#1Famous people · Lewisham, London
Jude Law and 448 more famous people were born in Lewisham
Jude Law, the English actor, has articles in 90 languages. 167 of them were born in the 20th century, more than in any other period. The list comes to 14.9 for every 10,000 residents, about the same as the typical town in London, at 12.9. The biggest group are athletes: 204.
Born here
449
notable people
Best known
Jude Law
in 90 Wikipedia languages
First
1588
Brian Duppa
Youngest
2006
Chinonso Chibueze
Most common field
Sports
204 people
What stands out about Lewisham’s famous people
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Lewisham
Counted by languages, Jude Law is ahead of Sid Vicious and Alexander McQueen: 90, 75 and 54.
#1
#2
#3Writing & Arts
Alexander McQueen
1969–2010British fashion designer (1969–2010)
54 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Lewisham’s famous people were born
Births peak in the 1990s, with 58 people born in that decade.
SportsWriting & ArtsFilm, TV & StagePolitics & LawScience & MedicineMusicMilitaryNotableFaithBusiness
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born. The 400 best known are plotted.
Known for
What Lewisham is known for
Compared with the usual town, soldiers and sailors are the most over-represented field, at 1.3 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Lewisham
446 more; the 197 best known are listed here.
Rachel Reeves
born 1979British politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2024 to 2026 (born 1979)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Lionel Jeffries
1926–2010English actor, screenwriter and film director (1926–2010)
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
James Whitbread Lee Glaisher
1848–1928English mathematician and astronomer (1848-1928)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Henry Williamson
1895–1977British ruralist and natural history writer (1895–1977)
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Francis Harvey
1873–1916Officer of the British Royal Marine Light Infantry posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross (1873–1916)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Ida Pollock
1908–2013British writer, referred to as the 'world's oldest novelist' who was still active at 105. (1908-2013)
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Reggie Schwarz
1875–1918English-South African cricketer and rugby union footballer (1875-1918)
SportsWikipedia ↗
Stanley Unwin
1884–1968British publisher (1884-1968): George Allen & Unwin; Allen and Unwin
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Edward Powys Mathers
1892–1939British poet and crossword constructor (1892-1939)
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Adrian Ross
1859–1933British lyricist, playwright, and fiction writer (1859–1933)
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Danny Baker
born 1957English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Close by, the fullest list is Lambeth’s, at 784 names.
Lambeth · 4 miDavid Bowie & 783 more
Southwark · 3 miMichael Faraday & 637 more
Hackney · 7 miEdmond Halley & 576 more
Tower Hamlets · 4 miMary Wollstonecraft & 511 more
Croydon · 6 miKate Moss & 501 more
Bromley · 5 miH. G. Wells & 498 more
Islington · 8 miJohn Stuart Mill & 482 more
Wandsworth · 7 miClement Attlee & 458 moreQuestions about famous people from Lewisham
Who is the most famous person from Lewisham?
Jude Law (English actor (born 1972)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 90 languages. Next come Sid Vicious and Alexander McQueen.
How many famous people were born in Lewisham?
449 people born in Lewisham have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 515 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Lewisham known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 204 of the 449. That is 45% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Lewisham?
Brian Duppa, born in 1588. The youngest on the list was born in 2006.
Who counts as from Lewisham?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Lewisham’s built-up area (the ONS 2022 boundary), a hospital or district within it included, whose English Wikipedia article agrees. People who only lived here, adult performers and people known mainly for crimes aren’t listed.
Why is someone missing?
Their Wikidata birthplace may be a bigger area (“London”), another town, or missing, or their article may give no birthplace. We only list people both sources agree on; editing Wikidata or Wikipedia changes this page at the next refresh.
