Discover the notable alumni of University Of St Andrews. The list includes people like Alastair Reynolds, Andrew Lawrence, Crispin Bonham-Carter, William Ernest Henley & Philippe Cousteau, Jr.. This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as miscellaneous, writers, leaders, intellectuals & academics and lawyers & judges etc.

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 1 

Prince William

( Elder Son of King Charles III and His First Wife Diana)

Birthdate: June 21, 1982

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Paddington, London, England

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, the elder son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana is the second in the line to the throne of Britain. He is a trained pilot. He is also associated with a number of charities, including those related to mental-health awareness and environmental issues. 

Birthdate: January 9, 1982

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Reading, England

Catherine “Kate” Middleton became the Duchess of Cambridge after her marriage to Prince William in 2011. Associated with countless charities, Kate and William started a mental-health campaign named Heads Together. Kate also gave rise to the “Kate Middleton effect" in the fashion world and was named to Time 100.

Birthdate: September 8, 1981

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, best known as Randy Taylor from Home Improvement, also voiced young Simba in the 1994 animation film The Lion King. He later left acting to study and eventually joined Harvard and Columbia universities. He also appeared in Tom and Huck and voiced Pinocchio in a live-action movie.

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 4 

Ian McDiarmid

(Best Known for His Villainous Role of 'Emperor Palpatine' from the 'Star Wars' Film Series)

Birthdate: August 11, 1944

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland

Best known to fans as Emperor Palpatine or Darth Sidious in the Star Wars movie series, Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid also had a successful career in British theater. His performance as Teddy in the play Faith Healer won him a Tony Award, while he earned an Olivier Award for the play Insignificance.

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Birthdate: February 3, 1907

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States

Died: October 16, 1997

Birthdate: May 24, 1743

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Boudry, Switzerland

Died: July 13, 1793

French political theorist, scientist, and physician Jean-Paul Marat was a key figure of the French Revolution. He published his radical views in pamphlets and newspapers, such as L'Ami du people. He was held responsible for the September massacres. His assassination by a Girondin supporter made him a Jacobin martyr.

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 7 

Andrew Lawrence

(Actor)

Birthdate: January 12, 1988

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Abington, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Height: 5'8" (173 cm)

 8 

Crispin Bonham-Carter

(Best Known for Playing 'Mr Bingley' in TV Miniseries 'Pride and Prejudice')

Birthdate: September 23, 1969

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Colchester, Essex, England

A distant cousin of actor Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Bonham-Carter is a successful actor and theater director in his own right. Best known as Mr. Bingley from the BBC miniseries based on Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, he has previously also taught English in a school for a decade.

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 9 

William Ernest Henley

(English Poet Best Known for His Poem 'Invictus' (1875))

Birthdate: August 23, 1849

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Gloucester, England

Died: July 11, 1903

Best known for his short poem Invictus, William Ernest Henley was a Victorian-era British poet and author. A disease he contracted in childhood caused one of his legs to be amputated. It is believed, he was the inspiration behind the crippled character Long John Silver in RL Stevenson’s Treasure Island.

 10 

Philippe Cousteau Jr.

(Oceanographer and Environmental Activist)

Birthdate: January 20, 1980

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Santa Monica, California, United States

Known for the documentary Ocean's Deadliest, which he co-hosted with Steve Irwin, oceanographer Philippe Cousteau Jr. also earned an Emmy nomination for his work in Awesome Planet. The grandson of naval officer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Philippe had lost his father, sailor and filmmaker Philippe Cousteau, 6 months before his birth.

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 11 

Robert Watson-Watt

(British Pioneer of Radio Direction Finding and Radar Technology)

Birthdate: April 13, 1892

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Brechin, Scotland

Died: December 5, 1973

Robert Watson-Watt, often called the father of radar was a British physicist who did pioneering work in radio direction finding (RDF) and radar technology. He developed high-frequency direction finding (huff-duff) as a system for locating lightning. It was later introduced during the Second World War and played an instrumental role in intelligence, mainly in catching enemy radios while they transmitted.

 12 

Desmond Swayne

(British Politician)

Birthdate: August 20, 1956

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Bern, Switzerland

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 13 

James Wilson

(One of the Founding Fathers of the United States & a Signatory of the Declaration of Independence)

Birthdate: September 14, 1742

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Fife, Scotland

Died: August 21, 1798

James Wilson was an American statesman, legal scholar, politician, and founding father of the United States of America. He served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1789 to 1798.  A leading legal theorist, he played a key role in drafting the United States Constitution. He was also a professor of law. 

 14 

Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin

(British Nobleman, Soldier, Politician and Diplomat Known Primarily for the Controversial Procurement of Marble Sculptures)

Birthdate: July 20, 1766

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Broomhall, Fife, Scotland

Died: November 14, 1841

Part of the Scottish royal Bruce family, Thomas Bruce, became the 7th Earl of Elgin at age 5. He later joined the army and became a Lieutenant General. A classical art lover, he later became famous for his collection of Greek marble sculptures, mainly acquired from the Parthenon in Athens.

