This list of people from the London Borough of Hillingdon includes residents who were either born or dwelt for a substantial period within the borders of this modern London borough, formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of Hayes and Harlington Urban District, the Municipal Borough of Uxbridge, Ruislip-Northwood Urban District and Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District in West London. The 2001 census recorded the population of Hillingdon as 243,006.[1]
Academia and research
- Stuart Olof Agrell (1913–1996), optical mineralogist renowned for his involvement in the Apollo programme, was born in Ruislip.[2]
- Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), biologist and Nobel Prize winner for the discovery of penicillin, was Regional Pathologist at Harefield Hospital, 1939; this is recorded on a blue plaque at the main entrance door to the hospital.[3]
- Friedrich Georg Houtermans (1903–1966), noted atomic and nuclear physicist, lived in Hayes (where he worked for EMI) between 1933 and 1935.[4]
- Lionel Robbins (1898–1984), eminent economist, was born in Sipson.[5]
- Thomas Wakley (1795–1862), medical and social reformer, and founder of The Lancet, lived at Harefield Park, 1845–1856; he has a memorial stone in the grounds of Harefield Hospital.[6]
Drama and film
- Joan Dowling (1928–1954), actress, best known for her role in the first "Ealing Comedy" Hue and Cry, grew up in Uxbridge.[7]
- Anne Marie Duff, actress, best known for playing Fiona Gallagher in Shameless and Elizabeth I in The Virgin Queen, grew up in Hayes.[8]
- B. J. Edwards (1838–1914), photography pioneer, lived and worked at Wistowe House in Hayes.[9]
- Derek Jarman (1942–1994), film director whose credits include Jubilee and The Tempest (1979), was born in Northwood.[10]
- Moore Marriott (1885–1949), character actor, best known for the comedies he made with Will Hay and Graham Moffatt, was born in Yiewsley.[11]
- Jessie Matthews (1907–1981), actress, lived in Eastcote at the time of her death.[12]
- Bernard Miles (1907–1991), actor/writer/director, was born in Uxbridge and attended Uxbridge County School (later Bishopshalt).[13]
- Lana Morris (1930–1998), actress, born in Ruislip.[14]
- Oswald Morris (1915–2014), eminent cinematographer, born in Ruislip.[15]
- Julian Rhind-Tutt (b. 1967), actor, played the Duke of York in The Madness of King George (1994), was born in West Drayton.[16]
- John Rich (1692–1761), the "father of English pantomime", lived in Cowley.[17]
- Andy Serkis, actor, known for his role as Gollum in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit", was born in Ruislip.[18]
- Jane Seymour, actress and Bond girl, was born in Hayes.[19]
- John Stears (1934–1999), Oscar-winning creator of James Bond's modified Aston Martin DB5, Star Wars robots R2-D2 and C-3PO, and the Jedi Knights' lightsabers (among other special effects), was born in Uxbridge.[20]
- Tony Tanner, actor and director, played opposite Harold Pinter in The Birthday Party, was born in Hillingdon.[21]
- Heather Thatcher (1896–1987), actress, signed by MGM in 1930s Hollywood, lived in Hillingdon at the time of her death.[22]
Military
- Lieutenant-General Gerald Goodlake (1832–1890), Victoria Cross recipient who served with the Coldstream Guards in the Crimean War, is buried in St Mary's churchyard, Harefield.[23]
- Major-General James Grant (1778–1852), who served under Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo, was a lifelong Hayes resident.[24]
- Astronaut and U.S. military man Gregory H. Johnson was born in South Ruislip.[25]
- Private Cecil John Kinross (1896–1957), Victoria Cross recipient who distinguished himself at Passchendaele in World War I, was born in Harefield; he moved with his family in 1912 to Lougheed, Alberta.[26]
- Sergeant Robert Edward Ryder (1895–1978), Victoria Cross recipient who served in World War I in the Middlesex Regiment, was born and is buried in Harefield. A blue plaque on The Old Workhouse marks his birthplace.[27]
- Meinhardt Schomberg (1641–1719), general in the service of Prince William of Orange, built and lived in Hillingdon House.
Music
- Steve Conway, singer (1920–1952), lived in Ickenham.[30]
- Musician Paul Gardiner (1958–1984) of Gary Numan's Tubeway Army was born in Hayes.[31]
- Conductor and composer Sir Eugene Goossens (1893–1962), whose career was ruined by the Rosaleen Norton affair, lived in Hillingdon.[32]
- Composer Henry Jackman was born in Hillingdon.[33]
- Larry Page, 1960s manager of pop groups The Kinks and The Troggs, was born in Hayes.[34]
- Malcolm Pool, bass guitarist in rock band The Artwoods, born in Hayes End.
