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List Of English People

List of English people

This is a partial list of English people of note and of some notable individuals born there, alphabetically within categories:

Actors/Actresses

- Tom Baker, (1933-)
- Dame Judi Dench (1934-)
- George Formby, (1904-1961)
- Sir Michael Gambon, (1940-)
- Sir John Gielgud, (1904-2000)
- John Gregson, (1919-1975)
- Rupert Grint, (1988-)
- Sir Alec Guinness, (1914-2000)
- Will Hay, (1888-1949)
- Jack Hawkins, (1910-1973)
- Dame Wendy Hiller (1912-2003)
- Stanley Holloway, (1890-1982)
- Leslie Howard, (1893-1943)
- Charles Laughton, (1899-1962)
- Margaret Lockwood, (1916-1990)
- Hayley Mills, (1946-)
- John Mills, (1908-2005)
- Kenneth More, (1914-1982)
- Anthony Newley, (1931-1999)
- Sir Laurence Olivier, (1907-1989)
- Cecil Parker, (1897-1971)
- Daniel Radcliffe, (1989-)
- Miranda Richardson, (b1958)
- Sir Ralph Richardson, (1902-1983)
- Dame Margaret Rutherford, (1892-1972)
- Peter Sellers, (1925-1980)
- Dame Maggie Smith, (b1934)
- Dame Elizabeth Taylor, (b1932)
- Emma Thompson, (b1959)
- Sir Peter Ustinov, (1921-2004)
- Jack Warner, (1896-1981)
- Emily Watson, (b.1967 - present)
- Emma Watson, (1990-)
- Michael Wilding, (1912-1979)
- Googie Withers, (1917-)

Archaeologists and Anthropologists

- Mick Aston
- Richard Atkinson
- Churchill Babington
- Howard Carter
- Grahame Clark
- David Clarke
- Barry Cunliffe
- Glyn Daniel
- John Disney, (1779-1857), barrister and archaeologist
- E. E. Evans-Pritchard, (1902-1973), social anthropologist
- Cyril Fox
- Dorothy Garrod
- William Greenwell
- Kathleen Kenyon
- John Leland, (1502-1552), antiquary
- John Lubbock, (1834-1913), banker, politician, naturalist and archaeologist
- John Robert Mortimer
- Colin Renfrew, (born 1937), archaeologist
- E.B. Tylor, (1832-1917), anthropologist
- Mortimer Wheeler
- Kate Fox

Architects

- Charles Barry, (1795-1860), architect (Houses Of Parliament)
- George Basevi
- William Burges, (1827-1881), architect and interior designer
- William Butterfield, (1814-1900), leader in Gothic revival movement
- William Chambers, (1723-1796), (Kew Gardens pagoda and Somerset House)
- Sir Norman Foster, (1935-), architect
- Nicholas Hawksmoor, (1661-1736), architect
- Inigo Jones, (1573-1652), architect
- Denys Lasdun, (1914-2001), architect
- Edwin Lutyens, (1869-1944), architect
- William Morris, (1834-1896), architect, author
- John Nash, (1752-1835), (Regent's Park, St. Jame's Park, Trafalgar Square)
- Joseph Paxton, (1801-1865), (Great Exhibition Building, London)
- August Pugin, (1812-1852), architect (Houses Of Parliament)
- Richard Rogers, (b. 1933), (the Pompidou Centre)
- Gilbert Scott, (1880-1960), Waterloo Bridge, also supervised rebuilding of House Of Commons, London)
- John Vanbrugh, (1664-1726), Baroque architect (Blenheim Palace)
- Alfred Waterhouse, (1830-1905), (National History Museum, London)
- William Wilkins, (1778-1839), (National Gallery, London)
- Christopher Wren, (1632-1723), architect

Artists

- Sophie Gengembre Anderson, (1823-1903), painter.
- William Blake, (1757-1827), painter, poet
- John Constable, (1776-1837), landscape painter.
- Thomas Gainsborough, (1727-1788), painter
- Elizabeth Gaskell, (1810-1865), novelist
- David Hockney, (1937-), painter
- Sir Edwin Landseer, (1802-1873), animal painter.
- Henry Moore, (1898-1986), sculptor
- Sir Joshua Reynolds, (1723-1792), artist
- J.M.W. Turner, (1775-1851), landscape and marine artist
- Flora Twort, (1893-1985), painter

Criminals

- Myra Hindley, Moors murderer
- Ian Huntley, Soham murderer
- The Kray twins, east London gangsters
- Harold Shipman, (1946-2004), serial killer
- Peter Sutcliffe, Yorkshire Ripper
- Fred West, serial killer
- Graham Young, (1947-1990), The Teacup Poisoner

Economists

- William Beveridge, (1879-1963), economist and social reformer
- John Maynard Keynes, (1883-1946), economist
- Thomas Malthus, (1766-1834), demographer
- Alfred Marshall, (1842-1924), economist
- John Stuart Mill, (1806-1873), economist, philosopher

Engineers

- Sir Benjamin Baker, (1840-1907), civil engineer
- Sir Henry Bessemer, (1813-1898), metallurgy engineer
- James Brindley, (1716-1772), canal engineer
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel, (1806-1859), transport engineer
- Sidney Camm (1894-1966), aeronautical engineer
- William Tierney Clark, (1783-1852), civil engineer
- Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, (1882 - 1965), aeronautical engineer
- Sir John Ambrose Fleming, (1848-1945), electrical engineer
- R.J. Mitchell, (1895-1937), aeronautical engineer
- Sir Samuel Morton Peto, (1809-1889), civil engineer
- Sir Henry Royce, (1863-1933), engineer
- Nevil Shute, (1899-1960), aeronautical engineer and author
- George Stephenson, (1781-1848), railway engineer
- Sir Barnes Wallis, (1887-1978), engineer
- Sir Frank Whittle, (1907-1996), aeronautical engineer
- Sir Joseph Whitworth, (1803-1887), engineer

Entrepreneurs

- Richard Branson (1950-)
- Abraham Darby (c. 1678-1717), ironmaster
- Sir Freddie Laker (1922-), Pioneer of cheap air travel
- William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield (1877-1963)
- Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), industrialist