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 15 

John Sawers

(British Intelligence Officer, Diplomat and Civil Servant)

Birthdate: July 26, 1955

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Warwick, England

Former MI6 chief John Sawers has also been a Permanent Representative of the UK to the UN and the British ambassador to Egypt. His work has taken him to Yemen, Syria, and South Africa. A descendant of the aristocratic Stratford family, he later founded Newbridge Advisory and also taught at King's College London.

 16 

Danny Blanchflower

(Northern Ireland Footballer, Football Manager and Journalist)

Birthdate: February 10, 1926

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Died: December 9, 1993

Height: 5'9" (175 cm)

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 17 

James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose

(Poet, Viceroy and Captain General of Scotland)

Birthdate: October 25, 1612

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland

Died: May 21, 1650

Known as The Great Montrose, James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose was not just a Scottish nobleman and military leader but also a talented poet. He won many battles for Charles I but was defeated in the Battle of Carbisdale, following which he was hanged to death in the Edinburgh marketplace.

Birthdate: March 13, 1966

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Barry, Vale of Glamorgan Barry, Wales

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 19 

Sir James W. Black

(Scottish Physician and Pharmacologist, Winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Medicine)

Birthdate: June 14, 1924

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Uddingston, Scotland

Died: March 22, 2010

Sir James W. Black was a Scottish pharmacologist and physician. Black, who became interested in the study of the human heart and its reaction to adrenaline, developed a beta-blocker named propranolol to treat heart diseases. He is also credited with developing cimetidine, a drug used to cure stomach ulcers. He was honored with the 1988 Nobel Prize for Medicine.

 20 

John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee

(Soldier)

Birthdate: July 21, 1647

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Glen Ogilvie, near Glamis, Angus, Scotland

Died: July 27, 1689

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 21 

Asha de Vos

(Marine biologist)

Birthdate: 1979 AD

Birthplace: Sri Lanka

 22 

Thomas Chalmers

(Vice-President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh From 1835 to 1842)

Birthdate: March 17, 1780

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Anstruther, Fife, Scotland

Died: May 31, 1847

Scottish Presbyterian minister and political economist Thomas Chalmers has been immortalized by the town of Port Chalmers in New Zealand, named after him. An ordained minister, he was initially a math lecturer. He later became the Free Church of Scotland’s first moderator. He tried applying Christian ethics to economic problems.

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 23 

William Dunbar

(Poet)

Birthdate: 1459 AD

Birthplace: Scotland

Died: 1530 AD

Once the court poet of King James IV of Scotland, William Dunbar remains one of the most reputed Chaucerians of his time. Known for allegorical pieces such as The Goldyn Targe, he also penned works such as Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie, directed against his rival Walter Kennedy.

 24 

James Ivory

(Mathematician)

Birthdate: February 17, 1765

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Dundee, Scotland

Died: September 21, 1842

James Ivory was a British mathematician and astronomer best remembered for developing Ivory's Theorem. In 1814, he was honored with the prestigious Copley Medal for publishing several important memoirs.

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 25 

Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine

(Lawyer)

Birthdate: January 10, 1750

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland

Died: November 17, 1823

 26 

John Scott Russell

(Scottish Civil Engineer, Naval Architect and Shipbuilder Best Known for Researches in Ship Design)

Birthdate: May 9, 1808

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Parkhead, Glasgow, Scotland

Died: June 8, 1882

Glasgow-born civil engineer John Scott Russell is best remembered for his contribution to naval architecture. He was the first to build a naval battleship entirely made of iron, the HMS Warrior. His written works include the 3-volume The Modern System of Naval Architecture. He also discovered Russell's solitary wave.

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 27 

Deirdre Mullins

(Irish Actress)

Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland

 28 

Robert Fergusson

(Scottish Poet)

Birthdate: September 5, 1750

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland

Died: October 16, 1774

Robert Fergusson was a Scottish poet whose works had a major impact on contemporary poet and lyricist Robert Burns. Although Fergusson's career was brief, he achieved immense popularity for his work in the Scots language. He died at the age of 24 and the brutal circumstances of his demise inspired the creation of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.

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 29 

Thomas Bowdler

(English Physician Known for Publishing 'The Family Shakespeare')

Birthdate: July 11, 1754

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Bath, Somerset, England

Died: February 24, 1825

Best known for publishing The Family Shakespeare volumes, which made Shakespeare’s plays appealing to children, Thomas Bowdler was also a qualified doctor. His technique of diluting Shakespeare’s works gave rise to the word bowdlerize, which describes the over-simplification of books, films, or series, for making them family-friendly.

