- Jules Pipe
Jules Pipe was re-elected as Mayor of Hackney for a second term in May 2006, having become the borough's first directly elected Mayor in October 2002. He was previously a ward councillor from 1996 to 2002, and Leader of the Council from June 2001 until elected Mayor. As one of only 12 directly elected Mayors in the country, Jules Pipe provides transparent and accountable leadership to the Council, as well as acting as a champion and advocate of the borough.
- Jennette Arnold
Jennette Arnold is a Labour Party politician and member of the London Assembly representing the London Boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest. She was born in Montserrat. She became a London-wide member of the Assembly in July 2000, following the resignation of David Lammy, and was elected as a constituency member for North East London in the 2004 Assembly election.
- Anthony Newley
Anthony George Newley (born on September 24, 1931 in the London Borough of Hackney; died on April 14, 1999) was an English actor, singer and songwriter.
- Eric Ollerenshaw
Eric Ollerenshaw OBE is a British Conservative politician. Currently he is leader of the opposition group in the London Borough of Hackney representing Springfield as one of its three Conservative councillors. For a short time he was joint leader of the council with Labour's Jules Pipe during Hackney's most troubled period. He has also been a member of the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) between 1986 to 1990.
- Alan Sugar
Sir Alan Michael Sugar is an English businessman. After leaving school at 16, Sugar started selling car aerials and electrical goods out of a van he had bought with his savings of £100. He now has an estimated fortune of £830m. and was ranked 84th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2007. Despite being best known as a technology businessman, most of Sugar's wealth now derives from his property portfolio in Mayfair, rather than business ventures.
- Sue Sanders
Sue Sanders (born 20 March 1947 in London) is, as an "out and proud" lesbian, a British LGBT rights activist who has specialized in challenging oppression in the public and voluntary sectors for over thirty years. After studying at the New College of Speech and Drama, London where she received a teaching diploma, Sue Sanders studied counselling on alcohol related problems as well as gestalt therapy and contribution training.
- Harry Cohen
Harry Michael Cohen (born 10 December 1949, in Hackney, London) is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was first elected to the House of Commons at the 1983 general election as Member of Parliament for Leyton, transferring to the new Leyton and Wanstead constituency after boundary changes for the 1997 general election.
- Shaka Hislop
Neil Shaka Hislop (born 22 February 1969) is a professional football goalkeeper, currently playing for FC Dallas and the Trinidad and Tobago national football team.
- Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew Winstone is an Emmy Award winning English actor, born on February 19, 1957 in Hackney Hospital, Homerton in the London Borough of Hackney
- Idris Elba
Idris Elba (born September 6, 1972) is a British television, theatre, and film actor who has starred in both British and American productions. Elba is also a DJ under the moniker DJ Big Driis / Big Driis the Londoner, and a hip-hop soul recording artist.
- Tom Brake
Thomas Anthony Brake, known as Tom Brake British politician. He is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Carshalton and Wallington. Tom Brake was born in Melton Mowbray and educated at the Lycée International School in Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris, and Imperial College London, where he obtained a degree in physics. He was a computer software consultant with Hoskyns from 1983 until his election to Westminster.
- Karen Buck
Karen Patricia Buck (born August 30, 1958) British politician. She is the Labour member of Parliament for Regent's Park and Kensington North and a former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport.
- Adrian Smith
Adrian Frederik "H" Smith (born February 27, 1957 in Hackney, East London, England) is a songwriter and one of three guitarists/songwriters in the heavy metal band Iron Maiden.
- James Walker
James Walker (born November 25, 1987 in Hackney, London) is an English footballer playing for Notts County on loan from Charlton Athletic. He has had loan spells with Hartlepool United, Bristol Rovers and Leyton Orient and is an England Under-18s international. Walker was released by Charlton in 2006, but was invited back on a trial by new manager Iain Dowie during pre season, …
- Grace Aguilar
Grace Aguilar (June 1816 - September 16 1847), an English novelist and writer on Jewish history and religion, was born in Hackney of Jewish parents of Portuguese descent. She was delicate from childhood, and early showed great interest in history, especially Jewish history. The death of her father threw her on her own resources. After a few dramas and poems she published in the United States in 1842 "Spirit of Judaism", in defence of her faith and its professors, …
- Jimmy Choo
Dato' Jimmy Choo OBE, born Jimmy CHOW Yeang Keat, is a London-based women's luxury fashion designer best known for his exquisite hand-made shoes. Choo is a Malaysian of Hakka Chinese descent who was born in Penang in 1961 into a family of shoemakers. He made his first shoe when he was 11 years old. He is perhaps the most famous of alumni of Cordwainers' Technical College in London, from which he graduated in 1983. The college is now part of the London College of Fashion.
