100 Notable alumni of
University College London
Updated:
University College London is 35th in the world, 13th in Europe, and 6th in the United Kingdom by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from University College London sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. 6 individuals affiliated with University College London won Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine.
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Mahatma Gandhi
- Enrolled in University College London
- In 1888 studied law
- Occupations
- journalisthumanitarianphilosopheressayistwriter
- Biography
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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahātmā (from Sanskrit, meaning great-souled, or venerable), first applied to him in South Africa in 1914, is now used throughout the world.
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Christopher Nolan
- Occupations
- writercinematographeractorscreenwriterfilm producer
- Biography
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Sir Christopher Edward Nolan is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. Nolan's films have earned over $6.6 billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing film director of all time. His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and two British Academy Film Awards. Nolan was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019, and received a knighthood in 2024 for his contributions to film.
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Chris Martin
- Enrolled in University College London
- 1996-2000 studied ancient history
- Occupations
- singer
- Biography
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Christopher Anthony John Martin is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the vocalist, pianist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay.
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Rabindranath Tagore
- Occupations
- philosopherfilm directorsingerpainterpoet
- Biography
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Rabindranath Thakur FRAS was an Indian Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renaissance. He reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of the "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful" poetry of Gitanjali. In 1913, Tagore became the first non-European to win a Nobel Prize in any category, and also the first lyricist to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Tagore's poetic songs were viewed as spiritual and mercurial; where his elegant prose and magical poetry were widely popular in the Indian subcontinent. He was a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society. Referred to as "the Bard of Bengal", Tagore was known by the sobriquets Gurudeb, Kobiguru, and Biswokobi.
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David Attenborough
- Occupations
- television writerenvironmentalistwriterbiologistnature photographer
- Biography
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Sir David Frederick Attenborough is a British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian, and writer. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the nine nature documentary series forming the Life collection, a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth.
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Alexander Graham Bell
- Occupations
- inventorphysicistprofessorbusinesspersonelectrical engineer
- Biography
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Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1885.
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Ricky Gervais
- Occupations
- film actorwritermusiciantelevision presentertelevision actor
- Biography
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Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, writer, producer, director and musician. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms The Office (2001–2003), Extras (2005–2007), and Life's Too Short (2011–2013) with Stephen Merchant. He also created, wrote and starred in Derek (2012–2014) and After Life (2019–2022).
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Charli XCX
- Occupations
- music executivesinger-songwritercomposermusic video directorrecord producer
- Biography
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Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer, songwriter and DJ. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, Charli XCX began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. She signed a recording contract with Asylum Records in 2010, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012. She later featured on "I Love It" with Swedish duo Icona Pop, with the song becoming her first number-one in the UK and receiving global success. Her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), was released to positive reviews but failed to meet commercial expectations.
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John Stuart Mill
- Occupations
- politicianegalitarianismeconomistsuffragistphilosopher
- Biography
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John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism, he contributed widely to social theory, political theory, and political economy. Dubbed "the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century" by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, he conceived of liberty as justifying the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state and social control. He advocated political and social reforms such as proportional representation, the emancipation of women, and the development of labour organisations and farm cooperatives. The Columbia Encyclopedia 5th ed. says of him "at times Mill came close to socialism, a theory repugnant to his predecessors". He was a proponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by his predecessor Jeremy Bentham. He contributed to the investigation of scientific methodology, though his knowledge of the topic was based on the writings of others, notably William Whewell, John Herschel, and Auguste Comte, and research carried out for Mill by Alexander Bain. He engaged in written debate with Whewell.
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Ken Follett
- Occupations
- writerprose writernovelist
- Biography
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Kenneth Martin Follett is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 195 million copies of his works.
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Natsume Sōseki
- Occupations
- university teacherwriterpoetnovelist
- Biography
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Natsume Sōseki, pen name Sōseki, born Natsume Kin'nosuke (夏目 金之助), was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat, Kusamakura and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and writer of haiku, kanshi poetry and fairy tales.
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Matthew Vaughn
- Occupations
- film producerfilm actorscreenwriterfilm directorproducer
- Biography
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Matthew Allard de Vere Drummond, known professionally as Matthew Vaughn, is an English filmmaker. He has produced films including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), and directed Layer Cake (2004), Stardust (2007), Kick-Ass (2010), X-Men: First Class (2011), and Argylle (2024). Vaughn also co-created the Kingsman comic book series and resulting franchise, directing, producing and co-writing the films Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), and The King's Man (2021).