- Steve Priest, bass player of glam rock band Sweet, was born in Hayes.[35]
- Claire Richards, singer in 1990s pop-group Steps, was born in Hillingdon and attended Bishopshalt School.[36]
- Nick Simper, founding member of rock band Deep Purple, lived in Hayes.[37]
- Composer Stephen Storace (1762–1796), famous in his day and a friend of Mozart, lived from the late 1780s in Wood End, Hayes.[38]
- Composer Sir Michael Tippett (1905–1998), was born in Eastcote.[39]
- David Westlake, singer/songwriter of indie band The Servants, was born in Hayes.[40]
- Arthur Wood (1937–2006), lead singer in rock band The Artwoods and brother of Ronnie Wood, was born in West Drayton and grew up in Yiewsley.[41]
- Ted Wood (1939-2003), Traditional Jazz vocalist and drummer was born and grew up in Yiewsley.[42]
- Ronnie Wood, guitarist in rock bands the Rolling Stones and The Faces, was born in Hillingdon Hospital and grew up in Yiewsley.[43][44]
- Musicians Daniel/Matthew Persell Thompson (Croft & Cotes), were born in Eastcote
Nobility
- Statesman Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (1618–1685), part of Charles II's Cabal Ministry which gave rise to the English word cabal, born in (H)arlington.[45]
- Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter (c. 1498–1539), grandson of Edward IV and a first cousin of Henry VIII, enlarged Swakeleys House, a manor in Ickenham.[46]
- Sir Francis Lee, 4th Baronet (1639–1637), politician and (from 1644) stepson of Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester, was educated in Hayes by Dr Thomas Triplett; his son Edward Lee at age 13 married the 12-year-old Lady Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II.[47]
- Sir William Paget, 1st Baron Paget (1506-1563), statesman, holder of high office in the courts of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Lived in West Drayton from 1537 until his death in 1563 and is buried in St Martin Churchyard, West Drayton.[48]
- Sir William Paget, 4th Baron Paget (1572-1629), 'Adventurer' (shareholder) and member of the Council of the Virginia Company (London Company) and the Somers Isles Company is buried in St Martin's Churchyard, West Drayton.
- Peter de Salis (1738–1807), built a villa designed by Joseph Bonomi the Elder called Hillingdon Park (later Little London).
- Jerome, 4th Count de Salis-Soglio (1771–1836), Anglo-Irish landowner and Christian seer, lived (and is buried) in Harlington.[49]
- Sir Robert Vyner, 1st Baronet (1631–1688), Lord Mayor of London 1674–1675, owned Swakeleys House for a time; Vyners School in Ickenham is named after him.[50]
- At Hillingdon Court
Politics
- Lady Mary Bankes (c. 1598–1661), Royalist figure of the English Civil War, was born in Ruislip.[53]
- Thomas Egerton, Lord Ellesmere (1540–1617) and wife Alice Spencer (1559–1637) lived in Harefield from 1601; Queen Elizabeth I visited in July 1602.[54]
- Christine Keeler (1942–2017), iconic 1960s model involved in the Profumo affair, was born in Uxbridge.[55]
- Lord Randall of Uxbridge (b. 1955), Conservative former MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, was born in Uxbridge.[56]
- Sir Michael Shersby, MP for Uxbridge from 1972 until his death in 1997, was born in Ickenham.[57]
- Roger Williams (1603–1683), important early proponent of religious freedom and separation of church and state, was born in Cowley.[58]
- Norman Willis (1933–2014), former leader of the TUC, was born in Hayes.[59][60]
Religion
- Annie Isherwood (1862–1906), Anglican nun and founder of the Community of the Resurrection in Grahamstown, Southern Africa, was born in Uxbridge.[61]
Television
- Robin Bush (1943–2010) of Channel 4's archaeological series Time Team was born in Hayes.[69]
- Sue Cook, broadcaster, best known for presenting the BBC's Nationwide and Crimewatch, was born in Ruislip.[70]
- Fearne Cotton, television presenter, was born in Northwood and grew up in Eastcote.[71]
- James Corden, actor, host of CBS's The Late Late Show with James Corden, was born in Hillingdon.[72]
- Barry Foster (1927–2002), actor, best known as 1970s TV detective Van der Valk, grew up in Hayes.[73]
- Citations
"Paul Gardiner". The Definitive Tubeway Army & Gary Numan Discography. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
Henning, Basil Duke (1983). The History of Parliament: The House of Commons, 1660–1690, Volume 1. Haynes Publishing. p. 717.
"Our town". Northwood Hills Residents Association. Retrieved 15 April 2011.