Guildford - Notable Residents (past and Present)

Notable Residents (past and Present)

Guildford has been the home of several notable writers. Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, had a house in Guildford and is buried in the Mount Cemetery. Edward Carpenter, the gay socialist poet and activist, moved to the town after the First World War and lived there until his death in 1929. He too is buried in Mount Cemetery. Other authors from the town include Gerald Seymour, writer of Harry's Game Albert Jack and New York Times film critic Mordaunt Hall. P. G. Wodehouse was born, prematurely, in Guildford in 1881 whilst his mother was visiting the town. Christian writer and biographer Joyce Reason was a resident of the town, as was novelist Kazuo Ishiguro. Piers Morgan was born in Guildford.

In music, Guildford lays claim to rock group The Stranglers, who were based in the town in the early 1970s and were briefly known as "The Guildford Stranglers". Drummer/backing vocalist of Queen, Roger Taylor, currently resides in Guildford. Drummer Jet Black ran an off-licence in the town and bass player Jean Jacques Burnel attended the Royal Grammar School. Progressive rock musicians Mike Rutherford, of Genesis and Andrew Latimer of the band Camel, were both born in Guildford, as was jazz saxophonist Iain Ballamy. In more contemporary music, drum and bass producers Cause 4 Concern and Sub Focus are from the town.

Several actors and actresses live in the area, including: Edward Kelsey, who plays Joe Grundy in The Archers; Stuart Wilson, and Bonnie Langford. Yvonne Arnaud, singer and actress, lived in the town for many years before she died. Terry Jones, the Monty Python writer, went to the Royal Grammar School from 1953–61. Other entertainers born in Guildford include WWE wrestler Paul Burchill, comic Mackenzie Taylor, and Holly Samos – radio researcher and presenter, and former member of Chris Evans' Zoo Squad.

In sport, Guildford has been home to driver Katherine Legge and Allan Wells, gold medallist in the 100 metres at the 1980 Olympics. Matthew Jarvis, a current football player for Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. also grew up in Guildford and attended George Abbot School.

Other notable residents include cartoonist Piers Baker (Ollie and Quentin); the model Jodie Kidd, who was born in the town; mathematician, logician and cryptographer, Alan Turing, whose family home was in Guildford; Michael Buerk, BBC newsreader; Roger Fry, the English artist, critic and member of the Bloomsbury Group who lived in the house (Durbins) he designed and built in the town from 1909 to 1919;.

The fictional Ford Prefect, from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, claimed to be from Guildford, though in fact he was from a planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse.