Banksy: Bristol roots, public walls and the art market
The anonymous artist’s sharply observed stencils moved from Bristol’s underground scene to public landmarks, international exhibitions and record-breaking auctions.
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2,879 entries
Sir Patrick Stewart: from Shakespeare to the starship Enterprise
The Yorkshire-born actor built a distinguished stage career before becoming an international screen star—and has used his public profile to speak about domestic violence.
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Dame Helen Mirren: a career across stage, screen and television
From the National Youth Theatre to award-winning performances as two queens, Mirren has built an international career rooted in British theatre and television.
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Joanna Lumley: acting, television and the Gurkha campaign
From Patsy Stone to a high-profile campaign for Gurkha veterans’ right to settle in Britain, Joanna Lumley has built a career across entertainment and public advocacy.
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Sir Ben Kingsley: a British stage career and its global reach
From the Royal Shakespeare Company to an Academy Award-winning performance as Gandhi, Kingsley built a career across British theatre, film and television.
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Rosamund Pike: a career across stage, film and television
From her early Oxford theatre work to award-winning screen roles, Pike has built an international acting career while supporting humanitarian causes.
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Eddie Redmayne: from the London stage to screen and Broadway
The English actor has built an award-winning career across theatre, film and television, while supporting organisations working in film education, motor neurone disease and access to theatre.
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Tom Hiddleston: from Shakespeare to global screens
The British actor’s work spans classical theatre, international film and television, alongside humanitarian advocacy as a UNICEF ambassador.
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Olivia Colman: from comic beginnings to celebrated dramatic roles
The Norwich-born actor has built a wide-ranging screen career and used her public profile to support charities including Tender and UNICEF UK.
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Helen Bamber: bearing witness, building care
From Bergen-Belsen to two specialist foundations, the British psychotherapist and human rights activist made listening part of the work of recovery.
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Idris Elba: from Hackney to the world stage
The actor, DJ and producer built an international career while using his public profile to support young people and campaign against knife crime.
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Carey Mulligan: a career on stage and screen
From her Royal Court debut to award-nominated screen performances, Carey Mulligan has built a varied acting career alongside her work for War Child and the Alzheimer’s Society.
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Sir Anthony Hopkins: from Welsh theatre to two Academy Awards
The actor’s career has carried him from training in Cardiff and London to acclaimed stage and screen performances, while he has maintained lasting ties to Wales.
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Russell Brand: comedy, broadcasting and political activism
From stand-up and television in Britain to political commentary, Brand’s career has combined popular entertainment with outspoken debate about addiction and inequality.
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Tracey Emin: making private experience public
From Margate memories to the Turner Prize and the British Pavilion in Venice, Emin has built a career across art forms by placing autobiography at its centre.
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Ricky Gervais: comedy, creation and causes
From The Office to stand-up and animal-welfare campaigning, Gervais has built a British comedy career with an international reach.
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Colin Firth: the British actor behind Mr Darcy and King George VI
From a defining television performance in Pride and Prejudice to an Academy Award-winning role, Firth has built a career across British film and television.
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Kate Winslet: a career shaped by range and resolve
From early British television and a global film breakthrough to award-winning performances and work with the Golden Hat Foundation.
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Emma Thompson: acting, writing and advocacy
From Cambridge Footlights to two Academy Awards, Emma Thompson has built a varied screen career alongside human-rights and environmental campaigning.
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Orlando Bloom: from Canterbury stages to global screens
The English actor built an international career through major film franchises and has used his public profile as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
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Hugh Grant: from romantic lead to character actor
The English actor’s career spans romantic comedies, darker character roles and public campaigning on press conduct, alongside support for charitable causes.
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Keira Knightley: film roles and public causes
From a breakthrough in Bend It Like Beckham to period drama, stage work and campaigns on human rights and women’s welfare.
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Dame Maggie Smith
From the Oxford stage to the National Theatre, the Oscars and Downton Abbey, Maggie Smith built a remarkable career in British performance.
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Vanessa Redgrave: an actor’s life on stage and in public
From the Royal Shakespeare Company to an Oscar-winning film career, Redgrave has combined a long life in performance with outspoken political activism.
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Helen Mirren: a career shaped by stage and screen
From the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company to award-winning performances as Elizabeth II and Jane Tennison, Helen Mirren has built an unusually wide-ranging acting career.
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Daniel Craig: from British stage actor to James Bond
The English actor built a career across stage, television and film before playing James Bond in five films. His work has also included a United Nations role raising awareness of mines and explosive hazards.
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Sienna Miller
The British-American actor built a varied screen and stage career, while supporting humanitarian organisations including the International Medical Corps and Starlight Children’s Foundation.
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Sir Kenneth Branagh
Actor and director known for his support of various charitable causes, including education and the arts.
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Naomi Campbell: modelling, advocacy and humanitarian work
From South London to the international fashion stage, Naomi Campbell has built a career that encompasses modelling, public advocacy and fundraising.
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Annie Lennox: from Eurythmics to humanitarian campaigning
The Scottish singer’s distinctive pop career and sustained work on HIV/AIDS awareness and women’s rights have carried her influence well beyond the recording studio.
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Sir Paul McCartney: music, invention and public causes
From Liverpool songwriter to global performer, McCartney has paired a long musical career with sustained support for animal welfare, humanitarian campaigns and music education.
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Benedict Cumberbatch
Actor known for his support of various charitable causes, including The Prince's Trust and Save the Children.
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David Beckham: football, fame and a wider British legacy
From Manchester United’s treble-winning side to England captain and UNICEF ambassador, Beckham built a career that travelled well beyond the pitch.
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Victoria Beckham: from Posh Spice to fashion entrepreneur
A member of the Spice Girls before establishing an international fashion label, Beckham has built a career across music, design and public advocacy.
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Eddie Izzard
A British comedian and actor whose restless stagecraft has accompanied years of charitable running and political activism.
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Richard Curtis: comedy, films and Comic Relief
From Blackadder and Four Weddings and a Funeral to Comic Relief, Richard Curtis has built a career spanning British comedy, international film and fundraising.
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Samantha Cameron: design, fashion and public life
The businesswoman built a career in British fashion, founded the London womenswear label Cefinn and supported charitable causes while her husband was Prime Minister.
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Chris Martin
The Exeter-born Coldplay co-founder has made global fame a platform for music, fair-trade campaigning and humanitarian causes.
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Judi Dench: a career across stage and screen
From the Old Vic and the Royal Shakespeare Company to Bond and Shakespeare in Love, Dench’s work has spanned British theatre, television and film.
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Jamie Oliver: cooking, television and the school-meals campaign
The Essex-born chef turned an accessible style of cooking into a major television career, then used his public profile to press for healthier school meals.
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