Notable alumni of King's College London, University of London

Virginia Woolf

autobiographer · 1882–1941

English modernist writer (1882–1941)

John Keats

librettist · 1795–1821

English Romantic poet (1795–1821)

Arthur C. Clarke

science fiction writer · 1917–2008

British science fiction writer, inventor, and futurist (1917–2008)

Desmond Tutu

anti-apartheid activist · 1931–2021

South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner (1931–2021)

Thomas Hardy

novelist · 1840–1928

English novelist and poet (1840–1928)

John Ruskin

daguerreotypist · 1819–1900

English writer and art critic (1819–1900)

William Somerset Maugham

prose writer · 1874–1965

English playwright and author (1874–1965)

Peter Higgs

theoretical physicist · 1929–2024

British physicist and Nobel Prize winner (1929–2024)

Gary Lineker

broadcaster · b. 1960

English football pundit and former player

Francis Galton

eugenicist · 1822–1911

British eugenist, polymath, and behavioural geneticist (1822–1911)

Petr Pavel

diplomat · b. 1961

Czech general and statesman, 4th president of the Czech Republic

Michael Collins

statesperson · 1890–1922

Irish revolutionary and politician (1890–1922)

Frederick Hopkins

biochemist · 1861–1947

English biochemist

Sarojini Naidu

freedom fighter · 1879–1949

Indian poet, politician, governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh from 1947 to 1949

Max Theiler

virologist · 1899–1972

South African-American virologist and doctor (1899-1972)

Greer Garson

television actor · 1904–1996

British-American actress (1904-1996)

John Deacon

guitarist · b. 1951

British musician, bassist and songwriter (born 1951)

Michael Levitt

biophysicist · b. 1947

biophysicist and Professor of Structural biology

Boris Karloff

film actor · 1887–1969

British actor (1887–1969)

Tassos Papadopoulos

politician · 1934–2008

5th President of the Republic of Cyprus (2003-2008)

Karl Pearson

eugenicist · 1857–1936

English mathematician, biometrician, and eugenicist (1857–1936)

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

film actor · b. 1967

English actor

Asma al-Assad

financial analyst · b. 1975

First Lady of Syrian Arab Republic (2000-2024)

Michael Houghton

virologist · b. 1949

virologist

Havelock Ellis

psychologist · 1859–1939

British physician, writer, and social reformer (1859-1939)

Christopher Isherwood

language teacher · 1904–1986

British-American novelist (1904-1986)

William Kingdon Clifford

philosopher · 1845–1879

English mathematician and philosopher

Charles Kingsley

novelist · 1819–1875

British clergyman, historian and novelist (1819–1875)

Edmund Gwenn

film actor · 1877–1959

British actor (1877–1959)

English novelist and art historian (1928–2016)

W. S. Gilbert

cabaret performer · 1836–1911

English dramatist, poet and illustrator (1836–1911)

Alain de Botton

philosopher · b. 1969

Swiss-born British philosopher and writer

Hanif Kureishi

novelist · b. 1954

English writer (born 1954)

C. Northcote Parkinson

novelist · 1909–1993

British naval historian (1909–1993)

Raymond Cattell

university teacher · 1905–1998

British-American psychologist (1905–1998)

Napoléon, Prince Imperial

politician · 1856–1879

French prince (1856–1879)

France-Albert René

diplomat · 1935–2019

President of Seychelles (1935-2019)

Glafcos Clerides

lawyer · 1919–2013

4th President of the Republic of Cyprus (1993-2003)

Calouste Gulbenkian

smuggler · 1869–1955

Armenian businessman, art collector and philanthropist (1869-1955)

Nick Bostrom

philosopher · b. 1973

philosopher and writer (born 1973)

Yiruma

pianist · b. 1978

South Korean pianist and composer

Quentin Crisp

autobiographer · 1908–1999

English writer, humorist and actor (1908-1999)

Ahmad Massoud

chief executive officer · b. 1989

Afghan politician and military leader (born 1989)

Edwin Arnold

philologist · 1832–1904

English poet and journalist (1832–1904)

DJ Qualls

film actor · b. 1978

American actor

Marouf al-Bakhit

university teacher · 1947–2023

Jordanian politician

Radclyffe Hall

novelist · 1880–1943

British poet and author (1880–1943)

