Famous British People a to z

English novelist, pamphleteer and journalist Daniel Defoe is best known for his novels Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders.

Dame Judi Dench is an Academy Award-winning British actress. She won an Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love.

Charles Dickens was the well-loved and prolific British author of numerous works that are now considered classics.

Michelle Dockery is a British actress best known for playing Lady Mary Crawley on the hit show Downton Abbey.

John Donne, leading English poet of the Metaphysical school, is often considered the greatest loved poet in the English language.

Author Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 60 mystery stories featuring the wildly popular detective character Sherlock Holmes and his loyal assistant Watson.

English admiral Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe in 1577-1578, helped defeat the Spanish Armada and was the most renowned seaman of the Elizabethan era.

The music of British singer-songwriter Nick Drake wasn't a hit during his lifetime, but his albums Fruit Tree and Pink Moon have gained fans over the years.

British actress Minnie Driver made her film debut in Circle of Friends, followed by roles in Grosse Pointe Blank and Good Will Hunting.

Dame Daphne du Maurier was a novelist and playwright whose famous works Rebecca and The Birds were made into films by Alfred Hitchcock.

John Duffy was a British serial killer who, in partnership with childhood friend David Mulcahy, murdered multiple women the 1980s.

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is best known as the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, the father of Prince Charles and the grandfather of Prince William.

Prince Andrew, the brother of Prince Charles, is the Duke of York and fourth in line to the British throne.

Eadweard Muybridge's photography of moving animals captured movement in a way that had never been done before. His work was used by both scientists and artists.

Edward, Earl of Wessex is son to Queen Elizabeth II and husband to Sophie Rhys-Jones. A former theater and television producer, he remains active in charity.

British-born Christopher Eccleston is best known as the ninth actor to play the lead role in the popular U.K. science-fiction television program Doctor Who.

King Edward I reigned England from 1272 to 1307, during which time he conquered Wales, expelled the Jews and signed many parliamentary statutes.

King Edward VII took over the British throne after the death of Queen Victoria. He was a popular ruler who strengthened his country prior to World War I.

Edward VIII became king of the United Kingdom following the death of his father, George V, but ruled for less than a year. He abdicated the throne in order to marry his lover, Wallis Simpson, thereafter taking the title Duke of Windsor.

Samantha Eggar is a British film and television actress. She recently performed as Hera in the Disney film Hercules.

Joe Elliott is known for his singing career with metal band Def Leppard, made popular by such songs as "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Love Bites."

Ruth Ellis is best known for the murder of her lover, leading to her execution, the last of a woman in England.

Tracey Emin is a British artist who emerged in the 1980s, during the "Young British Artists" movement. She is noted for her provocative and controversial pieces, including "Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-1995," "My Bed" and "The Last Thing I Said To You is Don't Leave Me Here."

British track and field star Jessica Ennis won a gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Nicknamed "The Ox," bass guitarist John Entwistle was a founding member of the legendary rock band the Who.

Arthur Evans was a noted archaeologist and curator known for unearthing the remains of ancient Minoan civilization.

Rupert Everett is a British actor known for roles in the films My Best Friend’s Wedding, Shakespeare in Love and a Midsummer Night’s Dream.

British conspirator Guy Fawkes was executed in 1606 for attempting to blow up the Parliament building in what became known as the Gunpowder Plot.

Roger Fenton was a British photographer best known for his 1855 documentation of the ravages of the war in Crimea.

Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson is the ex-wife of Britain's Prince Andrew and is also a children's book author and film producer.

Raymond Fernandez is a serial killer best known, along with his partner Martha Beck, as the Lonely Hearts Killers. The two were executed in 1949.

Henry Fielding was an English writer and justice of the peace who crafted novels like Tom Jones and Amelia.

Ralph Fiennes is a British film actor best known for his performances in Schindler's List, The English Patient and The Constant Gardener.

Albert Finney is an Oscar-nominated English actor known for playing Audrey Hepburn's love interest in Two for the Road and the title role in the musical version of A Christmas Carol, among several other roles.

Saint John Fisher was a Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal who was martyred when he resisted King Henry VII's encroachments on the Church.

Alexander Fleming was a doctor and bacteriologist who discovered penicillin, receiving the Nobel Prize in 1945.

Ian Fleming is a 20th-century novelist known for inventing popular spy character James Bond.

