What's New: January 2021
January 14, 2021
The January 2021 update adds 241 people who died in 2017, and who left their mark on British national life.
From January 2021, the Oxford DNB offers biographies of 73,184 men and women who have shaped the British past, contained in 75,558 articles. 11,774 biographies include a portrait image of the subject—researched in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery, London. Read the full editorial introduction to this month’s update.
New and updated subjects - January 2021
Abrahams, Peter (1919–2017), writer
Aitken, Martin Jim (1922–2017), archaeological scientist
Albeck, (Judith) Patricia [Pat] (1930–2017), textile designer
Aldiss, Brian Wilson (1925–2017), author
Aldridge, Alan Roy (1938–2017), art director and illustrator
Alexander, Dame Helen Anne (1957–2017), businesswoman
Allchin [née Gordon], Bridget (1927–2017), archaeologist and scholar of South Asian prehistory
Allington, Edward Thomas (1951–2017), artist and sculptor
Anderson, Pamela Sue (1955–2017), philosopher of religion
Atkinson, Sir Anthony Barnes [Tony] (1944–2017), economist
Bagri, Raj Kumar, Baron Bagri (1930–2017), businessman
Barklem [née Gaze], Gillian Mary [Jill] (1951–2017), children’s illustrator and writer
Barr, Albert Glendelin [Glen] (1942–2017), trade unionist, politician, and community worker
Bartholomew, David John (1931–2017), statistician
Bateson, Sir (Paul) Patrick Gordon [Pat] (1938–2017, biologist and ethologist
Bauman, Zygmunt (1925–2017), sociologist and philosopher
Berger, John Peter (1926–2017), art critic, novelist, and film-maker
Berry, James Radglan [also known as James Raglan Berry] (1924–2017), poet
Bickerstaffe, Rodney Kevan (1945–2017), trade unionist and campaigner for a minimum wage
Bland, Sir (Francis) Christopher Buchan (1938–2017), businessman and broadcasting executive
Bleakley, David Wylie (1925–2017), politician and peace campaigner
Blelloch, Sir John Niall Henderson (1930–2017), civil servant
Bogdanov, Michael (1938–2017), theatre director
Bond, (Thomas) Michael (1926–2017), author
Bourgeois, Derek David (1941–2017), composer and conductor
Boxall [née Buss], Barbara Ann (1932–2017), journalist and magazine editor
Brady, Ian (1938–2017) [see under Hindley, Myra (1942–2002)], murderer
Briance [née Chapman], Prunella Mary (1926–2017), promoter of natural childbirth
Brittin, Janette Ann [Jan] (1959–2017), cricketer
Brodie [née Hartley], Angela Mary (1934–2017), cancer research scientist
Brunton, Sir Gordon Charles (1921–2017), businessman
Buckmaster, Paul John(1946–2017), musician, orchestrator, and composer
Burton, Richard St John Vladimir (1933–2017), architect
Cameron, Alan Douglas Edward (1938–2017), classical scholar
Campbell [née Johnson], Rachel Elizabeth [Betty] (1934-2017), headteacher and community activist
Carluccio, Antonio Mario Gaetano (1937–2017), restaurateur, television cook, and author
Carr, (Arthur) Wesley (1941–2017), dean of Westminster
Carr, Sir Peter Derek(1930–2017), industrial relations expert and health service administrator
Chancellor, Alexander Surtees (1940–2017), editor
Clancy, Joseph Patrick (1928–2017), poet and translator of Welsh literature
Clifford, Maxwell Frank (Max) (1943-2013), publicist
Cole, Babette Steele (1949–2017), author and illustrator
Copisarow, Sir Alcon Charles (1920–2017), scientific civil servant and management consultant
Cummins, Peggy (1925–2017), actress
Curtis, Clem [real name Curtis Clements] (1940–2017), singer
Dalyell, Sir Thomas [Tam], eleventh baronet (1932–2017), politician
