University Of Leeds Alumni

Best known as the lead guitarist and singer of the popular rock band Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler is one of Britain’s most celebrated guitar icons. Known for hits such as Sultans of Swing, he and his band also released Brothers in Arms, one of the best-selling albums of all time.

French-British actor Emma Mackey is best known for her portrayal of Maeve Wiley in the Netflix series Sex Education. Some of her upcoming projects include Emily Brontë’s biopic and the thriller Death on the Nile. She has also appeared in the TV projects Badger Lane and Summit Fever.

After starting her career as a child actress, Holliday Grainger went on to establish herself as a prominent  actress in the British TV and film industry. Also a well-known philanthropist, Holliday Grainger was featured in a film titled Home, which was intended to help enhance awareness of the global refugee crisis.

Cantopop pioneer Leslie Cheung was born to a tailor who worked for celebrities such as Alfred Hitchcock. Educated in the U.K., he later began a singing career in Hong Kong and then moved to Canada. After an illustrious 26-year career, he committed suicide by jumping from the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

Stephen Jay Gould was an American evolutionary biologist, paleontologist, and historian of science. One of the most widely read and influential authors of popular science, Gould was named a Living Legend in April 2000 by the US Library of Congress. He is also counted among the most frequently cited scientists, as far as evolutionary theory is concerned.

Jamie Laing is an English entrepreneur and television personality. He is credited with founding Candy Kittens, a confectionery company. Apart from appearing in reality television series, such as Made in Chelsea, Jamie Laing also hosts a couple of podcasts. Also renowned for his dancing skills, Laing won the runner-up trophy in the 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2020.

The lead vocalist of English pop-rock band Bastille, singer-songwriter Dan Smith gained international fame with his chartbusting 2013 track Pompeii. He has also released hits such as Happier and Good Grief. He has been associated with various charitable initiatives and had also formed a distraction club during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Ken Robinson was a British author and speaker. An influential figure, Robinson served as an international advisor to several non-profits, education and arts bodies, and government. From 1989 to 2001, he served as a professor at the University of Warwick. Born into a working class family from Liverpool, Robinson went on to win many honors including the George Peabody Medal.

Jack Straw is an English politician who served in the Cabinet under the governments of Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. From 1997 to 2001, he served as the Home Secretary. From 2001 to 2006, Straw served as the Foreign Secretary. Straw is one of three people to have served continuously in Cabinet during the Labour governments between 1997 and 2010.

Alistair Brownlee made history by becoming the only athlete with two Olympics medals in the triathlon event. His brother, Jonathan Brownlee, too, is a star athlete. Born to a runner father and a swimmer mother, he was introduced to triathlon by Simon Hearnshaw, his uncle, who was also an avid athlete.

Elio Di Rupo is a Belgian socialist politician best known for serving as the Prime Minister of Belgium from 2011 to 2014. Di Rupo, who served as the Mayor of Mons from 2000 to 2018, is the current Minister-President of Wallonia. Elio Di Rupo was also the world's first openly gay man to head a government in modern times.

Starting his career with NASA as a research meteorologist, Piers Sellers later became a NASA astronaut. The British-American astronaut and climate scientist was a Space Shuttle mission expert and had visited the International Space Station thrice. He also appeared in the documentary Before the Flood, partially produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Award-winning Scottish journalist and broadcaster Gavin Esler is best known for presenting BBC programs such as Dateline London, The Film Review, and Hardtalk. He has also penned novels such as The Blood Brother and non-fiction works such as Brexit Without the Bullshit. He also contested as election as a Change UK candidate.

Ian Brackenbury Channell, who is popularly known as The Wizard of New Zealand, is an illusionist, comedian, educator, and politician. He is best known for his public speeches, especially in front of the famous Christchurch Cathedral. His life and career have inspired a couple of documentaries.  

Scottish engineer Dugald Clerk is best known for his invention of the two-stroke engine, used widely in motorcycles and other machines. He also headed engineering research of the British Admiralty as its director and was knighted, too. He also co-established the intellectual property service provider Marks & Clerk.