51.5071° N, 0.1297° W

LONDON

Most Famous People Born in London, United Kingdom

Notable people
15,663
Peak decade
1960s
Median birth year
1919
Most distinctive
Novelist 2.6×

Nine centuries of the British public eye. London's notables fan out across a longer continuous span than almost any other anglophone city, from medieval peers and antiquarians through Georgian solicitors and impresarios to a postwar wave of actors, footballers, and singers. The court and the stage have always been within walking distance of each other here, and the dataset shows it.

Standouts

What London Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is London's biggest profession — 13% of all notables (2,038).

London over-indexes on novelist 2.6× the global rate.

London under-produces football — only 0.3× the global rate.

  1. Actor 2,038 2.5×
  2. Politician 1,102 0.6×
  3. Painter 769 1.9×
  4. Writer 646 1.3×
  5. Football 600 0.3×
  6. Singer 424 1.3×
  7. Film 350 1.8×
  8. Music 340 1.5×
  1. Novelist 163 2.6×
  2. Actor 2,038 2.5×
  3. Painter 769 1.9×
  4. Film 350 1.8×
  5. Composer 318 1.5×
  6. Music 340 1.5×
  1. Football 600 0.3×
  2. Politician 1,102 0.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of London's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Art & Design
  • Politics & Law
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Other
All15,663
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Showing 915 of 15,663 notable people

0004 HEIR

Charles, Prince of Wales

Born 1948

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0015 ACTOR

Helen Mirren

Born 1945

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0031 ARTIST

Rod Stewart

Born 1945

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0033 SCREENWRITER

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Born 1948

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0042 MUSIC

Cat Stevens

Born 1948

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0052 SINGER

Jane Birkin

Born 1946

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0054 SINGER

Pete Townshend

Born 1945

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0062 POLITICIAN

John Major

Born 1943

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0074 GUITAR

Jeff Beck

Born 1944

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0075 SINGER

Richard Wright (musician)

1943 - 2008

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0091 GUITAR

Ronnie Wood

Born 1947

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0100 ACTOR

Lynn Redgrave

1943 - 2010

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0104 JOURNALIST

Anna Wintour

Born 1949

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0119 DRUMMER

Charlie Watts

Born 1941

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0166 SINGER

Hayley Mills

Born 1946

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0180 GUITAR

Peter Green (musician)

1946 - 2020

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0209 COMPOSER

Alan Parsons

Born 1948

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0271 HISTORIAN

Tony Judt

1948 - 2010

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0275 WRITER

Bernard Cornwell

Born 1944

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0284 GUITAR

Richard Thompson (musician)

Born 1949

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0287 HISTORIAN

Antony Beevor

Born 1946

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0288 BASSIST

Chris Squire

1948 - 2015

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0307 SINGER

Albert Hammond

Born 1944

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0313 SINGER

Sandy Denny

1947 - 1978

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0314 ACTOR

Francesca Annis

Born 1945

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0319 COMPOSER

John Tavener

1944 - 2013

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0326 ECONOMIST

Oliver Hart (economist)

Born 1948

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0331 ART HISTORIAN

Simon Schama

Born 1945

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0332 ACTOR

Gemma Jones

Born 1942

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0336 GUITAR

Steve Howe (musician)

Born 1947

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0359 WRITER

David Gemmell

1948 - 2006

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0366 ACTOR

Murray Head

Born 1946

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0368 ACTOR

Ben Cross

1947 - 2020

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0377 POET

Peter Ackroyd

Born 1949

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0399 PHYSICIST

Paul Davies

Born 1946

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0401 FILM

Roland Joffé

Born 1945

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0432 CONDUCTOR

John Rutter

Born 1945

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0481 FOOTBALL

Jimmy Greaves

Born 1940

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0496 FILM

Sally Potter

Born 1949

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0527 SINGER

Francis Rossi

Born 1949

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0547 ACTOR

Michael Byrne (actor)

Born 1943

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0550 WRITER

James Herbert

1943 - 2013

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0583 POLITICIAN

Tessa Jowell

1947 - 2018

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0597 WRITER

Graham Swift

Born 1949

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0605 AUTHOR

Tony Buzan

1942 - 2019

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0611 WRITER

Tanith Lee

1947 - 2015

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0624 ACTOR

Juliet Mills

Born 1941

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0629 FOOTBALL

Harry Redknapp

Born 1947

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0655 PRODUCER

Andrew Loog Oldham

Born 1944

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0658 PAINTER

Alan Lee (illustrator)