Dawn, Elizabeth [Liz] (real name Sylvia Ann Ibbetson, née Butterfield) (1939–2017), actress
De Peyer, Gervase Alan (1926–2017), clarinettist
Dexter, (Norman) Colin (1930–2017), crime novelist and crossword compiler
Dorow, Dorothy Margaret (1930–2017), singer
Dotrice, Roy Louis (1923–2017), actor
Downes, Terence Richard [Terry] (1936–2017), professional boxer and businessman
Drever, Ronald William Prest [Ron] (1931–2017), experimental physicist
Du Cann, Sir Edward Dillon Lott (1924–2017), politician and businessman
Dudbridge, Glen (1938–2017), sinologist
Duddy, Brendan (1936–2017), businessman and intermediary
Dunmore, Helen (1952–2017), poet, novelist, and children’s author
Ehiogu, Ugochuku (Ugo)(1972–2017), footballer, football coach, and music entrepreneur
Ellis [née Hall], Dame Diana Margaret (Di) (1938–2017), rower, cox, and rowing administrator
Emecheta, Florence Onyebuchi [Buchi] (1944–2017), novelist
Fergusson, Sir Ewen Alastair John (1932–2017), diplomatist
Finch, John Thomas (1930–2017), biologist
Findlay, Richard (1943–2017), actor, broadcasting executive, and arts administrator
Fisher, Roy (1930–2017), poet and jazz pianist
Forsyth, Sir Bruce Joseph (1928–2017), broadcaster and entertainer
Fratini [née Butler], Georgina Carolyn [Gina] (1931–2017), fashion designer
Fretwell, Sir (Major) John Emsley (1930–2017), diplomatist
Garbutt, Vincent Paul [Vin] (1947–2017), folk singer, songwriter, and raconteur
Gemmell, Thomas [Tommy] (1943–2017), footballer and football manager
Good, Jack Stanley (1931–2017), television and theatre producer, actor, and painter
Gordon, Aloysius Lincoln [Lucky] (1931–2017), petty criminal, singer, and cook
Gordon, Michael John Caldwell (1948–2017), computer scientist
Gradwell [née Mahoney], Lorraine Susan (1953–2017), campaigner for disabled people’s rights
Green, Sir Owen Whitley (1925–2017), businessman
Greenbury, Sir Richard (1936–2017), retailer
Griffiths [née Stevenson], Dame (Elizabeth) Anne (1932–2017), archivist and courtier
Hall, Sir Peter Reginald Frederick (1930–2017), theatre, opera, and film director
Hallam, Anthony [Tony] (1933–2017), palaeontologist and geologist
Hanson, Sir John Gilbert (1938–2017), British Council official and college head
Hardy, (Timothy Sydney) Robert (1925–2017), actor
Hayward, Jack Ernest Shalom (1931–2017), political scientist
Hill, (John) Richard (1929–2017), naval officer and historian
Hoare, Penelope Susan [Penny] (1940–2017), editor
Hoare, Sydney Reginald [Syd] (1939–2017), judoka
Hodgkin, Sir (Gordon) Howard Eliot (1932–2017), painter and printmaker
Hollingworth, Clara [Clare] (1911–2017), journalist
Holyoake, Tessa Laurie (1963–2017), haematologist and leukaemia researcher
Hooper, Maxwell Dorien [Max] (1934–2017), biologist and historian
Horne, Sir Alistair Allan (1925–2017), historian
Houston, Ethel May (1924–2017), solicitor and cryptanalyst
Howe, Rhett Radford Leighton [Darcus] (1943–2017), journalist and political activist
Hughes, Glyn Tegai (1923–2017), scholar, literary critic, and public servant
Hulton, Louise Anne (1970–2017), social statistician
Hume, Ivor Noël (1927–2017), historical archaeologist
Hurt, Sir John Vincent (1940–2017), actor
Hutchins [née Goundry], (Hazel) Patricia [Pat] (1942–2017), illustrator and author
Ibbotson, (George) Derek (1932–2017), athlete
Imbert, Peter Michael, Baron Imbert (1933–2017), police officer
Imison [née Trenaman], Dame Tamsyn Love (1937–2017), educationist
Jacobs, John Robert Maurice (1925–2017), professional golfer and businessman
Jellicoe, (Patricia) Ann (1927–2017), playwright, theatre director, and translator
