Famous British People a to z

Keira Knightley is a British actress who had her first major role in Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace and became well-known for her role in Bend It Like Beckham.

The foremost leader of the Scottish Reformation, John Knox set the moral tone of the Church of Scotland and shaped the democratic form of government it adopted.

Actor and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah was introduced to U.K. households in 1999 as paramedic Finlay Newton on the BBC hospital drama Casualty.

Dame Cleo Laine was a Grammy Award-winning British jazz vocalist as well as a stage actress. She was known as the "Queen of Jazz" in her singing prime.

Charles Lamb was an English poet and essayist who wrote Tales from Shakespeare and "Essays of Elia."

Laurence Olivier was one of the most acclaimed actors of the 20th century, known for his numerous Shakespeare roles on stage and screen as well as memorable turns in more modern classics.

Hugh Laurie's portrayal of Dr. Gregory on the TV show House made him famous in the U.S. For years prior, the comedian was making sitcoms in the U.K.

Bernard Law Montgomery led the British Eighth Army in North Africa during World War Two and oversaw British participation during the D-Day invasion.

directed British actor Jude Law received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Cold Mountain. He also played "Gigolo Joe" in Steven Spielberg's film A.I.

Actor Peter Lawford ran with the Rat Pack, married a Kennedy, and was the last person to speak to Marilyn Monroe. He also made movies now and then.

D.H. Lawrence is best known for his infamous novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, which was banned in the United States until 1959, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

T. E. Lawrence was a British Army officer during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule. He became known as Lawrence of Arabia, based on the 1962 film.

Simon Le Bon was lead singer of the 1980s pop group Duran Duran, known for recording the hit song “Hungry Like the Wolf.” He left the group before they later reunited in 2001.

Author John Le Carré’s first published novel, Call for the Dead, introduced his ‘anti-hero’ George Smiley, who appears in most of his stories.

Mary Leakey was a paleoanthropologist who, along with husband Louis, made several prominent scientific discoveries. Skull fossils found by the Leakeys advanced our understanding of human evolution.

David Lean was a British director and screenwriter best known for his spectacular cinematography and adaptations of Charles Dickens classics, including Great Expectations (1946) and Oliver Twist (1948).

Christopher Lee began his legendary career in monster movies in the 1950, playing both Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula, the latter in several classics of the genre. Lee has recently become known to a whole new generation of filmgoers in The Lord

Nicholas Leeson is best known for trading the Barings out of existence by hiding losses for years.

British-American actress Jane Leeves played Daphne on the Emmy Award-winning NBC sitcom Frasier, and began playing Joy on TV Land's Hot in Cleveland in 2010.

Vivien Leigh was a British actress who achieved film immortality by playing two of American literature's most celebrated Southern belles, Scarlett O'Hara and Blanche DuBois.

John Lennon, pop star, composer, songwriter and recording artist, founded the Beatles, a band that impacted the music scene like no other before or since.

Musician Julian Lennon is the child of John Lennon, a founding member of The Beatles, and his first wife. One of his better know songs is Too Late For Goodbyes.

Annie Lennox is a singer/songwriter known for her work with the Eurythmics and as a solo act. Her hits include “Sweet Dreams,” “Who’s That Girl?” and “Why.”

Damian Lewis is a British actor best known for his role in Steven Spielberg’s miniseries Band of Brothers, and starring roles on the series Life and Homeland.

Lennox Lewis was the first British boxer to hold the undisputed world heavyweight title since Bob Fitzsimmons (who won the title in 1899). Lewis won Olympic gold in 1988.

British runner Eric Lidell won a gold medal in the 1924 Olympic Games. The movie Chariots of Fire (1981) tells the story of his triumph.

Delroy Lindo is an actor who has played both good guys and bad guys in his three-decade career in film, theater and television.

British surgeon and medical scientist Joseph Lister is regarded as the founder of antiseptic medicine, which he implemented with amputee patients.

David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary, abolitionist and physician known for his explorations of Africa, having crossed the continent during the mid-19th century.

English philosopher John Locke's works lie at the foundation of modern philosophical empiricism and political liberalism.

Jon Lord is best known for his membership in the hard-rock band Deep Purple in the late 1960s, performing songs like "Demon's Eye" and "Space Truckin'." He later joined the band Whitesnake, which gained wide fame in the 1980s.

Lord Snowdon was married to Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, from 1960 to 1978. He is also a world-renowned photographer and documentarian.

Chris Lowe is a British musician best known as half of the electronic dance music duo the Pet Shop Boys.

Lord Lucan is best known for being in the suspect in the murder of his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett, and then disappearing.

Ida Lupino was a famous mid-20th century film actress who was also a trailblazing director and producer in a male-dominated industry.

