Academia and research

• Stuart Olof Agrell (1913–1996), optical mineralogist renowned for his involvement in the Apollo programme, was born in Ruislip.^[2]
• Alexander Fleming (1881–1955), biologist and Nobel Prize winner for the discovery of penicillin, was Regional Pathologist at Harefield Hospital, 1939; this is recorded on a blue plaque at the main entrance door to the hospital.^[3]
• Friedrich Georg Houtermans (1903–1966), noted atomic and nuclear physicist, lived in Hayes (where he worked for EMI) between 1933 and 1935.^[4]
• Lionel Robbins (1898–1984), eminent economist, was born in Sipson.^[5]
• Thomas Wakley (1795–1862), medical and social reformer, and founder of The Lancet, lived at Harefield Park, 1845–1856; he has a memorial stone in the grounds of Harefield Hospital.^[6]

Drama and film

Anne-Marie Duff at the 60th British Academy Film Awards in February 2007

• Joan Dowling (1928–1954), actress, best known for her role in the first "Ealing Comedy" Hue and Cry, grew up in Uxbridge.^[7]
• Anne Marie Duff, actress, best known for playing Fiona Gallagher in Shameless and Elizabeth I in The Virgin Queen, grew up in Hayes.^[8]
• B. J. Edwards (1838–1914), photography pioneer, lived and worked at Wistowe House in Hayes.^[9]
• Derek Jarman (1942–1994), film director whose credits include Jubilee and The Tempest (1979), was born in Northwood.^[10]
• Moore Marriott (1885–1949), character actor, best known for the comedies he made with Will Hay and Graham Moffatt, was born in Yiewsley.^[11]
• Jessie Matthews (1907–1981), actress, lived in Eastcote at the time of her death.^[12]
• Bernard Miles (1907–1991), actor/writer/director, was born in Uxbridge and attended Uxbridge County School (later Bishopshalt).^[13]
• Lana Morris (1930–1998), actress, born in Ruislip.^[14]
• Oswald Morris (1915–2014), eminent cinematographer, born in Ruislip.^[15]
• Julian Rhind-Tutt (b. 1967), actor, played the Duke of York in The Madness of King George (1994), was born in West Drayton.^[16]
• John Rich (1692–1761), the "father of English pantomime", lived in Cowley.^[17]
• Andy Serkis, actor, known for his role as Gollum in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit", was born in Ruislip.^[18]
• Jane Seymour, actress and Bond girl, was born in Hayes.^[19]
• John Stears (1934–1999), Oscar-winning creator of James Bond's modified Aston Martin DB5, Star Wars robots R2-D2 and C-3PO, and the Jedi Knights' lightsabers (among other special effects), was born in Uxbridge.^[20]
• Tony Tanner, actor and director, played opposite Harold Pinter in The Birthday Party, was born in Hillingdon.^[21]
• Heather Thatcher (1896–1987), actress, signed by MGM in 1930s Hollywood, lived in Hillingdon at the time of her death.^[22]

Military

• Lieutenant-General Gerald Goodlake (1832–1890), Victoria Cross recipient who served with the Coldstream Guards in the Crimean War, is buried in St Mary's churchyard, Harefield.^[23]
• Major-General James Grant (1778–1852), who served under Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo, was a lifelong Hayes resident.^[24]
• Astronaut and U.S. military man Gregory H. Johnson was born in South Ruislip.^[25]
• Private Cecil John Kinross (1896–1957), Victoria Cross recipient who distinguished himself at Passchendaele in World War I, was born in Harefield; he moved with his family in 1912 to Lougheed, Alberta.^[26]
• Sergeant Robert Edward Ryder (1895–1978), Victoria Cross recipient who served in World War I in the Middlesex Regiment, was born and is buried in Harefield. A blue plaque on The Old Workhouse marks his birthplace.^[27]
• Meinhardt Schomberg (1641–1719), general in the service of Prince William of Orange, built and lived in Hillingdon House.^[28]

Music

• Composer William Byrd (1539/40–1623), "the father of English music", lived as a Catholic recusant in Hayes and Harlington, 1578–88.^[29]
• Brian Connolly (1945–1997), singer of glam rock band Sweet, lived at 126 Ash Grove, Harefield.^[30]

Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones

• Steve Conway, singer (1920–1952), lived in Ickenham.^[31]
• Musician Paul Gardiner (1958–1984) of Gary Numan's Tubeway Army was born in Hayes.^[32]
• Conductor and composer Sir Eugene Goossens (1893–1962), whose career was ruined by the Rosaleen Norton affair, lived in Hillingdon.^[33]
• Composer Henry Jackman was born in Hillingdon.^[34]
• Larry Page, 1960s manager of pop groups The Kinks and The Troggs, was born in Hayes.^[35]
• Malcolm Pool, bass guitarist in rock band The Artwoods, born in Hayes End.
• Steve Priest, bass player of glam rock band Sweet, was born in Hayes.^[36]
• Claire Richards, singer in 1990s pop-group Steps, was born in Hillingdon and attended Bishopshalt School.^[37]
• Nick Simper, founding member of rock band Deep Purple, lived in Hayes.^[38]
• Composer Stephen Storace (1762–1796), famous in his day and a friend of Mozart, lived from the late 1780s in Wood End, Hayes.^[39]
• Composer Sir Michael Tippett (1905–1998), was born in Eastcote.^[40]
• David Westlake, singer/songwriter of indie band The Servants, was born in Hayes.^[41]
• Arthur Wood (1937–2006), lead singer in rock band The Artwoods and brother of Ronnie Wood, was born in West Drayton and grew up in Yiewsley.^[42]
• Ted Wood (1939-2003), Traditional Jazz vocalist and drummer was born and grew up in Yiewsley.^[43]
• Ronnie Wood, guitarist in rock bands the Rolling Stones and The Faces, was born in Hillingdon Hospital and grew up in Yiewsley.^[44][45]
• Musicians Daniel/Matthew Persell Thompson (Croft & Cotes), were born in Eastcote

