The following is a list of some of famous people from Scotland:

Contents

1 Actors (see also 'Humourists') 2 Architects 3 Artists 4 Business 5 Composers 6 Engineers and Inventors 7 Explorers 8 Humourists 9 Musicians 10 Philosophers 11 Rulers, Politicians 12 Scientists 13 Sportsmen and -women 14 Television Personalities 15 Theologians 16 Writers 17 Others

Actors (see also 'Humourists')

• Ian Bannen, (1928-1999)
• Billy Boyd, (born 1968)
• Gerard Butler, (born 1969)
• Robert Carlyle, (born 1961)
• Hamish Clark , (born 1967)
• Robbie Coltrane, (born 1950)
• Sean Connery, (born 1930)
• Billy Connolly (born 1942)
• Tom Conti, (born 1941)
• James Cosmo , (born 1948)
• Brian Cox, (born 1946)
• Alan Cumming, (born 1965)
• Craig Ferguson, (born 1962)
• Rikki Fulton, (1924-2004)
• Dougie Henshall , (born 1965)
• James Robertson Justice, (1905-1975)
• Deborah Kerr, (born 1921)
• Fulton Mackay, (1922-1987)
• David McCallum, (born 1933)
• Angus McFadyen , (born 1963)
• Ewan McGregor, (born 1971)
• Peter Mullan , (born 1954)
• Bill Paterson, (born 1945)
• Dougray Scott, (born 1965)
• Alastair Sim, (1900-1976)
• John Gordon Sinclair , (born 1962)

Architects

• Robert Adam, (1728-1792)
• William Adam , (1689-1748) Father of Robert and architect and builder
• Robert Rowand Anderson (1834 - 1921)
• Charles Cameron, (1743-1812)
• Charles Rennie Mackintosh, (1868-1928), architect, designer and watercolourist, husband of Margaret MacDonald
• Robert Matthew, (1906 - 1975)
• Richard Murphy
• William Henry Playfair, (1790-1857)
• James Stirling, (1926-1992)
• Basil Spence, (1907-1976)
• Alexander 'Greek' Thompson , (1817-1875)

Artists

• John Byrne, (born 1940)
• Robert Colquhoun
• Peter Howson
• Margaret MacDonald, (1865-1933), wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh
• Robert MacBryde
• Dugald MacColl
• James MacGillivray , sculptor
• David Mach, (born 1956), sculptor and installation artist
• Alexander Nasmyth, (1758-1840), landscape painter
• Patrick Nasmyth , (1787-1831), landscape painter, son of Alexander
• Henry Raeburn, (1756-1823), portrait painter
• Jack Vettriano, (born 1951)
• David Wilkie (1785 -1841) painter

Business

• Arthur Anderson , (1792-1868), co-founder of P&O
• Alexander Berry, (1781-1873), Australias first Millionaire?? Had a town named after him.
• David Buick, founded the Buick car company
• Andrew Carnegie, (1835-1919), steel magnate, major philanthropist
• Thomas Blake Glover, (1838-1911) Nagasaki-based trader in 19th century Japan
• Irvine Laidlaw Scotland's 2nd richest man and founder of the modern conference company
• William Paterson, (1658-1719), founder Bank of England and Bank of Scotland

Composers

• Hamish MacCunn
• James MacMillan

Engineers and Inventors

• Sir William Arrol , (1839-1913), bridge builder
• Alexander Bain, (1818-1903), fax machine
• John Logie Baird, (1888-1946), television
• Alexander Graham Bell, (1847-1922), telephone, National Geographic, Hydrofoil
• Henry Bell, (1767-1830), ran Euope's first commercially successful steamboat
• James Chalmers, (1782-1853), adhesive postage stamp
• Sir Dugald Clerk, (1854-1932), two-stroke Clerk Cycle engine
• Robert Davidson, first electric locomotive, 1837
• James Dewar, (1842-1923), inventor of the Thermos flask and co-developer of cordite
• W.K. Dickson, (1860-1935), motion picture camera and the world's first film
• John Boyd Dunlop, the modern rubber tyre
• James Bowman Lindsay, (1799-1862), inventor of the constant electric light bulb
• Charles Macintosh, (1766-1843), patented waterproofing
• Kirkpatrick MacMillan, (1813–1878) the bicycle
• John McAdam modern road construction
• Sir Robert McAlpine (Concrete Bob), (1847-1934), road builder
• Patrick Miller, steamboat pioneer.
• William Murdoch, (1754-1839), pioneer of gas lighting
• James Nasmyth, (1808-1890), Steam Hammer
• John Shepherd-Barron, inventor of the ATM
• William Symington, (1764-1831), engineer, built the first practical steam boat
• Thomas Telford, (1757-1834) architect, civil engineer, bridge designer
• James Watt, (1736-1819), engineer, significantly improved the steam engine

Explorers

• William Balfour Baikie, (1824-1864), Africa, surgeon and naturalist on the 1854 Niger expedition
• William S. Bruce, (1867-1921) Antarctica, first to widely explore the Weddell Sea
• David Douglas, (1799-1834), explorer, botanist, introduced about 240 species of plants to Britain, including the Douglas-fir
• Alexander Forbes, American Pacific coast
• James Augustus Grant, (1827-1892), eastern Africa, member of the exhibition that found the sources of the Nile
• Alexander Gordon Laing (1793–1826), first European to reach Timbuktu
• David Livingstone, (1813-1873), explorer, missionary in Africa, discovered Victoria Falls
• Alexander Mackenzie (explorer)
• Archibald Menzies (1754-1852)
• Major Sir Thomas Mitchell (1792-1855), Australia
• Mungo Park (1771-1806), Africa, first European to reach the Niger
• John Rae, (1813-1893), Canadian Arctic
• Sir James Clark Ross (born in London), (1800-1862), Antarctica, discovered the Ross Sea, Victoria Land, and the volcanoes Mount Erebus and Mount Terror
• John McDouall Stuart, (1815–1866), most famous of all Australia's inland explorers, led the first expedition to successfully traverse the continent from south to north

Humourists

• Ronald Balfour Corbett (Ronnie), (born 1930)
• Stanley Baxter, (born 1926)
• Janet Brown , (born 1924)
• Billy Connolly (born 1942)
• Craig Ferguson, (born 1962)
• Graeme Garden, (born 1943)
• Rory Bremner, (born 1961)
• Doon Mackichan, (born 1962)

Musicians

• Ian Anderson singer, flautist, songwriter, and guitarist Jethro Tull
• Aly Bain fiddler
• David Byrne (born 1952)
• Phil Cunningham accordionist
• Justin Currie (born 1964), singer, songwriter and bassist with Del Amitri
• Donovan (born 1946)
• Fish (born 1958)
• Sheena Easton (born 1959)
• Roddy Frame songwriter Aztec Camera
• Franz Ferdinand, band
• Bobby Gillespie, singer with Primal Scream
• Evelyn Glennie (born 1965), percussionist
• Alex Harvey (1935-82), singer, songwriter, and guitarist
• Hamish Henderson folk song collector and writer
• Annie Lennox (born 1954)
• Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950)
• Lulu (born 1948)
• James Kerr (Jim), (born 1959)
• Mark Knopfler (born 1949), guitarist, Dire Straits frontman
• Canon Sydney MacEwan, singer
• Ewan MacColl (1915-1989), folk-singer/songwriter
• Dougie MacLean (1954- ) contemporary folk songwriter
• John McGeoch (1955-2004)
• Kenneth McKellar
• Shirley Manson (born 1966), singer/songwriter, Garbage frontwoman
• Michael Marra songwriter
• Bob Powell (born 1961) composer
• Craig Reid (born 1962) songwriter The Proclaimers
• Charles Reid (Charlie) (born 1962) songwriter The Proclaimers
• Ricky Ross (born Dundee 22nd December 1957) songwriter Deacon Blue
• Bon Scott AC/DC frontman
• Jimmy Shand
• Andy Stewart (1933-1994)
• James Ure (Midge), (born 1953)
• Angus Young AC/DC guitarist
• Malcolm Young AC/DC
• Lena Zavaroni (1963-1999)

Philosophers

• John Abercrombie, (1780-1844)
• John Anderson, (1893-1962)
• Thomas Brown, (1778-1820)
• Sir William Hamilton, (1788-1856)
• Henry Home, Lord Kames, (1696-1782)
• David Hume, (1711-1776), inspired Immanuel Kant
• James McCosh, (1811-1894)
• Thomas Reid, (1710-1796), played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment
• Duns Scotus, (1266-1308)
• Adam Smith, (1723-1790), economist, free trade, laisser-faire, division of labour

Rulers, Politicians

• Tony Blair, (born 1953), UK Prime Minister
• Gordon Brown, (born 1951), Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Robert the Bruce, Robert I of Scotland
• Bonnie Prince Charlie, The Young Pretender to the throne of Great Britain
• Donald Dewar, (born 1937), Scotland First Minister
• Robert Cunninghame-Graham ('Don Roberto') aristocrat socialist
• Jo Grimond, (1913-1993), Liberal Party leader from 1956 to 1967
• James VI of Scotland and I of England, (1603-1625)
• Jimmy Maxton, leader of the Independent Labour Party
• Tom Johnston (Tam), post WW2 Secretary of State for Scotland
• Mary, Queen of Scots, (1542-1587)
• Macbeth, King on the receiving end of a bad press
• John MacCormick, Nationalist
• John A. Macdonald, First Prime Minister of Canada
• Margo MacDonald, Nationalist
• Ramsay MacDonald, (1866-1937), UK Prime minister
• Malcolm MacDonald
• Alexander Mackenzie, second Prime Minister of Canada
• John MacLean, revolutionary
• Alex Salmond, Politician (SNP leader 1990-2000 & 2004-)
• Jim Sillars, founder of Scottish Labour Party, MP
• John Smith, (1938-1994) Labour Party leader
• David Steel, (born 1938), Liberal Party leader from 1976 to 1988
• William Wallace, (c. 1270-1305), a.k.a. Braveheart

