20 Famous People from Scotland

While I was researching for my upcoming travels around Scotland recently, I came across a list of famous people from the small, northerly country. It peaked my interest, but when I investigated further, I discovered that I did not know any of these world-famous people hailed from Scotland ! Ok, well I knew one actor, one singer and one historic queen who were Scots.

But aside from a mere three, I was astounded at how many incredibly-famous people were/are Scots without me ever knowing it. I’m talking some of the historically most famous and important people in human history. In the fields of politics, philosophy, medicine and research, sports, literature, acting and music, as well as renowned inventors. Most of them are people I know about (except for in the arena of sports). I just never knew they were from Scotland.

That intrigue inspired me to do even more research and then to write this article. I wonder how many of these famous figures that my readers and followers know are Scots?

I knew only three of these renowned people hailed from Scotland. How do you fare?

(btw: please excuse the lack of photos. I couldn’t find public domain photos for these famous people)

Performers: Actors & Musicians

1. Sean Connery (1930-2020)

World-renowned actor, Sean Connery, is one of only two famous Scots that even I knew were from Scotland. Just about everyone at least knows this actor, the quintessential elegant gentleman.

Connery is most famous for his role as the first James Bond, playing in seven Bond films from 1963 – 1982. Many still consider him the best James Bond.

Other famous film roles for Connery include Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October, The Untouchables, Murder on the Orient Express and The Man Who would be King.

2. Tilda Swinton (1960-present)

It’s news to me that Tilda Swinton is from Scotland! Not only is she of Scottish descent, but her family is one of Scotland’s historically preeminent families. They can trace their ancestry back to the 9^th century. Apparently Tilda is proud of her family history, considering herself to be “first and foremost” a Scot.

I first came across this fiesty, striking beauty in the hilarious comedy Burn After Reading. In it, Swinton co-starred with Brad Pitt and George Clooney in the film with an outrageous plot and several zany characters. Swinton has acted in many cutting-edge and eclectic roles over the years and won many awards and recognitions, including an Academy Award for best supporting actress in Michael Clayton (2007).

3. Ewan McGregor (1971-present)

Here’s another clearly British actor who I did not know hails from Scotland. In my view, Ewan has the quintessential ‘boy next door’ good looks. I first saw him in Moulin Rouge, one of my favorite of all time films, where he co-starred with Nicole Kidman. It’s an outrageous, sensory-overload film by director Baz Luhrmann.

Some of McGregor’s other famous roles include Obi Wan Kanobi in Star Wars and Mark Renton in Trainspotting. McGregor’s movies that I particularly love include Men Who Stare at Goats, co-starring George Clooney and Jeff Bridges, and Mortdecai, co-starring Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow.

4. Annie Lennox (1954-present)

Back in the 80s, Annie Lennox was certainly one of my favorite musicians, both as a solo artist and in her somewhat underground band, Eurythmics. I knew she was from the UK, but never knew she was from Scotland.

Nowadays, most young people probably don’t even know Annie Lennox, just like they don’t know Madonna! Lennox has kind of fallen into history, remembered only by the generation of 1980s underground music lovers. Some of her most famous hits include Sweet Dreams, Why, Walking on Broken Glass, and Here Comes the Rain Again.

Poets

5. Robert Burns (1759-1796)

This 18^th century world-renowned poet and lyricist is generally considered the National Poet of Scotland. He’s also the best-known poet to have written in the Scots language, though most of his works are in English with a slight Scottish dialect, making them more-widely readable.

Burns is also author of the ultra-famous song Auld Lang Syne. He collected folk songs from around Scotland, thereby preserving many for posterity.

Inventors & Researchers

6. Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)

This was a shocker to me! Growing up in the USA, I’d always been lead to believe that Alexander Graham Bell was American. So I was greatly surprised during my recent research to discover that not only was Bell born in Scotland, but he didn’t even migrate to America; he moved to Canada! That was with his parents in 1868, at the age of 23. Bell did later relocate to Boston, USA to teach at Boston University.

Bell is most famous for inventing the telephone (at least in the US). He was also cofounder of AT&T, aka American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Although he patented the first practical telephone, he considered himself more of an engineer and scientist. He later created important inventions in the fields of hydrofoils, telecommunications and aeronautics.

7. John Logie Baird (1888-1946)

John Logie Baird was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer and innovator. He invented the TV, demonstrating the first live working TV in 1926. He continued developing his invention to create the first color TVs and then the first purely-electronic TV color picture tube.

