List of people from Glasgow

This list covers famous or notable people or groups who were born or raised in Glasgow, Scotland or have been connected with it.

Arts

Architecture

• David Hamilton – architect
• Charles Rennie Mackintosh – architect and designer
• Alexander "Greek" Thomson – architect

Film

• Bill Forsyth – film director
• May Miles Thomas – screenwriter, filmmaker
• Chris Quick – independent filmmaker and director of Glasgow Filmmakers Alliance

Journalism

• Lawrence Donegan – journalist
• Ross Finlay – motoring journalist, travel writer and broadcaster
• Johann Hari – journalist
• Jack House – journalist, writer and broadcaster
• Andrew Marr – journalist, writer and television presenter
• Jack Webster – journalist

Literature

• Freddie Anderson – socialist playwright and poet originally from Ireland
• James Bridie – playwright
• Catherine Carswell – novelist and biographer of the Scottish Renaissance
• A. J. Cronin – doctor and novelist
• Ivor Cutler – poet, songwriter, humourist
• Lavinia Derwent – children's writer
• Alasdair Gray – artist, novelist and essayist
• Pearse Hutchinson – poet
• James Kelman – novelist
• Tom Leonard – poet
• Liz Lochhead – poet and playwright
• Peter May – crime writer
• Edwin Morgan – poet and translator
• Grant Morrison – comic book author
• Tony Roper – actor, television writer, author
• Suhayl Saadi – physician, novelist, playwright, anthologist; co-editor of A Fictional Guide to Scotland
• J David Simons – author
• Alan Spence – novelist and poet
• Nigel Tranter – historical novelist

Performing arts

• Moyo Akandé – actress
• John Barrowman – singer and actor (The Producers, Torchwood)
• Sean Biggerstaff – actor (Harry Potter)
• Billy Boyd – actor (The Lord of the Rings)
• Frankie Boyle – comedian
• Kevin Bridges – comedian
• John Cairney – actor
• Peter Capaldi – actor (The Thick of It, In The Loop, Doctor Who)
• Robert Carlyle – actor (Trainspotting, The World Is Not Enough)
• Lawrence Chaney – drag queen and winner of the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK
• Morven Christie – actress
• Robbie Coltrane – actor (Harry Potter, Cracker)
• Billy Connolly – comedian (The Man Who Sued God)
• Kate Copstick – actress and director
• Tony Curran – actor
• Iain De Caestecker – actor (The Fades, Young James Herriot, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
• Karen Dunbar – comedian and actress
• Craig Ferguson – actor and writer
• Gregor Fisher – comedian
• Laura Fraser – actress
• Rikki Fulton – comedian
• Michelle Gomez – actress (Doctor Who, Green Wing)
• Greg Hemphill – actor
• Olaf Hytten – actor
• Ford Kiernan – actor
• Mark Knopfler – Musician, songwriter, soundtrack writer, guitarist
• Gary Lewis – actor
• Brian Limond – comedian and actor
• Marie Loftus – music hall entertainer
• Kelly Macdonald – actress (Trainspotting, Boardwalk Empire)
• Angus Macfadyen – actor
• Freya Mavor – actress (Skins)
• James McAvoy – actor
• David McCallum – actor, first noted for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin
• Rory McCann – actor
• Jane McCarry – actress
• Joe McFadden – actor (Holby City, Heartbeat)
• Des McLean – comedian and actor
• Graham McTavish – actor
• Alec Newman – actor
• David O'Hara – actor
• Daniel Portman – actor
• Richard Rankin – actor
• Maurice Roëves – actor
• Jerry Sadowitz – comedian
• John Gordon Sinclair – actor
• Dawn Steele – actress
• Brian Vernel – actor
• Susan Calman – comedian and actor
• Jonathan Watson – actor

