Great Britain is famous for its poets, writers, actors, musicians and scientists.

It gave birth to a lot of

famous people, who are known almost by everyone in the world now. However, it is very important to
know contemporary British outstanding people and celebrities, so I will tell you about some of them. My
group of people will include actor, scientists, writer and even the current Queen of Great Britain!

Jason Statham

I would like to start with Jason Statham – one of the most recognizable actor in the world. Mr. Statham
is mostly known for the films "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ", "Snatch", "Revolver" and
"Adrenaline". I have recently watched several films with his participation and I can say that he is an
excellent actor. Jason’s family is very creative – his father sings, mother dances, brother plays guitar, and
Jason himself play drums very well.

Interesting fact: Few people know that Statham competed for England in the diving. He even took the
12th place at the world Championships in 1992.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor. His poems are known all over the world,
and many literary experts think that Shakespeare was the best poem writer of all time.

William was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who
was the daughter of the local landowner. They had 2 daughters and 1 son (but unfortunately, Hamnet,
the only son of William Shakespeare, died at the age of 11), but the most important in Shakespeare’s
biography is his works. Among his works there are such masterpieces of the world literature as "Romeo
and Juliet" (his most popular work nowadays), "A midsummer night's dream", "Othello", "King Lear",
"Hamlet" and many others. I think that British people must be proud of William Shakespeare, because
he was a true literary genius of his time.

Isaac Newton

Newton, one of the greatest scientists of all times was born in 1642 in the little village in Lincolnshire,
England. We do not know much about his childhood, so I will continue his biography when he was a
student.

Newton studied mathematics at Cambridge University and received his degree in 1665. After studying in
university there was most important period in his when he made his three great discoveries — the
discoveries of the differential calculuses, of the nature of white light, and of the law of gravitation.

These discoveries are still important for the modern science. Newton had always been interested in the
problems of light. Many people saw colours of a rainbow but only Newton showed, by his experiments,
that white light consists of these colours.

Newton died at the age of 84, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, where his monument stands
today.

Many people know the story of how Newton discovered the law of gravitation (an apple fell on his
head), but most likely this is just a beautiful story, not the truth. Nevertheless, Newton made many
scientific discoveries that now form the backbone of modern discoveries.

Stephen Hawking

This great scientist passed away recently (in 2018) in the age of 76. This event was a shock for scientists
and ordinary people, as this great man made a huge number of discoveries for modern science.

Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England on January 8, 1942. He grew up in a highly educated
family. Both of his parents had been Oxford students. When he was a teenager, Stephen and his friends
built a computer out of old clock parts, telephone switchboards and other recycled items. His friends
nicknamed him Einstein.

When Stephen was 17, he went to Oxford University to study physics and chemistry. After that, he went
to Cambridge University to study cosmology (the science of the origin of the universe).

Sadly, when he was 21, Stephen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Doctors told him he only
had two years to live. Stephen used walking sticks and crutches but as his illness got worse, he had to
use an electric wheelchair to get around.

Stephen developed theories about how the world began and furthered our understanding of black
holes, stars and the universe. His most famous book, A Brief History of Time, sold more than 10 million
copies.

Stephen is an inspiration to many people. He had an amazing mind and he didn’t let his illness stand in
his way. He lived for 55 years after his diagnosis!

Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II is the Queen of the United Kingdom. She was born on 21 April 1926 in London. She was the
eldest daughter of Elizabeth I and Prince Albert and she was very interested in studying from childhood.
Her favorite subjects were art and sports. Elizabeth's husband is Prince Philip. They were married on
November 20, 1947. A year later, Elizabeth gave birth to their first child, Prince Charles. Elizabeth and
Prince Philip have other children: Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The Queen has five
official residences in the UK, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Now Elizabeth is 94 years
old, and she still feels great.

In general, if we talk about Elizabeth, she did not make any scientific discoveries or anything else,
became known only because of her position. However, I think that she symbolizes the passing era of
Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, of which only Great Britain remained a monarchy with its head -
the king or queen, and that is why she became a famous person.