Of the many notable Aberdonians from Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in Scotland , The
Open winning golfer Paul Lawrie and the musician Annie Lennox are the most famous in modern times. However, Aberdeen has produced many earlier important people, such as Thomas Blake Glover , an assisting figure in the foundation of Mitsubishi .
Architecture and design
Armed forces
Art and sculpture
King Lear and the Fool in the Storm , by artist William Dyce John Macdonald Aiken (1880–1961), painter and stained-glass artistJohanna Basford (born 1983), illustrator and textile designer[ 1] [ 2] Alexander Milne Calder (1846–1923), sculptorBerthe des Clayes (1877–1968), artistGertrude des Clayes (1879–1949), portrait painterWilliam Dyce (1806–1864), artistGeorge Jamesone (c. 1587–1644), Scotland's first eminent artistWilliam Keith (1838–1911), landscape artistJennifer Lee (born 1956), Scottish ceramic artistShona Macdonald , artist, University of Massachusetts Amherst professorEsther Blaikie MacKinnon (1885–1934), artistJames McBey (1883–1959), artistAlberto Morrocco (1917–1998), artist and teacherStephen Reid (1873–1948), illustrator and painter
Business
Thomas Blake Glover , merchant in 19th century Japan
Literature and journalism
Lord Byron (1788–1824), poet (raised in Aberdeen aged 2–10)Alexander Chalmers (1759–1834), writer and editorSimon Farquhar (born 1972), writerLewis Grassic Gibbon (1901–1935), authorRichard Gordon (born 1960), BBC Radio Scotland presenterJohn Imlah (1799–1846), poetAngus Konstam (born 1960), writer and historianIain Levison (born 1963), novelist and journalistLachlan Mackinnon (born 1956), poet and criticDavid Masson (1822–1907), authorArthur Butler Phillips Mee (1860–1926), journalist, historian and astronomerLorna Moon (1886–1930), author and screenwriterJanet Milne Rae (1844–1933), novelist and missionary, born in Willowbank[ 3] Alexander Scott (1920–1989), poet in Braid Scots and EnglishNan Shepherd (1893–1981), author and poetRachel Annand Taylor (1876–1960), poet and critic
Music
Singer Annie Lennox Connor Ball (born 1996), bassist of The Vamps Yvie Burnett (born 1963), opera singer, vocal coach and TV personalityIan Campbell (1933–2012), folk musicianRonald Center (1913–1973), composerFinlay Dun (1795–1853), musician and collector of Scottish songsIona Fyfe (born 1998), award-winning Scots singer and musicianMary Garden (1874–1967), opera singerEvelyn Glennie (born 1965), virtuoso percussionistCalvin Goldspink (born 1989), singer and US-based actorJimmy Hastings (born 1938), rock and jazz instrumentalistHellripper (2014 – present), one-man black/speed metal band
Annie Lennox (born 1954), singerNeil Mackie (born 1946), tenor and professor at Royal College of Music Alasdair MacLean (born 1974), vocalist and songwriterTerry McDermott , singerJohn McLeod (born 1934), composerJimmy Murrison (born 1964), lead guitaristPallas (1980 – present), progressive rock bandStanley Robertson (1940–2009), ballad singer and storytellerSeb Rochford , drummerEmeli Sandé (born 1987), singerThe Shamen , electronic dance music bandThe Xcerts , band
Politics
Richard Alexander (1934–2008), former MP for Newark Sir John Anderson (1858–1915), Governor of Straits Settlements Sir John Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet (1912–1992), politicianNorman Baker , MP for Lewes and former UK government ministerPeter Bevan-Baker (1962–), Canadian politician, the current leader for the PEI Green Party (from 2012), MLA (from 2015), and official opposition leader for Prince Edward Island (from 2019)Kirsty Blackman , SNP MP for Aberdeen North (from 2015)William Mortimer Clark (1836–1917), Canadian politicianJames Cran , former MP for Beverley, PPS, Maastricht Rebel and Shadow Deputy Leader of the HouseDan Crenshaw , U.S. politicianStuart Donaldson , SNP MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (from 2015)James Moir Ferres (1813–1870), Upper Canadian politician and journalistFrank Findlay (1884–1945), New Zealand politicianJames Forrester (1937–2011), U.S. politicianSydney Gardner (1884–1965), Australian politicianMichael Gove (born 1967), Conservative MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities , and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Rosemary Hall (1925–2011), Scottish Nationalist politicianJohn Hope (1842–1926), Tasmanian politicianJoseph Hunter (1839–1935), Canadian politician and surveyorWilliam Alexander Hunter (1844–1898), politician and juristJames Hutchison (1859–1909), Australian politicianSir William MacGregor (1846–1919), Lieutenant-Governor of British New Guinea , Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador and Governor of Queensland Callum McCaig , former MP for Aberdeen South (from 2015 to 2017)Donald Melville (1829–1919), Australian politicianAlexander Mitchell (1817–1887), U.S. politicianRobert Morrison, 1st Baron Morrison (1881–1953), British politician and parliamentary private secretary John Paton (1886–1976), politician and British MPDouglas Ross (born 1983), leader of the Scottish Conservatives William Bain Scarth (1837–1902), Canadian politicianSir Richard Shepherd , MP for Aldridge-Brownhills Graham Simpson (living), Conservative MSP Thomas Smith (1745–1809), U.S. politicianNicol Stephen, Baron Stephen (born 1960), Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Leader of Scottish Liberal Democrats John Stevenson , MP for CarlisleJohn Strachan , U.S. politicianRoss Thomson (born 1987), politician and former MSP , former Conservative MP for Aberdeen SouthEilidh Whiteford , SNP MP for Banff and Buchan (from 2010)
