Notable alumni of University of Bristol

Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac

theoretical physicist · 1902–1984

British theoretical physicist (1902–1984)

Simon Pegg

television actor · b. 1970

English actor (born 1970)

Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio

translator · b. 1940

French writer and Nobel Prize winner (born 1940)

Albert II, Prince of Monaco

bobsledder · b. 1958

Prince of Monaco (born 1958)

Cecil Frank Powell

nuclear physicist · 1903–1969

British physicist

Letsie III of Lesotho

sovereign · b. 1963

King of Lesotho since 1996

James Blunt

pop musician · b. 1974

English singer-songwriter

Dominique Strauss-Kahn

university teacher · b. 1949

French economist

Emily Watson

film actor · b. 1967

English actress (born 1967)

Jason Isaacs

film actor · b. 1963

British actor (born 1963)

Angela Carter

film screenwriter · 1940–1992

English novelist (1940–1992)

David Bohm

nuclear physicist · 1917–1992

American theoretical physicist

Joseph Muscat

head of government · b. 1974

former Prime Minister of Malta

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

minister · b. 1949

South African politician

David Walliams

television maker · b. 1971

English actor, comedian and writer

Klaus Fuchs

theoretical physicist · 1911–1988

German-born British theoretical physicist and atomic spy (1911-1988)

English playwright (1971-1999)

Matt Lucas

film actor · b. 1974

British actor, comedian and screenwriter

Bernard Lovell

university teacher · 1913–2012

English physicist and radio astronomer

Michael Winterbottom

film editor · b. 1961

British film director (born 1961)

Joe Alwyn

film actor · b. 1991

English actor

Reginald Innes Pocock

myriapodologist · 1863–1947

British zoologist (1863–1947)

Anne McClain

helicopter pilot · b. 1979

American astronaut

Derren Brown

hypnotist · b. 1971

British illusionist and writer

Pearlette Louisy

politician · b. 1946

Governor-General of Saint Lucia

German historian (1923–2006)

Caroline Goodall

film actor · b. 1959

English actress

English film and television actor and author (1946–2017)

Alice Roberts

paleoanthropologist · b. 1973

English physician, anatomist, physical anthropologist, television presenter, author

Geoffrey Burbidge

university teacher · 1925–2010

British astronomer (1925–2010)

Michael Ruse

philosopher · 1940–2024

British-Canadian science philosopher (1940–2024)

Yakir Aharonov

university teacher · b. 1932

Israeli physicist

Pearl Mackie

television actor · b. 1987

English actress

Mick Jackson

producer · b. 1943

English film director (born 1943)

English actor

Mitch Hewer

film actor · b. 1989

English actor

David Nicholls

novelist · b. 1966

British writer

Manuel Esquivel

politician · 1940–2022

Belizean politician (1940–2022)

Nimco Ali

activist · b. 1983

Somali social activist, training consultant

Jeremy Wade

biologist · b. 1956

British television presenter and author

Julia Donaldson

literary editor · b. 1948

English children's writer

Nigel Marven

film producer · b. 1960

British television presenter

Theresa Villiers

politician · b. 1968

British politician (born 1968)

Stephen Crabb

politician · b. 1973

Welsh politician and MP (born 1973)

Tom Tugendhat

journalist · b. 1973

British Conservative politician (born 1973)

Keith Devlin

science communicator · b. 1947

British mathematician

Kenyan paleontologist

Mark Ravenhill

theatre director · b. 1966

British actor and writer

Czech born American physicist (1922-2018)

Gaositwe Keagakwa Tibe Chiepe

diplomat · 1922–2025

Motswana politician (1922–2025)

Mambillikalathil Govind Kumar Menon

physicist · 1928–2016

Indian physicist

Jemima Goldsmith

activist · b. 1974

British screenwriter, television, film and documentary producer

Sarah Brown

activist · b. 1963

British campaigner for global health and education

Georgie Twigg

field hockey player · b. 1990

British field hockey player

Canadian rower

Christopher B. Stringer

paleoanthropologist · b. 1947

British paleoanthropologist

Laura Bechtolsheimer

dressage rider · b. 1985

British dressage rider competing at Olympic level

British palaeontologist (born 1951)