Filmmakers

- Lindsay Anderson (1923-1994)
- Roy Boulting (1913-2001)
- Charlie Chaplin, (1889-1977)
- Mike Figgis (1948-)
- Lewis Gilbert (1920-)
- David Hare (1947-)
- Alfred Hitchcock, (1899-1980)
- Stan Laurel (1890-1965)
- David Lean (1908-1991)
- Mike Leigh (1943-)
- Ken Loach (1936-)
- Anthony Minghella (1954-)
- Mike Newell (1942-)
- Nick Park (1958-)
- Michael Powell (1905-1990)
- Ken Russell (1927-)
- Ridley Scott (1942-)
- Michael Winner (1935-)

Humorists

- Rowan Atkinson
- John Cleese
- Peter Cook
- Les Dawson
- Ken Dodd
- Ben Elton
- Tony Hancock, (1924-1968)
- Eric Morecambe
- Frank Muir (1920-1998)
- Denis Norden (1922-)
- Michael Palin (1943-)
- Ernie Wise (1925-1999)

Inventors

- Christopher Cockerell, (1910-1999), inventor of the hovercraft
- William Congreve, rocketry pioneer
- Abraham Darby, (c. 1678-1717), ironmaster
- James Hargreaves, (1720-1778), weaver and inventor
- John Harrison, (1693-1776), clockmaker
- Rowland Hill, (1795-1879), inventor of the modern postal service
- Thomas Newcomen, (1664-1729), inventor
- Isaac Newton, (1642-1727), founder of modern physics, inventor of the reflector telescope
- James Starley, (1831-1881), bicycle pioneer
- George Stephenson, (1781-1848), engineer
- Charles Wheatstone, (1802-1975), inventor
- Frank Whittle, (1907-1996), co-inventor of the jet engine

Military men and women

- Alan Francis Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, (1883-1963), Field Marshal, CIGS during World War II
- Sir Alexander John Ball, (1759-1809), admiral, governor of Malta
- George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, (1608-1670), Civil War era General
- Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, (1891-1969), Field Marshal, World War II hero
- Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Montreal, (1717-1797), General
- Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, (1768-1854), General, Hero of the Napoleonic Wars
- Sir Claude Auchinleck, (1884-1981), World War II commander
- Robert Baden-Powell, (1857-1941), soldier
- Sir Douglas Bader, (1910-1982), fighter pilot
- William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, (1865-1951), General, World War I
- Robert Blake, (1599 - 1657), reforming Royal Navy Admiral
- Prince George, Duke of Cambridge, (1819-1904), Commander in Chief
- James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, (1797-1888), Commander of the Light Brigade
- Sir Winston Churchill, (1874-1965), British prime minister
- Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (1738-1805), General
- Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, (1721-1765), Captain-General, victor of Culloden
- Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, (1882-1970), RAF Commander in World War II
- Sir Francis Drake, (1540-1596), sailor
- Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, (1782-1859)
- Charles George Gordon, (1833-1885), "Chinese Gordon", killed at Khartoum
- John Manners, Marquess of Granby, (1721-1770), General
- Sir Arthur Travers Harris, (1892-1984), airman
- Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, (1726-1799), Admiral
- William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, (1729-1814), General in American Revolutionary War
- John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe (1859-1935), Admiral, World War I
- Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, (1850-1916), Field Marshal
- John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier, (1680-1770), General
- George Charles Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, (1800-1888), Commander of cavalry at the Battle of Balaclava
- John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, (1650-1722), soldier
- Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein ("The Desert Rat"), (1887-1976), Field Marshal and hero of World War II
- Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, (1900-1979), statesman, sailor
- Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson of the Nile, (1758-1805), sailor, Admiral
- Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, (1788-1855), British commander in the Crimean War
- Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts of Kandahar, (1832-1914), Field Marshal, last Commander in Chief of the Forces
- Siegfried Sassoon, (1886-1967), war poet
- Henry Seymour Conway, (1721-1795), General
- William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, (1897-1970), Commander in Burma during World War II, Governor-General of Australia.
- Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, (1858-1930), General, World War I
- Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell, (1883-1950), World War II general, second to last Viceroy of India
- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington ("The Iron Duke"), (1769-1852), Commander-in-Chief of the British Army (see also his entry under Politicians)
- James Wolfe, (1727-1759), General, hero of Quebec
- Prince Frederick, Duke of York, (1763-1827), son of King George III, commander in French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
- John French, 1st Earl of Ypres, (1852-1925), World War I general and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

Monarchs

- Alfred The Great, (849?-899), English monarch
- Queen Anne, (1665-1714), also Queen of Scotland, then Queen of Great Britain after 1707
- King Charles II, (1660-1685), also King of Scotland
- King Edward I, (1272-1307), English monarch
- King Edward III, (1327-1377), English monarch
- King Edward IV, (1461-1470 and 1471-1483), English monarch
- King Edward V, (1470-1483?), English monarch
- King Edward VI, (1547-1553), first English Protestant monarch
- King Edward VII, (1841-1910)
- King Edward VIII, (1894-1972), (formerly Edward VIII)
- Queen Elizabeth I, (1558-1603), Protestant queen and first Supreme Governor of the Church of England
- Queen Elizabeth II, (born 1926) reigning monarch
- King George III, (1801-1820), English, British monarch
- King George IV, (1762-1830)
- King George V, (1910-1936), English, British monarch
- King George VI, (1895-1952), of England
- King Henry III, (1207-1272), English monarch
- King Henry IV, (1367-1413), English monarch
- King Henry VI, (1421-1471), English monarch
- King Henry VIII, (1491-1547), separated English Catholicism from link with the Roman Catholic Church
- King James II, (1685-1688), also King James VII of Scotland
- Queen Mary I, (1553-1558), Roman Catholic queen
- Queen Mary II, (1662-1694)
- Queen Victoria, (1819-1901)
- King William IV, (1765-1837)