In Scotland, Baird has been declared one of the 10 greatest Scottish scientists and has been inducted into the Scottish Hall of Fame.

8. Alexander Fleming (1881-1955)

Fleming was a Scottish physician and microbiologist. He created the world’s first antibiotic, which he named penicillin. This amazing new drug saved millions of people from tuberculosis, which previously had no solid cure and was a terrifying, killer illness, greatly feared by all. His discovery was called ‘the single greatest victory ever achieved over disease’ . Fleming went on to make many other important discoveries.

Fleming won the Nobel Prize for his discovery, in conjunction Math two fellow researchers. In Scotland, Fleming was knighted in 1944. And in 1999, Time Magazine named Fleming one of the 100 most important people of the 20^th century.

9. James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)

This historic Scot created the world’s first durable color photographs. So we all owe him a great thanks for our ability to take lots of amazing photos, day in and day out, on our phones and cameras.

But Maxwell’s most important work was in science. Maxwell was an inventor with a wide range of interests in various sciences. He created the first understanding of electromagnetic radiation, proving that electricity, magnetism and light are all different aspects of the same phenomenon. He discovered many other important aspects of physics, laying the foundation for modern physics. He’s considered one of the most important early scientists.

Industrialists

10. Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)

Andrew Carnegie is a rather important figure in my own history because I attended the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA. The grand, world-class Carnegie Museum is right beside the campus. So is the equally huge and important Carnegie Library.

Just up the road from my university is Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). And in downtown Pittsburgh, there’s the massive, triangular-shaped steel-n-glass (Carnegie) US Steel Building, which I worked next door to for several years.

Carnegie’s steel dynasty and his various philanthropic ventures were centered at Pittsburgh, so he’s an especially important person in the history and development of the city. In Pittsburgh, Andrew Carnegie seems to be everywhere.

Even so, I did not know that Carnegie hailed from Scotland. I was rather lead to believe that Carnegie was an American, much like several other famous Scots in this list. Turns out that Carnegie was born in Scotland then immigrated to Pittsburgh at the age of 12 with his family.

Carnegie became an key American industrialist who lead the expansion of the steel industry in the USA. He became one of the richest men in America. He also was one of the country’s biggest philanthropists, eventually donating 90% of his vast fortune to various charities, universities and foundations. He founded universities, libraries, scientific foundations and many other important institutions in the US and UK. The world-renowned Carnegie Hall in NYC is also one of Andrew’s ventures.

Philosophers / Economists

11. David Hume (1711-1776)

Now here’s a historic philosopher I know! I majored in Philosophy in university, so I’ve actually read some of Hume’s works. However, I did not know he was from Scotland.

Hume’s most famous philosophical work was A Treatise of Human Nature. In addition to philosophy, Hume was also a historian, economist, librarian and essayist. I’ll spare you the intricate philosophical details of his theories. Suffice it to say that Hume is considered one of the most important western philosophers, along with Des Carte, John Locke and Thomas Hobbes.

12. Adam Smith (1723-1790)

You’ve probably at least heard of Adam Smith, since he’s generally considered the ‘Father of Economics’ and ‘Father of Capitalism’, making him one of the most important thinkers for the modern economic capitalist world that we live in. Did you know he was a Scot? I certainly did not. I knew he was British, but I had always assumed he was English.

Smith’s work ‘The Wealth of Nations’ is considered akin to the Holy Bible for modern capitalist economies. He was the first man to treat economics as a separate discipline and to treat it as a whole comprehensive system created by men. Prior to Smith, people believed that the distribution of wealth and power was ordained by God. So his works were a huge break from prior thoughts on how the human world functions.

Politicians / Royalty / Warriors

13. Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587)

Ah, ha! Here’s one of the two famous people that I actually knew were from Scotland! Her name gives it away, so it was no genius on my part. She’s also known as Mary Stuart.

I have seen several films about Mary, Queen of Scots, as well as films not specifically about her, but which included her as an important figure in the stories. She did serve as Scotland’s queen from 1542 until she was forcibly abdicated in 1567. Crazy as it was, because her father, the King, died when Mary was only six days old (no, not years), Mary was crowned as a six-day-old baby! She was only 25 when she was forcibly removed.

From what I read, it sounds like most of Mary’s life was filled with tragedies, deaths, intrigues and treachery. After being imprisoned in various castles, Mary was finally beheaded by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth of England, in 1587 at age 45.