Scientists

See List of Scottish scientists

Sportsmen and -women

• Ken Buchanan, (born 1945), world champion boxer
• Jim Clark Formula 1 driver
• David Coulthard, (born 1971), Formula 1 driver
• Kenny Dalglish, (born 1951), footballer and a manager of Liverpool F.C.
• Alex Ferguson footballer and a manager of Manchester United F.C.
• Wyndham Halswelle, runner
• Stephen Hendry (born 1969), professional snooker player, 7 times World champion.
• Dougal Haston (1940 - 1977), mountaineer.
• Eric Liddell (1902-1945), athlete, one of the two subjects of Chariots of Fire
• Jackie Lockhart curler, skip of Scotland team that won the 2002 world championships
• Benny Lynch, (1913-1946), world champion boxer
• Hamish MacInnes mountaineer
• Colin MacRae world champion rally driver
• Rhona Martin curler, Olympic gold medallist
• Ally McCoist, (born 1962), football player
• Liz McColgan (Liz), (born 1964), athlete
• Billy McNeill footballer and a manager of Glasgow Celtic F.C.
• Graham Obree broke world hour record (on a home-made bike)
• Jackie Stewart world champion Formula 1 driver
• Andrew Watson world's first black international football player, captain and administrator
• Jim Watt world champion boxer, won the WBC World Lightweight title
• David Wilkie swimmer

Television Personalities

• Ronni Ancona, (born 1968)
• Edith Bowman, (born 1975)
• Nicky Campbell, (born 1962)
• Romana D'Annunzio, (born 1972)
• Kirsty Gallacher, (born 1976)
• Lorraine Kelly, (born 1959)
• John Leslie (John Leslie Stott), (born 1965)
• Gail Porter, (born 1971)
• Carol Smillie, (born 1961)
• Kirsty Wark, (born 1955)

Theologians

• William Robinson Clark, (1829-1912) Born Daviot, Aberdeenshire became Dean of Taunton and prebendary of Wells 1859-1880 and Professor of Theology, mental and moral philosophy - University of Toronto, Canada 1888-1912. External link: William Robinson Clark and obitituary.
• Alexander Penrose Forbes (1817-1875)
• Alexander Henderson (1583-1646)
• John Knox, (c.1513-1572)
• Thomas McCrie
• Andrew Purves, born in Scotland, currently working at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in USA
• John Duns Scotus, (c.1266-1308)
• George Wishart, (1513-1546)

Writers

See List of Scottish writers

Others

• Alison Balfour , a "notorious witch"
• Andrew Bell (educator) , (1753-1832), Developer of the Madras System
• Helen Duncan, "Hellish Nell", the last woman to be tried under the witchcraft act
• Muriel Gray , (1959- ), author, broadcaster and businesswoman
• Douglas Haig, (1861-1928), commander-in-chief of British forces during World War I
• Elsie Inglis, medical reformer and suffragette
• Alexander Kinloch Forbes, (1821-1865) scholar of the Gujarati language and colonial administrator in British India
• John Paul Jones, (1747-1792), admiral of the Russian and American Navies
• Captain Kidd, (1645-1701), pirate
• Flora Macdonald, jacobite and empire loyalist
• Rob Roy MacGregor, romantic outlaw
• Colin Mackenzie, (c.1754-1821), soldier and scholar in British India
• John James Richard Macleod, (1876-1935)
• John Muir, (1838-1914), 19th century environmentalist
• James Murdoch,(1856-1921) journalist and teacher in Japan and Australia
• Robert Noble
• Allan Pinkerton, (1819-1884), US detective
• John Charles Walsham Reith, (1889-1971), a.k.a Lord Reith, first Director General of BBC
• Alexander Selkirk, (1676-1723), inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe
• Christian Shaw , started the Paisley thread industry
• Moira Shearer , (1926- ), actress, former ballerina, married to Ludovic Kennedy
• Mary Slessor, missionary and advocate for women's rights
• Elizabeth, Countess of Sutherland , enthusiastic contributor to the Highland Clearances
• Robert William Thomson, (1822-1873), inventor

See also:

• List of people by nationality
• List of Kings of the Picts
• Scots-Quebecer