Musicians

- Malcolm Arnold, (born 1921), composer
- John Barbirolli, (1899-1970), conductor
- David Bedford, (born 1937), composer and musician
- Thomas Beecham, (1879-1961), conductor
- Harrison Birtwistle, (born 1934), composer
- Adrian Boult, (1889-1983), conductor
- Havergal Brian, (1876-1972), composer
- Benjamin Britten, (1913-1976), composer and pianist
- William Byrd, (1543-1623), composer
- Andrew Davis, (born 1944), conductor
- Colin Davis, (born 1927), conductor
- Frederick Delius, (1862-1934), composer
- John Dowland, (c. 1563-c. 1626), composer of songs
- John Dunstable, (c. 1383-1453), composer
- Edward Elgar, (1857-1934), composer
- Orlando Gibbons, (1583-1625), composer
- Ron Goodwin, (1925-2003) composer and conductor
- George Harrison, (1943-2001), composer, member of the Beatles
- Gustav Holst, (1874-1934), composer
- John Ireland, (1879-1962), composer
- Elton John, (born 1947), pop star and composer
- Olivia Newton-John, (born 1948), pop star
- Nigel Kennedy, (born 1956), violinist
- John Lennon, (1940-1980), pop star, co founder of the Beatles
- Andrew Lloyd Webber, (born 1948), composer of musicals
- Peter Maxwell Davies, (born 1934), composer
- Paul McCartney, (born 1942), pop star, co-founder of the Beatles
- Thomas Morley, (c. 1557-1602), consort composer
- Mike Oldfield, (b.1953), composer and instrumentalist
- Peter Pears, (1910-1986), tenor
- Jacqueline du Pré, (1945-1987), cellist
- Henry Purcell, (1659-1695), composer
- Simon Rattle, (born 1955), conductor
- Malcolm Sargent, (1895-1967), conductor
- Ringo Starr, (born 1940), composer, member of the Beatles
- Thomas Tallis, (c. 1505-1585), composer
- Lionel Tertis, (1876-1975), violist
- Michael Tippett, (1905-1998), composer
- Ralph Vaughan Williams, (1872-1958), composer
- William Walton, (1902-1983), composer
- Thomas Weelkes, (c.1575-1623), composer
- John Wilbye, (1574-1638), composer
- Henry Wood, (1869-1944), conductor
- Roger Waters, (b. 1943) founder of Pink Floyd

Philosophers

- Francis Bacon, (1561-1626), philosopher and essayist
- Jeremy Bentham, (1748-1832), philosopher
- Robert Boyle, (1627-1691), philosopher and physicist
- Thomas Hobbes, (1588-1679), philosopher
- John Locke, (1632-1704), philosopher
- John Stuart Mill, (1806-1873), economist, philosopher
- William of Ockham (c. 1285-1349), philosopher
- Bertrand Russell, (1872-1970), philosopher
- William Whewell, (1794-1866), philosopher
- Alfred North Whitehead, (1861-1947), mathematician
- Bernard Williams, (1929-2003), philosopher

Politicians

Scientists

- Arthur Aikin, (1773-1854), chemist and mineralogist
- Charles Babbage, (1791-1871), mathematician
- Joseph Banks, (1743-1820), naturalist
- Thomas Bayes, (c. 1702-1761), mathematician
- Tim Berners-Lee, (born 1955), computer scientist
- George Boole, (1815-1864), mathematician
- Robert Boyle, (1627-1691), philosopher and physicist
- Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett, (1897-1974), physicist
- Isaac Barrow, (1630-1677), mathematician
- Henry Cavendish, (1731-1810), scientist
- Sir George Cayley, (1773-1857), polymath and aviator
- Francis Crick, (1916 - 2004), molecular biologist
- John Dalton, (1766-1844), chemist and physicist
- Charles Darwin, (1809-1882), Founder of The Theory of Evolution
- Horace Donisthorpe (1870-1951), entomologist, myrmecologist and coleopterist
- Paul Dirac, (1902-1984), physicist
- Arthur Eddington, (1882-1944), physicist
- Michael Faraday, (1791-1867), scientist
- Ronald Fisher, (1890-1962), geneticist and statistician
- Rosalind Franklin, (1920-1958), molecular biologist
- J. B. S. Haldane, (1892-1964), geneticist
- Stephen Hawking, (born 1942), cosmologist
- Oliver Heaviside, (1850-1925), physicist
- C. A. R. Hoare, computer scientist
- Robert Hooke, (1635-1703), scientist
- John Herschel, (1792-1871), mathematician and astronomer
- Edward Jenner, (1749-1823), doctor
- R. V. Jones, (1911-1997), physicist
- James Prescott Joule, (1818-1889), physicist
- Joseph Lister, (1827-1912), surgeon
- Bernard Lovell, astronomer
- James Lovelock, (born 1919), scientist
- Martin Lowry, (1874-1936), chemist
- John William Lubbock, (1803-1865), banker, mathematician and astronomer
- Sir Charles Lyell, (1797-1875), geologist
- John Maynard Smith, geneticist
- Desmond Morris, (born 1928), zoologist
- Roger Needham, (1935-2003), computer scientist
- Isaac Newton, (1642-1727), founder of modern physics, last of the alchemists
- Roger Penrose, (born 1931), cosmologist
- Joseph Prestwich, (1812-1896), geologist
- Joseph Priestley, (1733-1804), chemist
- Adam Sedgwick, (1785-1873), geologist
- Joseph Wilson Swan, (1828-1914), physicist and chemist
- J. J. Thomson, (1856-1940), physicist
- Henry Tizard, scientist
- Alan Turing, (1912-1954), mathematician
- Alfred Russel Wallace, (1823-1913), naturalist
- Robert Watson-Watt, (1892-1973), scientist
- Alfred North Whitehead, (1861-1947), mathematician
- Maurice Vincent Wilkes, (born 1913), computer scientist
- James H. Wilkinson, (1919-1986), mathematician
- William Hyde Wollaston, (1766-1828), chemist
- Thomas Young, (1773-1829), scientist