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Hirobumi Itō
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Prince Itō Hirobumi, born Hayashi Risuke (Japanese: 利助 林, Hepburn: Risuke Hayashi), was a Japanese politician who served as the first prime minister of Japan from 1885 to 1888, and later from 1892 to 1896, in 1898, and from 1900 to 1901. He was a leading member of the genrō, a group of senior statesmen that dictated policy during the Meiji era. Even out of office as head of government, Itō continued to wield vast influence over Japan's policies as a permanent imperial adviser (genkun) and frequent president of the emperor's Privy Council. A staunch monarchist and leading proponent of Japan's Westernization, Itō favored a large, all-powerful bureaucracy that answered solely to the emperor, and opposed the formation of political parties.
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Jun'ichirō Koizumi
- Occupations
- politiciandiplomateconomist
- Biography
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Junichiro Koizumi is a Japanese retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2009. He is the sixth-longest serving Prime Minister in Japanese history.
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Emma Thomas
- Occupations
- film producer
- Biography
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Dame Emma Thomas, Lady Nolan, DBE is a British film producer. She has produced all of the feature films directed by her husband Christopher Nolan, which have grossed more than $6 billion worldwide and are regarded as some of the greatest films of their respective decades.
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G. K. Chesterton
- Occupations
- opinion journalistnovelistautobiographerbiographeruniversity teacher
- Biography
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Gilbert Keith Chesterton KC*SG was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic.
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Jagadish Chandra Bose
- Occupations
- physicistarchaeologistchemistbotanistwriter
- Biography
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Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose was a polymath with interests in biology, physics and writing science fiction. He was a pioneer in the investigation of radio microwave optics, made significant contributions to botany, and was a major force behind the expansion of experimental science on the Indian subcontinent. Bose is considered the father of Bengali science fiction. A crater on the Moon was named in his honour. He founded the Bose Institute, a premier research institute in India and also one of its oldest. Established in 1917, the institute was the first interdisciplinary research centre in Asia. He served as the Director of Bose Institute from its inception until his death.
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Roger Penrose
- Enrolled in University College London
- Studied in 1955
- Occupations
- philosopherphysicistastrophysicistastronomeruniversity teacher
- Biography
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Sir Roger Penrose is an English mathematician, mathematical physicist, philosopher of science and Nobel Laureate in Physics. He is Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics in the University of Oxford, an emeritus fellow of Wadham College, Oxford, and an honorary fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, and University College London.
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Lucy Punch
- Occupations
- stage actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Lucy Alice T. Punch is an English actress. She has appeared in the films Ella Enchanted (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Dinner for Schmucks, (both 2010) and Into the Woods (2014). She is also known for her role as Amy in Bad Teacher (2011), Amanda in the BBC sitcoms Motherland and Amandaland. She also played Esmé Squalor in the Netflix black comedy drama series A Series of Unfortunate Events.
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David Irving
- Occupations
- biographeropinion journalistessayistwriterjournalist
- Biography
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David John Cawdell Irving is an English author who has written on the military and political history of World War II, especially Nazi Germany. He was found to be a Holocaust denier in a UK court in 2000 as a result of a failed libel case.
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Robert Reed
- Occupations
- film actormusiciantelevision directortelevision actorstage actor
- Biography
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Robert Reed was an American actor. He played Kenneth Preston on the legal drama The Defenders from 1961 to 1965 alongside E. G. Marshall, and is best known for his role as patriarch Mike Brady, opposite Florence Henderson's role as Carol Brady, on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch, which aired from 1969 to 1974. He later reprised his role of Mike Brady on several of the reunion programs. In 1976, he earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his guest-starring role in a two-part episode of Medical Center and for his work on the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. The following year, Reed earned a third Emmy nomination for his role in the miniseries Roots.
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Luisa Neubauer
- Occupations
- environmentalistgeographernon-fiction writerclimate activistblogger
- Biography
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Luisa-Marie Neubauer is a German climate activist, politician and author. She is one of the main organizers of the school strike for climate movement in Germany, where it is commonly referred to under its alternative name Fridays for Future. She advocates a climate policy that complies with and surpasses the Paris Agreement and endorses de-growth. Neubauer is a member of Alliance 90/The Greens and the Green Youth.
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Freddie Stroma
- Occupations
- actorfilm actorsingermodeltelevision actor
- Biography
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Frederic Wilhelm C. J. Sjöström, known professionally as Freddie Stroma, is a British actor. He is known for his work in roles including Cormac McLaggen in the Harry Potter film series, Adam Cromwell on the Lifetime series Unreal, Brit Vayner in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016), H. G. Wells in the ABC series Time After Time, and Adrian Chase / Vigilante in the DC Extended Universe series Peacemaker.
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Francis Crick
- Occupations
- neuroscientistbiologistphysicistuniversity teacherbiochemist
- Biography
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Francis Harry Compton Crick OM FRS was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist. He, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins played crucial roles in deciphering the helical structure of the DNA molecule.
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W. Edwards Deming
- Occupations
- engineerstatisticianeconomistcomposeruniversity teacher
- Biography
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William Edwards Deming was an American business theorist, composer, economist, industrial engineer, management consultant, statistician, and writer. Educated initially as an electrical engineer and later specializing in mathematical physics, he helped develop the sampling techniques still used by the United States Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He is also known as the father of the quality movement and was hugely influential in post-WWII Japan, credited with revolutionizing Japan's industry and making it one of the most dominant economies in the world. He is best known for his theories of management.
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Bernard Cornwell
- Occupations
- writerjournalistnovelist
- Biography
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Bernard Cornwell OBE is a British-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his long-running series of novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written The Saxon Stories, a series of thirteen novels about the unification of England.
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Godai Tomoatsu
- Occupations
- businesspersonsamurai
- Biography
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Godai Tomoatsu was one of the Satsuma students of 1865 who were smuggled out of Bakumatsu period Japan to study in Great Britain. He returned to become Japan's leading entrepreneur of the early Meiji period.
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Rachel Hurd-Wood
- Occupations
- modelfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Rachel Hurd-Wood is an English actress. She is known for her performances in the fantasy adventure film Peter Pan (2003) and the thriller film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006).
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Karen Mok
- Occupations
- recording artistfilm actorsingersongwritermodel
- Biography
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Karen Joy Morris, better known as Karen Mok is a Hong Kong actress and singer. She is considered one of the leading East Asian pop singers and actresses with a career spanning three decades. Mok is the first female Hong Kong singer to win the Golden Melody Award, and to date has won it three times. She has released 18 solo studio albums, starred in over 40 movies, and has over 15 million followers on leading Chinese social media site Weibo. The Lhasa concert during The Ultimate Karen Mok Show (2018–2021) set the Guinness World Record for the Highest Altitude Mass-Attended Music Concert. In 2024, Mok was the first female singer to do a solo concert in Beijing National Stadium, the Bird's Nest.
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Alice Evans
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
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Alice Evans is a British-American actress.
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Steven Knight
- Occupations
- screenwriterwriterexecutive producerfilm director
- Biography
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Steven Knight CBE is a British screenwriter, producer, and director for film and television. He wrote the screenplays for the films Closed Circuit, Dirty Pretty Things, and Eastern Promises, and also wrote and directed the films Locke and Hummingbird. Knight is one of three creators of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, a game show that has been remade and aired in around 160 countries worldwide. He is also the creator of the BBC's Peaky Blinders and SAS: Rogue Heroes, and has written for Commercial Breakdown, The Detectives, See, and Taboo.
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Carol Thatcher
- Occupations
- journalisttelevision presenter
- Biography
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Carol Jane Thatcher is an English journalist, author and media personality. She is the daughter of Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister from 1979 to 1990, and businessman Denis Thatcher.
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Jonathan Ross
- Occupations
- screenwriterjournalisttelevision presentertelevision directorfilm critic
- Biography
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Jonathan Stephen Ross is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross during the 2000s and early 2010s, hosted his own radio show on BBC Radio 2 from 1999 to 2010, and served as film critic and presenter of the Film programme.
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Gustav Holst
- Occupations
- composerlibrettistmusic teacher
- Biography
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Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, he composed many other works across a range of genres, although none achieved comparable success. His distinctive compositional style was the product of many influences, Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss being most crucial early in his development. The subsequent inspiration of the English folksong revival of the early 20th century, and the example of such rising modern composers as Maurice Ravel, led Holst to develop and refine an individual style.
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Jomo Kenyatta
- Occupations
- journalistpolitician
- Biography
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Jomo Kenyatta CGH was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He played a significant role in the transformation of Kenya from a colony of the British Empire into an independent republic. Ideologically an African nationalist and a conservative, he led the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party from 1961 until his death.
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Guy Berryman
- Enrolled in University College London
- In 1997 studied engineering
- Occupations
- photographersingerguitaristbassistpercussionist
- Biography
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Guy Rupert Berryman is a Scottish musician, songwriter, producer, businessman and designer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. Raised in Kirkcaldy, he started to play bass at an early age, drawing inspiration from James Brown, the Funk Brothers and Kool & the Gang. His projects beyond music include The Road Rat magazine and Amsterdam-based fashion brand Applied Art Forms.
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Steph McGovern
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Stephanie Rose McGovern HonFREng is an English journalist and television presenter. She hosted Steph's Packed Lunch on Channel 4 from 2020 to 2023. She worked for the BBC as the main business presenter for BBC Breakfast, often co-hosting the entire programme.
