Namesakes

Two American presidents; and two American composers, born respectively in 1947 and 1953, both of whom have won the Pulitzer Prize for music			John Adams
Arsenal and England footballer, England captain 1994–6; Actor who played Adam Chance in Crossroads (1978–88)			Tony Adams
West Bromwich Albion and England footballer (5 caps, 1953–4); Actor who played David Hunter in Crossroads (1969–85)			Ronnie Allen Ronald Allen
16th Century English philosopher; 20th Century Irish painter			Francis Bacon
Chairman of the GLC, from 1985 until its abolition in 1986; Labour MP 1983–2005, and Minister for Sport 1997–9; created Baron Stratford on retirement from the Commons in 2005; suffered a fatal stroke while on holiday in Florida, in January 2006, aged 63 Keyboardist and founder member of Genesis			Tony Banks
Anchor man of BBC TV's Nationwide, 1969–77 Real name of Shakin' Stevens			Michael Barratt Michael Barrett
Inventor of the clockwork radio (1991); Australian cricket coach (England 2015–19)			Trevor Baylis Trevor Bayliss
President of Gabon, 2009– (succeeded his father Omar, who was president 1967–2009); British comedy magician (1929–2009), President of the Magic Circle 2008–9			Ali Bongo
Two English physicists, father and son, who shared the Nobel Prize 1915; Essex–based singer/songwriter ('The Barking Bard')			Sir William Bragg William Lawrence Bragg Billy Bragg
1960s British pop star; British climber, one of the first pair to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga			Joe Brown
Queen Victoria's most famous gillie; US abolitionist, hanged 1859			John Brown
Translator of the Arabian Nights into English, and the first European to visit Mecca; stage name of Welsh actor (real surname Jenkins), died 1984			Richard Burton
American actor, died in 2022 aged 82; Assumed name of Pakistani–born British entrepreneur and Dragon, Nazim Khan			James Caan
The inventor of snooker; 20th century British Prime Minister			Neville Chamberlain
British Tory politician, died 1999; lead singer of The Hollies; English international footballer (19 caps, 1970–6)			Allan Clarke
Art historian and presenter of BBC TV's Civilisation Senior member of John Major's cabinet			Kenneth Clark Kenneth Clarke
Comedy actor, died 1982 Long–suffering puppeteer, died 1989			Harry H. Corbett Harry Corbett
Scottish actor, born 1946: played William Wallace's uncle Argyle Wallace in Braveheart (1995), and CIA Deputy Director Ward Abbott in the first two Jason Bourne films (2002 and 2004) English physicist, and popular science television presenter and author; also played keyboards in the pop band D:Ream			Brian Cox
Rhythm guitarist of The Kinks Former BBC TV journalist, Executive Director of the FA, 1998–2000 Conservative politician, stood for party leader against David Cameron 2005			Dave Davies David Davies David Davis
Former snooker and billiards champion Speech–impaired comedian, nicknamed 'Parrot–face'			Fred Davis Freddie Davies
English poet, 1573–1631 Radio 2 presenter, 1967–98 – died 2004			John Donne John Dunn
English novelist (1819–80 – birth name) Wife of a British prime minister (1792–1872 – birth name)			Mary Ann(e) Evans
Australian Test bowler, 1970s US convicted murderer executed (at his own request) by firing squad			Gary Gilmour Gary Gilmore
Ventriloquist who operated Lenny the Lion Lead singer with The Specials (later one of three in Fun Boy Three)			Terry Hall
Captain of HMS Victory at Trafalgar; famous English writer (1840–1928)			Thomas Hardy
Prolific TV scriptwriter, best known for Outside Edge (adapted from his 1979 stage play); Irish–born actor and hellraiser, died 2002 aged 72			Richard Harris
US film actress, born 1982, starred in The Princess Diaries (2001) and Brokeback Mountain (2005); wife of William Shakespeare			Anne Hathaway
Former British Prime Minister; British bandleader			Edward (Ted) Heath
Lib Dem MP for Bermondsey & Southwark, 1983–2015 (various constituency names), and deputy leader 2010–14; Middlesex cricketer (1980–91); on retirement, entered journalism, becoming The Analyst on Channel 4 (1999–2005), then on Channel 5			Simon Hughes
