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Famous Britons

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Mar 11, 2025

Simon Fisher-Becker (1961–2025), Doctor Who actor

Simon Fisher-Becker was an English character actor known for his roles in “Doctor Who” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” 

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Mar 3, 2025

Joey Molland (1947–2025), last surviving member of Badfinger

Joey Molland was an English guitarist and songwriter with Badfinger, who carried on the band for years after its other core members died.

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Jan 30, 2025

Marianne Faithfull (1946–2025), As Tears Go By singer

Marianne Faithfull was a singer and actress who became a pop icon in the 1960s thanks to a string of successful singles and movies, as well as a romance with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

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Jan 22, 2025

John Sykes (1959–2025), guitarist for Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake

John Sykes was a guitarist, singer, and songwriter known for his time in the hard rock bands Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake.

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Jan 21, 2025

Joan Plowright (1929–2025), Enchanted April actress

Dame Joan Plowright was an English actress who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 1992’s “Enchanted April.”

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Jan 6, 2025

The Vivienne (1992–2025), RuPaul's Drag Race UK star

The Vivienne was a British drag performer best known as the 2019 winner of “RuPaul's Drag Race UK” and competitor on the 2022 season of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars." 

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Dec 31, 2024

Olivia Hussey (1951–2024), Romeo and Juliet star

Olivia Hussey was an actress best known for her starring performance as Juliet in filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet.” 

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Nov 25, 2024

Barbara Taylor Bradford (1933–2024), A Woman of Substance author

Barbara Taylor Bradford was a British-American author whose 35 best-selling novels have sold millions of copies worldwide.

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Nov 22, 2024

Peter Sinfield (1943–2024), co-founder of King Crimson

Peter Sinfield was a poet and songwriter best known as co-founder and lyricist for influential progressive rock band King Crimson, penning the lyrics on their acclaimed debut LP, “In the Court of the Crimson King.” 

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Nov 19, 2024

Dennis Bryon (1949–2024), Bee Gees drummer on disco hits 

Dennis Bryon was a Welsh drummer best known as a member of the Bee Gees during their massive 1970s disco stardom.

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Oct 22, 2024

Paul Di’Anno (1958–2024), former Iron Maiden vocalist

Paul Di’Anno was a rock singer-songwriter best known as an early frontman for the legendary band Iron Maiden, performing on their debut and “Killers” albums, as well as co-writing the latter’s title track.

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Oct 17, 2024

Liam Payne (1993–2024), One Direction singer

Liam Payne was a singer and pop star best known for his time with the best-selling British group One Direction, one of the biggest boy bands of all time.

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Sep 27, 2024

Maggie Smith (1934–2024), star of Downton Abbey and Harry Potter

Maggie Smith was an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony-winning actress known for roles in “Downton Abbey” and the “Harry Potter” series, along with dozens of other notable movies, television shows, and stage performances.

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Sep 24, 2024

Cleo Sylvestre (1945–2024), trailblazing British actress and singer

Cleo Sylvestre was a British actress and singer who achieved several firsts, including being the first female vocalist to record with the Rolling Stones. 

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Sep 23, 2024

David Graham (1925–2024), voice of the Daleks in Doctor Who

David Graham was a British voice actor best known for his work on “Doctor Who,” where he voiced the Daleks; for voicing Grandpa Pig on “Peppa Pig;” and for playing several characters on the “Thunderbirds” shows and films.

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Sep 11, 2024

Zoot Money (1942–2024), famed ‘60s keyboardist

Zoot Money was a keyboardist and actor whose shift from R&B to psychedelia in the 1960s saw him playing with acts like The Animals, Humble Pie, and others, as well as his own group, Big Roll Band.

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Sep 9, 2024

Herbie Flowers (1938–2024), Walk on the Wild Side bassist

Herbie Flowers was an English bassist who played on legendary tracks like “Walk on the Wild Side” and “Space Oddity.”

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Sep 4, 2024

Simon Verity (1945–2024), master stone carver known for cathedrals

Simon Verity was a British master stone carver whose detailed work graces such buildings as New York City’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine and England’s Canterbury Cathedral.

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Aug 28, 2024

Mike Lynch (1965–2024), tech giant dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates”

Mike Lynch was a businessman and entrepreneur who founded the tech company Autonomy, which he later sold for nearly $12 billion.

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Jul 24, 2024

John Mayall (1933–2024), godfather of British blues

John Mayall was a British blues guitarist and bandleader who helped launch the careers of legends like Eric Clapton, , and Mick Taylor.

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Jun 7, 2024

Alan Scarfe (1946–2024), actor known for villainous roles

Alan Scarfe was a British Canadian actor known for his villainous roles in movies like “Lethal Weapon III” and “Double Impact,” as well as for his long run on the TV show, “Seven Days.” 

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Jun 5, 2024

William Russell (1924–2024), original Doctor Who companion 

William Russell was a British actor best known for his performance as Ian Chesterton, one of the Doctor’s companions in the first seasons of “Doctor Who.”

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May 8, 2024

Ian Gelder (1949–2024), Game of Thrones actor 

Ian Gelder was a British actor best known for his performances in “Game of Thrones,” “Torchwood: Children of Earth,” and “Doctor Who.” 

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May 7, 2024

Kris Hallenga (1985–2024), CoppaFeel! breast cancer awareness founder

Kris Hallenga was a writer who promoted early breast cancer detection for young women after her own diagnosis at the age of 23.

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May 6, 2024

Bernard Hill (1944–2024), King Theoden in The Lord of the Rings

Bernard Hill was an English actor known for roles in two films, both of which won 11 Oscars: He played King Theoden in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Captain Edward Smith in “Titanic.” 

