#1Film, TV & Stage
Lily Collins
born 1989British-American actress (born 1989)
74 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Guildford, Surrey
Of the 197 famous people born in Guildford, an unusual share are ministers and preachers
Most widely known is Lily Collins, the British-American actress, with articles in 74 languages. Second and third on the list are Piers Morgan and David Hemmings. The largest group, 86, was born in the 20th century. Guildford’s list is the longest of any town in Surrey.
Born here
197
notable people
Best known
Lily Collins
in 74 Wikipedia languages
First
1510
Robert Horne
Youngest
2004
Henry Moodie
Most common field
Sports
78 people
What stands out about Guildford’s famous people
Known worldwideLily Collins is written about in 74 languages.Still making namesBirths since 1950 number 115, the most recent in 2004.A town of ministers and preachersAmong the 197 people born here, 6 are ministers and preachers: 1.7 times the usual share.197 notable peopleWith 197 notable people, the list is longer than most towns’.
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Guildford
The three are covered in 74, 40 and 34 languages: Lily Collins, Piers Morgan and David Hemmings.
#1
#2Writing & Arts
Piers Morgan
born 1965British journalist and television host (born 1965)
40 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Film, TV & Stage
David Hemmings
1941–2003English actor and director (1941–2003)
34 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Guildford’s famous people were born
The 1960s alone account for 27 of the births charted here.
SportsWriting & ArtsFilm, TV & StageMusicScience & MedicineMilitaryPolitics & LawFaithBusinessNotable
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Guildford is known for
Ministers and preachers stand out most, at 1.7 times the usual share.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Guildford
Of the other 194, 78 are athletes.
Robert Abbot
1560–1618Anglican clergyman and academic, Master of Balliol College, Oxford and Bishop of Salisbury (1560–1618)
FaithWikipedia ↗
Robert Irwin
1946–2024British historian, novelist, and writer on Arabic literature (1946–2024)
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Julie Dawn Cole
born 1957British actress, singer, author, and psychotherapist
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
James Hodgson
born 1969Headmaster of Bedford School and a former English cricketer (born 1969)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Jemma Kidd
born 1974English countess by courtesy, make up artist and fashion model
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Richard Cooke
1946–2023Archaeologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Thomas Cecil Hunt
1901–1980British physician and gastroenterologist (1901 - 1980)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
John Bligh
1770–1831Royal Navy officer during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
The fullest list close by belongs to Woking, with 107.
Questions about famous people from Guildford
Who is the most famous person from Guildford?
Lily Collins (British-American actress (born 1989)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 74 languages. Next come Piers Morgan and David Hemmings.
How many famous people were born in Guildford?
197 people born in Guildford have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 230 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Guildford known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 78 of the 197. That is 40% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Guildford?
Robert Horne, born in 1510. The youngest on the list was born in 2004.
Who counts as from Guildford?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Guildford’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 (92)
- Lily Collins: Montclair Film, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Piers Morgan: Number 10, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Hemmings: Dario Argento (director), Luigi Kuveiller (cinematographer), Seda Spettacoli (production), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alex McCarthy: Hayden Schiff from Cincinnati, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Molyneux: DanielAlexanderSmith, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Celia Imrie: JaceMerlyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- George Abbot: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Andrew Latimer: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Emily Thornberry: Laurie Noble, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Katherine Legge: Crosathorian, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Hollins: @cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) London from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Liam Heath: Ollie Harding, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Simon Bird: Alison Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mark Hudson: Jon Candy, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mica Levi: Dimitrios Vellis / subtext.at, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- George Nash: Chmee2, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Georgina Reilly: Canadian Film Centre, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Oliver Wynne-Griffith: Ailura, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, Wikimedia Commons
- Ronnie Rooke: Γεώργιος Τερζής 2, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jodie Kidd: Peter from UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Burchill: ♥Nici♥Vampire♥Heart♥, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nicola Bryant: Mark Garland, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Strachey: Presumably Bassano Ltd, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Katy Manning: Jamesplay10James Dimelow, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robin Fletcher: سیاق, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Vikkstar123: Gymshark, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brendan Perlini: 5of7, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cathy Newman: NHS Confederation, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Marcus Brigstocke: Rodw, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mimî M. Khayisa: Pedro Rilhó, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Abbot: Willem van de Passe, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Marc Hynes: Robk23oxf, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Olivia Breen: Dave Collier, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bart Edwards: Harry Livingstone Photography Lividh, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Henry Moodie: Jamilla90, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Julie Dawn Cole: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tony Blackburn: Martinra1966, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gavin Turk: Livestockmarket, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- George Kruis: Hedges27, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Russell: John Russell, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Rachel Cawthorn: gaccd, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Howells: Williamkeane, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ellen Elizabeth Ellis: Aorewa McLeod. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1990. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand (accessed 11 February 2018), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Georgina Hermitage: Dave Collier, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Herbert Leavey: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Graham Goodenough: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Leonard Colebrook: Walter Stoneman, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Dawes: Martin Rulsch, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Roger W. Mills: Natalie Manyko, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Iain Ballamy: OhWeh, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Kate Westbrook: rhythmaning, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Richards: stevecubbins, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Andrea Byrne: National Assembly for Wales, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Emma Stevens: BrizzzUK, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Francis Aylmer Maxwell: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Charles Williamson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Georgina Nelthorpe: Jørgen Løken (User:Løken), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Holly Walsh: JaceMerlyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Isabelle Black: Hildreth gazzard, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Doherty: James Doherty, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Johnston: jd lennon, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Omid Nooshin: Nejebad, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paulene Stone: BethanySwain, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ricky Newman: Beatpoet, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Samuel Laurence: attributed to Sir Anthony Coningham Sterling 1805-1871, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Seve Benson: Pvt pauline, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Richards: Kane Brooker, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alex Sarama: MapleScholar06, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Darren Purchese: CathBurchPurchese, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Elizabeth Buchan: Matthisvalerie, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Martin Hall: University of Salford Press Office, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paddy O'Connell: Steve Bowbrick, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Harper: BlueBirdy7, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Phil Dowson: Charlie, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Toby Edser: Edmiller73, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Albert Edward Curtis: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alfred Victor Smith: photographer not identified, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Parkhurst: William Camden Edwards, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John William Ellis: Hamilton City Council, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Josh Walters: Fleets, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Karl Beattie: Voice Magazine, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Matt Davies: Fleets, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael Channing: Fleets, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Horne: Procession_of_the_Knights_of_the_Garter_(sheet_2).jpg: Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder derivative work: Glanis, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Andrew Bell: Andrew Bell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- George Onslow: Ralph Earl, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ingrid Beazley: IngridABeazley, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Murray Marshall: Francis Marshall (book). Photograph by Owen, Salisbury, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Roger Michell: Juliamichell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Gunn: Engraver Harriet Turner after Elizabeth Jane Turner, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Sarah Mullally: Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Phillips: Jennie Stedman, 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.