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.

Through the Centuries

One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in London during each.

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 novelist2.6× the global rate.

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

  1. Actor2,038
  2. Politician1,102
  3. Painter769
  4. Writer646
  5. Football600
  6. Singer424
  7. Film350
  8. Music340
  1. Novelist1632.6×
  2. Actor2,0382.5×
  3. Painter7691.9×
  4. Film3501.8×
  5. Composer3181.5×
  6. Music3401.5×
  1. Football6000.3×
  2. Politician1,1020.6×

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.

15001550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Sports
  • Art & Design
  • Politics & Law
  • Music
  • Other
All15,663
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15,663 notable people

0601 BOTANIST

Arthur Tansley

1871 - 1955

Preview
0602 FILM

Andrew V. McLaglen

1920 - 2014

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0603 ACTOR

Jemma Redgrave

Born 1965

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0604 ACTOR

Marina Berti

1924 - 2002

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0605 AUTHOR

Tony Buzan

1942 - 2019

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0606 ACTOR

Vanessa Angel

Born 1966

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0607 CHEMIST

Cyril Norman Hinshelwood

1897 - 1967

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0608 MERCHANT

Thomas Gresham

1519 - 1579

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0609 PLAYER

James Ward (tennis)

Born 1987

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0610 POLITICIAN

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury

1801 - 1885

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0611 WRITER

Tanith Lee

1947 - 2015

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0612 QUEEN

Louise of Great Britain

1724 - 1751

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0613 ACTOR

Callum Blue

Born 1977

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0614 ILLUSTRATOR

Sidney Paget

1860 - 1908

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0615 ACTOR

Eve Best

Born 1971

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0616 ACTOR

Jemima Kirke

Born 1985

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0617 MATHEMATICIAN

Alan Baker (mathematician)

1939 - 2018

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0618 WRITER

Israel Zangwill

1864 - 1926

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0619 ACTOR

George Fenton

Born 1950

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0620 PHYSICIAN

Ben Goldacre

Born 1974

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0621 ACTOR

Edmund Kean

1787 - 1833

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0622 JOURNALIST

Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin

1914 - 1999

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0623 POLITICIAN

Erskine Hamilton Childers

1905 - 1974

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0624 ACTOR

Juliet Mills

Born 1941

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0625 EXPLORER

Samuel Baker

1821 - 1893

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0626 PRODUCER

Nigel Godrich

Born 1971

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0627 ACTOR

Hugh Fraser (actor)

Born 1950

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0628 ACTOR

Gregg Sulkin

Born 1992

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0629 FOOTBALL

Harry Redknapp

Born 1947

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0630 SISTER

Diana Mitford

1910 - 2003

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0631 PLAYER

Dwain Chambers

Born 1978

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0632 ARMY

Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey

1768 - 1854

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0633 FILM

Ronald Neame

1911 - 2010

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0634 WRITER

Dennis Wheatley

1897 - 1977

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0635 COMPOSER

Jeremiah Clarke

1674 - 1707

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0636 KING

Princess Augusta Sophia of the United Kingdom

1768 - 1840

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0637 POLITICIAN

Priti Patel

Born 1972

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0638 POLITICIAN

Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire

1868 - 1938

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0639 POLITICIAN

Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne

1845 - 1927

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0640 WRITER

Edward Bond

Born 1934

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0641 ACTOR

Richard Burbage

1567 - 1619

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0642 POLITICIAN

George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon

1827 - 1909

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0643 PLAYWRIGHT

Thomas Dekker (writer)

1572 - 1632

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0644 ACTOR

Hermione Gingold

1897 - 1987

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0645 ACTRESS

Lalla Ward

Born 1951

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0646 PIRATE

Mary Read

1695 - 1721

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0647 OFFICER

Edward Vernon

1684 - 1757

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0648 LECTURER

Susan Blackmore

Born 1951

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0649 IMMUNOLOGIST

Niels Kaj Jerne

1911 - 1994

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0650 MILITAR

Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe

1726 - 1799

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0651 WRITER

Thomas Hood

1799 - 1845

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0652 ACTOR

Noel Fielding

Born 1973

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0653 BIOLOGIST

Jack W. Szostak

Born 1952

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0654 POLITICIAN

Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield

1859 - 1947

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0655 PRODUCER

Andrew Loog Oldham

Born 1944

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0656 ACTOR

Leonard Whiting

Born 1950

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0657 NOVELIST

Anthony Hope

1863 - 1933

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0658 PAINTER

Alan Lee (illustrator)

