22 famous people with a Bristol Uni degree

As the University of Bristol awards honorary degrees on Tuesday we take a look back at who else has had this honour bestowed upon them in Bristol.

1. Sir Winston Churchill (1929)

Widely recognised as among the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was Chancellor of the University of Bristol between 1929 and 1965. It was the first of eight honorary degrees Churchill would receive during his life, despite never having studied at University. Photo credit: Bristol University.

2. Sir David Attenborough (1977)

The world famous naturalist has received more honorary degrees (31) from British Universities than anyone else. He received his honorary degree from the University of Bristol in 1977, while he was making Life on Earth with the BBC natural history unit based in Bristol. Photo credit: Bristol University.

3. Thomas Hardy (1925)

Not to be confused with the modern British actor with which he shares his name, the novelist and poet famous for works such as Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) and Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891) received his honorary degree in 1925, three years prior to his death. Photo Credit: Bain News Service via Wikimedia Commons

4. Nelson Mandela (1996)

The world-renowned South African president and anti-apartheid revolutionary, received his honorary degree two years into his presidency, as part of a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace in which he received eight in total. Credit: Bristol University.

5. Sir Daniel Day-Lewis (2010)

The three-time Oscar winner has a long history with Bristol, after attending The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in the late 1970s. In winning his most recent Academy Award for his role in Lincoln (2012), he became the first three-time recipient of the Oscar for Best Actor. Photo credit: Bristol University.

6. Sir Terry Pratchett (2004) 

Known best for his Discworld series, the fantasy novelist had links to the southwest due to his early career in journalism. Photo credit: Bristol University.

7. Sir Tom Stoppard (1976)

Another who began his career as a journalist in the South West, Tom Stoppard is a British playwright who is famous for his work for TV, Radio and Stage. In 1999 he won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his work co-writing Shakespeare in Love. Photo Credit: Matt Humphreys

8. Neville Chamberlain (1931)

Known best as the Prime Minister that led Britain through the first eight months of the Second World War, Chamberlain was awarded an honorary degree when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1931, on the recommendation of the then University Chancellor Winston Churchill. Photo Credit: Unknown (Bain News Service, publisher), via Wikimedia Commons.

9. Sir Michael Redgrave (1966)

Born in Bristol, Sir Michael Redgrave became a British star of the stage and screen, famous for his performances in The Dam Busters (1955), and Albert Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes (1938). He studied at Clifton College as a child, and the school’s theatre was later named after him. Photo Credit: Allan Warren, via Wikimedia Commons.

10. Aung San Suu Kyi (1998)

As Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world’s most prominent political prisoners, was awarded her honorary degree during her 21 year house arrest, her husband Michael Aris collected the award on her behalf. She received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma. Photo Credit: Claude TRUONG-NGOC, via Wikimedia Commons.

11. Sir Alexander Fleming (1949)

The Scottish scientist is most famous for his discovery of penicillin in 1928, which he would share the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1945. He was awarded his honorary degree in 1949, by University of Bristol Chancellor at the time, Winston Churchill. Photo Credit: Wellcome Library, London.

12. Emily Watson (2003)

The two-time Academy award nominee studied at the University of Bristol before going to drama school and embarking on her career as an actress. She is known for her work on both stage and screen, as well as for her role in the ITV two-part film Appropriate Adult (2011), for which she won a BAFTA. Photo credit: Bristol University

13. Sir Tony Robinson (1999)

Known best for playing the role of Baldrick in the TV series Blackadder, and for presenting Time Team, Tony Robinson is also a comedian, amateur historian, and political activist. He was awarded an honorary degree for his work in acting and archaeology. Photo credit: Bristol University

14. Heston Blumenthal (2007)

The inventive chef, known for his experiments with food and the process of cooking, was a regular visitor the Bristol University’s physics labs in his mission to discover new techniques and equipment to heat, cool and extract flavours. Photo credit: Bristol University

15. Professor Peter Higgs (1997)

Professor Higgs attended Cotham School in Bristol, before going on to win the Nobel Prize for his work in theoretical physics. Photo credit: Bristol University 

16. Julia Donaldson (2011)

Before she became an award-winning children’s writer, Julia Donaldson studied Drama and French at the University of Bristol. She was the children’s laureate from 2011 – 2013. Photo Credit: Wattie Cheung

17. Harold Pinter (1998)

One of the most influential British dramatists, Harold Pinter’s first play The Room (1958) was first performed by University of Bristol students in 1957. He would go on to win the Nobel Prize in literature in 2005. Photo Credit: The Huntington Theatre Company (via Flickr)

18. Professor Mary Beard (2012)

The University of Cambridge Professor of Classics has won fans around the world for her blog, and her often frank views about the modern and ancient world. Photo credit: Bristol University

19. Nick Park (1997)

Known for his Oscar winning work as creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, Nick Park was awarded an honorary degree in 1997. Aardman Animations co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton were also awarded honorary degrees in 2010. Photo Credit: Aardman Animations Ltd

20. Tony Benn (2001)

MP for Bristol South East for more than 30 years, Tony Benn, who died last year, was a pivotal figure in British left-wing politics in the second half of the 20th Century. After leaving parliament, he was the chairman of the Stop the War Coalition from 2001 until his death. Photo Credit: Chris Boland / www.chrisboland.com 

21. George Ferguson (1999)

The current Bristol Mayor studied Architecture at the University of Bristol between 1965 and 1971 and has received honorary degrees from both The University of Bristol and the University of the West of England. He is noted for his leading role in the regeneration of the Bedminster area of South Bristol in the 1990s. Photo Credit: Charlotte Chambers

22. Paul Stephenson (2014)

Paul Stephenson led the Bristol bus boycott in 1963, which saw campaigners stage a 60 day boycott over the Bristol Omnibus Company’s refusal to employ black or Asian drivers or conductors, resulting in the company revoking its colour bar. His campaigns were instrumental in paving the way for the Race Relations Act in 1965.