Sportsmen/sportswomen

- Harold Abrahams (1899-1978), athlete, one of the two subjects of Chariots of Fire
- Chris Adams (1955-2001), 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
- Roger Bannister (born 1929), first sub-four-minute miler
- Alan Ball (born 1945), 1966 football World Cup winner
- Gordon Banks (born 1937), goalkeeper of 1966 World Cup winning team
- David Beckham (born 1975), football player
- Ian Botham (born 1955), cricketer
- Geoffrey Boycott (born 1940), cricketer
- Sir Bobby Charlton (born 1937), 1966 football World Cup winner
- Jack Charlton (born 1935), 1966 football World Cup winner
- Don Cockell (born 1928), heavyweight boxer
- Sir Henry Cooper (born 1934), heavyweight boxer
- John Deacon (1962-2001), motorcycle endurance racer
- Christopher Dean (born 1958), figure skater (ice dance)
- Jonathan Edwards (born 1966), athlete (triple jump)
- Godfrey Evans (1920-1999), cricketer (wicket-keeper)
- James Figg, Boxing's first world champion
- Bob Fitzsimmons (1863-1917), boxing's first world champion in three divisions
- Paul Gascoigne (born 1967), football player
- Sir Steve Redgrave (born 1962), rower, winner of gold medal in five consecutive Olympics
- W. G. Grace (1848-1915), cricketer
- Naseem Hamed (born 1974), world champion featherweight boxer
- Ricky Hatton (born 1978), highly touted boxing prospect
- Sir Geoff Hurst (born 1941), 1966 football World Cup winner
- Len Hutton (1916-1990), cricketer
- Martin Johnson (born 1970), rugby player
- Dougie Lampkin, (born 1976), Motorcycle Trials World Champion
- Lennox Lewis (born 1965), world champion heavyweight boxer
- Gary Lineker (born 1960), football player
- George Mallory (1886-1924), mountaineer
- Nigel Mansell (born 1953), racing driver, F1 and CART champion
- Alan Minter (born 1951), world champion boxer
- Bobby Moore (1941-1993), captain of 1966 soccer World Cup winning team
- Michael Owen (born 1979), football player
- Fred Perry (1909-1995), Wimbledon champion tennis player
- Martin Peters (born 1943), 1966 football World Cup winner
- Paula Radcliffe (born 1973), athlete (distance runner)
- Sir Gordon Richards (1904-1988), jockey
- Alan Shearer (born 1970), football player
- Nobby Stiles (born 1942), football World Cup winner
- Jayne Torvill (born 1957), figure skater (ice dance)
- Randolph Turpin (1928-1966), middleweight boxer
- Michael Vaughan (born 1974), cricketer player
- Virginia Wade (born 1945), tennis player
- Jonny Wilkinson (born 1979), rugby player
- Justin Wilson (Born 1978), Champ Car Racer
- Ian Wright (Born 1963), football player

Writers

- Matthew Arnold, (1822-1888), poet
- David Attenborough, (born 1926), naturalist and broadcaster
- W. H. Auden, (1907-1973), poet
- Jane Austen, (1775-1817), novelist
- Alan Ayckbourn, (b. 1939) playwright
- Pam Ayres, (born 1947), poet
- Hilaire Belloc, (1870-1953), writer and poet
- John Betjeman, (1906-1984), poet laureate
- Enid Blyton, (1897-1968), author
- William Blake, (1757-1827), painter, poet
- Robert Bolt, (1924-1995), dramitist and screenwriter. Wrote A Man For All Seasons
- Anne Bronte, (1820-1849), author
- Charlotte Bronte, (1816-1855), author
- Emily Bronte, (1818-1848), author
- Rupert Brooke, (1887-1915), poet
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning, (1806-1861), poet
- Robert Browning, (1812-1889), poet
- Anthony Buckeridge, (1912-2004) children's author
- John Bunyan, (1628-88), author
- Samuel Butler (1612-1680), poet and satirist
- Samuel Butler (1835-1902), writer and satirist
- George Gordon, Lord Byron
- Lewis Carroll, (1832-1898), author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- Geoffrey Chaucer, (c. 1343-1400), poet, author of The Canterbury Tales.
- G. K. Chesterton, (1874-1936), author essayist
- Dame Agatha Christie, (1891-1976), mystery writer
- Winston Churchill, (1874-1965), British prime minister, author
- John Clare, (1793-1864), poet.
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, (1772-1834), poet
- Wilkie Collins, (1824-1889), novelist
- William Congreve, (1670-1729), poet
- Walter de la Mare, (1873-1956),poet and novelist
- Daniel Defoe (or De Foe), (1660?–1731), writer
- Charles Dickens, (1812-1870), author
- John Donne, (1572-1631), poet.
- John Dryden, (1631-1700), poet
- Daphne Du Maurier, (1907–89), novelist
- George Eliot, (1819-1880), (Mary Ann Evans)
- T. S. Eliot, (1888-1965), poet, playwright and Nobel prizewinner
- C.S. Forester, 1899-1966) author
- E.M. Forster, (1879-1970), author
- Christopher Fry, (1907-2005), dramatist
- John Galsworthy, (1867-1933) author and dramatist
- Elizabeth Gaskell, novelist
- William Golding, writer, Nobel prizewinner
- Kenneth Grahame, (1859-1931), author
- Robert Graves, (1895-1985), author
- Thomas Gray, (1716-1771), poet
- Graham Greene, (1904-1991), author, writer
- Thomas Hardy, (1840-1928), poet
- William Hazlitt, (1778-1830)
- Gerard Manley Hopkins, (1884-1889), poet
- Nick Hornby, (born 1957), novelist
- A. E. Housman, (1859-1936),poet and scholar.
- Ted Hughes, 1930-1998), poet laureate.
- Leigh Hunt, (1784-1859), poet
- Aldous Huxley, (1884-1963), writer
- Thomas Henry Huxley, (1825-1895), coiner of the term agnosticism
- Jerome K. Jerome, (1859-1927), humorist and playwright
- Samuel Johnson, (1709-1784), poet
- Ben Jonson, (1573-1637), poet
- John Keats, (1795-1821), poet
- Rudyard Kipling, (1865-1936), author
- Philip Larkin, (1922-1985), poet
- D.H. Lawrence, (1885-1930), poet
- Edward Lear, (1812-1888), artist, humorist and poet
- Thomas Malory, (c. 1430-c. 1471), author of Le Morte d'Arthur
- Andrew Mango, (born 1926), author
- Christopher Marlowe, (1564-1593), playwright
- Eric Maschwitz, (1901-1969), writer, lyricist and entertainer
- John Masefield, (1878-1967), poet laureate, and novelist
- William Somerset Maugham, (18741965), writer
- A. A. Milne, (1882-1956), author and poet
- John Milton, (1608-1674), poet
- Nancy Mitford, (1904-1973), novelist
- William Morris, (1834-1896), architect, author
- William Ralph Inge, clergyman, writer, mysticist
- Joe Orton, (1933-1967), dramatist
- George Orwell, (1903-1950), (Eric Blair), journalist and novelist
- John Osborne, (1929-1994), dramatist, wrote Look Back In Anger
- Wilfred Owen, (1893-1918), war poet
- Samuel Pepys, (1633-1703), diarist and public official in 17th century England
- Harold Pinter, (b. 1930), playwright
- Alexander Pope, (1688-1744), poet
- Beatrix Potter, (1866-1943),author and illustrator
- J. B. Priestley, (1894-1984), dramatist and novelist
- Philip Pullman, (born 1946), author
- Arthur Ransome, (1884–1967), author,
- Christina Rossetti, (1830-1894), poet
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti, (1828-1882), poet
- J. K. Rowling (born 1965), author, creator of Harry Potter
- John Ruskin, (1819-1900), writer, critic and reformer
- Siegfried Sassoon, (1886-1967), war poet
- Dorothy L. Sayers, (1893-1957), mystery writer
- William Shakespeare, (c. 1564-1616), poet
- Mary Shelley, (1797-1851), author
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, (1792-1822), poet
- Philip Sidney, (1554-1586), poet and soldier
- Edmund Spenser,(c. 1552-1599), poet. Wrote The Faerie Queene
- Nevil Shute, (1899-1960), aeronautical engineer and author
- Stevie Smith, (1902-1971), poet and novelist
- Robert Southey, (1774-1843), Poet Laureate 1813
- Algernon Swinburne, (1837-1909), poet
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate
- William Makepeace Thackeray, (1811-193), novelist
- Anthony Trollope, (1815-1882), novelist
- Evelyn Waugh, (1903-1966), novelist
- John Webster, (died 1630), poet
- Gilbert White, (1720-1795)
- P. G. Wodehouse, (1881-1975), humorous author
- Mary Wollstonecraft, (1759-1797), pioneer feminist known for her work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
- Virginia Woolf, (1882-1941), author and feminist.
- William Wordsworth, (1770-1850), Romantic poet

