Balliol College

Discover the notable alumni of Balliol College. The list includes people like Soha Ali Khan, Howard Marks, Raymond Massey, William Rees-Mogg & Charles Krauthammer. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as writers, miscellaneous, intellectuals & academics, media personalities and film & theater personalities etc.
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 1 
Raymond Massey
(Canadian Actor, Known for His Commanding, Stage-Trained Voice)
Raymond Massey
2
Birthdate: August 30, 1896
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died: July 29, 1983

Raymond Massey was a Canadian actor best remembered for his stage-trained voice. Massey earned an Academy Award nomination under the Best Actor category for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in the 1940 biographical historical drama film Abe Lincoln in Illinois. Massey has two stars on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the film and TV industries.  

 2 
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
(Former Captain of the Indian Cricket Team)
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
7
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: January 5, 1941
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bhopal, India
Died: September 22, 2011

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was an Indian cricket player. Entrusted with the responsibility of captaining the Indian cricket team, at the age of 21, Pataudi went on to become one of the greatest Indian cricket captains of all time. Also known for his fielding abilities, he was described by many as the best fielder in the world during his playing career.

 3 
Chris Patten
(Chancellor of the University of Oxford (Since 2003))
Chris Patten
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: May 12, 1944
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Cleveleys, Lancashire, England
 4 
Timothy D. Snyder
(American Historian Who is Specializing in the Modern History of Central and Eastern Europe)
Timothy D. Snyder
0
Birthdate: August 18, 1969
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Ohio, United States

Historian and Yale professor Timothy D. Snyder has penned countless books, including bestsellers such as Bloodlands and On Tyranny. His themes include Marxism and Soviet and Nazi atrocities. A Harvard scholar and a Carnegie fellow, he is also part of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Committee on Conscience.

 5 
Bernard Williams
(Philosopher)
Bernard Williams
0
Birthdate: September 21, 1929
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, England
Died: June 11, 2003
 6 
William Rees-Mogg
(Journalist)
William Rees-Mogg
1
Birthdate: July 14, 1928
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bristol, England
Died: December 29, 2012
 7 
Andras Schiff
(Pianist)
Andras Schiff
4
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: December 21, 1953
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary

Born to Holocaust survivors, Hungarian-born pianist Andras Schiff began learning the piano at age 5. He is now best known for his interpretations of legends such as of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. His numerous awards include a Grammy. He was also knighted for his achievements.

 8 
Paul Sarbanes
(Politician)
Paul Sarbanes
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: February 3, 1933
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Salisbury, Maryland, United States
Died: December 6, 2020
 9 
Robert Peston
(Political Editor of 'ITV News' and Host of the Weekly Political Discussion Show 'Peston')
Robert Peston
2
Birthdate: April 25, 1960
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England

ITV News political editor and the host of Peston, journalist Robert Peston has also established the education non-profit Speakers for Schools. He has also worked for BBC and penned books such as WTF? and Who Runs Britain? He has also won numerous awards, including the RTS’s Journalist of the Year.

 10 
J. L. Austin
(Philosopher of Language Best Known for Developing the 'Theory of Speech Acts')
J. L. Austin
1
Birthdate: March 26, 1911
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Lancaster, England
Died: February 8, 1960

Philosopher J. L. Austin is remembered for his study on ordinary-language philosophy and is also considered a pioneer of the theory of speech acts. His lectures at Harvard were later collected in How to Do Things with Words. He died of cancer while developing a theory on sound symbolism.

 11 
Nicholas Mosley
(Novelist)
Nicholas Mosley
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: June 25, 1923
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: London, England
Died: February 28, 2017
 12 
R. M. Hare
(British Moral Philosopher Known for His Development of Prescriptivism as a 'Meta-Ethical Theory')
R. M. Hare
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 12, 1919
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Backwell, England
Died: January 29, 2002

Best known for his theory on universal prescriptivism, British moral philosopher R. M. Hare initially studied classics at Balliol College, Oxford. He had also been part of World War II and captured by Japan. Essays on Political Morality remains one of his most significant works.

 13 
George Carman
(British Barrister)
George Carman
0
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: October 6, 1929
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Died: January 2, 2001

George Carman was a British barrister best remembered for his involvement in several high profile cases during the 1980s and 1990s. He is best remembered for successfully defending Jeremy Thorpe in 1979 when the latter was accused of conspiracy to murder. George Carman's life and career inspired the 2002 BBC drama Get Carman: The Trials of George Carman QC.

