Curated playlist
English people of French descent
- George OrwellGeorge Orwell was a pen name, chosen from a shortlist in 1932. He was born Eric Arthur Blair in British India.
- Richard III of EnglandRichard III's skeleton was found under a car park in Leicester. The king had been buried there in 1485.
- Olivia ColmanOlivia Colman was born Sarah Caroline Colman, and she had to give up that first name before her career properly began. The actors' union Equity already had a Sarah Colman on its books, so the newcomer needed another. She took the name of a…
- Edward IIIEdward III seized power at 17 by capturing Roger Mortimer at Nottingham Castle. Mortimer was executed.
- John, King of EnglandKing John was nicknamed Lackland because he wasn't expected to inherit much. He ruled England from 1199 to 1216.
- Laurence OlivierLaurence Olivier's 1948 film Hamlet was the first non-American film to win Best Picture.
- Richard I of EnglandWhile scraping together money for a crusade, Richard I of England reputedly declared, "I would have sold London if I could find a buyer." He ruled as king from 1189 until 1199. In all that time he probably spent no more than six months on…
- Daniel CraigIn 2021, the English actor Daniel Craig was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It sits at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard, an address that winks at the code number 007. Two days later his final film as that famous spy opened in the…
- Henry V of EnglandHenry V of England was crowned at Westminster Abbey on the 9th of April 1413, in the middle of a terrible snowstorm. Onlookers could not decide whether the weather was a good omen or a bad one. That uncertainty suited a king whose…
- House of PlantagenetThe Plantagenet kings never used the name Plantagenet. It came from a nickname for a 12th-century count of Anjou.
- Henry Edward ManningCardinal Manning died wearing a locket with his late wife's portrait. Caroline had died 55 years earlier.
- Daniel DefoeDaniel Defoe stood in a pillory in 1703 for a pamphlet. Years later he wrote Robinson Crusoe.
- Joseph BazalgetteIn 1858, London's stench forced Parliament to hang disinfectant-soaked curtains. Joseph Bazalgette built the fix.
- Henry FourdrinierHenry Fourdrinier spent sixty thousand pounds on a paper machine and went bankrupt.
- Paul DiracPaul Dirac's 1928 equation predicted antimatter, and the positron appeared in 1932.
- Peter MolyneuxPeter Molyneux got ten free Amiga computers after Commodore mistook his baked bean exporter for a software firm.
- Henry BessemerA sixteen-year-old confronted Henry Bessemer in London over her father's unpaid work.
- Harriet MartineauAfter her family's textile business failed in 1829, Harriet Martineau wrote to earn a living.
- David GarrickA wine merchant's apprentice packed London's theater with dukes. David Garrick played Richard III in 1741.
- Simon CallowSimon Callow's acting career began with a fan letter to Laurence Olivier. Olivier wrote back with a box-office job.