John Ambrose Fleming was an English scientist who made groundbreaking innovations in electrical engineering.

Ken Follett is the author of numerous best-selling books, including Eye of the Needle, On Wings of Eagles and Whiteout.

Serial killer Roy Fontaine, originally Archibald Hall, killed a former lover, his employers, an accomplice and another man in England in the 1970s.

Writer and critic E.M. Forster is the author of Howards End, A Passage to India and A Room With a View.

Writer John Fowles's works include The French Lieutenant's Woman and combine a respect for the Victorian novel and an interest in contemporary French novels.

English musician Peter Frampton began his career with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. He is best known for his hit album Frampton Comes Alive!.

British chemist Rosalind Franklin is best known for her role in the discovery of the structure of DNA ,and for her pioneering use of X-ray diffraction.

Empress Frederick was the oldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of England. She married the future German Emperor Frederick III in 1858, thusly becoming empress of Germany and queen of Prussia.

Martin Freeman is known for his role on the British television series The Office, and for his performance in 2012's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

English explorer Martin Frobisher is best known for his attempts to discover a Northwest Passage and his voyages to Labrador and Frobisher Bay in Canada.

David Frost is an English media personality best known for his 1977 interviews with President Richard Nixon, which were adapted for a play and the critically acclaimed film Frost/Nixon. Frost hosted several television programs in the United States and Britain.

Playwright Christopher Fry wrote a series of major plays in free verse, with undertones of religion and mysticism, including A Phoenix Too Frequent (1946).

J.F.C. Fuller was a 20th century British military officer, author, advocate of tank warfare and supporter of fascist movements.

British musician Dave Gahan is best known as the lead singer of electronic band Depeche Mode. His voice can be heard on the tracks "Suffer Well" and "Nothing's Impossible," among many others.

Thomas Gainsborough was an 18th century English painter known for his suggestive portraiture and landscapes.

Noel Gallagher was the vocalist and lead guitarist in the 1990s alternative rock band Oasis. He began a solo career after quitting Oasis in 2009.

John Galliano is a British fashion designer who served as head designer of the French haute couture houses Givenchy (1995-1996) and Christian Dior (1996-2011).

John Galt was a prolific Scottish novelist admired for his depiction of country life. His masterpieces include The Ayrshire Legatees and Lawrie Todd.

Francis Galton was an English explorer and anthropologist best known for his research in eugenics and human intelligence. He was the first to study the effects of human selective mating.

Irish actor Michael Gambon is best known for his role as Albus Dumbledore in five of the seven J.K. Rowling Harry Potter films. Prior to his role as Dumbledore, Gambon was known as one of the leading thespians of his generation.

Born in 1865, George V served as king of the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936, during World War I. He was succeeded by his son, George VI, following his death.

George VI served as king of the United Kingdom during World War II and was an important symbolic leader. He was succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II, in 1952.

Ricky Gervais is a British comedian best known for co-writing and co-directing the television series The Office.

British singer Andy Gibb released the popular album Shadow Dancing and was the youngest brother of the sibling singing group the Bee Gees.

As a member of the Bee Gees, Maurice Gibb scored numerous hits during the 1970s.

Singing with two of his brothers as the Bee Gees, Robin Gibb scored numerous hits in the 1970s, including "Stayin' Alive" and "How Deep Is Your Love."

John Gielgud was a prolific Shakespearean actor known for his varied film and TV work as well, including Arthur and Prospero’s Books.

David Gilmour was the guitarist and singer for the British rock band Pink Floyd. He is also an aviator and philanthropist.

According to legend, Anglo-Saxon gentlewoman Lady Godiva rode nude through Coventry, England in a deal to reduce taxes. She and her husband Leofric, earl of Mercia, founded a monastery at Coventry.

British novelist William Golding wrote the critically acclaimed classic Lord of the Flies, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983.

Jane Goodall created one of the most trailblazing studies of primates in modern times when she dwelled with Tanzanian chimps to observe their behavior.

Sidney Leslie Goodwin died as a small child in the sinking of the Titanic, with his identity being discovered almost a century later via DNA analysis.

Martin Gore is best known as the keyboardist and primary songwriter for Depeche Mode. Gore wrote many hit tracks, including "Policy of Truth" and "Personal Jesus."

Actor Cary Grant performed in films from the 1930s through the 1960s. He starred in several Hitchcock films, including the 1959 hit North by Northwest.