German composer, 1854–1921; British crooner, 1960s–70s (stage name)			Engelbert Humperdinck
English mountaineer, lost on Everest 1924; former Scottish rugby captain			Andrew Irvine
17th Century English poet and playwright American actor: Best Supporting Actor Oscar 1971 for The Last Picture Show Disgraced Canadian athlete			Ben Jonson Ben Johnson
General Secretary of the TGWU, 1968–76 (d. 2009 aged 96); US crooner			Jack Jones
Scottish–born US naval commander; bass guitarist of Led Zeppelin			John Paul Jones
Guitarist, singer and songwriter (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite); Footballer (Sheffield United 1962–7, Leeds United 1967–74, 3 England caps)			Mick Jones
Title character of a classic novel first published in 1759; Welsh singer, born Thomas John Woodward in 1940 (stage name)			Tom Jones
British Olympic gold medal–winning athlete; Bishop of Durham, 1984–94			David Jenkins
Governor of the Bank of England, 2003–13; Suffolk–born darts player (BDO World Championship runner–up in 2002 and 2004); Norfolk–born bowls player (World Indoor Singles champion 2006, and three times doubles champion)			Mervyn King
Former Lancashire and England cricketer; British Davis Cup captain, founder of a successful chain of fitness centres			David Lloyd
British diplomat and Soviet spy US singer–songwriter; British comedian and children's television presenter			Donald MacLean Don McLean
Prime Minister of Canada, 2003–6; presenter of BBC TV's Flog It!			Paul Martin
Lead singer of the Pretty Things; husband of the UK's second female Prime Minister			Phil(ip) May
Head coach of Green Bay Packers NFL team, 2006–2018 – leading them to a Super Bowl win in 2011; English (Barnsley–born) footballer and manager – Republic of Ireland 1996–2002 and 2018–20, Wolves 2006–12, etc.			Mike / Mick McCarthy
US film actor; British artist, winner of the 1999 Turner Prize, who also directed and co–produced the film 12 Years a Slave (winner of the Best Picture Oscar in 2014)			Steve McQueen
American songwriter (1909–76 – Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses, etc.); Tory MP for Plymouth Moor View, elected in 2015 – subsequently appeared in a TV advert, showering with Dove shower gel (filmed during the election campaign)			Johnny Mercer
English comedian, born Salisbury 1974 – married Victoria Coren 2012; English author, born Southport 1969 – number9dream (2001), Cloud Atlas (2004)			David Mitchell
Northern Irish novelist, d. 1999; TV football commentator, d. 2001; Harlequins and England hooker			Brian Moore
15th century English nobleman, known as Warwick the Kingmaker; Australian editor of the 1960s counter–culture magazine Oz			Richard Neville
Author of the acclaimed 1987 autobiography Under the Eye of the Clock; film director (The Dark Knight trilogy 2005–12, Interstellar 2014)			Christopher Nolan
English playwright who rose to fame in the 1950s; goalkeeper on winning side in the 1968 FA Cup Final			John Osborne
Prime minister of New Zealand, 1989–90; British comedy actor			Geoffrey Palmer
English snooker player – highest ranking 9 (2015); lead guitarist of Aerosmith			Joe Perry
Jersey–born golfer (Open champion 1912, US Open 1920; first captain of Britain's Ryder Cup team); comedian born Wigan 1905, died 1977 (real name Charles Olden)			Ted Ray
Teesside–based singer/songwriter; TV rugby union commentator			Chris Rea
Radio 1 DJ, best remembered for inadvertently promoting Franki Goes to Hollywood's Relax when he interrupted it and pronounced it "obscene"; comedian turned actor, best known for playing Frank Butcher in EastEnders			Mike Read Mike Reid
Bishop of London burnt at the stake by Mary I; member of Margaret Thatcher's cabinet			Nicholas Ridley
US popular composer British architect, whose work includes Paris's Pompidou Centre (died in 2021)			Richard Rogers Richard Rodgers
16th–Century Queen Consort of England, mother of Edward VI; stage name of a British–born Hollywood actress			Jane Seymour
