffragist
- Joseph Williamson (1769β1840), philanthropist, merchant and tunneler
- Philip Yates (1913-1998), coal miner awarded the Edward Medal
English expatriates
The following were born English, but changed nationality later in their life.
- John Alden (c. 1599 β 1687), one of the leaders of the Pilgrims to North America[4]
- George Alsop, author[4]
- Anthony Aston (died 1731), actor and dramatist[4]
- Charlie Chaplin (1889β1977)
- Alistair Cooke (1908β2004)
- Cary Grant (1904β1986), film actor
- Bob Hope (1903β2003)
- Stephen Hough (born 1961), concert pianist, became Australian citizen
- Thomas Paine (1737β1809)
References
- β "Shipman 'killed early in career'". BBC News. 27 January 2005. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
- β Ron Jackson (17 January 2010). "Barney AaronβStar of the East Shone in London". Richmark Sentinel. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
- β Danny Caro (14 July 2009). "Team GB cricket fail to see the job through". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- 1 2 3 Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607β1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
See also
- List of people by nationality
- List of Cornish people
- List of Northern Irish people
- List of Scots
- List of Welsh people
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