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Robert Browning
- Occupations
- writerplaywrightpoetdramaturge
- Biography
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Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentary, historical settings and challenging vocabulary and syntax.
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Nadhim Zahawi
- Enrolled in University College London
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering
- Occupations
- entrepreneurpoliticianbusinessperson
- Biography
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Nadhim Zahawi is an Iraqi-born British former politician who served in various ministerial positions under prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak from 2018 to 2023. He most recently served as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio from 25 October 2022 until he was dismissed by Sunak on 29 January 2023. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Stratford-on-Avon from 2010 to 2024. Zahawi is perhaps most noted for being sacked as Conservative Party chairman for failing to adhere to the Ministerial Code, i.e. "to maintain high standards of behaviour and to behave in a way that upholds the highest standards of propriety".
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Taco Hemingway
- Occupations
- rappersingersongwriter
- Biography
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Filip Tadeusz Szcześniak, better known by the stage name Taco Hemingway (earlier FV), is a Polish rapper, songwriter, and musician.
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Jonny Buckland
- Enrolled in University College London
- 1996-2000 studied astronomy and mathematics
- Occupations
- songwritermusiciansingerguitaristpianist
- Biography
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Jonathan Mark Buckland is a British musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Raised in Pantymwyn, he started to play guitar at an early age, taking inspiration from groups such as My Bloody Valentine, the Stone Roses and U2. His compositions are noted for being sparse and delicate, using delay pedals and slide bars with a timbre that led to comparisons to the Edge.
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Thomas Henry Huxley
- Occupations
- physiologistichthyologistnaturalistpaleontologistcarcinologist
- Biography
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Thomas Henry Huxley was an English biologist and anthropologist who specialized in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
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Will Champion
- Enrolled in University College London
- 1996-2000 graduated with anthropology
- Occupations
- drummermusician
- Biography
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William Champion is an English musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer and percussionist of the rock band Coldplay. Raised in Southampton, he learned to play numerous instruments during his youth, being influenced by Nick Cave, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and traditional Irish folk music. His energetic drumming style is largely focused on the essential elements of the songs and he occasionally takes lead vocal duties on live performances.
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Roger Rees
- Occupations
- stage actoractortelevision actordirectorfilm actor
- Biography
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Roger Rees was a Welsh actor and director. He won an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for his performance as the lead in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. He also received Obie Awards for his role in The End of the Day and as co-director of Peter and the Starcatcher. Rees was posthumously inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in November 2015.
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Charles K. Kao
- Occupations
- electrical engineerscientistinventorphysicistentrepreneur
- Biography
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Sir Charles Kao Kuen was a Chinese physicist and Nobel laureate who contributed to the development and use of fibre optics in telecommunications. In the 1960s, Kao created various methods to combine glass fibres with lasers in order to transmit digital data, which laid the groundwork for the evolution of the Internet and the eventual creation of the World Wide Web.
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Joseph Lister
- Occupations
- politiciansurgeonuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, OM, PC, FRS, FRCSE, FRCPGlas, FRCS was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventive healthcare. Joseph Lister revolutionised the craft of surgery in the same manner that John Hunter revolutionised the science of surgery.
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Simon Baron-Cohen
- Occupations
- university teacherwriterpsychiatristpsychologist
- Biography
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Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen is a British clinical psychologist and professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge. He is the director of the university's Autism Research Centre and a Fellow of Trinity College.
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David Baddiel
- Occupations
- screenwritertelevision presenteractortelevision producerwriter
- Biography
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David Lionel Baddiel FRSL is an English comedian, presenter, screenwriter, author and singer. He became known for his early work alongside Rob Newman in The Mary Whitehouse Experience and later for his comedy partnership with Frank Skinner.
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Roxanne Tong
- Occupations
- modeltelevision presenteractor
- Biography
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Roxanne Tong Lok Man is a Hong Kong actress and former beauty pageant contestant contracted to TVB.
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Demis Hassabis
- Occupations
- businesspersonpoker playerartificial intelligence researchervideo game developerchess player
- Biography
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Sir Demis Hassabis is a British artificial intelligence (AI) researcher, and entrepreneur. He is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Google DeepMind, and Isomorphic Labs, and a UK Government AI Adviser. In 2024, Hassabis and John M. Jumper were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their AI research contributions for protein structure prediction.
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Shou Zi Chew
- Enrolled in University College London
- Graduated with bachelor's degree in economics
- Occupations
- chief executive officer
- Biography
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Shou Zi Chew is a Singaporean business executive who has been the chief executive officer (CEO) of TikTok, an online video platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance, since 2021.