Britain's first male recipient of a COVID–19 vaccine; Fifth placed in the BBC's 2002 poll of the Greatest Britons			William Shakespeare
English county cricketer and Test match umpire England Test cricketer who went on to be Bishop of Liverpool			David Shepherd David Sheppard
Actress who played Varinia, the fictional wife of the title character, in the 1960 film Spartacus; bass guitarist, co–founder and co–lead singer of the rock band Kiss (soundalikes!)			Jean Simmons Gene Simmons
Yorkshire brewer, 1824–79; leader of the Labour Party who died in 1994 of a heart attack, aged 55			John Smith
Maiden name of a former Wimbledon Ladies' singles champion (married name Court); actress whose most famous role is Miss Jean Brodie			Margaret Smith Maggie Smith
Liverpool–born 'hard–man' footballer – 467 games for Liverpool, 1962–78, but only 1 England cap; US sprinter, noted for his Black Power salute after winning the 200m gold medal at the 1968 Olympics			Tommy Smith Tommie Smith
Read the news on Channel 4 from 1989 to 2021; character in Game of Thrones, played by Kit Harington – the illegitimate son of Sean Bean's character, who joins and eventually leads the Night's Watch guarding the northern borders; England cricketer who took 202 wickets in 49 Tests, 1965–76 – also a published poet			Jon Snow Jon Snow John Snow
Former leader of the Liberal Party England cricketer (1970s)			David Steel David Steele
Famous English engineer, son of an even more famous engineer Scottish novelist Grandfather of the novelist, also a famous engineer (lighthouse designer)			Robert Stephenson Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Stevenson
Two members of England's 1986 World Cup football squad:			Gary Stevens
A right–back, born Barrow–in–Furness 1963: played 208 games for Everton, 1982–8, and won 46 caps
A defender or midfielder, born Hillingdon, Middlesex 1962: played 133 games for Brighton & HA, 1979–83, and 147 for Tottenham, 1983–90, winning 7 caps – his career was effectively ended in 1988 by a Vinnie Jones tackle
English–born Wales rugby wing forward (flanker) – 26 caps, 1967–73, and 4 for the Lions; Duran Duran's bass guitarist			John Taylor
British tennis star (1970s); drummers of Queen and Duran Duran			Roger Taylor
Divorced RAF officer who Princess Margaret was unable to marry Lead guitarist and songwriter of The Who			Peter Townsend Pete Townshend
Celebrity chef, married to Fern Britton; England's captain at the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup, winner of Celebrity Masterchef 2011			Phil Vickery
The last golfer to win the (British) Open Championship five times (1975–83); Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn (2015–19)			Tom Watson
Britain's first heart transplant patient (1968); One of Britain's worst serial killers			Frederick West
Drummer who replaced Bill Bruford in Yes, in 1972 (previously played with the Plastic Ono Band); drummer who replaced Tony McCarroll in Oasis (between their first two albums, Definitely Maybe and What's the Story, Morning Glory?)			Alan White
A prominent British sports executive, who died in 2021 aged 74; actor, best known for playing a vicar, who died in 2022 aged 90			Frank Williams
British classical / jazz guitarist; US film music composer			John Williams
World snooker champion, 2000 and 2003; one of the Fast Show team ("Suits you, sir" – the one that isn't Paul Whitehouse!) – also played Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter films, and Father Brown in the 2013 BBC2 series			Mark Williams
England cricketer: 325 wickets in 90 Tests, 1971–84, and captain 1982–4; Cilla Black's husband and manager (died from lung cancer, 1999, aged 57)			Bob Willis Bobby Willis
One of The Supremes; poet and wife of a former British Prime Minister			Mary Wilson
18th century British landscape painter; Scottish comedy actor; Cabinet Secretary, 1998–2002			Richard Wilson
US comedian, b. 1955; BBC Radio 1 & 2 presenter, b. 1954			Steve Wright
Canadian singer–songwriter; scorer of the only goal in the 1969 FA Cup Final			Neil Young

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Namesakes