 30 

John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl

(Noble)

Birthdate: February 24, 1660

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Knowsley Hall, Knowsley, England

Died: November 14, 1724

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 31 

Robert Henryson

(Poet)

Birthdate: 1425 AD

Birthplace: Scotland

Died: 1500 AD

Robert Henryson was a poet who found success in Scotland between 1460 and 1500 AD. Many of his works, including the famous Morall Fabillis, were composed in Middle Scots. Although little is known about Henryson, evidence suggests that he had training in the humanities and law. It is also said that Henryson might have worked as a teacher as well.

 32 

William Maitland of Lethington

(Politician)

Birthdate: 1525 AD

Birthplace: Scotland

Died: June 9, 1573

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 33 

James Crichton

(Polymath)

Birthdate: August 19, 1560

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Dumfries, Scotland

Died: July 3, 1582

 34 

Müge Çevik

(Turkish Physician)

Birthplace: Turkey

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 35 

Sir George Mackenzie

(Lawyer)

Birthdate: 1636 AD

Birthplace: Dundee, Scotland

Died: June 30, 1691

 36 

Yousra Elbagir

(Journalist)

Birthdate: 1992 AD

Birthplace: Khartoum, Sudan

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 37 

Hector Boece

(Scottish Philosopher and Historian)

Birthdate: 1465 AD

Birthplace: Dundee, Scotland

Died: 1536 AD

Hector Boece was a Scottish historian and philosopher best remembered for his role as the first principal of King's College, a precursor of the University of Aberdeen, where he often delivered lectures on divinity and on medicine. He is also remembered for his books, History of the Scottish People and Lives of the Bishops of Murthlack and Aberdeen. 

 38 

David Lyndsay

(Poet)

Birthdate: 1490 AD

Birthplace: East Lothian Council, Scotland

Died: 1555 AD

David Lyndsay was a Scottish herald and poet whose literary work is often counted among the finest of the Renaissance. A well-known makar, David Lyndsay is depicted among the 16 Scottish poets and writers on the famous Scott Monument in Edinburgh. 

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 39 

Walter Bower

(Chronicler)

Birthdate: 1385 AD

Birthplace: Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland

Died: December 24, 1449

 40 

Alastair Reid

(Scottish Poet Known for His Lighthearted Style of Poems)

Birthdate: March 22, 1926

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Whithorn, Scotland

Died: September 21, 2014

Alastair Reid was a Scottish poet best remembered for his lighthearted style of poetry. A scholar of South American literature, Reid is also known for his translations of the works of popular South American poets like Pablo Neruda and Jorge Luis Borges. Alastair Reid also worked as a teacher and contributed immensely as a writer for The New Yorker magazine.

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 41 

John Witherspoon

(Scottish-American Presbyterian Minister, Educator and a Founding Father of the United States)

Birthdate: February 5, 1723

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Gifford, Scotland

Died: November 15, 1794

John Witherspoon was a Scottish American slaveholder, Presbyterian minister, and Founding Father of the United States. A signatory to the Declaration of Independence, Witherspoon also signed the Articles of Confederation. He also played a crucial role in shaping public policy in the United States of America.

 42 

John Leslie

(Scottish Mathematician and Physicist Who First Created 'Artificial Ice')

Birthdate: April 10, 1766

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Lower Largo, Scotland

Died: November 3, 1832

Sir John Leslie, 4th Baronet, was a Scottish physicist and mathematician remembered for conducting research into heat. In 1802, he became the first person to give the first modern account of capillary action. In 1810, Leslie froze water using an air-pump, becoming the first person to produce ice artificially. He is also known for developing a device called Leslie cube.

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 43 

Nicholas Moore

(Poet)

Birthdate: November 16, 1918

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Cambridge, England

Died: January 26, 1986

 44 

John Goodsir

(Anatomist)

Birthdate: March 20, 1814

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Anstruther, Scotland

Died: March 6, 1867

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 45 

William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus

(Nobleman)

Birthdate: 1552 AD

Birthplace: Scotland

Died: March 3, 1611

 46 

Alexander Henderson

(Theologian)

Birthdate: 1583 AD

Birthplace: Fife, Scotland

Died: August 19, 1646

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 47 

Walter Coutts

(British colonial administrator and was Uganda's final Governor before independence, from 1961–1962)

Birthdate: November 30, 1912

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Unknown

Died: November 4, 1988

 48 

Archibald Constable

(Publisher)

Birthdate: February 24, 1774

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Carnbee, Scotland

Died: July 21, 1827

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 49 

George Gillespie

(Theologian)

Birthdate: January 21, 1613

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Kirkcaldy, Scotland

Died: December 17, 1648

 50 

William Craigie

(Lexicographer)

Birthdate: August 13, 1867

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Dundee, Scotland

Died: September 2, 1957

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