Born 1947

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0659 PLAYWRIGHT

Colley Cibber

1671 - 1757

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0660 ACTOR

Roland Young

1887 - 1953

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0661 POET

Renée Vivien

1877 - 1909

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0662 ACTOR

Alvin Stardust

1942 - 2014

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0663 SCULPTOR

Rachel Whiteread

Born 1963

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0664 BIOGRAPHER

George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood

1923 - 2011

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0665 SINGER

Des'ree

Born 1968

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0666 COMPOSER

Arthur Bliss

1891 - 1975

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0667 PHILOSOPHER

J. M. E. McTaggart

1866 - 1925

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0668 WRITER

Marie Corelli

1855 - 1924

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0669 ACTOR

Rachael Stirling

Born 1977

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0670 ACTOR

Katrin Cartlidge

1961 - 2002

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0671 FILM

Anthony Asquith

1902 - 1968

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0672 ACTOR

Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Born 1986

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0673 FASHION MODEL

Daisy Lowe

Born 1989

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0674 MUSIC

Jon Hopkins

Born 1979

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0675 SINGER

Michael Des Barres

Born 1948

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0676 KING

Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland

1640 - 1709

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0677 SCREENWRITER

Caryl Churchill

Born 1938

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0678 SOLDIER

Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex

1591 - 1646

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0679 PAINTER

Kate Greenaway

1846 - 1901

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0680 GUITAR

Dave Murray (musician)

Born 1956

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0681 ACTOR

Tulisa

Born 1988

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0682 CHILD

Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom

1777 - 1848

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0683 ACTOR

Ashley Madekwe

Born 1981

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0684 POLITICIAN

Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer

1661 - 1724

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0685 ACTOR

Dave Legeno

1963 - 2014

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0686 ACTOR

Daniel Massey (actor)

1933 - 1998

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0687 PAINTER

Samuel Palmer

1805 - 1881

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0688 MERCHANT

Thomas Mun

1571 - 1641

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0689 CINEMA

Freddie Francis

1917 - 2007

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0690 MATHEMATICIAN

John Graunt

1620 - 1674

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0691 NOBLE

William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire

1748 - 1811

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0692 ACTOR

Charlotte Lewis

Born 1967

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0693 SINGER

Sam Bailey

Born 1977

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0694 ACTOR

Gary Kemp

Born 1959

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0695 POET

Stella Gibbons

1902 - 1989

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0696 ACTOR

Julia Sawalha

Born 1968

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0697 ACTOR

Joanna Pettet

Born 1942

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0698 POLITICIAN

John Negroponte

Born 1939

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0699 COMPOSER

William Boyce (composer)

1711 - 1779

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0700 POLITICIAN

Samuel Hoare, 1st Viscount Templewood

1880 - 1959

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0701 ACTOR

Henry Daniell

1894 - 1963

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0702 POLITICIAN

Chris Huhne

Born 1954

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0703 MATHEMATICIAN

Nevil Maskelyne

1732 - 1811

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0704 FOOTBALL

Tiago Ilori

Born 1993

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0705 INVENTOR

David Edward Hughes

1831 - 1900

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0706 POLITICIAN

Herbert Morrison

1888 - 1965

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0707 OCCULTIST

Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers

1854 - 1918

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0708 SINGER

Tony Hadley

Born 1960

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0709 ACTOR

Daniel Sharman

Born 1986

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0710 DRUMMER

Gavin Harrison

Born 1963

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0711 GERONTOLOGIST

Aubrey de Grey

Born 1963

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0712 SINGER

Benjamin Clementine

Born 1988

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0713 FOOTBALL

Stuart Pearce

Born 1962

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0714 POLITICIAN

Oliver Letwin

Born 1956

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0715 PAINTER

Howard Hodgkin

1932 - 2017

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0716 SINGER

Patrick Wolf

Born 1983

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0717 ECONOMIST

Israel Kirzner

Born 1930

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0718 PRODUCER

Paul Epworth

Born 1974

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0719 SINGER

Sonique (musician)