Other Notables

- Douglas Adams

English people

:This article is about the English as an ethnic group. For information about residents or nationals of England, see demographics of England. The English people are an indigenous European ethnic group originating in the lowlands of Great Britain and are drawn from a composite population descended from a combination of Romano-Celts and Angles, Saxons and Jutes.

History

The English as an ethnic group can trace their heritage back to the Anglo-Saxons (or Old English), who between the 5th and 7th centuries, after the withdrawal of the Roman Empire, came to occupy most of lowland Britain (although a lack of documentation from the Dark Ages means few individuals can prove such descent). The name of the area known as England derives from this settlement. The tribes participating in this conquest of Britain include the Angles, the Jutes, the Saxons, the Franks, and the Friesians. At one time it was widely believed that the Anglo-Saxons supplanted the Celtic populations. Recent genetic studies are contradictory. One suggests the Anglo-Saxons may have established political and cultural dominance over the Celts and intermarried with them. In particular, analyses performed upon the mitochondrial DNA of modern day English suggest that any continental admixture from the period of Germanic invasions would have been almost exclusively derived from the male line, suggesting a process of intermarriage between male invaders and female indigenous Celts. However, a recent Y chromosome analysis of people from the British Isles, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Friesland and the Basque Country has revealed that some areas of England have a higher Germanic (Danish/German/Frisian) component in the male line of descent than others. Germanic Y chromosomes are at their highest concentrations in York and Norfolk, here the Germanic male sex chromosome occurs in about 60% of men, with indigenous Y chromosomes comprising about 40%. The research connot distinguish between Danish (the presumed source of Danish-Viking settlers to East and Northern England), North German (Anglo-Saxon) and Frisian (Anglo-Saxon) Y chromosomes. The study cloncludes these data are consistent with the presence of some indigenous component in all British regions. See Anglo-Saxons for more detail. A further settlement of Danes occurred during the 9th century in northern and eastern England. Some British ethnic groups, notably the Cornish and the Cumbrians have a noticeably less diluted connection to the pre-Anglo-Saxon ancient Britons; As a result of this, some Cornish claim not to be English but Cornish. A further influence on the English language is from Scandinavian culture, particularly in the north of England. This is most pronounced in York, formerly the Danish settlement of Jorvik. These groups had a noticeable impact on the English language, for example the modern meaning of the word dream is of Scandinavian origin. Additionally place names that include thwaite and by are Scandinavian in origin. English language The Anglo-Saxons established several kingdoms, commonly referred to as the Heptarchy. These were united in the early 9th century under the overlordship of Wessex, forming what would eventually become the modern nation state of England. These kingdoms were then subjected to a series of raids, conquest and settlement by Vikings originating from Denmark from the 9th century onwards. The Treaty of Wedmore gave the Danes dominion over territory north and east of a line between London and Chester called the Danelaw and represented the beginning of a of period of acceptance and assimilation of the Danes. Most notably, this period saw the rise of Alfred the Great. The only king in English history to receive 'the great' appended to his name. Alfred was king of the region of Wessex which effectively held off the Danish conquest of what would later become England. Wessex grew from a relatively small kingdom in the South West to the complete annexing of all remaining Anglo-Saxon kingdoms not in the Danelaw. The Norman Conquest of 1066 brought English and Danish rule to an end, and began a diminished period, both culturally and socially for the native inhabitants. The new Norman French elite began a scorched earth policy against the rebellious Anglo-Danish population north of the Humber during the winter of 1069-70, which became known as The Harrying of the North. The English existed as a subject class for about 300 years with the aristocracy speaking French until a full assimilation was made by the time of Chaucer , in the late 1300s. By this time a large number of French words had been added to the English language. During Britain's centuries as a major colonial power, people migrated from all over Britain's sphere of influence to England, leaving a small, but noticeable mark on English culture. Also, and sporadically for much of its history as a recognisable political entity England has had a significant Jewish population.

Culture

Contribution to humanity

The English have played a significant role in the development of the arts and sciences. Prominent individuals have included the scientists and inventors Isaac Newton, Francis Crick, Abraham Darby, Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, Frank Whittle and Tim Berners-Lee; the poet and playwright William Shakespeare, the novelists Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and George Orwell, the composer Gustav Holst, and the explorer James Cook (for a complete list of famous English people see List of English people). English philosophers include Francis Bacon, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Thomas Paine, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Bertrand Russell, Michael Oakeshott and Roger Scruton. The English language is now the world's unofficial lingua franca, and the jury system (used in a few non-anglo-saxon countries in the world) is an English innovation. English common law is also the foundation of legal systems throughout the English speaking countries of the world, and the English Parliament had an influence on the operation of most democratic governments created after 1651. The English have, through overseas colonisation in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, created several major world nations. These include what are now called the United States of America, Canada (the English part), Australia, and New Zealand, and also the language and institutions of such diverse nations as Jamacia, South Africa, Belize, and a number of others.