Born 1947

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0662 ACTOR

Alvin Stardust

1942 - 2014

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0675 SINGER

Michael Des Barres

Born 1948

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0697 ACTOR

Joanna Pettet

Born 1942

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0762 WRITER

Julia Donaldson

Born 1948

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0847 ACTOR

Peter Asher

Born 1944

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0870 HISTORIAN

Richard Overy

Born 1947

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0877 ACTOR

Julie Covington

Born 1946

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0886 WRITER

Rose Tremain

Born 1943

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0894 BIOGRAPHER

Hugh Cornwell

Born 1949

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0924 SINGER

Vashti Bunyan

Born 1945

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0928 FOOTBALL

Martin Peters

1943 - 2019

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0939 DRUMMER

Jon Hiseman

1944 - 2018

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0945 FILM

Roger Christian (filmmaker)

Born 1944

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0987 PHYSICIST

Michael Green (physicist)

Born 1946

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0988 GUITAR

John Renbourn

1944 - 2015

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1005 NOVELIST

James P. Hogan (writer)

1941 - 2010

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1021 PSYCHIATRIST

Theodore Dalrymple

Born 1949

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1041 SINGER

Julie Driscoll Tippetts

Born 1947

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1059 ACTOR

Peter Egan

Born 1946

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1063 FILM

Nick Broomfield

Born 1948

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1077 SINGER

Jonathan King

Born 1944

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1081 PRODUCER

Chris Thomas (record producer)

Born 1947

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1083 SINGER

Phil Mogg

Born 1948

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1088 FILM

Jon Amiel

Born 1948

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1099 SONGWRITER

Labi Siffre

Born 1945

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1141 DRIVER

Max Mosley

Born 1940

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1156 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Colin Groves

1942 - 2017

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1185 ARTIST

Paul Buckmaster

1946 - 2017

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1219 ACTOR

David Robb

Born 1947

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1229 JOURNALIST

Martin Wolf

Born 1946

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1235 DESIGNER

Alan Aldridge

1943 - 2017

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1257 HISTORIAN

Jonathan Israel

Born 1946

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1265 MUSIC

Philip Catherine

Born 1942

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1298 KEYBOARDIST

Peter Bardens

1945 - 2002

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1306 WRITER

Marina Warner

Born 1946

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1314 BIOLOGIST

Thomas Cavalier-Smith

Born 1942

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1321 COMPOSER

Brian Bennett

Born 1940

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1330 CHESS

Raymond Keene

Born 1948

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1340 ACTOR

Angela Scoular

1945 - 2011

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1357 ACTOR

Christopher Neame

Born 1947

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1373 CHEMIST

Martyn Poliakoff

Born 1947

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1391 PRODUCER

Ken Scott

Born 1947

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1396 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Chris Stringer

Born 1947

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1423 ACTOR

Neil Ross

Born 1944

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1435 CINEMA

Peter Suschitzky

Born 1941

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1438 FILM

Jeremy Thomas

Born 1949

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1498 ARTIST

Barry Windsor-Smith

Born 1949

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1505 SINGER

Marti Webb

Born 1944

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1521 DESIGNER

Bill Moggridge

1943 - 2012

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1528 FILM

John Hough (director)

Born 1941

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1529 GUITAR

Ashley Hutchings

Born 1945

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1539 SINGER

Rupert Hine

1947 - 2020

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1542 MATHEMATICIAN

Dusa McDuff

Born 1945

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1550 FILM

Tony Palmer

Born 1941

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1558 ACTOR

David Horovitch

Born 1945

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1561 ART HISTORIAN

Dan Cruickshank

Born 1949

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1574 SINGER

Linda Thompson (singer)

Born 1947

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1589 SINGER

Clare Torry

Born 1947

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1607 ACTOR

Sara Kestelman

Born 1944

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1608 MUSIC

Anthony Moore

Born 1948

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1636 MUSIC

Andy Irvine (musician)

