Notable alumni of University of Kent

Kazuo Ishiguro

novelist · b. 1954

British novelist (born 1954)

Orlando Bloom

television actor · b. 1977

English actor and model

Abdulrazak Gurnah

novelist · b. 1948

Tanzanian-born British writer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (2021) (born 1948)

Ellie Goulding

pop musician · b. 1986

British singer (born 1986)

Tom Wilkinson

television actor · 1948–2023

English actor (1948–2023)

E. L. James

novelist · b. 1963

British writer

Abbas Araghchi

diplomat · b. 1962

Iranian diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1962)

Sarah Waters

novelist · b. 1966

Welsh novelist (1966-)

Tiwa Savage

musician · b. 1980

Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress

Annita Demetriou

politician · b. 1985

Cypriot politician (born 1985)

Alan Davies

television actor · b. 1966

English comedian, actor, and author

Steve Hillage

guitarist · b. 1951

British guitarist

Emily Thornberry

barrister · b. 1960

British politician (born 1960)

Zainab Balogun

model · b. 1989

Nigerian-English actress

Susannah Townsend

field hockey player · b. 1989

English hockey player

New Zealand writer (1948–2013)

Maria Mezentseva

volunteer · b. 1989

Ukrainian politician

Ana Free

YouTuber · b. 1987

British-Portuguese singer

Kostis Chatzidakis

member of parliament · b. 1965

Greek politician

Raychelle Omamo

minister · b. 1952

Kenyan Politician and an advocate of the High Court of Kenya

Jane Harper

novelist · b. 1980

Australian novelist

Olga Karlatos

film actor · b. 1947

Greek actress

British singer

British actor

Ariel Vromen

director · b. 1973

Israeli director

Stephen Gethins

politician · b. 1976

Scottish politician (born 1976)

Fu Ying

interpreter · b. 1953

Chinese politician

British peer

Alice Mogwe

founder · b. 1961

Botswanan human rights activist, lawyer, social entrepreneur

Damilola Odufuwa

activist · b. 1991

Nigerian feminist, and co-founder of the Feminist Coalition

Nikki Sinclaire

politician · b. 1968

British politician (born 1968)

Choman Hardi

poet · b. 1974

poet

Stuart Hazeldine

film actor · b. 1971

British film director, producer and screenwriter

Chris Davies

politician · b. 1954

British Liberal Democrat politician

Diana Wallis

university teacher · b. 1954

British politician (born 1954)

Rwandan activist and entrepreneur

Ethiopian politician

Marietta Slomka

presenter · b. 1969

German journalist

Jonathan Yeo

painter · b. 1970

British painter (born 1970)

British playwright

Chinese translator

Peter Wittig

diplomat · b. 1954

German diplomat

Carolyn McCall

entrepreneur · b. 1961

British businesswoman

Nigerian journalist (1952-2014)

Kuwaiti artist

Elizabeth Kucinich

journalist · b. 1977

British activist (1977-)

Kunio Mikuriya

diplomat · b. 1954

Secretary General of the World Customs Organization

Rebecca Taylor

politician · b. 1975

English politician (born 1975)

Jeffrey Weeks

LGBTQ rights activist · b. 1945

British historian and sociologist

Ivo Daalder

political scientist · b. 1960

American diplomat

Japanese composer

Nigerian business executive

British colonial administrator (1927-2019)

Indian television journalist and columnist

Martin Hyun

elite athlete · b. 1979

German ice hockey player and writer

Asef Bayat

sociologist · b. 1954

Iranian sociologist

Ron Coleman

assistant · b. 1941

American politician

Attila the Stockbroker

mandolinist · b. 1957

British punk poet, folk punk musician and songwriter

Taiwo Owatemi

politician · b. 1992

British politician and Labour MP

bangladeshi-Irish writer

Scottish actor

Greek diplomat and activist

Peter Whittle

television executive · 1961–2025

British author, politician, and journalist

Dan Tehan

politician · b. 1968

Australian politician

English cricketer (born 1971)

British writer

Gareth Bacon

politician · b. 1972

British politician and Conservative MP (born 1972)

Homa Katouzian

iranologist · b. 1942

Iranian economist, writer and researcher

Jane Hutt

politician · b. 1949

Welsh politician and MS (born 1949)

Matt Preston

journalist · b. 1961

food critic, television presenter

British academic and activist

Richard Barbrook

university teacher · b. 1956

academic (born 1956)

Ray Collins, Baron Collins of Highbury

trade unionist · b. 1954

British trade unionist and peer

Kishwer Falkner, Baroness Falkner of Margravine

politician · b. 1955

British Baroness (born 1955)

British cryptographer

British actor (1945-2018)

American cartoonist and columnist (born 1951)