Nobility

• Statesman Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (1618–1685), part of Charles II's Cabal Ministry which gave rise to the English word cabal, born in (H)arlington.^[46]
• Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter (c. 1498–1539), grandson of Edward IV and a first cousin of Henry VIII, enlarged Swakeleys House, a manor in Ickenham.^[47]
• Sir Francis Lee, 4th Baronet (1639–1637), politician and (from 1644) stepson of Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester, was educated in Hayes by Dr Thomas Triplett; his son Edward Lee at age 13 married the 12-year-old Lady Charlotte Fitzroy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II.^[48]
• Sir William Paget, 1st Baron Paget (1506-1563), statesman, holder of high office in the courts of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Lived in West Drayton from 1537 until his death in 1563 and is buried in St Martin Churchyard, West Drayton.^[49]
• Sir William Paget, 4th Baron Paget (1572-1629), 'Adventurer' (shareholder) and member of the Council of the Virginia Company (London Company) and the Somers Isles Company is buried in St Martin's Churchyard, West Drayton.^[50]
• Peter de Salis (1738–1807), built a villa designed by Joseph Bonomi the Elder called Hillingdon Park (later Little London).
• Jerome, 4th Count de Salis-Soglio (1771–1836), Anglo-Irish landowner and Christian seer, lived (and is buried) in Harlington.^[51]
• Sir Robert Vyner, 1st Baronet (1631–1688), Lord Mayor of London 1674–1675, owned Swakeleys House for a time; Vyners School in Ickenham is named after him.^[52]

At Hillingdon Court

• Sir Charles Mills, 1st Baronet (1792–1872), had Hillingdon Court built.^[53]
• Sir Charles Henry Mills, 2nd Baronet (1830–1898), created Baron Hillingdon in 1886.^[54]
• Charles William Mills, 2nd Baron Hillingdon (1855–1919)

Politics

• Lady Mary Bankes (c. 1598–1661), Royalist figure of the English Civil War, was born in Ruislip.^[55]
• Thomas Egerton, Lord Ellesmere (1540–1617) and wife Alice Spencer (1559–1637) lived in Harefield from 1601; Queen Elizabeth I visited in July 1602.^[56]
• Christine Keeler (1942–2017), iconic 1960s model involved in the Profumo affair, was born in Uxbridge.^[57]
• Lord Randall of Uxbridge (b. 1955), Conservative former MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, was born in Uxbridge.^[58]
• Sir Michael Shersby, MP for Uxbridge from 1972 until his death in 1997, was born in Ickenham.^[59]
• Roger Williams (1603–1683), important early proponent of religious freedom and separation of church and state, was born in Cowley.^[60]
• Norman Willis (1933–2014), former leader of the TUC, was born in Hayes.^[61][62]

Religion

• Annie Isherwood (1862–1906), Anglican nun and founder of the Community of the Resurrection in Grahamstown, Southern Africa, was born in Uxbridge.^[63]

Sport

• Greg Dyke, current chairman of The Football Association (FA) and former BBC director general, grew up in Hayes.^[64][65]
• Connor Emerton (born 1994), cricketer^[66]
• Chris Finnegan (1944–2009), Olympic boxing gold medalist, lived in Hayes.^[67]
• England cricketer Alex Hales was born in Hillingdon.
• Audley Harrison, Olympic boxer, attended Northwood School.^[68]
• England footballer Glenn Hoddle was born in Hayes.^[69]
• Golfer Barry Lane was born in Hayes.^[70]
• Welsh international footballer Rhoys Wiggins grew up in Hayes.
• Football player/manager/pundit Ray Wilkins grew up in Hayes.

Television

George Orwell in 1933, in which year he lived and worked in Hayes

• Robin Bush (1943–2010) of Channel 4's archaeological series Time Team was born in Hayes.^[71]
• Sue Cook, broadcaster, best known for presenting the BBC's Nationwide and Crimewatch, was born in Ruislip.^[72]
• Fearne Cotton, television presenter, was born in Northwood and grew up in Eastcote.^[73]
• James Corden, actor, host of CBS's The Late Late Show with James Corden, was born in Hillingdon.^[74]
• Barry Foster (1927–2002), actor, best known as 1970s TV detective Van der Valk, grew up in Hayes.^[75]

Visual art

• Roger Hilton (1911–1975), post-war pioneer of abstract art, was born in Northwood.^[76]

Writers

• A. M. Burrage (1889–1956), horror fiction writer born in Hillingdon.^[77]
• Tony Lee, author born in Hayes.^[78]
• Simon Monjack (1970–2010), screenwriter born in Hillingdon.^[79]
• George Orwell (1903–1950), author lived and worked in Hayes, 1932–3.^[80]