From Wikidata (CC0: birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations) and English Wikipedia (each person’s article confirms the birthplace; linked, not quoted). Birthplaces are placed in the town by the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary (Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0). Ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. Fields are read from Wikidata’s description and occupations. “The usual town”: everyone listed across UK towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (118)
- Jude Law: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sid Vicious: Chicago Art Department c/o: L. Schorr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alexander McQueen: Ed Kavishe / fashionwirepress.com, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Elsa Lanchester: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Joe Gomez: Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Henry Thomas Buckle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ruben Loftus-Cheek: Кирилл Венедиктов, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bill Wyman: Jacco Barth, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ginger Baker: Zoran Veselinovic, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Cleverly: ©House of Commons / Laurie Noble, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Eddie Nketiah: Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gladys Cooper: Bain News Service, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Diana Wynyard: produced by MGM and supplied to CINELANDIA magazine, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Francis Rossi: Håkan Henriksson (Narking), CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alex Yee: National Lottery Good Causes, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ernest Dowson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jonathan Palmer: Richardrandle, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jessica Hynes: Marcus Liversedge, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Estelle Winwood: Shadowland; Campbell Studio, photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Keeley Hazell: suhayl dar, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ike Ugbo: ESTAC Troyes, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Whitbread Lee Glaisher: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Regis: US Embassy London, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Josh Maja: Supporterhéninois, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Louise: damo1977, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maxi Priest: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- MNEK: https://www.flickr.com/photos/whiper/, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bradley Wright-Phillips: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kae Tempest: Selbymay, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael Turner: vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gwendoline Eastlake-Smith: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Muriel Pavlow: Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robin Trower: Carl Lender at https://www.flickr.com/photos/clender/, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lianne Sanderson: Lianne_Sanderson.JPG: Footballgirl Ltd derivative work: J Milburn, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Robertson Justice: Ross-Stillman Productions, Inc., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Steve Harley: Mark Kent, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Lindsay: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kasey Palmer: Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Crocker: Malindine E G (Capt), No 5 Army Film and Photographic Unit, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- P. C. Wren: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- David Jones: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jacqui McShee: The original uploader was Bluewave at English Wikipedia., CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Jeremy Ngakia: Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- May Gibbs: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Julian Harney: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Henry Edward Armstrong: Unidentified photographer, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- James Ellington: Fernando Frazão/Agencia Brasil, CC BY 3.0 br, Wikimedia Commons
- Ellie Reeves: ©House of Commons, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Nouble: Egghead06, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hayley Squires: Simon James from Gateshead, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Julian Gray: Jonesy702, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Karoy Anderson: Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michalis Georgiou: Benutzer:Bill da Flute, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Elliott: Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Francis Harvey: Photo submitted by Luigi Sartorel., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Philip Watts: Leslie Ward, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Annie Horniman: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Danielle Harold: Meena, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Grant Ward: Chris from Rotherham, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Joan Morgan: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Montell Douglas: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Anthony Barness: Mattythewhite, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Reggie Schwarz: George Beldam, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Beatrice Offor: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bill Bradley: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Courtney Tulloch: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Elsie Goldsack: Unknown (Bassano Ltd), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Penn: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lucy Hutchinson: Gary Hutchinson, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tim Yeo: Policy Exchange, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Adrian Ross: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Colin Blythe: George Beldam, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ernest Farrar: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Beldam: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Horace Annesley Vachell: Bain, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Duffield Harding: Henry Perronet Briggs (1793-1844), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Bannister: Ridley, William, 1764-1838, printmaker., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Marquis: Jack86mkII, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie: Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Myles Weston: ChrisTheDude, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Stanford Tuck: Original photograph taken by an employee of the British government., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tich Freeman: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ben Phillips: Harrias, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Horatio Nelson Lay: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Louise Creighton: Bertha Johnson, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ted Bassett: Treeflappa, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Keating: Michael O'Kelly, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alan Jerrard: not identified, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Arthur Rhys-Davids: William Orpen, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles Anthony Deane: Samuel Bellin, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Daniel Bell-Drummond: Blue Square Thing, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Danny Baker: Paul Hudson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Greg James: See Li, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Henry Parker: Government Printing Office of New South Wales, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jake Reeves: Jon Candy, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jon Nouble: James Boyes from UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Liam D'Arcy Brown: Tomtom08, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Moses Ademola: James Boyes, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Nevin: Goalsport1, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sadia Kabeya: Stefano Delfrate, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Pike: HM Government, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tristan Abrahams: ChrisTheDude, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- U. A. Fanthorpe: Ammu taj, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wilfrid de Glehn: John Singer Sargent, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Angie Le Mar: Wilbur1954, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Charlene Soraia: Russell James Smith, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Elsie Fogerty: Lafayette (no individual credited), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Frederic Lang: Unknown photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Warrington Steevens: image credited to Elliott and Fry (photographers). Author unknown, presumably an employee of theirs., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Henry Willis: photographer Cuthbert John Hopkins (1838-1916), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- David Bowie: Adam Bielawski, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael Faraday: Thomas Phillips, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Edmond Halley: Richard Phillips, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mary Wollstonecraft: John Opie, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kate Moss: Crooked House Films, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- H. G. Wells: George Charles Beresford, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Stuart Mill: London Stereoscopic Company, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Clement Attlee: Presumably Yousuf Karsh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.