Born 1968

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0720 ACTOR

Jill Esmond

1908 - 1990

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0721 SONGWRITER

Hamilton Camp

1934 - 2005

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0722 MUSIC

King Krule

Born 1994

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0723 SINGER

Siobhán Donaghy

Born 1984

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0724 POLITICIAN

Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild

1840 - 1915

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0725 SUPERCENTENARIAN

Henry Allingham

1896 - 2009

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0726 POLITICIAN

Shirley Williams

Born 1930

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0727 WRITER

Conn Iggulden

Born 1971

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0728 DRUMMER

Zak Starkey

Born 1965

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0729 ASTRONOMER

William Huggins

1824 - 1910

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0730 JOURNALIST

Chris Anderson (writer)

Born 1961

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0731 BALLET

Alicia Markova

1910 - 2004

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0732 SOLDIER

Sidney Smith (Royal Navy officer)

1764 - 1840

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0733 ACTOR

Georgia Moffett

Born 1984

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0734 PHYSICIST

G. I. Taylor

1886 - 1975

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0735 BANJOIST

Vernon Reid

Born 1958

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0736 SINGER

Ella Eyre

Born 1994

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0737 ARISTOCRAT

Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany

1158 - 1186

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0738 SCREENWRITER

Jonathan Glazer

Born 1965

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0739 POLITICIAN

Dana Rosemary Scallon

Born 1951

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0740 EDUCATION

John Needham

1713 - 1781

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0741 SINGER

Tina Charles (singer)

Born 1954

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0742 POLITICIAN

Edmund Andros

1637 - 1714

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0743 PRINCESS

Princess Augusta of Great Britain

1737 - 1813

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0744 ACTOR

Alan Mowbray

1896 - 1969

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0745 BASKET

Pops Mensah-Bonsu

Born 1983

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0746 POLITICIAN

Zac Goldsmith

Born 1975

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0747 ACTOR

Sarah Alexander

Born 1971

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0748 ACTOR

Sarah Churchill (actress)

1914 - 1982

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0749 ARTIFICIAL

Andrew Ng

Born 1976

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0750 ACTOR

Luke Mably

Born 1976

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0751 PAINTER

Herbert James Draper

1863 - 1920

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0752 ACTOR

Jonathan Miller

1934 - 2019

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0753 ARCHAEOLOGIST

William Camden

1551 - 1623

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0754 ACTOR

Sydney Chaplin

1885 - 1965

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0755 CHEMIST

Luke Howard

1772 - 1864

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0756 ACTOR

Sophie Ward

Born 1964

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0757 ACTOR

Michael Gothard

1939 - 1992

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0758 CARDINAL

Rafael Merry del Val

1865 - 1930

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0759 BOXER

David Haye

Born 1980

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0760 ECONOMIST

Arthur Young (agriculturist)

1741 - 1820

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0761 WRITER

Owen Barfield

1898 - 1997

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0762 WRITER

Julia Donaldson

Born 1948

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0763 BIOGRAPHER

Jade Goody

1981 - 2009

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0764 OFFICER

William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford

1768 - 1856

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0765 POET

Ernest Dowson

1867 - 1900

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0766 ACTOR

John Standing

Born 1934

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0767 SINGER

Femi Kuti

Born 1962

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0768 JOURNALISM

Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere

1868 - 1940

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0769 ACTOR

Emily Lloyd

Born 1970

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0770 WRITER

Cressida Cowell

Born 1966

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0771 KING

Edmund Crouchback

1245 - 1296

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0772 ACTOR

Lynn Fontanne

1887 - 1983

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0773 ACTOR

Ellie Kendrick

Born 1990

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0774 POET

Thomas Campion

1567 - 1620

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0775 PSYCHOLOGIST

Richard Wiseman

Born 1966

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0776 ACTOR

Reginald Gardiner

1903 - 1980

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0777 INVESTMENT

Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild

Born 1936

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0778 PSYCHOLOGIST

Cyril Burt

1883 - 1971

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0779 FOOTBALL

Justin Fashanu

1961 - 1998

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0780 GUITAR

Anthony Phillips

Born 1951

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0781 SINGER

Nellie McKay

Born 1982

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0782 ACTOR

Jessie Cave

Born 1987

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0783 ACTOR

Anthony Steel (actor)