Dina Asher-Smith

athletics competitor · b. 1995

British sprinter

Thomas Cavalier-Smith

evolutionary biologist · 1942–2021

British biologist (1942–2021)

Khushwant Singh

journalist · 1915–2014

Indian author, lawyer, diplomat, journalist and politician (1914–2014)

Sidney Webb

aristocrat · 1859–1947

English socialist economist, 1859–1947 (1859–1947)

Isabel dos Santos

socialite · b. 1973

Angolan businesswoman (born 1973)

Maurice Bishop

politician · 1944–1983

Revolutionary and Grenada 's second Prime Minister (1979-1983)

Hasan al-Turabi

theologian · 1932–2016

Sudanese religious and political leader (1932–2016)

Reita Faria

beauty pageant contestant · b. 1943

Indian physician and beauty contest titleholder

C. S. Forester

novelist · 1899–1966

British novelist, "Hornblower" author (1899–1966)

Thomas Addison

physician · 1793–1860

19th-century British physician and scientist

Derek Jarman

LGBTQ rights activist · 1942–1994

British film director and artist (1942-1994)

Herbert Brenon

director · 1880–1958

Irish film director and screenwriter (1880-1958)

Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner

journalist · 1854–1925

British statesman and colonial administrator (1854-1925)

Louis Slotin

non-fiction writer · 1910–1946

Canadian physicist and chemist (1910-1946)

Natalia Gherman

philologist · b. 1969

politician from Moldova

Levina

songwriter · b. 1991

German singer

Thomas Hodgkin

abolitionist · 1798–1866

British pathologist and social reformer (1798-1866)

Edward Walter Maunder

astronomer · 1851–1928

English astronomer studying sunspots

Vanessa Bell

designer · 1879–1961

British painter and interior designer (1879–1961)

Bree Turner

film actor · b. 1977

American actress

Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel

Catholic bishop · b. 1948

Ethiopian Catholic Archbishop of Addis Abeba

Marina Lewycka

novelist · 1946–2025

British writer

Abd ar-Rahman al-Bazzaz

university teacher · 1913–1973

Iraqi politician, academic and pan-Arab nationalist (1913–1973)

Ugandan President from May 1979 to June 1980

Muhammad Zafarullah Khan

diplomat · 1893–1985

Pakistani diplomat (1893–1985)

David Owen

politician · b. 1938

British politician (born 1938)

Jonathan Sacks

philosopher · 1948–2020

British rabbi (1948–2020), Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth (1991-2013) and Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal (2009-2020)

Hannelore Kraft

economist · b. 1961

German politician

Simon Baron-Cohen

university teacher · b. 1958

British psychologist and author

Robert Swinhoe

scientific collector · 1836–1877

British diplomat and naturalist (1836-1877)

Michael Morpurgo

young adult author · b. 1943

British children's writer

Lynden Pindling

politician · 1930–2000

Bahamian politician (1930-2000)

Karim Ahmad Khan

barrister · b. 1970

British lawyer, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court

Richard Doll

epidemiologist · 1912–2005

British physician and epidemiologist (1912–2005)

Harry Johnston

colonial administrator · 1858–1927

British explorer, botanist, linguist and colonial administrator (1858-1927)

Anne Dudley

music arranger · b. 1956

English composer and pop musician

Cicely Saunders

nurse · 1918–2005

English writer, doctor, founder of the hospice care movement, palliative care activist

Richard Bright

anatomist · 1789–1858

British pathologist (1789–1858)

Hayat Sindi

researcher · b. 1967

Saudi medical researcher and inventor

Julio Alonso Ortega

sailor · b. 2000

Sailor and world champion

Saudi Arabian philanthropist

William Burges

designer · 1827–1881

English architect (1827–1881)

Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

biologist · b. 1970

Ugandan scientist

Leslie Stephen

lexicographer · 1832–1904

English writer and mountaineer (1832–1904)

Lisa Brennan-Jobs

essayist · b. 1978

American writer

W. O. Bentley

automotive engineer · 1888–1971

British automotive engineer (1888-1971)

Brandon Lewis

politician · b. 1971

British politician (born 1971)

