University Of Bristol Notable Alumni

Simon Pegg is a British actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter. Simon Pegg achieved popularity and is best known for playing nerdy characters. Apart from being a popular actor, he is also an ardent supporter of HeForShe, a feminist campaign. In 2020, he signed an open letter urging the wealthiest to pay more tax to help fight inequality.

Will Poulter is an English actor known for playing important roles in popular films, such as We're the Millers, The Maze Runner, and The Revenant. Will Poulter is a major inspiration to those suffering from developmental coordination disorder and dyslexia as he himself suffered from these conditions at school, which in turn encouraged him to pursue a career in acting.

Best known as Matt Lucas from Rock Profile, David Williams has judged Britain's Got Talent; written bestselling children’s books, such as The World's Worst Children series; and swum across the English Channel to raise funds for the charity Sport Relief. His philanthropic efforts won him the OBE in 2017.

Joe Alwyn is an English actor, best known for his performance in films like Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and Harriet. Since 2016, he has been in a relationship with Taylor Swift whose studio albums, such as Reputation, Lover, and Folklore, have songs dedicated to Joe Alwyn.

English theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Paul Dirac OM FRS, counted among leading physicists of the 20th century, made fundamental contributions in the early development of quantum electrodynamics and quantum mechanics. He derived the Dirac equation while the modern theory of antimatter began with one of his papers. His book The Principles of Quantum Mechanics remains an influential monograph on the subject.

Jeremy Wade is a British TV presenter, biologist, and freshwater detective. He is best known for his TV series River Monsters, Mighty Rivers, and Dark Waters. He attended the University of Kent and began his career as a biology teacher. He made his TV debut by chance and didn’t take long to become a popular TV presenter. 

German theoretical physicist Klaus Fuchs worked on many significant theoretical calculations relating to the first nuclear weapons. He was also an atomic spy who provided information about nuclear weapons production to the Soviet Union during World War II. He was convicted and jailed for nine years, following which he resumed his career as a physicist.

Chris Morris is an English actor and filmmaker. He is known for his deadpan dark humor and surrealism and often dabbles in controversial subjects in his works. Along with radio producer Armando Iannucci, he created the TV show The Day Today, which went on to be hailed as one of the most important satirical shows of the 1990s. 

David Knopfler is a British singer and songwriter. He is credited with founding the popular rock band Dire Straits. David Knopfler embarked upon a solo career after leaving Dire Straits in the early 1980s. He then went on to release albums like Release, Behind the Lines, and Lips Against the Steel.

Nobel Prize-winning French-Mauritian author J. M. G. Le Clézio is also a renowned academician who has taught at Nanjing University. His debut novel, Le Procès-Verbal, or The Interrogation, which he had penned at 23, won him the Prix Renaudot. His works also include short stories, children’s tales, and travel diaries.

Pearl Mackie is a British actress best known for her portrayal of Bill Potts in the popular TV series, Doctor Who. Her performance in the series earned her the Screen Nation Film & TV Award in 2018. Apart from TV and film, Pearl Mackie has also played prominent roles on stage.

Henry Fitzalan-Howard, Earl of Arundel is a British businessman, aristocrat, and former racing driver. He began his racing career in 2006 when he participated in the Formula BMW UK Championship and won the Rookie Cup for Fortec Motorsport. He also competed in the British Formula 3 Championship before focusing on his business. Henry is credited with co-founding Noble Insurance Group.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is a South African anti-apartheid activist, politician, and doctor. One of the most popular South African politicians of her generation, Dlamini-Zuma has served as the country's minister of health, minister of foreign affairs, and minister of home affairs at different periods of time.

British politician Stephen Crabb, who represents the Welsh Conservatives, had initially worked as a marketing consultant and had also been associated with the London Chamber of Commerce. The first elected MP from Preseli Pembrokeshire, his home constituency, he was named the 2014 Welsh Politician of the Year.

Bernard Lovell was a British physicist and radio astronomer who served as the first director of Jodrell Bank Observatory, holding this position from 1945 to 1980. He studied at the University of Bristol and embarked on an academic career. During World War II, he worked for the Telecommunications Research Establishment (TRE). He was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Medal in 1980. 

Scottish geologist Iain Stewart once revealed in an interview that he initially struggled with the subject. A child actor, he later focused on academics and grew up to be a University of Plymouth professor and the UNESCO geoscience chair. He has also presented many BBC programs and been awarded an MBE.