Born 1942

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1653 MATHEMATICIAN

Andrew Hodges

Born 1949

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1688 PRODUCER

Nicky Chinn

Born 1945

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1699 PRIEST

Timothy Radcliffe

Born 1945

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1712 WRITER

Merlin Holland

Born 1945

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1719 ACTOR

Diana Quick

Born 1946

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1767 FOOTBALL

David Webb (footballer)

Born 1946

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1772 SOCIOLOGIST

John Urry (sociologist)

1946 - 2016

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1790 CINEMA

Remi Adefarasin

Born 1948

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1807 THEOLOGIAN

Richard Bauckham

Born 1946

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1809 NOVELIST

Jenny Diski

1947 - 2016

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1825 SCENOGRAPHER

Anton Furst

1944 - 1991

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1828 SOCIOLOGIST

Ann Oakley

Born 1944

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1907 MUSIC

Norman Lebrecht

Born 1948

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1932 POLITICIAN

William Waldegrave, Baron Waldegrave of North Hill

Born 1946

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1934 POLITICIAN

Jan Kavan

Born 1946

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1936 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Meave Leakey

Born 1942

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1942 HISTORIAN

David Nicolle

Born 1944

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1961 MUSIC

Alan Lancaster

Born 1949

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1999 CHESS

William Hartston

Born 1947

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2014 PALAEONTOLOGIST

Richard Fortey

Born 1946

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2016 CINEMA

Anthony B. Richmond

Born 1942

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2021 MUSIC

Rick Wills

Born 1947

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2046 LINGUIST

Ian Hancock

Born 1942

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2052 AUTHOR

Laurence Gardner

1943 - 2010

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2059 POLITICIAN

Michael Ancram

Born 1945

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2075 PHOTOGRAPHER

Mick Rock

Born 1948

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2080 AUTHOR

Robert Rankin

Born 1949

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2088 ACTOR

Gavin Richards

Born 1946

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2098 THERAPIST

Susie Orbach

Born 1946

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2110 ACTOR

Gloria Paul

Born 1940

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2115 ACTOR

Derek Deadman

1940 - 2014

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2117 PHILOSOPHER

Philip Kitcher

Born 1947

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2137 AUTHOR

Christian Wolmar

Born 1949

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2145 COMPOSER

Keith Forsey

Born 1948

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2150 ASTRONOMER

Joseph Silk

Born 1942

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2178 POET

Aeronwy Thomas

1943 - 2009

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2192 PHOTOGRAPHER

Hamish Fulton

Born 1946

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2199 WRITER

Stan Nicholls

Born 1949

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2216 ACTOR

Carol White

1943 - 1991

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2238 PROFESSOR

Sabrina P. Ramet

Born 1949

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2265 SOCIOLOGIST

Nikolas Rose

Born 1947

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2288 COMPOSER

Barry Guy

Born 1947

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2291 PHILOSOPHER

Gareth Evans (philosopher)

1946 - 1980

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2292 ACTOR

David Hemblen

1940 - 2020

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2316 SCREENWRITER

Lionel Chetwynd

Born 1940

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2320 PHOTOGRAPHER

Pennie Smith

Born 1949

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2327 PHILOSOPHER

Graham Priest

Born 1948

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2329 CHOREOGRAPHER

Anthony Dowell

Born 1943

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2330 FILM

Peter Honess

Born 1946

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2332 HISTORIAN

Emma Georgina Rothschild

Born 1948

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2334 MATHEMATICIAN

Craig Tracy

Born 1945

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2359 SINGER

Eddie Hardin

1949 - 2015

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2363 PROFESSOR

Michael Marmot

Born 1945

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2365 WRITER

Ronald Wright

Born 1948

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2384 ROCK

Nik Cohn

Born 1946

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2414 HISTORIAN

Paul Ginsborg

Born 1945

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2425 THRONE

Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia

Born 1945

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2431 CINEMA

Oliver Stapleton

Born 1948

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2435 WRITER

Colin Dann

Born 1943

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2472 MUSIC

Caleb Quaye

Born 1948

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2489 ACTOR

Christopher Gable

1940 - 1998

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2529 ACTOR

Paul Brooke

Born 1944

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2538 PLAYER

Christine Truman

Born 1941

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2540 CONDUCTOR

John Altman (composer)

Born 1949

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2551 MUSIC

Adrian Legg

Born 1948

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2569 POLITICIAN

Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green

1942 - 2014

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2570 JOURNALIST

Simon Winchester

Born 1944

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2578 MATHEMATICIAN

David Masser

Born 1948

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2581 DRUMMER

Mick Tucker

1947 - 2002

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2582 FILM

James Dearden

Born 1949

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2585 DESIGNER

Loulou de la Falaise

1947 - 2011

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2590 WRITER

Gillian Cross

Born 1945

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2617 SINGER

Bridget St John

Born 1946

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2619 HISTORIAN

Paul Strathern

Born 1940

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2627 ACTOR

Charles Keating (actor)

1941 - 2014

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2636 ACTOR

Valerie Leon

Born 1943

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2650 ACTOR

Shane Briant

Born 1946

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2693 SCREENWRITER

Tony Maylam

Born 1943

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2712 MUSIC

Arabella Churchill (charity founder)

1949 - 2007

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2735 FILM

Peter Ellis (director)

1948 - 2006

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2776 PAINTER

Melvyn Grant

Born 1944

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2782 CONDUCTOR

David Parry (conductor)

Born 1949

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2784 COMPOSER

Colin Matthews

Born 1946

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2799 PHILOSOPHER

Gillian Rose

1947 - 1995

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2827 PIANIST

John Lill

Born 1944

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2843 MUSIC

Michael Finnissy

Born 1946

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2853 COMPOSER

Alan Skidmore

Born 1942

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2881 ACTOR

Nicholas Jones (actor)

Born 1946

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2890 MUSIC

Liona Boyd

Born 1949

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2914 POLITICIAN

Godfrey Bloom

Born 1949

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2917 FILM

Mick Audsley

Born 1949

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2938 WRITER

Richard Holmes (biographer)

Born 1945

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2943 PHYSICIST

Rodney Baxter

Born 1940

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2950 PHILOSOPHER

John Cottingham

Born 1943

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2980 MUSIC

Richard James Burgess

Born 1949

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2996 POLITICIAN

François Heisbourg

Born 1949

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3010 FILM

Gabrielle Beaumont

Born 1942

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3024 ACTOR

Harvey Jason

Born 1940

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3025 MUSIC

Mike Edwards (musician)

1948 - 2010

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3035 ARTIST

Anthony McCall

Born 1946

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3081 NOVELIST

Liza Cody

Born 1944

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3117 PRODUCER

John Leckie

Born 1949

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3152 ACTOR

Ric Young

Born 1944

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3156 TRUMPET

Mark Charig

Born 1944

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3179 ACTOR

David Buck

1949 - 1989

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3198 COMPOSER

David Matthews (composer)

Born 1943

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3211 COACH

Daniel Topolski

1945 - 2015

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3229 ACTOR

Richard Durden

Born 1943

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3245 WRITER

Richard Woodman

Born 1944

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3259 ACTOR

Sarah Badel

Born 1943

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3275 MEDIEVALIST

John Gillingham

Born 1940

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3293 PHOTOGRAPHER

Jonathan Scott (zoologist)

Born 1949

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3303 FILM

David Thomson (film critic)

Born 1941

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3324 ACTOR

Will Knightley

Born 1946

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3332 POLITICIAN

Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton

Born 1947

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3352 ACTOR

Graham Faulkner

Born 1947

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3375 ACTOR

Gary Waldhorn

Born 1943

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3385 FILM

Ray Lawrence (film director)

Born 1948

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3386 FILM

Norman J. Warren

Born 1942

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3409 POLITICIAN

George Howard, 13th Earl of Carlisle

Born 1949

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3410 ACTOR

Tamara Ustinov

Born 1945

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3437 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Francis Pryor

Born 1945

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3441 JUDO

Brian Jacks

Born 1946

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3444 SINGER

Shuli Natan

Born 1947

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3450 ACTOR

John D. Collins

Born 1942

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3482 SOCIALITE

Tara Browne

1945 - 1966

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3611 JUDGE

David Neuberger, Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury

Born 1948

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3612 FOOTBALL

Bobby Tambling

Born 1941

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3641 CHEMIST

Robert H. Crabtree

Born 1948

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3668 AUTHOR

Annalena McAfee

Born 1948

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3669 COSTUME DESIGNER

Bob Ringwood

Born 1946

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3671 RUNNER

David Bedford (athlete)