1920 - 2001

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0784 ACTOR

Suzanna Hamilton

Born 1960

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0785 MATHEMATICIAN

Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter

1907 - 2003

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0786 POLITICIAN

Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst

1858 - 1944

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0787 EXPLORER

Samuel Hearne

1745 - 1792

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0788 POLITICIAN

Duff Cooper

1890 - 1954

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0789 COMPOSER

Richard Addinsell

1904 - 1977

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0790 ACTOR

Angel Coulby

Born 1980

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0791 SINGER

Danny John-Jules

Born 1960

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0792 POLITICIAN

Norman Tebbit

Born 1931

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0793 ACTOR

Jack Osbourne

Born 1985

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0794 FILM

Rupert Sanders

Born 1971

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0795 POLITICIAN

Gayatri Devi

1919 - 2009

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0796 ARTIST

Roland Penrose

1900 - 1984

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0797 LINGUIST

Basil Bernstein

1924 - 2000

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0798 WRITER

George Monbiot

Born 1963

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0799 PRODUCER

Verity Lambert

1935 - 2007

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0800 POLITICIAN

Reginald Maudling

1917 - 1979

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0801 DANCER

Layla El

Born 1977

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0802 DRUMMER

Simon Phillips (drummer)

Born 1957

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0803 ACTOR

Susannah Harker

Born 1965

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0804 PRODUCER

Chris Blackwell

Born 1937

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0805 CHEMIST

John Frederic Daniell

1790 - 1845

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0806 FILM

Julien Temple

Born 1952

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0807 MATHEMATICIAN

Max Newman

1897 - 1984

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0808 NOVELIST

Kim Newman

Born 1959

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0809 POLITICIAN

Theresa Villiers

Born 1968

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0810 FILM

Nicholas Stoller

Born 1976

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0811 SINGER

Sampha

Born 1988

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0812 ACADEMIC

Stafford Beer

1926 - 2002

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0813 WRITER

Frederick Rolfe

1860 - 1913

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0814 COMEDIAN

Dan Leno

1860 - 1904

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0815 PLAYWRIGHT

George Peele

1556 - 1596

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0816 NOBLE

Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer

Born 1964

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0817 ACTOR

André Morell

1909 - 1978

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0818 WRITER

Louis de Bernières

Born 1954

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0819 PAINTER

Arthur Hughes (artist)

1832 - 1915

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0820 WRITER

Constance Lloyd

1859 - 1898

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0821 ACTOR

Christina Cole

Born 1982

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0822 PAINTER

John Michael Wright

1617 - 1694

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0823 SONGWRITER

Don Black (lyricist)

Born 1938

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0824 PAINTER

Frank Dicksee

1853 - 1928

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0825 RAPPER

Chip (rapper)

Born 1990

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0826 STATESMAN

John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham

1792 - 1840

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0827 COMPOSER

Friedrich Hollaender

1896 - 1976

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0828 ACTOR

David Rose (songwriter)

1910 - 1990

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0829 POLITICIAN

Charles Forbes René de Montalembert

1810 - 1870

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0830 BISHOP

George Carey

Born 1935

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0831 MUSIC

Duke Dumont

Born 1982

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0832 ACTOR

Hannah New

Born 1994

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0833 ACTOR

Justin Pierce

1975 - 2000

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0834 JAZZ

Pannonica de Koenigswarter

1913 - 1988

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0835 ENGINEER

Colin Chapman

1928 - 1982

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0836 BROTHER

Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany

1739 - 1767

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0837 ACTOR

Gary Daniels

Born 1963

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0838 ARISTOCRAT

Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh

1743 - 1805

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0839 JUDGE

Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading

1860 - 1935

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0840 FILM

Don Letts

Born 1956

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0841 NATURALIST

William Speirs Bruce

1867 - 1921

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0842 ACTOR

Frank Thornton

1921 - 2013

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0843 MILITAR

Frederick Browning

1896 - 1965

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0844 ACTOR

Stephanie Leonidas

Born 1984

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0845 SURGEON

Percivall Pott

1714 - 1788

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0846 ACTOR

Natalie Press

Born 1980

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0847 ACTOR

Peter Asher

Born 1944

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0848 BOTANIST

William Watson (scientist)