Visual arts

• Jacqueline Donachie – artist
• Hannah Frank – artist and sculptor
• John Glashan – cartoonist
• Lucy McKenzie – artist
• Bud Neill – cartoonist (Lobey Dosser)
• Cordelia Oliver – artist, writer and art critic
• Frank Quitely – comic book artist
• Joseph Urie – artist

Business

• William Beardmore – Beardmores, Parkhead Forge, Arrol-Johnston motor company
• George Bogle of Daldowie – wealthy tobacco merchant
• Sir William Burrell – shipping magnate and philanthropist
• Catherine Cranston – tearoom proprietor
• William Cunninghame – tobacco merchant
• John Glassford – wealthy tobacco merchant, partner in Thistle Bank
• Sir Thomas Lipton – entrepreneur, Lipton Tea
• Norman Macfarlane, Baron Macfarlane of Bearsden – entrepreneur
• James McAlpin – merchant tailor
• James McGill – businessman and philanthropist
• Robert Napier – co-founder of Cunard Line
• Reo Stakis – entrepreneur
• Charles Tennant – St. Rollox Chemicals Works

Civic

Founder

• Saint Mungo – traditional founder of the city

Campaigners

• Janie Allan – suffrage activist
• Mary Barbour – rent strikes activist
• Ian Dunn – gay and paedophile rights activist
• Deborah Knox Livingston – temperance and suffrage activist

Crime and punishment

• Ian Brady – violent criminal
• Archibald Hall – murderer
• Allan Pinkerton – detective
• Edward William Pritchard – murderer who was publicly executed in Glasgow and was the last person to be publicly executed in Scotland

Law

• Madge Easton Anderson – lawyer

Provosts

• George Elphinstone (died 1634) – Lord Provost and courtier

Education

• Mary Ellen Bews – New Zealand school principal and educationalist, born in Glasgow
• Mary Cranston Mason (1846–1932) – social reformer, temperance leader, Glasgow school board member

Humanities

• David Stow Adam – theologian
• C. A. Campbell – metaphysical philosopher
• William Purdie Dickson – scholar
• Niall Ferguson – historian and writer
• William MacAskill – philosopher and ethicist
• Alasdair MacIntyre – philosopher

Fictional figures

• Scrooge McDuck – fictional multi-billionaire cartoon duck
• Desmond Hume – fictional character in the TV series Lost.

Military

• William Anderson – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Andrew Bogle – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Robert Downie – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Francis Farquharson – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Herbert Henderson – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John Knox – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Donald MacKintosh – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Henry May – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John McAulay – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John McDermond – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Hugh McInnes – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• James Miller – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Sir John Moore – British military officer
• James Park – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Harry Ranken – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• William Reid – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Walter Ritchie – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• George Rodgers – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John Skinner – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• James Stokes – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• James Turnbull – recipient of the Victoria Cross
• William Young – recipient of the Victoria Cross

Musicians and bands

Politics

• Bashir Ahmad – first Asian MSP
• Mhairi Black – youngest Member of Parliament (MP) elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom since at the Reform Act 1832
• Sir Menzies Campbell – Leader of the Liberal Democrats (2006–2007)
• Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman – British prime minister
• Roseanna Cunningham – Scottish National Party MP, MSP
• Donald Dewar – Secretary of State for Scotland, First Minister
• Pearse Doherty – Sinn Féin politician
• Winnie Ewing – Scottish National Party MP, MEP and MSP
• Margaret Ferrier – Scottish National Party MP
• George Galloway – MP for Glasgow Hillhead (1987–97) and Glasgow Kelvin (1997–2005)
• Nigel Griffiths – Labour Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South
• Arthur Henderson – Chairman of the Labour Party
• Bonar Law – British prime minister
• John MacCormick – Scottish National Party
• Sir John A. Macdonald – first Prime Minister of Canada
• John Maclean – Socialist
• Michael Martin – Speaker of the House of Commons
• James Maxton – Independent Labour Party MP
• Tommy Sheridan – Scottish Socialist Party MSP
• Manny Shinwell – Labour MP
• Nicola Sturgeon – Scottish First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (2014–2023)
• Humza Yousaf – Scottish First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party