British writer

Jamaican writer

Laila Bokhari

researcher · 1974–2025

Norwegian politician

British Canadian astronomer

Anne Faber

cookbook writer · b. 1901

Luxembourg journalist, cookbook writer and television personality

actor

Abena Oppong-Asare

politician · b. 1983

British politician

British historian bookseller and writer (born 1971)

Abdullah Md Zin

politician · b. 1946

Malaysian politician

cricketer (born 1993)

Malaysian politician

Gavin Esler

journalist · b. 1953

British author and television presenter

businessperson

Janusz Bugajski

political analyst · 1954–2025

American political consultant

John Harris

philosopher · b. 1945

bioethicist and philosopher from the United Kingdom

noblewoman; British social worker; granddaughter of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma

Islamic author

Steve Bassam, Baron Bassam of Brighton

politician · b. 1953

British politician and activist (born 1953)

Rosie Boycott

trustee · b. 1951

British editor

Shan Morgan

diplomat · b. 1955

British diplomat

Kennedy Wong

justice of the peace · b. 1963

Hong Kong politician

Said S. Bedair

engineer · 1949–1989

Egyptian scientist (1949–1989)

Alexandre Christoyannopoulos

essayist · b. 1979

French-Greek writer and academic

Mathilda Twomey

jurist · b. 1963

Seychellois lawyer and academic

Nigerian journalist

British writer

British philosopher

Carol Gould

pundit · 1953–2021

American writer and filmmaker

Carolyn Quinn

journalist · b. 1961

British journalist

Chris Mole

politician · b. 1958

British politician (born 1958)

Alex Yam

politician · b. 1981

Singaporean politician

Christopher Webber

music critic · b. 1953

English actor

Hurşit Güneş

economist · b. 1957

Turkish statesperson (born 1957)

English cricketer (born 1951)

British mathematician and historian of mathematics

British political adviser

Zimbabwean poet

actor and Scriptwriter

American academic

American political scientist

German historian of classical antiquity (born 1969)

Hossein Mousavian

diplomat · b. 1957

Iranian policymaker and scholar

British far-right activist and publisher

Wayne Otto

karateka · b. 1966

British karateka

Sitiveni Halapua

economist · 1969–2023

Tongan politician (1969–2023)

Zameer Choudrey

businessperson · b. 1958

Pakistani businessman

Jackie Clune

journalist · b. 1965

British entertainer and writer

British legal expert

Claire Wallace

sociologist · b. 1956

British sociologist

Trinidad poet (1944-2001)

Sarah Pink

social scientist · b. 1966

ethnographer and social science researcher

Natalie Elphicke

politician · b. 1970

British politician and lawyer (born 1970)

Kameel Ahmady

academic

British-Iranian anthropologist and social researcher

Trinidadian actress

General Manager and Entrepreneur

Nigerian academic

British sociologist

Malaysian politician (1944–2008)

British playwright (1980–2023)

British author

Malaysian economist

Greek writer and university teacher

Fauziah Mohd Taib

diplomat · b. 1955

Malaysian diplomat

Chrissy Sharp

politician · 1947–2021

Australian politician (1947-2021)

British politician (born 1945)

Elizabeth Buchan

novelist · b. 1948

British novelist (1948-)

Geevarghese Mor Coorilose

Eastern Orthodox priest · b. 1965

Syrian Orthodox bishops

Glenn White

astronomer · b. 2000

British astronomer

professor

Henry Lytton-Cobbold

screenwriter · b. 1962

British screenwriter (born 1962)

Hugh Orde

police officer · b. 1958

police officer

British actor

Jamie Rix

children's writer · b. 1958

British writer

John Simmons

actor · b. 1955

American actor

British music executive

English television and radio presenter

broadcaster

Bernd Engler

Americanist · b. 1954

German americanist

Sheila Gilmore

council member · b. 1949

British politician (born 1949)

Canadian poet (1924–2003)

Scott MacKenzie

darts player · b. 1972

Hong Kong darts player

British journalist

Silvio Meira

computer scientist · b. 1955

computer scientist

British academic

Tamsin Dunwoody

entrepreneur · b. 1958

British politician (born 1958)

Australian bishop

Ursula Brennan

civil servant · b. 1952

British civil servant

English footballer (born 1953)

Iranian diplomat

Nigerian barrister and politician

politician in Pakistan

Engineer, President of the Association of Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers

British Iranian television and radio presenter and journalist

Zoe Rapti

lawyer · b. 1966

Greek lawyer and politician

Kenyan conservationist

Alexander James Kent

cartographer · b. 1977

British cartographer, geographer and academic

James MacCleary

politician

British politician

Allison Gardner

politician

British politician, from 2024, Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent South