List of Edinburgh people

This list contains famous or notable people (or groups) who have either been born or based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Medicine, Science and Engineering

* Charles Bell, Scottish anatomist, surgeon, physiologist and natural theologian born in Edinburgh
* Alexander Graham Bell, telephone pioneer, was born in Edinburgh. [Dictionary of Canadian Biography - [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=42027 Alexander Graham Bell] ]
* James Hutton, Scottish Geologist, renowned as the "Father of Geology" was born in Edinburgh
* James Clerk Maxwell, Scottish physicist
* John Napier, mathematician, mainly remembered for the invention of logarithms [ [http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Napier.html John Napier Biography ] University of St Andrews School of Mathematics and Statistics website - Accessed 15 November 2006]
* James Young Simpson, an obstetrician who conducted the first experimental use of chloroform for anaesthesia [ [http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/people/famousfirst60.html Sir James Young Simpson] - The Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh - Accessed 15 November 2006]
* D'Arcy Wentworth Thomson, Zoologist and Mathematician. Author of the influential book "On Growth and Form". [University of Dundee Website - [http://www.dundee.ac.uk/pressreleases/2006/prmar06/thompson.html Lecture Theatre renamed in honour of D'arcy Thompson] - 14 March 2006]
* Professor Ian Wilmut, who has admitted under oath in a Scottish court that he did not create Dolly the Sheep, the world's first cloned mammal

Arts

* Bay City Rollers, pop group from the 1970s
* James Boswell, author, biographer of Samuel Johnson
* Ewen Bremner, actor
* Rory Bremner, impressionist and comedian
* George Mackay Brown, poet and storyteller
* John Brown, essayist
* Nicky Campbell, radio and television presenter
* Sir Sean Connery, actor [BBC News - "Connery: Bond and beyond" - 21 December, 1999 - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/573476.stm] ]
* Ronnie Corbett, a Scottish comedian and actor, best known as one of The Two Ronnies [Edinburgh Evening News - "I won't say goodnight yet . ." - 4 November 2006 - [http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=1635762006] ]
* Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was born in the city's New Town
* William Dunbar, medieval poet
* Al Fairweather, Jazz musician
* Bridget Forsyth, actress, best known for playing Thelma in Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads
* Kirsty Gallacher, television presenter
* Robert Garioch, poet
* Isabella Glyn, (1823-1889) well-known Victorian-era actress
* Hannah Gordon, actress
* Sir Ludovic Kennedy, journalist, broadcaster and author
* Sir Harry Lauder, vaudeville singer, entertainer, and composer, of great acclaim.
* Robert Scott Lauder, artist and portrait painter.
* Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, notable academic, novelist, and writer, etc.
* Lucinda Ledgerwood, Apprentice (UK series 4) candidate
* John Leslie, television presenter [Edinburgh Evening News - [http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=618&id=1531702006 Leslie plots his comeback in the jungle] - 16 October 2006]
* Shirley Manson, lead singer for the band Garbage
* Magnus Magnusson, television presenter and author
* William Topaz McGonagall, renowned as one the worst poets in the English language was born in Edinburgh
* Alexander McCall Smith, author of "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series of books and many children's novels and Professor of Medical Law at Edinburgh University
* William Miller, 19th century engraver and watercolourist
* Eduardo Paolozzi, Sculptor and Artist, born in Leith
* Pilot, pop group from the 1970s
* Gail Porter, television presenter
* John Rae, jazz musician and composer
* Sir Henry Raeburn, portrait artist
* Allan Ramsay (1686-1758), poet
* Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), painter
* Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus series of crime thrillers, attended the University of Edinburgh [CNN - [http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/02/03/edinburgh.qa/ Q&A: Ian Rankin] - posted 4 October 2006 - accessed 15 November 2006 - "I came here in 1978 to go to university "]
* Helen Raw, actor, singer, owner of [http://www.rawtalentproductions.co.uk/]
* Ian Richardson, actor
* David Roberts, 19th century painter and lithographer
* J. K. Rowling, "Harry Potter" author, [Collinson, Patrick. [http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,3604,1470285,00.html "Rub shoulders with Brucie for £4.3m, or Tony for £7,250"] . " [http://www.guardian.co.uk/0,,,00.html Guardian Unlimited] ", 26 April 2005. Accessed 21 March 2006.] wrote her first book in Edinburgh coffee-shop, Nicholson's [The Scotsman - [http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/s2.cfm?id=662772003 The JK Rowling story] - Stephen McGinty - 16 June 2003] and [ [http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=3&id=1500742006] - Rosalind Gibb and John Gibson - 10 October 2006]
* Alistair Sim, Scottish character actor
* Sir Walter Scott, (1771-1832), novelist, was born in Edinburgh.
* Muriel Spark, novelist, author of "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" [BBC News - [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3659703.stm Obituary: Dame Muriel Spark] - 15 April 2006]
* Robert Louis Stevenson, novelist, wrote fondly of the city before moving to Samoa.
* Finley Quaye, singer-songwriter
* Ken Stott, film and television actor, born in Edinburgh
* Patrick Fraser Tytler, Scottish historian
* Nigel Tranter (1909-2000), historian, writer, lived in Edinburgh
* KT Tunstall Scottish singer-songwriter born in Edinburgh
* Irvine Welsh, novelist, author of e.g. "Trainspotting", is from Edinburgh.
* Sam Houser, President of Rockstar Games and Executive Producer of the Grand Theft Auto franchise since the third game.

ports

* Alex Arthur, professional super featherweight boxer
* Mark Beaumont, holds the Guiness World Record for "Fastest True Circumnavigation of the World by Bicycle"
* Dario Franchitti, motor racing driver, born in Edinburgh
* James Alexander Gordon, football results broadcaster, born in Edinburgh
* Gavin Hastings, former Scottish Rugby Captain, born in Edinburgh
* Lord Hawke, cricketer
* Johnny Haynes, footballer who spent his retired years in Edinburgh
* Chris Hoy, Scottish track cyclist and Olympic Games gold and silver medal winner
* Steven MacLean, footballer currently with Cardiff City
* Don Revie, footballer and football manager
* Graeme Souness, football manager
* Gordon Strachan, football manager

Miscellaneous

* William Burke and William Hare, serial killers; sold the bodies of their victims to the medical college for dissection
* Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig was born in Edinburgh
* David Hume, philosopher and historian
* John Knox, Protestant Reformer, lived in Edinburgh, and John Knox's House is preserved in the High Street
* John Porteous, captain of the city guard, lynched during the Porteous Riots of 1736
* Mary, Queen of Scots, lived in Holyrood Palace
* Adam Smith, economist, author of The Wealth of Nations
* Ronald Speirs, commander of "Dog" and "Easy" companies of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne during World War II, and governor of Spandau Prison in Berlin.
* Sir Charles Tupper, one of the "Fathers of the Confederation" who formed the Dominion of Canada in 1867, and later the sixth Prime Minister of Canada, educated at the University of Edinburgh.
* John Witherspoon, only clergyman to sign the American Declaration of Independence, president of Princeton University, educated in Edinburgh. [ [http://etc.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/witherspoon_john.html Princeton Companion entry] ]
* Elaine Davidson, holds the Guinness World Record for "Most Pierced Woman"

References

ee also

*List of Scots