Language

All English people traditionally speak the English language, a member of the West Germanic language family. The only other language traditionally spoken is Cornish, a Celtic language originating in Cornwall spoken by about 3500 people. More recently immigrants from the British Commonwealth and elsewhere have brought other languages to England which are used privately as a home language. Such languages include Bengali, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic and Chinese.

Religion

Ever since the break with the Roman Catholic Church in the sixteenth century, the English have been predominantly a Protestant people, a historical legacy that many scholars have argued resulted in the development of a relatively liberal political culture. Today, most English people practicing organized religion are affiliated to the Church of England or other Christian denominations such as Roman Catholicism and Methodism. At the 2001 Census, a little over 37 million people in England & Wales professed themselves to be Christian. Jewish immigration since the seventeenth century means that there is a fully assimilated Jewish English minority mostly in urban areas. 252,000 Jews were recorded in England & Wales in the 2001 Census; however this represents a decline of about 50% over the previous 50 years, caused by emigration and intermarriage, and the long-term future of the community is a matter of some concern to community leaders. The gradual assimilation of migrants from India and Pakistan since the 1950s means that there is a growing group of people who are culturally English and practise Islam (818,000), Hinduism (467,000), or Sikhism (301,000). The 2001 census also revealed that 15% of the population claim no religion.

Sport

England, like the other nations of the United Kingdom, competes as a separate nation in many international sporting events. The English Football (soccer), Cricket and Rugby teams have contributed to an increasing sense of English identity. Supporters today (2005) carry the cross of St George, whereas twenty years ago only the British Union Jack would be seen.

Symbols

Union Jack The English flag is a red cross on a white background, commonly called the Cross of St George adopted after the crusades. Saint George, famed as a dragon-slayer, is also the patron saint of England. The three golden lions or leopards on a red background was the banner of the kings of England derived from their status as Duke of Normandy and is now used to represent the English national football team and the English national cricket team. The Tudor rose and the English oak are also English symbols. "God Save The Queen" is widely regarded as England's unofficial national anthem; however, other songs are sometimes used, including "Land of hope and glory" (used as England's anthem in the Commonwealth Games), "Jerusalem" and "I Vow to Thee, My Country."

Identity

England and Wales were united in the Acts of Union in 1536 and 1543, in 1707 England and Wales formed a union with Scotland, and in 1800 Ireland was joined to the existing union to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, although most of Ireland achieved independence in 1922 as the Irish Free State. A new 'British' identity was developed through the nineteenth century, to some extent overlaying regional identities. The English, along with the other peoples of the British Isles found their old identities undermined in favour of a new British national identity. The 1990s saw the beginning of a gradual reclamation and reformation of English identity. For several decades nationalist movements had existed in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and Cornwall but England had no counterpart. Partly in response to devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the rise in general of nationalism in the Celtic fringe some English people now question what it is to be English and its relationship with being British. Some English nationalist parties have been created, their following however remains small, but are growing as many English people are beginning to resent their loss of identity. see English nationalism.

References

# The [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uk.html#people CIA World Factbook] reports that in the 2001 UK census 92.1% of the UK population were in the White ethnic group, and that 83.6% of this group are in the English ethnic group. The UK Office for National Statistics[http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/uk.asp] reports a total population in the UK census of 58,789,194. A quick calculation shows this is equivalent to 45,265,093 people in the English ethnic group. However this number may not represent self-defined ethnic group. The number who described their ethnic group as English in the 2001 UK census has not been published by the Office for National Statistics. #The [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=D&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_QTP13&-ds_name=D&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false 2000 US census] shows 24,515,138 persons claiming English ancestry. This figure is likely to be an underestimate of the true number with English ancestry as some people will not have been aware of their English ancestry, or will have chosen not to mention it. According to [http://www.euroamericans.net/euroamericans.net/english%20census.htm EuroAmericans.net] the greatest population in a single state was 2,521,355 in California, and the highest percentage was 29.0% in Utah. # The [http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/B85E1EB3A2BC274ACA256D39001BC337?Open Australian Bureau of Statistics] reports 6.4 million people of English ancestry in the 2001 Census. Up to two ancestries could be chosen. Recent increases in the number who identify as Australian suggest that this number is an underestimate of the true number with English ancestry. [http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/B85E1EB3A2BC274ACA256D39001BC337?Open]. #[http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/highlight/ETO/Table1.cfm?Lang=E&T=501&GV=1&GID=0 2001 Canadian Census] gives 1,479,520 respondents stating their ethnic origin as English as a single response, and 4,499,355 including multiple responses, giving a combined total of 5,978,875. # The [http://www.stats.govt.nz/census/2001-ethnic-groups/default.htm 2001 New Zealand census] reports 34,074 people stating they belong to the English ethnic group. The 1996 census, which used a slightly different question[http://www.stats.govt.nz/census/change-in-ethnicity-question.htm], reported 281,895 people belonging to the English ethnic group. #[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VRT-48PV5SH-12&_coverDate=05%2F27%2F2003&_alid=339895807&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_qd=1&_cdi=6243&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000049116&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=949111&md5=9edf5ce1c39d4139af4c01733282fa82 A Y Chromosome Census of the British Isles]; Cristian Capelli, Nicola Redhead, Julia K. Abernethy, Fiona Gratrix, James F. Wilson, Torolf Moen, Tor Hervig, Martin Richards, Michael P. H. Stumpf, Peter A. Underhill, Paul Bradshaw, Alom Shaha, Mark G. Thomas, Neal Bradman, and David B. Goldstein Current Biology, Volume 13, Issue 11, Pages 979-984 (2003). Retrieved 6 December 2005.