 14 
Soha Ali Khan
(Actress)
Soha Ali Khan
8
Birthdate: October 4, 1978
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New Delhi, India
Height: 5'0" (152 cm)
 15 
Robert D. Putnam
(Political Scientist)
Robert D. Putnam
2
Birthdate: January 9, 1941
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Rochester, New York, United States
 16 
Roy Jenkins
(President of the European Commission (1977 - 1981))
Roy Jenkins
3
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: November 11, 1920
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Abersychan, Monmouthshire, Wales
Died: January 5, 2003

Born to an MP father who was also associated with the mine workers’ union, Roy Jenkins grew up to be Labour Party member and then became the first to lead the Social Democratic Party. An Oxford alumnus, he later led his alma as its chancellor.

 17 
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
(Politician)
Herbert Louis Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: November 6, 1870
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Liverpool, England
Died: February 5, 1963
 18 
T. H. Green
(Philosopher)
T. H. Green
0
Birthdate: April 7, 1836
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Birkin, England
Died: March 26, 1882
 19 
Jo Grimond
(Politician)
Jo Grimond
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: July 29, 1913
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: St. Andrews, Scotland
Died: October 24, 1993
 20 
Nigel Nicolson
(Novelist)
Nigel Nicolson
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: January 19, 1917
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Ebury Street, Westminster, London, England
Died: September 23, 2004
 21 
A. V. Dicey
(British Whig Jurist and Constitutional Theorist)
A. V. Dicey
1
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: February 4, 1835
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: England
Died: April 7, 1922

British jurist A. V. Dicey is best known for his Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution, which forms the basis of the modern British constitution. Apart from teaching law at Oxford, he also served as the principal of the Working Men’s College of London.

 22 
John Addington Symonds
(Poet)
John Addington Symonds
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: October 5, 1840
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bristol, England
Died: April 19, 1893
 23 
John Evelyn
(Writer)
John Evelyn
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: October 31, 1620
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Surrey, England
Died: February 27, 1706
 24 
Henry Edward Manning
(British cardinal)
Henry Edward Manning
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: July 15, 1808
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Totteridge, England
Died: January 14, 1892
 25 
Paul Almond
(Television Director)
Paul Almond
0
Birthdate: April 26, 1931
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: April 9, 2015
 26 
Ronald Knox
(Author)
Ronald Knox
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: February 17, 1888
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kibworth, Leicestershire, England
Died: August 24, 1957
 27 
C.E.M. Joad
(Philosopher)
C.E.M. Joad
0
Birthdate: August 12, 1891
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Durham, England
Died: April 9, 1953
 28 
Frederick William Faber
(Writer)
Frederick William Faber
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: June 28, 1814
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Calverley, England
Died: November 26, 1863
 29 
Donald Michie
(Computer scientist)
Donald Michie
4
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: November 11, 1923
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Yangon, Myanmar
Died: July 7, 2007
 30 
Frederick Temple
(Former Archbishop of Canterbury (1896 - 1902))
Frederick Temple
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: November 30, 1821
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Lefkada, Greece
Died: December 23, 1902

Frederick Temple was an English churchman, teacher, and academic. He served successively as the Bishop of Exeter, Bishop of London, and Archbishop of Canterbury. From 1871 to 1902, he also served as the governor at Sherborne School, where his bust is currently located.

 31 
Sacheverell Sitwell
(Writer)
Sacheverell Sitwell
2
Birthdate: November 15, 1897
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Scarborough, England
Died: October 1, 1988
 32 
Norman O. Brown
(American Scholar, Writer, and Social Philosopher)
Norman O. Brown
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: September 25, 1913
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: El Oro, Mexico
Died: October 2, 2002

American classicist Norman O. Brown is best remembered for his translations of Hesiod’s works. A popular professor of classics at universities such as UC-Santa Cruz, he was known as Nobby by his students. He promoted concepts such as polymorphous perversity and lectured on topics such as Islam, too.