British author and lecturer

Ire Aderinokun

front-end developer · b. 1991

Nigerian front end developer

English actor

British film director, screenwriter and film editor

British actress

Jacques Friedel

researcher · 1921–2014

French physicist (1921–2014)

Ugandan poet (1931–1982)

English composer

Umar Arteh Ghalib

minister · 1930–2020

Somali politician (1930–2020)

Anastasia Griffith

television actor · b. 1978

British actress

Paul J. McAuley

science fiction writer · b. 1955

British writer

Natasia Demetriou

television presenter · b. 1984

British actress

British actress, director

Jamie Demetriou

television actor · b. 1987

English comedian and actor

British actor

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke

sport cyclist · b. 1984

English racing cyclist

British geneticist and science writer (1947–2020)

Australian linguist

David Bamber

television actor · b. 1954

English actor (born 1954)

British science writer

British-Australian philosopher of science

Ben Gascoigne

university teacher · 1915–2010

Australian optical astronomer (1915–2010)

Chris Morris

satirist · b. 1965

British satirist, writer, director, actor, voice actor and producer

Stephen L. Brusatte

paleontologist · b. 1984

American paleontologist (born 1984)

Lembit Öpik

broadcaster · b. 1965

British politician (born 1965)

British historian and professor (1953–2012)

British wine merchant, brand ambassador, and husband of Princess Eugenie

Ghada Karmi

political writer · b. 1939

Palestinian academic

Arnold Ridley

television actor · 1896–1984

English playwright and actor (1896–1984)

Hugh Cornwell

autobiographer · b. 1949

English musician and songwriter, ex-member of The Stranglers

British film director

Giles Milton

non-fiction writer · b. 1966

British writer and historian

Ruth Lea, Baroness Lea of Lymm

journalist · b. 1947

British political economist

Paula Kahumbu

ecologist · b. 1966

Wildlife conservationist

Marc Evans

director · b. 1963

Welsh film director

English novelist

Mabel Cheung

director · b. 1950

Hong Kong film director and screenwriter

Australian actress

Jazmin Sawyers

long jumper · b. 1994

British long jumper

Nitin Ganatra

television actor · b. 1968

British actor

Kwabena Donkor

consultant · b. 1958

Ghanaian politician

Misha Glenny

journalist · b. 1958

British journalist specialised in southeastern Europe global organised crime and cyber security

Anna Maria Anders

politician · b. 1950

Polish politician

British writer

Liz Greene

psychologist · b. 1946

American-born British astrologer, psychologist and author

Holly Smale

children's writer · b. 1981

British writer

CEO of Manchester United

Canadian underwater archeologist and novelist

British actor and singer

Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St Johns

politician · b. 1947

British Conservative Party politician (born 1947)

Tim Palmer

meteorologist · b. 1952

British meteorologist (1952-)

British video artist and filmmaker (born 1976)

Ian Shapiro

university teacher · b. 1956

American political theorist

Deborah Moggach

novelist · b. 1948

English writer

Matthew Warchus

manufacturer · b. 1966

British director and dramatist

Peggy Antrobus

feminist · b. 1935

Grenadian activist, author, scholar

Tina Beattie

university teacher · b. 1955

British theologian

Chris Clark

recording artist · b. 1979

English electronic musician

Derek Clark

politician · 1933–2023

British politician (1933–2023)

Mark Francois

politician · b. 1965

British politician (born 1965)

Paul Boateng

barrister · b. 1951

politician and the UK's first black Cabinet minister (born 1951)

Ian Duncan

politician · b. 1973

British politician (born 1973)

Kate Devlin

artificial intelligence researcher · b. 1953

British computer scientist, AI specialist

Ben Emmerson

barrister · b. 1963

British Queen's Counsel

Scottish television and film director

C. K. Stead

novelist · b. 1932

New Zealand writer

Shanta Gokhale

theatre critic · b. 1939

Indian writer, translator, journalist and theatre critic

British physicist (1925-1999)