External links

- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/nations/ BBC Nations] Articles on England and the English
- [http://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/britishisles/ The British Isles] Information on England
- [http://www.walkingtree.com/ Mercator's Atlas] Map of England ("Anglia") circa 1564.
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1689955.stm Viking blood still flowing]; BBC; 3 December, 2001.
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2076470.stm English and Welsh are races apart]; BBC; 30 June, 2002.
- [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/profiles/64.asp UK 2001 Census] showing 49,138,831 people from all ethnic groups living in England.
- [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/04/23/ncen23.xml Tory MP leads English protest over census]; The Telegraph; 23 April 2001.
- [http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=%5CForeignBureaus%5Carchive%5C200104%5CFor20010423f.html On St. George's Day, What's Become Of England?]; CNSNews.com; 23 April, 2001. Category:Ethnic groups of the United Kingdom Category:Germanic peoples Category:Ethnic groups of Europe

Judi Dench

Dame Judith Olivia Dench, CH, DBE, better known as Judi Dench (born on December 9 1934 in North Yorkshire, England), is an Oscar-winning English stage, film and television actress. Dame Judi came first in a poll to find Britain's best actress. When she was thirteen, she entered [http://www.mount.n-yorks.sch.uk/ The Mount School] in York. Today, she is a patron of [http://www.friends.org.uk/ Friends' School Saffron Walden]. In 1971 she married British actor Michael Williams and they had their only child, Tara Cressida Williams (aka "Finty Williams"), on 24 September 1972. Their daughter later became an actor like her parents. Judi starred with her husband in the 1980s British sitcom, A Fine Romance. Michael Williams died of lung cancer at the age of 65 in 2001. Her many television appearances include the series As Time Goes By and the aforementioned A Fine Romance. She has also occasionally directed plays. A Fine Romance

Theatrical career

In her native country, Dame Judi has developed a reputation as arguably the greatest actress in post-World War II history, primarily through her work in theatre, which has been her main forte throughout her career. She received her professional training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and made her professional debut as Ophelia in Hamlet in Liverpool in 1957. She subsequently spent several seasons in repertory in Oxford and Nottingham. In 1961 she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and made numerous appearances with the company in Stratford and London over the next two decades, winning several best actress awards. Dame Judi has also made numerous appearances in the West End and with the National Theatre in London. She is a multiple winner of the main awards for performances on the London stage, including a record six Laurence Olivier Awards. She has also appeared with success on Broadway in Amy's Room. As she enters her seventies, Dame Judi remains probably the biggest draw on the London stage. She is often compared and contrasted with Dame Maggie Smith, another British actress of the same generation, with whom she has appeared in several movies and on stage in David Hare's two-hander Breath of Life.

Selected filmography

- A Room with a View (1985)
- A Handful of Dust (1987)
- Henry V (1989)
- Mrs. Brown (1997; also known as Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown)
- Shakespeare in Love (1998)
- Tea With Mussolini (1999)
- Chocolat (2000)
- Iris (2001)
- The Shipping News (2001)
- The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
- Ladies in Lavender. (2004)
- Pride & Prejudice (2005)

James Bond

In 1995 she took over the role of M in the James Bond series and has appeared in the films:
- GoldenEye (1995)
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
- The World Is Not Enough (1999)
- Die Another Day (2002) Judi Dench has also been confirmed by the producers of the Bond film series as returning to the role for the 2006 film, Casino Royale. In 2004 she lent her voice for the role of M in two James Bond video games, Everything or Nothing and GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.

Selected discography

- A Midsummer Night Dream (1995) From Felix Mendelssohn as Recitant. Conducted by Seiji Ozawa.

Selected awards and recognition

Theatre

- 1997 - London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress for Amy's View
- 1996 - Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for Absolute Hell
- 1996 - Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Entertainment for A Little Night Music
- 1987 - Laurence Olivier Award, Evening Standard Award and London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress for Antony and Cleopatra
- 1984 - Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a New Play for Pack of Lies
- 1982 - London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress for The Importance of Being Earnest and A Kind of Alaska
- 1980 - Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Revival for Juno and the Paycock
- 1977 - Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Revival for Macbeth

Film and television

- 2002 - Nominated Academy Award for Best Actress for Iris
- 2001 - Nominated Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Chocolat
- 1999 - Won Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Shakespeare in Love
- 1998 - Nominated Academy Award for Best Actress and won Golden Globe for Mrs. Brown
- 1987 - Won BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for A Room with a View
- 1967 - Won BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress for Talking to a Stranger
- 1966 - Won BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Four in the Morning

Other

- 2005 - made a Companion of Honour
- 1988 - made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)

External links

-
- [http://www.djdchronology.com/djdmainpage.htm Unofficial Chronology]
- [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1960857 Judi Dench on Acting Regal] Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi Dench, Judi ja:ジュディ・デンチ

Michael Gambon

Sir Michael Gambon (born October 19, 1940) is an actor perhaps best known worldwide for his role as Albus Dumbledore in the two latest Harry Potter films; he is also a Samuel Beckett scholar. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and emigrated with his family to the UK in 1945 at the age of 5. He attended Catholic school. His father was a policeman for a period of time. He made his film debut in the Laurence Olivier Othello in 1965. He then played romantic leads, notably in the early 1970s BBC television series, The Borderers, in which he was swashbuckling Gavin Ker. However, his craggy looks soon made him into a character actor, and it was not until Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective (1986) that he became a household name. Even after this success, for which he won a BAFTA award, his career was patchy, with big hits such as the 1989 film, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, which also starred Helen Mirren long before he was knighted, interspersed with less notable work. In 1992 he starred as Georges Simenon's detective Inspector Jules Maigret in an ITV adaptation of Simenon's series of books. He starred as Fyodor Dostoyevsky in the Hungarian director Károly Makk's movie The Gambler (1997) about the writing of Dostoyevsky's novella The Gambler. In recent years, films such as Dancing at Lughnasa (1998) and Plunkett and Macleane (1998), as well as television appearances in series such as Wives and Daughters (1999) (for which he won another BAFTA), a made for TV adaption of Beckett's Endgame (2001) and Perfect Strangers (2001), have made him one of Britain's most sought-after actors, as well as revealing his talent for comedy. In 2004, he proved his versatility by appearing in five motion picture releases, including Wes Anderson's quirky comedy The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou; the British gangster flick Layer Cake; theatrical drama Being Julia; and CGI action fantasy Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Perhaps his most significant role in 2004, however, was Albus Dumbledore, Hogwart's headmaster in the third installment of JK Rowling's franchise, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, taking over from the late Irish actor Richard Harris. He has also recently appeared on the BBC's Top Gear programme in which he launched a Suzuki Liana airborne off the final corner. The final corner of the track at Dunsfold Park has now been named 'Gambon' after this feat. He reprised the role of Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which was released in November 2005 in the US and UK. During his career, Gambon has appeared in film, television and theatre with an alumni of highly regarded actors, directors and writers: Maggie Smith, Miranda Richardson, Dennis Potter and Derek Jacobi have all appeared alongside the 'Great Gambon' on multiple occasions. Michael Gambon is not married.