 33 
Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch
(Politician)
Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 16, 1917
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Died: May 27, 2000
 34 
Frank Meyer
(Wiiter, Philosopher)
Frank Meyer
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: May 9, 1909
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States
Died: April 1, 1972
 35 
Henry Watson Fowler
(Lexicographer)
Henry Watson Fowler
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 10, 1858
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Tonbridge, England
Died: December 26, 1933
 36 
Christopher Bayly
(Historian)
Christopher Bayly
0
Birthdate: May 18, 1945
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Tunbridge Wells, England
Died: April 18, 2015
 37 
Archibald Campbell Tait
(Former Archbishop of Canterbury)
Archibald Campbell Tait
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: December 21, 1811
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland
Died: December 3, 1882

While Archibald Campbell Tait, the Archbishop of Canterbury, is best remembered for trying to mitigate the Church of England conflict during the Oxford Movement, his contributions in other fields were of no less importance. His inauguration of the Bishop of London's Fund and his work on the Royal Commission on Ritual are still remembered by one and all.

 38 
A.C. Bradley
(Scholar)
A.C. Bradley
1
Birthdate: March 26, 1851
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Cheltenham, England
Died: September 2, 1935
 39 
Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet
(Scottish Metaphysician and Philosopher Known for His Contributions in the Field of Logic)
Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet
1
Birthdate: March 8, 1788
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Died: May 6, 1856

Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet, was a Scottish metaphysician and educator best remembered for his work in the field of logic. Hamilton, who made attempts to combine the views held by German philosopher Immanuel Kant with the Scottish philosophy of common sense, is credited with popularizing the works of Kant in the United Kingdom.

 40 
George Rickey
(Sculptor)
George Rickey
0
Birthdate: June 6, 1907
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: South Bend, Indiana, United States
Died: July 17, 2002
 41 
Hugo Young
(British Journalist, Columnist and Senior Political Commentator at 'The Guardian')
Hugo Young
0
Birthdate: October 13, 1938
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Sheffield, England
Died: September 22, 2003

Hugo Young was a British columnist and journalist. He contributed immensely to the success of The Guardian, where he worked as a senior political commentator. He also played a major role in the development of The Sunday Times, where he was the chief writer from 1967 to 1977. He also served as the publication's political editor from 1973 to 1984.           

 42 
Ahmed Hassanein
(Fencer)
Ahmed Hassanein
0
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: October 31, 1889
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Cairo, Egypt
Died: February 19, 1946

Apart from being a talented fencer, who represented Egypt in Olympics twice, Ahmed Hassanein had also held important political posts under King Fuad I and was a tutor to his son, Farouk I. An Oxford alumnus, he also went on expeditions in the Libyan desert and discovered an unknown oasis.

 43 
Robert Barnard
(Writer)
Robert Barnard
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: November 23, 1936
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Burnham-on-Crouch, England
Died: September 19, 2013
 44 
Peter Quennell
(Britiish Biographer, Literary Historian, Essayist, and Poet)
Peter Quennell
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: March 9, 1905
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: London, England
Died: October 27, 1993

Initially a journalist, Peter Quennell had briefly taught in Japan, before going back to England and editing for The Cornhill Magazine. He also established the journal History Today. Knighted for his literary achievments, he was also known for his multiple biographies on Romantic poet Lord Byron.

 45 
Edward Charles Titchmarsh
(Mathematician)
Edward Charles Titchmarsh
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: June 1, 1899
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Newbury, Berkshire, England
Died: January 18, 1963
 46 
John Gibson Lockhart
(Biographer)
John Gibson Lockhart
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: July 14, 1794
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Wishaw, Scotland
Died: November 25, 1854
 47 
Thomas Andrew Knight
(British Horticulturalist and Botanist)
Thomas Andrew Knight
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: August 12, 1759
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Herefordshire, England
Died: May 11, 1838

Copley Medal-winning British horticulturalist Thomas Andrew Knight is best remembered for his study of the movement of sap in plants and the impact of gravity on the growth of plants. He was also the Royal Horticultural Society’s second president. His initial works found a place in the Royal Society’s Philosophical Transactions.

 48 
Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry
(Lawyer)
Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry
0
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: 1578 AD
Birthplace: England
Died: January 14, 1640
 49 
William George Ward
(Theologian)
William George Ward
0
Birthdate: March 21, 1812
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: London, England
Died: July 6, 1882
 50 
Cosmo Gordon Lang
(Archbishop)
Cosmo Gordon Lang
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 31, 1864
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
Died: December 5, 1945