Joffe, Joel Goodman, Baron Joffe (1932–2017), lawyer, businessman, and human rights campaigner
Jones, David Edward Hugh (1938–2017), chemist, science journalist, and inventor
Jones, David Parry- (1933–2017), journalist, broadcaster, and rugby commentator
Judge, Sir Paul Rupert (1949–2017), businessman and philanthropist
Kaufman, Sir Gerald Bernard (1930–2017), politician, journalist, and author
Keeler, Christine Margaret (1942–2017), model and showgirl
Kenny, Sir Brian Leslie Graham (1934–2017), army officer
King, Anthony Stephen [Tony] (1934–2017), political scientist and commentator
Laird, Sir Gavin Harry (1933–2017), trade unionist
Lauterpacht, Sir Elihu [Eli] (1928–2017), international lawyer, arbitrator, and legal scholar
Lassally, Walter (1926–2017), cinematographer
Lawrenson, Peter John (1933–2017), electrical engineer
Leach, Rosemary Anne (1935–2017), actress
Lee [née Woods], Mary Lee Berners- (1924–2017), mathematician and computer programmer
Lewis, Jeremy Morley (1942–2017), journalist, publisher, and biographer
Liddell, Nona Patricia (1927–2017), violinist
Lownes, Victor Aubrey (1928–2017), businessman
Lowry [née Collins, first married name Gardner], Noreen Margaret (Nina) (1925–2017), judge
MacKean, Elizabeth Mary [Liz] (1964–2017), broadcaster and journalist
Maguire, Sarah (1957–2017), poet and translator
Manasseh, Leonard Sulla (1916–2017), architect
Mansfield, Sir Peter (1933–2017), physicist and inventor
Marychurch, Sir Peter Harvey (1927–2017), intelligence officer and civil servant
Massie, Sir Herbert William [Bert] (1949–2017), campaigner for the rights of disabled people
Matthew, Brian (1928–2017), broadcaster and actor
McCluskey, John Herbert, Baron McCluskey (1929–2017), judge
McCowen, Alexander Duncan [Alec] (1925–2017), actor
McGuinness, (James) Martin Pacelli (1950–2017), Irish Republican activist and politician
Mestel, Leon (1927–2017), astrophysicist
Metzger, Gustav [Gedalia Ben-Yehuda Metzger] (1926–2017), artist and political activist
Milmine, Douglas (1921–2017), bishop of Paraguay
Mitchell, Donald Charles Peter (1925–2017), musicologist and publisher
Mollo, John (1931–2017), film costume designer and military historian
Moore, Sir Roger George (1927–2017), actor, producer, and charity worker
Morahan, Christopher Thomas (1929–2017), television, theatre, and film director and producer
Morgan, (Hywel) Rhodri (1939–2017), first minister of Wales
Morrison, Sir Kenneth Duncan (Ken) (1931–2017), businessman
Mosley, Nicholas, third Baron Ravensdale (1923–2017), novelist and biographer
Murray [née Todd], Stephanie Vivian Wolfe (1941–2017), publisher
Newman, Sir Kenneth Leslie (1926–2017), police officer
Newton, John Anthony (1930–2017), Methodist minister
Noakes (née Bottomley), John Wallace (1934–2017), actor and television presenter
Norman, Barry Leslie (1933–2017), journalist, broadcaster, and film critic
O’Callaghan, John Marian [Seán] (1954–2017), paramilitary and informer
O’Connor, Cormac Murphy- (1932–2017), cardinal
Oliver, Paul Hereford (1927–2017), musicologist and historian of vernacular architecture
Paniguian, Sir Richard Leon (1949–2017), oil and defence industry executive
Parfit, Derek Antony (1942–2017), philosopher
Pettifor, David Godfrey (1945–2017), theoretical physicist
Posgate, Ian Richard (1932–2017), Lloyd's underwriter
Poyser, Trevor (1925–2017), publisher
Priestley, Sir Julian Gordon (1950–2017), international civil servant
Procter, (Mary) Norma (1928–2017), singer
Quirk, (Charles) Randolph, Baron Quirk (1920–2017), linguist
Raisman, Geoffrey (1939–2017), neuroscientist
Reeves, Philip Thomas Langford (1931–2017), artist and print-maker