14. Rob Roy (1671-1734)

Rob Roy MacGregor was the Scottish Robin Hood. He was descendant from the ancient clans of MacGregor, MacDonald and Campbell. He joined in the Jacobian uprising to support Stuart James King VII. Rob Roy became the Clan MacGregor Chief when is father died. At some point, he was unable to back a large loan used to expand his farm holdings, so was branded an outlaw.

The novel, The Highland Rogue, was a fictionalized version of his life, which capapulted him to great fame and acclaim by fellow Scots. Rob Roy is considered a Scottish folk hero. Other books and movies have been made about his life.

15. William Wallace (1270-1305)

The movie Braveheart was about Scottish knight and warrior, William Wallace, who was depicted by Mel Gibson. Wallace is another huge Scottish hero.

Wallace was one of the main leaders in Scotland’s first war for independence against England. As a result, he was appointed ‘Guardian of Scotland’. After some huge victories, Wallace was eventually defeated in battle, captured by the English and put to death by the English King.

As a huge legendary Scottish hero, there have been books, poems, songs and movies written about Wallace over the centuries.

Adventurers / Outdoorsmen

16. John Muir (1838-1914)

This famous and much-beloved outdoor enthusiast, naturalist, nature photographer and environmental writer helped establish several major US parks out west and created more widespread awareness and love of America’s great outdoor places.

I’ve been a great fan of John Muir’s work since I was in my 20s. But I’ve always assumed he was American. He’s certainly portrayed that way in the US. So I was really surprised to discover that Muir was actually born and raised in Scotland. At age 11, he and his family moved to America, to Wisconsin and started a farm. Muir spent the rest of his life in the States, exploring and promoting America’s natural world.

During my research, I learned that Muir was dubbed ‘John of the Mountains’ and ‘Father of the National Parks’. He was also co-founder of the Sierra Club. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley and Sequoia National Park, and his example has served as an inspiration for the preservation of many other American wilderness areas.

17. David Livingstone (1813-1873)

Here’s another world-renowned historic figure who I was very surprised to learn hailed from Scotland. I’m talking about the Dr. Livingstone who explored the deepest, darkest jungles of central Africa in the mid 19^th century and then ‘disappeared’ there for six years. He’s the lost explorer for whom the expression, ‘Dr. Livingstone, I presume?’ was coined by explorer Stanley, who went searching for Livingstone and eventually found him live, though not well, settled in an extremely remote African village.

Livingstone was a physician, Christian missionary, anti-slavery crusader and explorer. One of his main passions in Africa was to discover the source of he Nile River. During that quest, he was the first European to see Victoria Falls, the world’s highest waterfall, which he named after Queen Victoria. During several extensive explorations, Livingstone visited many lakes, villages and other remote places, putting them on the map for westerners.

Sportsmen

18. Andy Murray (1987-present)

Andy Murray is one of the world’s most famous tennis players.

To be honest, I’ve never even heard of him, since I don’t follow tennis! But apparently most, if not all, tennis fans know Andy Murray as one of the top in the sport up through 2016.

Murray is the only tennis player to ever win two Olympic Gold Medals in tennis singles, which he won in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. As a professional tennis player Murray once held the ATP world ranking as the Number One top player for 41 weeks. He has won the US Open, France Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon several times. He’s managed 11 grand slam finals and many other accolades. After huge international success in 2016, Murray’s various injuries caught up with him, leading him to fall from top rankings.

19. Chris Hoy (1976-present)

Here’s another world-famous sportsman that I’ve never heard of. I discovered this famous Scot during my research, where I learned that Hoy is one of the most renowned track cyclists, particularly in the Olympics. Hoy won seven Olympic medals in total, six gold and one silver. That makes him the world’s second most-decorated Olympic cyclists of all time.

In the 2008 Olympics, Hoy one three Gold Medals, a first for Olympic cyclists. He became Scotland’s most successful Olympian. He retired from cycling in 2012, but he’s also a race car enthusiast.

20. James Braid (1870-1950)

And yet another super-famous sportsman I’ve never heard of is the renowned Scottish golf pro, James Baird. He won the Open Championship five times in the early 1900s. He also won the French Open once and the British PGA Championship four times. Braid was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

He’s also a renowned golf course architect, having designed several of the most famous courses in the UK, including the ‘King’s Course’ and ‘Queen’s Course’ in Gleneagles.

Summary

So that’s my round-up of 20 famous Scots in various disciplines. There are many other important & renowned Scots, both current and historic, so this is certainly not the last word on Scotland’s diverse talent pool. I’m guessing that, like me, you may not have known that many of these world-renowned figures were from Scotland?

How many did you know were Scots? Which ones were you most surprised to learn hail from Scotland?

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