Religion

• Sohaib Saeed – Islamic scholar, academic and chaplain

Sports

Athletics

• Angela Bridgeman – sprinter

Baseball

• Mac MacArthur – Major League Baseball player
• Jim McCormick – baseball player
• Bobby Thomson – baseball player

Boxing

• Scott Harrison – boxer
• Benny Lynch – boxer
• Jim Watt – boxer

Cricket

• James Stewart Carrick (1855–1923) – first-class cricketer
• William Foster (born 1934) – first-class cricketer
• David Livingstone (1927–2011) – international cricketer for Scotland

Cycling

• Philippa York – cyclist

Football

• Eddie Austin – forward
• Jen Beattie – defender
• Ralph Black – defender
• Tom Boyd – defender
• Jim Craig – defender and manager
• Graeme Churchill – striker
• Paddy Crerand – midfielder, manager, and sports commentator
• Sir Kenny Dalglish – forward and manager
• Tommy Docherty – midfielder and manager
• Sir Alex Ferguson – forward and manager
• Alexander Watson Hutton – teacher and founder of the Argentine Football Association
• Mo Johnston – forward
• Ruesha Littlejohn – forward and midfielder
• Ross McCormack – striker
• James McFadden – forward
• Frank McGarvey – forward
• Danny McGrain – defender and manager
• Jimmy McGrory – forward and manager
• Andrew Robertson – defender
• Peter Sermanni – midfielder
• Robert Snodgrass – midfielder and forward
• Jock Stein – defender and manager
• David Templeton – forward
• John Wark – midfielder

Golf

• Ewen Ferguson – professional golfer
• Kylie Henry – professional golfer
• Martin Laird – professional golfer
• Colin Montgomerie – professional golfer
• Janice Moodie – professional golfer
• Edith Orr – amateur golfer

Ice hockey

• Andy Aitkenhead – ice hockey player
• Gordie Clark – ice hockey player
• James Foster – ice hockey player
• Alex Gray – ice hockey player
• Frank Jardine – ice hockey player
• Colin Shields – ice hockey player
• Steve Smith – ice hockey player

Rugby union

• Adam Ashe – rugby union player and coach
• Johnnie Beattie – rugby union player
• Magnus Bradbury – rugby union player
• Alan Bulloch – rugby union player
• Gordon Bulloch – rugby union player
• Thomas Chalmers – rugby union player
• Rory Hughes – rugby union player
• James Malcolm – rugby union player
• Duncan Weir – rugby union player
• Jon Welsh – rugby union player

Snooker

• Marcus Campbell – professional snooker player
• Stephen Maguire – professional snooker player
• Anthony McGill – professional snooker player
• Alan McManus – professional snooker player

Swimming

• Michael Jamieson – swimmer
• Duncan Scott – swimmer

Tennis

• Andy Murray – Olympic tennis player

Wrestling

• Nikki Cross – professional wrestler
• Joe Coffey – professional wrestler
• Mark Coffey – professional wrestler
• Wolfgang – professional wrestler
• Isla Dawn – professional wrestler

Science and engineering

• June Almeida – virologist
• Joseph Black – physicist and chemist
• Phillip Clancey – ornithologist
• Thomas Hopkirk – botanist
• Ronald David Laing – psychiatrist
• Elizabeth Janet MacGregor – medical doctor
• David Napier – marine engineer
• Robert Napier – marine engineer, co-founder of Cunard Line
• James Beaumont Neilson – inventor
• Sir William Ramsay – chemist
• Kathleen Rutherford – doctor, philanthropist, humanitarian aid worker, peace campaigner, born in Glasgow.
• William Thomson, Lord Kelvin – mathematician, mathematical physicist and engineer
• James Watt – engineer
• Nora Wattie – public health pioneer
• John Scott Russell – naval engineer
• Charles Macintosh – inventor
• William Wright Virtue – engineer

References