Reveley [née Allison], Mary Christiana (1940–2017), racehorse trainer
Reynolds, (Edward) Osmund Royle (1933–2017), fencer and neonatal paediatrician
Robinson, Derek Wilfred (1927–2017), Communist and trade unionist
Rose, David Edward (1924–2017), television director, producer, and executive
Rowell, (Douglas) Geoffrey (1943–2017), church historian and bishop of Gibraltar in Europe
Sallis, Peter John (1921–2017), actor
Sandberg, Michael Graham Ruddock, Baron Sandberg (1927–2017), banker
Sarstedt, Peter Eardley (1941–2017), singer and songwriter
Savage [née Coleman], Ann (1946–2017), astronomer
Saye, Khadija Mohammadou (1992–2017), artist
Shepherd, (Richard) David (1931–2017), artist and conservationist
Shepherd, Donald John (Don) (1927–2017), cricketer and shopkeeper
Simpson, Alan Francis (1929–2017), scriptwriter
Sisson, Rosemary Anne (1923–2017), dramatist and playwright
Skellern, Peter (1947–2017), musician, singer-songwriter, and Church of England priest
Smith, Denis Mack (1920–2017), historian
Smith, Timothy Peter (Tim) Pigott- (1946–2017), actor and director
Smithies, Oliver(1925–2017), biochemist and geneticist
Soulsby, (Ernest Jackson) Lawson, Baron Soulsby of Swaffham Prior (1926–2017), veterinary scientist
Stamp, Gavin Mark (1948–2017), architectural historian and conservationist
Steyn, Johan van Zyl, Baron Steyn (1932–2017), judge
Storey [née Story], David Malcolm (1933–2017), novelist, playwright, and screenwriter
Stuart, Sir Kenneth Lamonte [Ken] (1920–2017), medical scientist and medical adviser
Surtees, John (1934–2017), motorcyclist and racing driver
Surtees [née Bell], Virginia (1917–2017), art historian and biographer
Szamuely, Helen (1950–2017), historian, translator, and political activist
Tate, Sir Jeffrey Philip (1943–2017), conductor
Taylor, Graham (1944–2017), football manager
Tennant, Emma Christina (1937–2017) , journalist, author, and magazine editor
Terry, Sir Peter David George (1926–2017), air force officer
Thomas, Hugh Swynnerton, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton (1931–2017), historian
Thompson, John Brian (1928–2017), journalist, editor, and broadcasting regulator
Tindale, Stephen Christopher (1963–2017), environmentalist
Tomlinson, Sir Bernard Evans (1920–2017), neuropathologist
Tootill, Geoffrey Colin (Geoff) (1922–2017), computer engineer
Toulson, Roger Grenfell, Lord Toulson (1946–2017), judge
Turk (née Phillips), Stella Maris Treharne (1925–2017), naturalist and conservationist
Unsworth, Walter (Walt) (1928–2017), outdoor writer and publisher
Waddington, David Charles, Baron Waddington (1929–2017), politician
Walker, Helen Joan (1953–2017), astronomer
Wass, Sir Douglas William Gretton (1923–2017), civil servant and banker
Webb, Pauline Mary (1927–2017), ecumenist, author, and broadcaster
Wells, George Albert (1926–2017), scholar of German and of early Christianity
Wells, Peter Neil Temple (1936–2017), medical physicist
Willcox, Sheila Mary (1936–2017), equestrienne and eventer
Wilson, (Robert) Gordon (1938–2017), politician
Wilson (married name Borland), (Winifred) Margaret (1921–2017), Spanish scholar
Wolstenhome [née Boual], Manjit (1964–2017), investment banker
Wood, Ronald Karslake Starr (1919–2017), plant pathologist
Wright, Kenyon Edward (1932–2017), episcopalian priest and campaigner for Scottish devolution
Wyndham, Francis Guy Percy (1924–2017), author, journalist, and editor
Young, Sir Roger William (1923–2017), headmaster and public servant
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Discover a full list of entries added this year.