John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, was the lead singer and front man for the English punk rock band the Sex Pistols.

M.I.A. is a British singer known for albums such as Arular and Kaya and hit singles such as "Paper Planes" and "O...Saya."

Ramsay MacDonald was the first Labour Party prime minister of Great Britain, in Labour governments and the national coalition government.

Macbeth was king of Scotland during the 11th century. He was also the basis for Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

William Lyon Mackenzie was a journalist and political agitator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the Canadian government in 1837.

Kirkpatrick Macmillan is best known for inventing the first pedal bicycle.

English actor Patrick Macnee is best known for playing secret agent John Steed in the 1960s television series The Avengers.

John Major was a member of the British Parliament's Conservative Party and England's prime minister from 1990 to 1997.

Writer Katherine Mansfield is best known for creating the story collections Bliss and The Garden Party.

Professor Peter Mansfield received the Nobel Prize for further developing magnetic resonance (MRI) technology, leading to its widespread use in hospitals.

Playwright, poet. Christopher Marlowe was a poet and playwright at the forefront of the 16th-century dramatic renaissance. His works influenced William Shakespeare and generations of writers to follow.

Chris Martin is lead singer, rhythm guitarist and pianist for the alternative band Coldplay, which has won two Grammy awards one being for its debut album.

Mary II served as queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (1689–94), and was the wife of King William III.

Mary of Teck became Queen Mary, consort of King George V. She was the mother of kings Edward VIII and George VI, and the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

Nick Mason was a founding member and drummer of the British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd.

Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell originated the idea of electromagnetic radiation. His ideas formed the basis for quantum mechanics.

Brian May, lead guitarist of the rock band Queen, wrote the song "We are the Champions," applying his physics background in the recording studio.

James McAvoy is a Scottish actor best known for his roles in The Last King of Scotland (2006), Atonement (2007) and X-Men: First Class (2011).

British vocalist, songwriter, musician, and composer, Paul McCartney was a member of the Beatles as well as one of the most popular solo performers of all time.

Fashion designer and committed vegetarian Stella McCartney is the daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and his late wife, Linda.

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor first received worldwide acclaim with his role in Trainspotting, and has since played Obi-Wan in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Ian McKellen is a revered, award-winning British actor of stage and screen known for many roles, including The Lord of the Rings and X-Men series.

Recording artist and fashion designer Malcolm McLaren came to fame as manager of the Sex Pistols. Later, he recorded several albums of his own material.

Alexander McQueen was a London-based, English fashion designer who was head designer of the Louis Vuitton Givenchy fashion line, before starting his own line.

Janet McTeer is an English television, stage and film actress best known for her Golden Globe-winning performance in Tumbleweeds.

English stage and film director Sam Mendes won an Oscar for American Beauty, and went on to direct films like Jarhead, Revolutionary Road and Skyfall.

Kate Middleton, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, married Prince William in 2011 at Westminster Abbey. She will not be a princess until Prince Charles inherits the throne.

Pippa Middleton is best known as the younger sister of Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince Charles.

John Stuart Mill, who has been called the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the 19th century, was a British philosopher, economist, and moral and political theorist. His works include books and essays covering logic, epistemology, economics, social and political philosophy, ethics, and religion, among them A System of Logic, On Liberty, and Utilitarianism.

John Everett Millais was a 19th century English painter who co-founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

Heather Mills is best known as the ex-wife of musician Paul McCartney as well as for her activism and philanthropy.

John Mills was an award-winning actor, dancer and producer whose career spanned eight decades with works like Great Expectations and Ryan’s Daughter.

Author A.A. Milne wrote beloved classic children's books about the adventures of Christopher Robin and the toy animal Winnie-the-Pooh.

Anthony Minghella was an Academy Award-winning director best known for his adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient. Released in 1996, the film claimed the Oscar for best picture in 1997.

Helen Mirren is a revered, award-winning actress who’s film and TV work includes Prime Suspect, Caligula, Shadowboxer, Elizabeth I and The Queen.

Alfred Molina is an English actor who belonged to the Royal Shakespeare Company and starred in the blockbuster Spider-Man 2.

Keith Moon was a legendary drummer for the rock band the Who before his untimely death by accidental drug overdose in 1978.

British actor and comedian Dudley Moore starred in funny films such as Bedazzled (1967), 10 (1979), and Arthur (1981).

Roger Moore is a British actor best known for his role as James Bond in seven films from 1973-'85.

Thomas More is known for his 1516 book Utopia and for his untimely death in 1535, after refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. He was canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint in 1935.

Henry Morgan was a Welsh Admiral who raided Spanish settlements in the late 17th century. He is accounted as one of the most notorious buccaneers in history.