20th-century English male writers

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. For some 62 of the years between 1900 and 1964, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) and represented a total of five constituencies over that time. Ideologically an adherent to economic liberalism and imperialism, he was for most of his career a member of the Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955. He was a member of the Liberal Party from 1904 to 1924.

British writer and journalist (1903–1950)

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55).

Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, widely viewed as one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.

English writer and poet (1865–1936)

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is an English actor, comedian, and writer. He first gained success on the sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982), before going on to play the title roles in the sitcoms Blackadder (1983–1989) and Mr. Bean (1990–1995), and in the film series Johnny English (2003–present).

English author and Christian apologist (1874–1936)

English novelist and poet (1840–1928)

British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate (1911–1993)

English playwright and author (1874–1965)

Sir Christopher Edward Nolan is a British and American filmmaker. A significant auteur of his generation, he has been a major figure in the 21st century Hollywood. Nolan's films have earned over $6 billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing film director. His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and two British Academy Film Awards. Nolan was appointed as a CBE in 2019 and was knighted in 2024 for his contributions to film.

British-American poet (1907–1973)

American novelist and screenwriter (1888–1959)

English novelist (1879-1970)

English humorist (1859-1927)

James Hugh Calum Laurie is an English actor, comedian, and musician. Laurie first gained professional recognition as a member of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. Fry and Laurie acted together in several projects during the 1980s and 1990s, including the BBC sketch comedy series A Bit of Fry & Laurie and the P. G. Wodehouse adaptation Jeeves and Wooster. From 1986 to 1989, Laurie appeared in three series of the period comedy Blackadder.

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and, as of 2016, controlled five companies.

Russo-British-Latvian Jewish social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas (1909–1997)

British novelist and spy (1931–2020)

British comedian and actor

Italian writer, literary critic, and translator (1908–1950)

English poet and novelist (1895-1985)

British astronomer (1915–2001)

Sir Stephen John Fry is an English actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He began his career on the sketch comedy series Alfresco (1983–1984) and the sitcom Blackadder (1986–1989), before gaining recognition as part of the comedy duo Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, appearing together in A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995) and Jeeves and Wooster (1990–1993). His later television roles include Kingdom (2007–2009), Bones (2007–2017), and It's a Sin (2021). Fry was the original host of the comedy panel show QI (2003–2016), for which he was nominated for six British Academy Television Awards. In 2006, the British public ranked Fry number 9 in ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars.

English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter (born 1943)

British economist and Nobel laureate (1910–2013)

British comedian

Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English filmmaker known primarily for British comedy gangster films and large-scale action-adventure films.

Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959) is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of the rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then he has pursued a successful solo career. Morrissey's music is characterised by his baritone voice and distinctive lyrics with anti-establishment stances and recurring themes of emotional isolation, sexual longing, self-deprecation, and dark humour.

Geneticist and evolutionary biologist (1892-1964)

English novelist, poet, critic and teacher (1922-1995)

British novelist

British comedian, actor and writer (born 1943)

British novelist (1930–2009)

English poet and soldier (1893-1918)

Scottish novelist (1896–1981)

English writer and poet (1892–1962)

English theatre and film director (1925–2022)

English actor, comedian and writer (1941–1989)

British American author and lecturer (1915–1973)

British novelist and philosopher (1886–1950)

British science fiction writer (1925–2017)

French-English writer (1870–1953)

British musician (born 1961)

British writer (1906–1985)

English playwright (1929-1994)

British actor (1906–1972)

English novelist and physical chemist (1905–1980)

English novelist, screenwriter, essayist, and film producer (born 1957)

British politician (1925–2014)

British-German racialist philosopher (1855–1927)

British actor and writer (1927–1978)

British actor (1921–1999)

English poet (1887–1915)

British actor (1893–1943)

English author (born 1949)

English science fiction author (1903–1969)

British writer (1909–1957)

English war poet and writer (1886-1967)

British author, actor, comedian and director (1934–1982)