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Hannah Fry
- Enrolled in University College London
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- audiobook narratorpresenteruniversity teacherscience communicatororator
- Biography
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Hannah M. Fry HonFREng FIMA FIET is a British mathematician, author and broadcaster. As of 2025 she is the Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and president of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA). She previously served as Professor at University College London.
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Justine Frischmann
- Occupations
- musicianpainterguitaristsinger
- Biography
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Justine Elinor Frischmann is an English artist and retired musician. After forming Suede, she co-founded the Britpop band Elastica before retiring from the music industry and pursuing a career as an artist.
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Kash Patel
- Occupations
- civil servantlawyer
- Biography
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Kashyap Pramod Vinod Patel is an American lawyer, former federal prosecutor and official, and conspiracy theorist. He served as a National Security Council official, chief of staff to the acting U.S. secretary of defense, and senior advisor to the acting director of national intelligence, all during the first presidency of Donald Trump. In November 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Patel to succeed Christopher Wray as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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Inoue Kaoru
- Occupations
- diplomatpolitician
- Biography
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Marquess Inoue Kaoru GCMG was a Japanese politician and a prominent member of the Meiji oligarchy during the Meiji period of the Empire of Japan. As one of the senior statesmen (Genrō) in Japan during that period, he had a tremendous influence on the selection of the nation's leaders and formation of its policies.
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Thérèse Coffey
- Enrolled in University College London
- Studied in 1998
- Occupations
- financial analystpoliticianchemist
- Biography
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Thérèse Anne Coffey, Baroness Coffey, DBE, PC, is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from September to October 2022 under Liz Truss. She also served as Environment Secretary, Health Secretary, and Work and Pensions Secretary. A member of the Conservative Party, Coffey was the member of Parliament (MP) for Suffolk Coastal from 2010 to 2024. She was appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer in 2025.
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Derek Jarman
- Enrolled in University College London
- Studied in 1963-1967
- Occupations
- artistfilm screenwriterLGBTQ rights activistcinematographerfilm editor
- Biography
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Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, poet, gardener, and gay rights activist.
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A. A. Gill
- Occupations
- journalistwriter
- Biography
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Adrian Anthony Gill was a British journalist, critic, and author. Best known for his food and travel writing, he was also a television critic, was restaurant reviewer of The Sunday Times, wrote for Vanity Fair, GQ, and Esquire, and published numerous books.
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Chaim Herzog
- Occupations
- soldierpoliticianlawyermilitary officerwriter
- Biography
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Chaim Herzog was an Israeli politician, military officer, lawyer and author who served as the sixth president of Israel between 1983 and 1993. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Dublin, the son of Ireland's Chief Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, he immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1935 and served in the Haganah Jewish paramilitary group during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt. He returned to Palestine after the war and, following the end of the British Mandate and Israel's Declaration of Independence in 1948, fought in the Battles of Latrun during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. He retired from the Israel Defence Forces in 1962 with the rank of major-general.
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Hans Eysenck
- Occupations
- university teacherpsychologist
- Biography
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Hans Jürgen Eysenck was a German-born British psychologist. He is best remembered for his work on intelligence and personality, although he worked on other issues in psychology. At the time of his death, Eysenck was the most frequently cited living psychologist in peer-reviewed scientific journal literature.
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Joseph Chamberlain
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Joseph Chamberlain was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually was a leading imperialist in coalition with the Conservatives. He split both major British parties in the course of his career. He was the father, by different marriages, of Nobel Peace Prize winner Austen Chamberlain and of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.
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Colin Chapman
- Occupations
- inventorFormula One drivercar designerracing automobile driverentrepreneur
- Biography
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Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an English design engineer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of the sports car company Lotus Cars.
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Khairy Jamaluddin
- Occupations
- radio personalitypolitician
- Biography
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Khairy bin Jamaluddin, often referred to by his initials KJ, is a Malaysian politician, radio presenter and podcaster. Alongside being a radio presenter for Hot FM, he hosts Keluar Sekejap with Shahril Hamdan, a podcast in which they discuss Malaysian politics and current affairs with a variety of guests. He most recently served as Minister of Health in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob from August 2021 to November 2022.
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Mulk Raj Anand
- Occupations
- writernovelistjournalistnon-fiction writer
- Biography
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Mulk Raj Anand was an Indian writer in English, recognised for his depiction of the lives of the poorer class in the traditional Indian society. One of the pioneers of Indo-Anglian fiction, he, together with R. K. Narayan, Ahmad Ali and Raja Rao, was one of the first India-based writers in English to gain an International readership. Anand is admired for his novels and short stories, which have acquired the status of classics of modern Indian English literature; they are noted for their perceptive insight into the lives of the oppressed and for their analysis of impoverishment, exploitation and misfortune. He became known for his protest novel Untouchable (1935), which was followed by other works on the Indian poor such as Coolie (1936) and Two Leaves and a Bud (1937). He is also noted for being among the first writers to incorporate Punjabi and Hindustani idioms into English, and was a recipient of the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India.