Selected Filmography

- The Good Shepherd (2006)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
- The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
- Layer Cake (2004)
- Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
- Being Julia (2004)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
- Angels in America (2003) (miniseries)
- Sylvia (2003)
- Open Range (2003)
- The Lost Prince (2003) (TV)
- Ali G Indahouse (2002)
- Christmas Carol: The Movie (2001) (voice)
- Gosford Park (2001)
- Perfect Strangers (2001) (TV)
- Sleepy Hollow (1999)
- The Insider (1999)
- Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)
- Mary Reilly (1996)
- The Browning Version (1994)
- Toys (1992)
- The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
- A Dry White Season (1989)
- The Rachel Papers (1989)
- The Singing Detective (1986) (miniseries)
- Othello (1965)

External links

- Gambon, Michael Gambon, Michael Gambon, Michael Gambon, Michael Gambon, Michael Gambon, Michael Gambon, Michael Gambon, Michael Gambon, Michael Gambon, Michael ja:マイケル・ガンボン

John Gregson

John Gregson (15 March 1919 - 8 January 1975) was a British actor. He was born in Liverpool, England, of Scottish stock, where he was educated at the St Francis Xavier School. He was married to the actress Thea Gregory and they had six children. He appeared in around 40 films in the fifties and sixties, and on television. He was often cast as a police inspector or as a navy or army officer, or for his comedy roles in Ealing and other British films. From 1965 he mainly worked on TV, starring as Commander George Gideon in the series Gideon's Way, known as Gideon C.I.D. in America. His most famous comedy role was in the film chosen for the Royal Command Performance in 1953, Genevieve, also starring Kenneth More, Dinah Sheridan and Kay Kendall. He also appeared in the Ealing comedies The Titfield Thunderbolt and The Lavender Hill Mob. Kenneth More has been described as his "rival" in British cinema at the time, although Gregson tended to appear in less comedy films and more dramas than More, and was less 'broad' in his performances. His best known drama films are probably The Battle of the River Plate, Angels One Five and Above Us the Waves. Among his many other roles he had leads in Treasure Island and The Treasure of Monte Cristo. Gregson concentrated on TV from the mid-sixties onwards, including The Saint with Roger Moore and a popular comedy adventure series with Shirley MacLaine; Shirley's World. He took over from Kenneth More in long running TV adverts for coffee on British television. John Gregson died from a heart attack in Porlock Weir, Somerset aged 55.

External links

- Gregson, John Gregson, John Gregson, John Gregson, John Gregson, John Gregson, John Gregson, John

Alec Guinness

]] Sir Alec Guinness, KBE, CH (April 2, 1914 – August 5, 2000) was an Oscar winning English actor who became one of the most versatile and best-loved performers of his generation. He was born in London, England, allegedly as Alec Guinness de Cuffe, although what is written on his birth certificate, which reportedly lacked a father's name, is not known. His mother's maiden name was "Agnes Cuffe". She would later marry Alec's stepfather, a mentally ill soldier from the Anglo-Irish War who was suffering from what would today be known as Post-traumatic stress disorder. It is rumoured that Guinness' birth father was a wealthy businessman whom he once met. Guinness first worked writing copy for advertising before making his debut at the Old Vic Theatre in 1936 at the age of 22. He married the artist, playwright, and actress Merula Salaman, a British Jew, in 1938, and they had a son, Matthew Guinness, an actor born in 1940. Alec Guinness served in the Royal Navy throughout World War II, serving first as a seaman in 1941 and being commissioned the following year. While in the military Guinness for awhile planned on becoming an Anglican priest. He commanded a landing craft taking part in the invasion of Sicily and Elba and later ferried supplies to the Yugoslav partisans. During the War he appeared in Terence Rattigan's West End Play for Bomber Command, Flare Path. He returned to the Old Vic in 1946. He was initially mainly associated with the Ealing comedies, and particularly for playing eight different characters in Kind Hearts and Coronets. Other films from this period included The Lavender Hill Mob, The Ladykillers, and The Man in the White Suit. In 1952, director Ronald Neame cast Guinness in his first romantic lead role, opposite Petula Clark in The Card. Invited by his friend Tyrone Guthrie to join in the premier season of the Stratford Festival of Canada, Guinness lived for a brief time in Stratford, Ontario. On July 13, 1953, Guinness spoke the first lines of the first play produced by the festival (Shakespeare's Richard III): "Now is the winter of our discontent/Made glorious summer by this sun of York." In 1954, during the shooting of the film Father Brown, he and his wife converted to Roman Catholicism and became devout regular church-goers for the rest of their lives. It is not clear if their minor-aged son, Matthew (14), was also converted at the same time. Guinness was also a talented dramatic and character actor. His memorable film appearances included Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Tunes of Glory, and the title role in Hitler: The Last Ten Days. From the 1970s, Guinness made regular television appearances, including the part of George Smiley in the serialisations of two novels by John le Carré: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People. One of his last appearances was in the acclaimed BBC drama Eskimo Day. His role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the immensely successful original Star Wars trilogy brought him worldwide recognition to a new generation. Guinness agreed to do the part on the condition that he would not have to do publicity to promote the film. He was also one of the few cast members who believed that the film would be a box office hit and negotiated a percentage deal that made him very wealthy in later life. However, he was never happy with being identified with the part.

Awards and Honours

He won the Academy Award as Best Actor in 1957 for his role in Bridge on the River Kwai. He was nominated again in 1958 for his screenplay adapted from Joyce Cary's novel The Horse's Mouth. He also received an Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievements in 1980. He was appointed CBE in 1955, and was knighted in 1959. He became a Companion of Honour in 1994 at the age of 80. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1559 Vine Street. Guinness wrote three volumes of bestselling autobiography, beginning with Blessings in Disguise in 1985, followed by My Name Escapes Me in 1996, and A Positively Final Appearance in 1999. Guinness died on August 5, 2000 at the age of 86, at Midhurst in West Sussex, and was interred in Petersfield, Hampshire, England. His widow died of cancer two months later and is interred with her husband of 62 years.

Filmography

- Evensong (1934)
- Great Expectations (1946)
-

List of English people

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See also

External links

Judi Dench

Theatrical career

Selected filmography

James Bond

Selected discography

Selected awards and recognition

Theatre

Film and television

Other

External links

Michael Gambon

Selected Filmography

External links

John Gregson

External links

Alec Guinness

Awards and Honours

Filmography