Uta Frith

neuroscientist · b. 1941

German developmental psychologist

Raja Ramanna

nuclear physicist · 1925–2004

Indian nuclear scientist (1925-2004)

Sir William Bowman, 1st Baronet

ophthalmologist · 1816–1892

surgeon, histologist, anatomist (1816-1892)

Evelyn Underhill

novelist · 1875–1941

British mystic, poet, and novelist (1875–1941)

Kele Okereke

guitarist · b. 1981

English singer/songwriter and guitarist

Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster

military personnel · b. 1974

only son of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester

English physicist, chemist and mathematician (1931–2021)

Martin Bashir

television writer · b. 1963

British journalist

English author

Krisztina Morvai

docent · b. 1963

Hungarian jurist, politician (1963–)

Adnan Sami

film actor · b. 1973

Indian musician

Katherine Grainger

rower · b. 1975

British rower

Harry Golombek

chess player · 1911–1995

British chess player, author (1911–1995)

Walter Besant

novelist · 1836–1901

English novelist and historian (1836–1901)

Richard Anthony Proctor

science communicator · 1837–1888

English astronomer (1837-1888)

Miriam Rothschild

scientific collector · 1908–2005

British natural scientist and author (1908-2005)

Keith Devlin

science communicator · b. 1947

British mathematician

John Milne

seismologist · 1850–1913

British geologist, mining engineer and inventor of the horizontal pendulum seismograph (1850-1913)

Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner

explorer · 1840–1899

Anglo-Hungarian orientalist

David Bellamy

scientific collector · 1933–2019

English professor, botanist, author, broadcaster and environmental campaigner (1933-2019)

Fredric Wertham

psychologist · 1895–1981

German-American psychiatrist (1895-1981)

Dannie Abse

physician writer · 1923–2014

Welsh poet and writer (1923–2014)

John Phillips

explorer · 1800–1874

English geologist (1800-1874)

Ali Moustafa Mosharafa

mathematician · 1898–1950

Egyptian physicist (1898–1950)

Imani-Lara Lansiquot

athletics competitor · b. 1997

British sprinter

Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi

philanthropist · b. 1963

British-Nigerian feminist activist, writer and policy advocate

Helen Joseph

trade unionist · 1905–1992

British-born South African activist (1905-1992)

Angela Saini

television journalist · b. 1980

British science journalist

John R. Saul

philosopher · b. 1947

Canadian writer, International PEN president and public intellectual

Alfred Cort Haddon

anthropologist · 1855–1940

British anthropologist (1855–1940)

Andy Mackay

oboist · b. 1946

British musician

Maxwell Tylden Masters

botanist · 1833–1907

British botanist (1833-1907)

Ben Goldacre

psychiatrist · b. 1974

British science writer and doctor

Peter Asher

television actor · b. 1944

British guitarist, singer, manager and record producer

George Carey

Anglican priest · b. 1935

Anglican bishop (1935-)

Paul Bennett

rower · b. 1988

British rower

Alaa Murabit

women's rights activist · b. 1989

Libyan-Canadian physician; women's rights and child survival activist; architect of global development and health, financing, and security frameworks

Nikolai Mladenov

politician · b. 1972

Bulgarian politician

Édouard Naville

philologist · 1844–1926

Swiss egyptologist (1844-1926)

British gynaecologist (1913–1988)

Charles Montagu Doughty

explorer · 1843–1926

British poet (1843-1926)

St. George Jackson Mivart

historian of science · 1827–1900

English biologist and critic of natural selection (1827–1900)

Lewis Wolpert

cell biologist · 1929–2021

British biologist (1929–2021)

Magnus Brunner

politician · b. 1972

Austrian politician, finance minister

Wolfgang Rindler

university teacher · 1924–2019

Austrian physicist (1924–2019)

John Harding, 1st Baron Harding of Petherton

general field marshal · 1896–1989

British Army officer (1896-1989)

Lucy Powell

politician · b. 1974

British politician (born 1974)

Michelle Agyemang

association football player · b. 2006

English footballer

Emily Berrington

film actor · b. 1986

British actress

actress

Abraham Pineo Gesner

geologist · 1797–1864

Canadian physician and geologist (1797–1864)