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Brett Anderson
- Occupations
- musiciansingerguitaristcomposersinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Brett Lewis Anderson is an English singer best known as the lead singer and primary lyricist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he fronted the Tears with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler in 2004–2006, and released four solo albums on which he also played guitar and keyboards. Suede re-formed in 2010; they continue to record and tour.
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Ruby Tandoh
- Occupations
- modelcook
- Biography
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Ruby Alice Tandoh is a British baker, columnist, author, and former model. She was runner-up on series four of BBC's The Great British Bake Off in 2013 and has written four cookbooks. Her 2021 Cook as You Are was named to several best-of lists. Her online debates with many in the UK food world have also drawn attention.
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Karl Pearson
- Occupations
- psychologiststatisticianbiographerphilosophermathematician
- Biography
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Karl Pearson FRS FRSE was an English biostatistician and mathematician. He has been credited with establishing the discipline of mathematical statistics. He founded the world's first university statistics department at University College London in 1911, and contributed significantly to the field of biometrics and meteorology. Pearson was also a proponent of Social Darwinism and eugenics, and his thought is an example of what is today described as scientific racism. Pearson was a protégé and biographer of Sir Francis Galton. He edited and completed both William Kingdon Clifford's Common Sense of the Exact Sciences (1885) and Isaac Todhunter's History of the Theory of Elasticity, Vol. 1 (1886–1893) and Vol. 2 (1893), following their deaths.
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James Robertson Justice
- Occupations
- ice hockey playerornithologistfilm actorcharacter actorjournalist
- Biography
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James Robertson Justice was a British actor. He often portrayed pompous authority figures in comedies, including each of the seven films in the Doctor series. He also co-starred with Gregory Peck in several adventure movies, notably The Guns of Navarone. Born in south-east London to a Scottish father, he became prominent in Scottish public life, helping to launch Scottish Television (STV) and serving as Rector of the University of Edinburgh (1957–60 and 1963–66).
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Raymond Briggs
- Occupations
- children's writergraphic artistscreenwritercaricaturistillustrator
- Biography
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Raymond Redvers Briggs CBE was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist and author. Achieving critical and popular success among adults and children, he is best known in Britain for his 1978 story The Snowman, a book without words whose cartoon adaptation is televised and whose musical adaptation is staged every Christmas.
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Constance Markievicz
- Occupations
- politicianstage actorrevolutionarypaintersuffragette
- Biography
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Constance Georgine Markievicz, also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, and socialist who was the first woman elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. She served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dublin St Patrick's from 1918 to 1922. In the Irish Free State, she was elected Minister for Labour in the First Dáil, becoming the second female cabinet minister in Europe. She served as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South constituency from 1921 to 1922 and 1923 to 1927.
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William Ramsay
- Occupations
- historianprofessorarchaeologistchemist
- Biography
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Sir William Ramsay KCB FRS FRSE was a Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air" along with his collaborator, John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics that same year for their discovery of argon. After the two men identified argon, Ramsay investigated other atmospheric gases. His work in isolating argon, helium, neon, krypton, and xenon led to the development of a new section of the periodic table.
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Farhad Moshiri
- Occupations
- entrepreneurbusinessperson
- Biography
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Ardavan Farhad Moshiri is a British-Iranian businessman based in Monaco. He is the former majority owner and board member of English Premier League team Everton, and is the former chairman of USM Holdings, a Russian holding company.
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Antony Gormley
- Occupations
- photographerdraftspersonscenographerartistinstallation artist
- Biography
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Sir Antony Mark David Gormley OBE RA is a British sculptor. His works include the Angel of the North, a public sculpture in Gateshead in the north of England, commissioned in 1994 and erected in February 1998; Another Place on Crosby Beach near Liverpool; and Event Horizon, a multipart site installation which premiered in London in 2007, then subsequently in Madison Square in New York City (2010), São Paulo, Brazil (2012), and Hong Kong (2015–16).
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Humberto Maturana
- Occupations
- university teacherwriterbiologistphilosopher
- Biography
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Humberto Maturana Romesín was a Chilean biologist and philosopher. Many consider him a member of a group of second-order cybernetics theoreticians such as Heinz von Foerster, Gordon Pask, Herbert Brün and Ernst von Glasersfeld, but in fact he was a biologist, scientist.
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Nikos Anastasiades
- Enrolled in University College London
- Graduated with master in Shipping Law in shipping law
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Nicos Anastasiades is a Cypriot politician and businessperson, who served as the seventh president of Cyprus from 2013 to 2023. Previously, he was the leader of Democratic Rally between 1997 and 2013 and served as Member of Parliament from Limassol between 1981 and 2013.
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Raymond Cattell
- Enrolled in University College London
- In 1929 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teacherpsychologist
- Biography
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Raymond Bernard Cattell was a British-American psychologist, known for his psychometric research into intrapersonal psychological structure. His work also explored the basic dimensions of personality and temperament, the range of cognitive abilities, the dynamic dimensions of motivation and emotion, the clinical dimensions of abnormal personality, patterns of group syntality and social behavior, applications of personality research to psychotherapy and learning theory, predictors of creativity and achievement, and many multivariate research methods including the refinement of factor analytic methods for exploring and measuring these domains. Cattell authored, co-authored, or edited almost 60 scholarly books, more than 500 research articles, and over 30 standardized psychometric tests, questionnaires, and rating scales. According to a widely cited ranking, Cattell was the 16th most eminent, 7th most cited in the scientific journal literature, and among the most productive psychologists of the 20th century.
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Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon was an Indian academic, independence activist, politician, lawyer, and statesman. During his time, Menon contributed to the Indian independence movement and India's foreign relations. He was among the major architects of Indian foreign policy, and acted as Jawaharlal Nehru's diplomat.
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Christian Jessen
- Occupations
- television presenter
- Biography
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Christian Spencer Jessen is an English celebrity doctor, television personality, and writer. He is best known for appearing in the Channel 4 programmes Embarrassing Bodies (2007–2015) and Supersize vs Superskinny (2008–2014).
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Mori Arinori
- Occupations
- politiciandiplomatthinker
- Biography
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Viscount Mori Arinori was a Meiji period Japanese statesman, diplomat, and founder of Japan's modern educational system. Mori Arinori served as the first Minister of Education in the first Ito Cabinet of Japan, playing a key role in establishing the educational system during the Empire of Japan. He, along with Inoue Kowashi, laid the foundation of Japan’s educational system by issuing several orders from 1886, which included the establishment of elementary, middle, normal school systems, and an imperial university system. This was a crucial step in Japan’s modernization efforts during the Meiji era.
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Richard Hamilton
- Occupations
- photographerpainterdraftspersoncomputer artistartist
- Biography
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Richard William Hamilton CH was an English painter and collage artist. His 1955 exhibition Man, Machine and Motion (Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne) and his 1956 collage Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?, produced for the This Is Tomorrow exhibition of the Independent Group in London, are considered by critics and historians to be among the earliest works of pop art. A major retrospective of his work was at Tate Modern in 2014.
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Tulip Siddiq
- Occupations
- politiciancouncil member
- Biography
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Tulip Rizwana Siddiq FRSA is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hampstead and Highgate, previously Hampstead and Kilburn, since 2015. She served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister from 9 July 2024 until her resignation on 14 January 2025, following allegations of misconduct.
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Ash Sarkar
- Occupations
- writerjournalistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Ashna Sarkar is a British journalist and libertarian communist political activist. She is a senior editor at Novara Media and teaches at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. Sarkar is a contributor to The Guardian and The Independent.
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Marie Stopes
- Occupations
- paleontologistsexologistsuffragettebotanistcurator
- Biography
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Marie Charlotte Carmichael Stopes was a British author, palaeobotanist and campaigner for eugenics and women's rights. She made significant contributions to plant paleontology and coal classification, and was the first female academic on the faculty of the University of Manchester. With her second husband, Humphrey Verdon Roe, Stopes founded the first birth control clinic in Britain. Stopes edited the newsletter Birth Control News, which gave explicit practical advice. Her sex manual Married Love (1918) was controversial and influential, and brought the subject of birth control into wide public discourse. Stopes publicly opposed abortion, arguing that the prevention of conception was all that was needed, though her actions in private were at odds with her public pronouncements.
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David Gower
- Occupations
- cricketer
- Biography
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David Ivon Gower OBE is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who was captain of the England cricket team during the 1980s. Described as one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of his era, Gower played 117 Test matches and 114 One Day Internationals (ODI) scoring 8,231 and 3,170 runs, respectively. He was one of the most capped and high-scoring players for England during his period, and only Jack Hobbs made more runs against Australia than Gower's 3,269. He was a part of the English squad which finished as runners-up at the 1979 Cricket World Cup.
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James Rhodes
- Years
- 1975-.. (age 50)
- Occupations
- pianistautobiographer
- Biography
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James Edward Rhodes is a British-Spanish concert pianist and writer, and an activist for the protection of minors against sexual abuse in Spain.