British jazz musician (1937–2004)

biochemist

British theatre director

Stéphanie Yon-Courtin

legal counselor · b. 1974

French politician

Julia Slingo

meteorologist · b. 1950

British meteorologist

Ugandian lawyer, Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda

British writer (1944-)

Paul Graham

artist · b. 1956

English photographer (born 1956)

Dawn Primarolo

politician · b. 1954

British politician (born 1954)

Huang Kun

physicist · 1919–2005

Chinese physicist (1919–2005)

British theologian, Professor of Divinity

Sinan Al Shabibi

academic · 1941–2022

Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq (1941–2022)

British mycologist (1910-2003)

Franz Baumann

general secretary · b. 1953

UN official

Michelle Rocca

beauty pageant contestant · b. 1961

Irish socialite

British archaeologist (1880-1943)

Pakistani barrister and human rights activist

Thangam Debbonaire

politician · b. 1966

British politician (born 1966)

Rupert Carington, 7th Baron Carrington

banker · b. 1948

English peer

David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral

politician · b. 1942

British politician (born 1942)

South African author

Mosotho activist

Ginette Harrison

mountaineer · 1958–1999

British mountain climber (1958-1999)

British actress

French football executive (1935-2026)

Jonathan Evans

intelligence officer · b. 1958

British civil servant, Director General of MI5 from 2007 to 2013 ; member of the House of Lords from 2014

British scientist in micromechanics

British film director and screenwriter

actor, musician, writer, director, teacher (1951-1990)

Lawrence Clarke

athletics competitor · b. 1990

British hurdler

Nina Snaith

mathematician · b. 1974

British mathematician

Nikita Lalwani

novelist · b. 1973

British writer

Nigerian actress

British actress and screenwriter

British economist

Alastair Stewart

journalist · b. 1952

English journalist

Christine Orengo

biochemist · b. 1955

Professor of Bioinformatics

Hermann Glaser

cultural sociologist · 1928–2018

German cultural historian and opinion journalist (1928–2018)

Josh Lewsey

rugby sevens player · b. 1976

English Business Leadership, Officer and rugby union footballer

British film director

Tim Payne

rugby union player · b. 1979

English rugby union footballer

British mathematician (1916-2001)

Gambian politician

Stephen Williams

politician · b. 1966

British politician (born 1966)

Sonu Shamdasani

medical historian · b. 1962

British author, editor, and professor

Iain Stewart

television presenter · b. 1964

British geologist

British historian

Will Hutton

opinion journalist · b. 1950

British political economist and writer

Welsh doctor

Henry Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of Arundel

aristocrat · b. 1987

British aristocrat, businessman, and former racing driver (born 1987)

Polish poet and BBC presenter (1927-2010)

British composer

British psychologist

Dan Poulter

politician · b. 1978

British politician (born 1978)

Nazir Razak

entrepreneur · b. 1966

banker

Mia Kang

model · b. 1988

Model

Alison Cooper

chief executive officer · b. 1966

British businesswoman

English writer, actor and comedian (born 1949)

Nigerian singer

Sagir Adamu Abbas

academic · b. 1962

Nigerian academic

Susan Elan Jones

politician · b. 1968

Welsh politician and MP (born 1968)

Christopher Beazley

politician · b. 1952

British politician (born 1952)

Alvin Yeung

barrister · b. 1981

Hong Kong barrister and politician

M. J. Arlidge

television dramaturge · b. 1974

British writer

Óli Breckmann

teacher at a Gymnasium · b. 1948

Faroese teacher and politician (born 1948)

German physicist

Gideon Davies

biochemist · b. 1964

English chemistry professor

Deborah Bronnert

diplomat · b. 1967

British diplomat

British psychologist (1947-2011)

Jenny Nelson

researcher · b. 2000

British physicist

Gavin Ashenden

priest · b. 1954

British former Anglican clergyman

Stephen Morgan

politician · b. 1981

UK Member of Parliament (born 1981)

Guli Francis-Dehqani

Anglican priest · b. 1966

Church of England bishop; Bishop of Chelmsford

Hugh Bayley

researcher · b. 1952

British politician (born 1952)