S. Rajaratnam

journalist · 1915–2006

Singaporean politician (1915–2006)

Keith Newton

Catholic deacon · b. 1952

British bishop

Raymond Gosling

university teacher · 1926–2015

British physicist (1926-2015)

Frances Houghton

rower · b. 1980

British rower

Conceição Lima

journalist · 1961–2026

São Tomé and Príncipe poet

Walter Frank Raphael Weldon

biometrician · 1860–1906

British evolutionary biologist (1860-1906)

Hanna Jaff

television personality · b. 1986

Television and media personality

British rower

Roger Hallam

climate activist · b. 1966

British climate activist

Elsie Widdowson

nutritional scientist · 1906–2000

British nutritionist (1906–2000)

Alliott Verdon Roe

military flight engineer · 1877–1958

English aviation pioneer (1877-1958)

Douglas Carswell

researcher · b. 1971

British politician (born 1971)

Chibundu Onuzo

writer · b. 1991

Nigerian writer

Aiysha Hart

film actor · b. 1988

English actress (born 1988)

British rower

Sheila Atim

model · b. 1991

actress, singer, composer, and former model

Pål Jonson

political scientist · b. 1972

Swedish Minister of Defense

British writer (1933–1973)

Annabel Vernon

rower · b. 1982

British rower

Lawrence Norfolk

literary critic · b. 1963

novelist

British actress

Ukichiro Nakaya

physicist · 1900–1962

Japanese physicist and science essayist known for his work in glaciology and low-temperature sciences (1900-1962)

John Evan

musician · b. 1948

British musician and composer; best know as the keyboard player for the rock band Jethro Tull from April 1970 to June 1980

Christopher G. Weeramantry

university teacher · 1926–2017

Sri Lankan judge (1926-2017)

William Allen Miller

chemist · 1817–1870

British scientist

William Turner Thiselton-Dyer

botanical illustrator · 1843–1928

British botanist (1843-1928)

Charles Baron Clarke

scientific collector · 1832–1906

British botanist (1832-1906)

Frederick Wollaston Hutton

scientific collector · 1836–1905

British-born New Zealand scientist (1836–1905)

Welsh chemist, physicist, journalist and editor (1925–2009)

British biologist and neurobiologist (1938–2025)

Richard Coles

television writer · b. 1962

British musician, writer, presenter and priest (born 1962)

Elly Griffiths

crime fiction writer · b. 1963

British novelist

Sania Nishtar

cardiologist · b. 1963

Pakistani cardiologist, senator, CEO

Prince Abdul Mateen of Brunei

military personnel · b. 1991

Bruneian prince

James Fitzjames Stephen

barrister · 1829–1894

English lawyer, judge, writer, and philosopher (1829–1894)

Pritam Singh

politician · b. 1976

secretary-general of the Workers' Party (Singapore) since 2018

Tulip Siddiq

council member · b. 1982

British politician (born 1982)

Thorold Rogers

economic historian · 1823–1890

English economist, historian and Liberal politician (1823-1890)

Helen Gwynne-Vaughan

microbiologist · 1879–1967

British mycologist and botanist (1879-1967)

James Learmonth Gowans

physician · 1924–2020

British immunologist (1924–2020)

Peter Henry Emerson

photographer · 1856–1936

British writer and photographer (1856–1936)

Olga Kefalogianni

jurist · b. 1975

Greek politician

Hayashi Tadasu

diplomat · 1850–1913

Japanese diplomat (1850-1913)

David de Rothschild

banker · b. 1942

French banker

British psychiatrist (1917-2004)

Tony Radakin

naval officer · b. 1965

British Royal Navy admiral

Afghanistan Feminist Activist

Philip Crowther

journalist · b. 1981

British-German-Luxembourgish journalist

Stefan Lorenz Sorgner

philosopher · b. 1973

German philosopher

British-Canadian scientist (1952-2013)

Franziska Weisz

film actor · b. 1980

Austrian actress

Andrew Linzey

Anglican priest · b. 1952

English priest and theologian (born 1952)

Philip Egan

Catholic bishop · b. 1955

British bishop

Edward James Stone

astronomer · 1831–1897

British astronomer (1831–1897)

William Henry Preece

civil engineer · 1834–1913

British scientist (1834–1913)