Born 1949

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3674 FOOTBALL

Ron Harris (footballer)

Born 1944

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3691 ACADEMIC

Jacqueline Rose

Born 1949

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3716 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Miranda Aldhouse-Green

Born 1947

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3721 SINGER

Les Humphries

1940 - 2007

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3730 POET

James Hamilton-Paterson

Born 1941

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3736 GUITAR

Carlos Bonell

Born 1949

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3782 ACTOR

Paul Hecht

Born 1941

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3788 POLITICIAN

William Legge, 10th Earl of Dartmouth

Born 1949

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3799 POLITICIAN

Richard Lyon-Dalberg-Acton, 4th Baron Acton

1941 - 2010

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3802 PRODUCER

Bill Curbishley

Born 1942

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3805 POLITICIAN

Roger Helmer

Born 1944

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3810 PHOTOGRAPHER

Gered Mankowitz

Born 1946

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3816 POLITICIAN

David Triesman, Baron Triesman

Born 1943

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3817 ESSAYIST

Paul Huson

Born 1942

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3845 ACTOR

Doug Fisher (actor)

1941 - 2000

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3886 MUSIC

John Weider

Born 1947

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3910 SINGER

Jo Ann Kelly

1944 - 1990

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3916 ACTOR

Nicky Henson

1945 - 2019

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3929 ACTOR

Tracy Reed (English actress)

1942 - 2012

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3968 JOURNALIST

Charles Landry

Born 1948

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4002 MUSIC

Frank Ricotti

Born 1949

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4013 PLAYWRIGHT

Barrie Keeffe

1945 - 2019

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4023 ARISTOCRAT

Robin Russell, 14th Duke of Bedford

1940 - 2003

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4032 HISTORIAN

Frances Wood

Born 1948

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4038 SCHOLAR

David Sedley

Born 1947

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4043 LINGUIST

Stephen Levinson

Born 1947

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4045 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Michael Freeden

Born 1944

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4048 NOVELIST

Carey Harrison

Born 1944

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4076 LITERARY

Angus Calder

1942 - 2008

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4078 MUSIC

Gary Osborne

Born 1949

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4084 PAINTER

Keith Milow

Born 1945

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4097 ASTRONOMER

Edward L. G. Bowell

Born 1943

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4109 JOURNALIST

Michael Grade

Born 1943

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4133 POLITICIAN

Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Born 1947

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4148 ORGANIST

Jennifer Bate

1944 - 2020

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4181 THEOLOGIAN

Oliver O'Donovan

Born 1945

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4194 SINGER

Dave Kelly (musician)

Born 1947

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4203 BIOGRAPHER

Caroline Moorehead

Born 1944

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4232 WRITER

Christopher H. Bidmead

Born 1941

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4259 ART DIRECTOR

Brian Ackland-Snow

1940 - 2013

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4265 PROFESSOR

Michael Cox (academic)

Born 1947

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4272 JOURNALIST

Peter Mansbridge

Born 1948

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4278 CHEMIST

Robert G. W. Anderson

Born 1944

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4290 FOOTBALL

Paul Reaney

Born 1944

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4300 LINGUIST

Malcolm Ross (linguist)

Born 1942

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4308 MUSIC

David O'List

Born 1948

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4319 GUITAR

Steve Phillips (musician)

Born 1948

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4328 ART HISTORIAN

John Ellis Bowlt

Born 1943

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4329 PRODUCER

Bernard Rhodes

Born 1947

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4332 ACTOR

Emily Richard

Born 1948

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4342 ACTOR

Richard O'Callaghan

Born 1940

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4346 POLITICIAN

Pierre Lequiller

Born 1949

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4372 ACADEMIC

John Hartley (academic)

Born 1948

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4376 GOLF

Peter Oosterhuis

Born 1948

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4422 FILM

Paul Morrison (director)

Born 1944

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4439 NOVELIST

Nigel Hinton

Born 1941

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4450 CONDUCTOR

Peter Holman

Born 1946

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