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May 3, 2024

Peter Oosterhuis (1948–2024), PGA golfer and broadcaster 

Peter Oosterhuis was a PGA golfer who won the 1981 Canadian Open and went on to greater fame as a golf analyst for CBS Sports.

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May 2, 2024

Richard Tandy (1948–2024), longtime ELO keyboardist

Richard Tandy was the longtime Electric Light Orchestra keyboardist who voiced “Mr. Blue Sky” in their song of the same name.

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Apr 26, 2024

Mike Pinder (1941–2024), the Moody Blues' last original member

Mike Pinder was the original keyboardist and the last surviving founding member of the superstar English rock band the Moody Blues, and an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Apr 10, 2024

Peter Higgs (1929–2024), Higgs boson particle Nobel Prize winner 

Peter Higgs was a British theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for proposing the existence of the subatomic particle that bears his name, the Higgs boson.

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Apr 5, 2024

Lynne Reid Banks (1929–2024), The Indian in the Cupboard author 

Lynne Reid Banks was an author known for such books as “The L-Shaped Room” and the bestselling children’s novel “The Indian in the Cupboard.”

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Apr 5, 2024

Adrian Schiller (1964–2024), Victoria, The Last Kingdom star 

Adrian Schiller was a British actor known for playing Aethelhelm in “The Last Kingdom,” Cornelius Penge in the historical drama “Victoria”, and Monsieur D'arque in Disney’s 2017 live action version of “Beauty and the Beast.” 

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Apr 3, 2024

Gerry Conway (1947–2024), drummer for Cat Stevens, Jethro Tull 

Gerry Conway was a British folk-rock drummer who backed Cat Stevens in the 1970s and was a member of Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention. 

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Apr 1, 2024

Chance Perdomo (1996–2024), Ambrose on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Chance Perdomo was an American-British actor who starred as Ambrose in “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and was featured in the “The Boys” spinoff show “Gen V.” 

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Mar 13, 2024

Michael Culver (1938–2024), Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back

Michael Culver was a British actor best known for playing the ill-fated Captain Needa in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and as a racist police inspector in 1984’s “A Passage to India.” 

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Mar 12, 2024

Karl Wallinger (1957–2024), World Party frontman 

Karl Wallinger was a Welsh musician and songwriter known for his work with World Party and the Waterboys.

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Mar 6, 2024

Edward Bond (1934–2024), socially-conscious playwright and director

Edward Bond was a playwright and theater director whose often socially conscious work included “Saved,” “Narrow Road to the Deep North,” “Lear,” and “The Sea.” 

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Feb 28, 2024

Brian Stableford (1948–2024), prolific science fiction author

Brian Stableford was a prolific, award-winning science fiction author and translator whose work, such as “The Empire of Fear” and “Cradle of the Sun,” also ventured into horror and fantasy.

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Feb 27, 2024

Jacob Rothschild (1936–2024), financier and philanthropist

Jacob Rothschild was a financier and philanthropist from the Rothschild banking dynasty who walked away from his family’s empire to forge his own path.

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Feb 23, 2024

Pamela Salem (1944–2024), Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again

Pamela Salem was a British actress best known for her work alongside in “The First Great Train Robbery” and the unofficial James Bond film “Never Say Never Again,” and for her appearances on the TV science fiction show “Doctor Who.”

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Feb 21, 2024

Ewen MacIntosh (1973–2024), actor in U.K. version of The Office

Ewen MacIntosh was a British actor and comedian best known for playing Keith Bishop in the original British sitcom, “The Office.” 

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Feb 7, 2024

Christopher Priest (1943–2024), author of The Prestige 

Christopher Priest was an award-winning British science fiction author of such books as “The Prestige” and “The Islanders.” 

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Jan 17, 2024

Roy Calne (1930–2024), pioneering organ transplant surgeon

Roy Calne was a British surgeon who specialized in organ transplants, working with the teams who conducted the first liver transplant, intestinal transplant, and several pioneering combined transplants.

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Jan 11, 2024

Del Palmer (1952–2024), longtime Kate Bush collaborator 

Del Palmer was a musician and sound engineer best known for his long collaboration and romantic relationship with songwriter Kate Bush. 

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Jan 5, 2024

Glynis Johns (1923–2024), Mary Poppins actress

Glynis Johns was a British actress known for her roles in “Mary Poppins” and Broadway's “A Little Night Music.”

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Jan 2, 2024

Tom Wilkinson (1948–2023), The Full Monty star

Tom Wilkinson was an English actor whose performances in “Michael Clayton” and “In the Bedroom” earned him two Academy Award nominations and who is arguably best known for his work in “The Full Monty” and “Shakespeare in Love.”

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Dec 13, 2023

Richard Kerr (1944–2023), co-writer of Mandy, Looks Like We Made It

Richard Kerr was a singer and songwriter who collaborated with Barry Manilow on such hit songs as “Mandy,” “Somewhere in the Night,” and “Looks Like We Made It,” as well as Dionne Warwick on “I’ll Never Love This Way Again.”   

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Dec 12, 2023

Shirley Anne Field (1936–2023), actress in Alfie, Santa Barbara 

Shirley Anne Field was a British actress known for roles in such films as “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” and “Alfie,” as well as in the TV soap opera “Santa Barbara.” 

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Dec 7, 2023

Benjamin Zephaniah (1958–2023), poet, author, and Peaky Blinders actor

Benjamin Zephaniah was a celebrated British poet, author and playwright who regularly appeared on the period crime drama “Peaky Blinders.” 

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Dec 5, 2023

Denny Laine (1944–2023), cofounder of Wings and the Moody Blues

Denny Laine was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist who cofounded Wings and the Moody Blues.

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