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Heidi Allen
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Heidi Suzanne Allen is a British businesswoman and former politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Cambridgeshire from 2015 to 2019. Initially elected as a Conservative, she resigned from the party in February 2019, joining and later serving as acting leader of Change UK. She resigned from Change UK in June of the same year, and joined the Liberal Democrats in October 2019. She announced on 29 October of that year that she would not stand for re-election at the next general election.
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Clarissa Dickson Wright
- Occupations
- writerautobiographerbarristerbusinessperson
- Biography
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Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Johnston Dickson Wright was an English celebrity cook, television personality, writer, businesswoman, and former barrister. She was best known as one of the Two Fat Ladies, with Jennifer Paterson, in the television cooking programme from 1996 to 1999. She was an accredited cricket umpire and one of only two women to become a Guild Butcher.
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Penelope Fillon
- Occupations
- legislative assistantpoliticianlawyer
- Biography
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Penelope Kathryn Fillon is the Welsh wife of French former politician François Fillon. She was the Spouse of the Prime Minister of France from 17 May 2007 to 10 May 2012. Born and raised in Wales, Fillon is a graduate of the University College London and the University of Bristol Law School. She worked as an English teacher at a secondary school in France in the late 1970s, where she met her future husband. François and Penelope Fillon married in 1980 and have five children. They are Catholic.
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Wilfred Bion
- Occupations
- psychiatristpsychoanalyst
- Biography
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Wilfred Ruprecht Bion DSO was an influential English psychoanalyst, who became president of the British Psychoanalytical Society from 1962 to 1965.
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Eileen Gray
- Enrolled in University College London
- Studied in 1901-1902
- Occupations
- architectdesigner
- Biography
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Eileen Gray was an Irish interior designer, furniture designer and architect who became a pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture. Over her career, she was associated with many notable European artists of her era, including Kathleen Scott, Adrienne Gorska, Le Corbusier, and the architect Jean Badovici, with whom she was romantically involved and who taught her architecture and collaborated with her on various buildings. Their most famous work is the house known as E-1027 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France.
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Dominic Keating
- Occupations
- actorfilm actorstage actorfilm directortelevision actor
- Biography
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Dominic Keating is a British television, film and theatre actor best known for his portrayals of Tony in the Channel 4 sitcom Desmond's and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed on Star Trek: Enterprise.
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Ernest Mason Satow
- Occupations
- translatordiplomatbotanist
- Biography
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Sir Ernest Mason Satow, GCMG, PC, was a British diplomat, scholar and Japanologist. He is better known in Japan, where he was known as Satō Ainosuke (Japanese: 佐藤 愛之助/薩道 愛之助), than in Britain or the other countries in which he served as a diplomat. He was a key figure in late 19th-century Anglo-Japanese relations.
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Vikkstar123
- Occupations
- DJ producerassociation football playerYouTuberdisc jockeyMinecraft YouTuber
- Biography
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Vikram Singh Barn, better known as Vikkstar123 or simply Vikkstar, is an English influencer and record producer. He is a member of the YouTube group the Sidemen.
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Madan Lal Dhingra
- Occupations
- revolutionarystudent
- Biography
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Madan Lal Dhingra was an Indian student at University College London who in 1909 assassinated Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie, the political aide-de-camp to the Secretary of State for India, in London.
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Julia Taylor Ross
- Occupations
- film actortelevision presenter
- Biography
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Julia Chan is an English actress and presenter.
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Duncan Grant
- Occupations
- artistdesignerpainter
- Biography
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Duncan James Corrowr Grant was a Scottish painter and designer of textiles, pottery, theatre sets, and costumes. He was a member of the Bloomsbury Group.
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Gregory Wong
- Occupations
- actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Gregory Wong Chung-yiu is a Hong Kong actor. His notable roles include Lan Kwai Fong (2011), The Election (2014), and The Menu (2015).
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Tim Rice-Oxley
- Occupations
- record producerlyricistsongwriterpianistcomposer
- Biography
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Timothy James Rice-Oxley is an English musician, best known for being the keyboardist, backing vocalist and songwriter of the alternative rock band Keane. In 2010, he formed a side-project, Mt. Desolation, with his Keane bandmate Jesse Quin.
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Robert Conquest
- Occupations
- poeteditorwriterhistorianscience fiction writer
- Biography
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George Robert Acworth Conquest CMG OBE FBA FRSL was a British and American historian, poet, and novelist. He was briefly a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain but later wrote several books against communism.
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Ananda Coomaraswamy
- Occupations
- art historianwriterphilosophermythographer
- Biography
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Ananda Kentish Muthu Coomaraswamy was a Ceylonese metaphysician, historian and a philosopher of Indian art who was an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West. He has been described as "the groundbreaking theorist who was largely responsible for introducing ancient Indian art to the West".