1715 - 1787

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0849 CINEMA

John Alcott

1930 - 1986

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0850 ACTOR

Herbert Beerbohm Tree

1852 - 1917

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0851 MATHEMATICIAN

I. J. Good

1916 - 2009

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0852 BOXER

Frank Bruno

Born 1961

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0853 ACTOR

Aml Ameen

Born 1985

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0854 ACTOR

Kathryn Beaumont

Born 1938

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0855 ACTOR

Teresa Ann Savoy

1955 - 2017

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0856 PLAYWRIGHT

Fanny Kemble

1809 - 1893

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0857 SINGER

Nerina Pallot

Born 1975

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0858 FILM

Peter R. Hunt

1925 - 2002

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0859 SINGER

George Blagden

Born 1989

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0860 OFFICER

Roy Urquhart

1901 - 1988

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0861 POLITICIAN

John Hampden

1594 - 1643

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0862 FILM

David Heyman

Born 1961

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0863 PIANIST

Brian Auger

Born 1939

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0864 POLITICIAN

Amber Rudd

Born 1963

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0865 POPE

Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel

1557 - 1595

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0866 BIOCHEMIST

Archer Martin

1910 - 2002

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0867 TEACHER

Joseph Lancaster

1778 - 1838

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0868 LINGUIST

John Florio

1553 - 1625

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0869 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Kathleen Kenyon

1906 - 1978

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0870 HISTORIAN

Richard Overy

Born 1947

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0871 ARTIST

Edith Durham

1863 - 1944

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0872 COMEDIAN

Patricia Hayes

1909 - 1998

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0873 LINGUIST

John Chadwick

1920 - 1998

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0874 WRITER

Mary Elizabeth Braddon

1835 - 1915

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0875 PHILOLOGIST

Martin Litchfield West

1937 - 2015

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0876 COMMANDER

Henry Maitland Wilson

1881 - 1964

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0877 ACTOR

Julie Covington

Born 1946

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0878 WRITER

Tom Rob Smith

Born 1979

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0879 QUEEN

Lilian, Princess of Réthy

1916 - 2002

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0880 NOVELIST

Hari Kunzru

Born 1969

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0881 FILM

Clive Brook

1887 - 1974

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0882 THEOLOGIAN

John Colet

1467 - 1519

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0883 PAINTER

Jack Butler Yeats

1871 - 1957

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0884 ZOOLOGIST

Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild

1910 - 1990

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0885 PHILOSOPHER

Peter Geach

1916 - 2013

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0886 WRITER

Rose Tremain

Born 1943

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0887 RAPPER

Roots Manuva

Born 1972

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0888 FILM

Roy Ward Baker

1916 - 2010

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0889 POET

Charlotte Turner Smith

1749 - 1806

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0890 LEXICOGRAPHER

William Smith (lexicographer)

1813 - 1893

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0891 COMPOSER

Constant Lambert

1905 - 1951

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0892 ACTOR

Diana Wynyard

1906 - 1964

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0893 JOURNALIST

Peaches Geldof

1989 - 2014

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0894 BIOGRAPHER

Hugh Cornwell

Born 1949

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0895 POET

William Michael Rossetti

1829 - 1919

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0896 MILITAR

Edward Evans, 1st Baron Mountevans

1881 - 1957

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0897 SOCIOLOGIST

W. Ross Ashby

1903 - 1972

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0898 MUSIC

Julian Marley

Born 1975

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0899 COSTUME DESIGNER

Jenny Beavan

Born 1950

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0900 PAINTER

William Dobson

1610 - 1646

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