Religion
Oswald Chambers (1874–1917), seminarianAlexander Cruden (1699–1770), theologianAlexander Ewing (1814–1873), church leaderRev. John Ferguson (1852–1925), Presbyterian minister and Acting Principal of St Andrew's College at University of Sydney [ 4] Alan Main (born 1936), minister and Moderator of the Church of Scotland Rev. Scott Rennie (born 1972), minister and theologianJohn Strachan (1778–1867), first Anglican Bishop of Toronto William Turner (1844–1914), Roman Catholic Bishop of Galloway (1893–1914)Alexander Young (died 1684), Bishop of Edinburgh, then of Ross
Scholarship
Science and medicine
Astronomer James Gregory Terence Cawthorne (1902–1970), ear, nose and throat surgeon, knightedSir Andrew Clark, 1st Baronet (1826–1893), physician and pathologistQuentin Gibson (1918–2011), physiologist and biochemistSir David Gill (1843–1914), astronomerDavid Gregory (1659–1708), astronomerJames Gregory (1638–1675), astronomer and mathematicianJames Charles Inglis (1851–1911), civil engineer, knightedWilson Jameson (1885–1962), physicianJohn MacGillivray (1821–1867), naturalistWilliam MacGillivray (1796–1852), naturalist and ornithologistFrancis Masson (1741–1805), botanistRobert Morison (1620–1683), botanist and taxonomistMary Pirie (1822–1855), botanist, entomologist and teacher
Sports
Russell Anderson (born 1978), footballerTim Baillie (born 1979), slalom canoeist and 2012 Olympic gold medal winnerIan Black , (born 1941), swimmerGeorge Buchan (born 1950), footballerMartin Buchan (born 1949), footballerDavid Carry (born 1981), swimmer and 2006 Commonwealth gold medal winnerLouise Christie (born 2000), rhythmic gymnast and 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medal winnerNeil Cochran (born 1965), swimmer and 1984 Olympic bronze medal winnerRachel Corsie (born 1989), footballerPeter Craigmyle (1894 – 1979), football refereeWarren Cummings (born 1980), footballerChris Cusiter (born 1982), rugby union playerAlex Dawson (born 1940), footballerPaul Dixon (born 1986), footballerNeil Fachie (born 1984), athlete and 2012 Paralympic gold medal winnerJames Angus Gillan (1885–1981), Olympic rowerJohn Hewitt (born 1963), footballer and scorer of winning goal in 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup Stuart Holden (born 1985), footballer who plays for USA Denis Law (born 1940), footballerPaul Lawrie (born 1969), golferGraham Leggat (1934–2015), footballer and TV presenterMoray Low (born 1984), rugby union playerKen Malcolm (1926–2006), footballerShaun Maloney (born 1983), footballer (raised in Aberdeen)Shona Marshall (born 1964), sport shooter[ 5] Bobby McDonald (born 1955), footballerHannah Miley (born 1989), swimmer and 2010 Commonwealth gold medal winner (raised in Aberdeen)Willie Moir (1922–1988), footballerBill Murray (1901–1961), footballerJohn Murray (1873–1916), cricketerGeorge Mutch (1912–2001), footballer and trainerDavid Ojabo (born 2000), American football linebacker (raised in Aberdeen)Gavin Rae (born 1977), footballerRichie Ramsay (born 1983), golferJohn Rattray (born 1978), skateboarderAndy Reid , football player in the 1930sRobbie Renwick (born 1988), swimmer and 2010 Commonwealth gold medal winner (raised in Aberdeen)Barry Robson (born 1978), footballerAndrew Shinnie (born 1989), footballerFred Smith (1926–2005), footballerNeil Simpson (born 1961), footballer (raised in Aberdeenshire)Jason White (born 1978), rugby union player (raised in Aberdeen)
Stage and screen
Jane Beadon (1913–1999), actress and socialiteJohn Henry Anderson (1814–1874), magicianWilliam Devlin (1911–1987), stage, film and TV actorJames Donald (1917–1993), actorTunji Kasim (living), actorRose Leslie (born 1987), actressLaurie Macmillan (1947–2001), broadcasterLaura Main , actressScotland the What? , comedy revue actMichael Sheard (1938–2005), actorJeff Stewart (born 1955), actorAnnie Wallace , actress
Others
John Watt Beattie (1859–1930), Tasmanian photographerWilliam Dove Paterson (1860–1916), entertainer, cinematographerLeslie Benzies , video game producer and President of Rockstar North , creators of the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto Tom Dalgliesh (born 1945), games designerJuliet-Jane Horne (born 1984), model, Miss Scotland 2000George Washington Wilson (1823–1892), photographerMary Helen Young , (1883–1945), nurse, French Resistance[ 6]
References