- William Orbit
William Orbit (born on 15 December, 1956 as William Mark Wainwright in Shoreditch, Hackney) is an English musician and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album "Ray of Light", which received four Grammy Awards. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums that were never used. In addition, he produced "13" by Blur, and remixed some of the songs on the album.
- Phillips Idowu
Phillips Idowu (born on December 30, 1978 in Hackney, London) is an English triple jumper. He won the silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, setting a new personal best of 17.68 during the contest but was beaten by world record holder Jonathan Edwards. Later that year he placed 5th in the European Championships. Four years later, he once again finished 5th place at the 2006 European Championships in Athletics.
- Ade Akinbiyi
Adeola (Ade) Peter Oluwatoyin Akinbiyi (born October 10, 1974 in Hackney, London) is an England born Nigerian footballer. He is a striker for Burnley in the Championship.
- Dj Spoony
DJ Spoony ("born Jonathan Joseph in 1970 in the London Borough of Hackney ") is a British DJ, and former BBC Radio 1 presenter. Spoony's broadcasting career started on London Underground (a leading pirate radio station in the mid-nineties). he then joined Kiss 100, where he became a member of the "Dreem Teem" with Mikee B and Timmi Magic. The Dreem Team then brought UK garage to Radio1. His weekend breakfast show allowed listeners to join the Early Doors Club, …
- Klashnekoff
Klashnekoff "(pronounced K-Lash-Nek-Off)" (also known as Ricochet Klashnekoff and K-Lash) is a British rapper from Hackney, London. He was the founding member of the Terra Firma Crew. He is widely regarded as the best lyracist from the United Kingdom and is seen to be hugely talented.
- Samuel Rogers
Samuel Rogers (July 30, 1763 - December 18, 1855) was an English poet. Rogers was born at Newington Green, London. His father, Thomas Rogers, a banker, was the son of a Stourbridge glass manufacturer, who was also a merchant in Cheapside. Thomas married Mary, the only daughter of his father's partner, Daniel Radford, becoming himself a partner shortly afterwards. On his mother's side Samuel Rogers was connected with the two well-known Nonconformist clergymen, …
- Tom Hunter
Tom Hunter (born 1965, Bournemouth, UK) is a London-based artist whose medium is photography. He studied at the London College of Printing, and was the first photographer to have a one man show at the National Gallery, London. His work has specialised in documenting life in Hackney, depicting local issues and sensationalist news headlines with compositions borrowed from the Old Masters. For instance, his photograph of a squatter, "Woman Reading a Possession Order", …
- Buster Bloodvessel
Buster Bloodvessel (born Douglas Trendle, 6 September 1958, in Hackney, London) is an English singer and frontman of the ska revival band, Bad Manners. He was interested in acting, but chose to be a singer instead, starting up Bad Manners with friends from Woodberry Down Comprehensive in London in 1976. Bad Manners was a popular live attraction in London, with their brand of ska making them comedians of the ska revival scene, …
- Arthur Middleton
Arthur Middleton was born in South Carolina in 1742. He was educated in England and graduated a Cambridge in 1763. He was elected to the Council of Safety at Charleston in 1775, and in 1776 was a delegate to the Continental Congress. He was captured by the British when Charleston was overrun 1780, and held prisoner at St. Augustine for a year. Most of his fortune was destroyed during the Revolution.
- Harry Stanley
Harry Stanley (c. 1953 - 22 September 1999) was a painter and decorator shot dead, in controversial circumstances, by the police. Harry Stanley was born in Bellshill, near Glasgow, Scotland, where he lived for the first 19 years of his life. In the early 1970s Stanley moved to London in search of work and he married his childhood sweetheart, Irene. He had 3 children, and grandchildren, and lived in Hackney, East London.
- Jeremy Beadle
Jeremy Beadle (born April 12 1948) is an English television presenter, writer and producer, born in Hackney, London.
- Leon Constantine
Leon Constantine (born February 24 1978) is an English professional footballer. He currently has no club as he left Port Vale at the end of the season. Constantine was born in Hackney, London and played for Edgware Town before joining Millwall in September 2000. He made his debut for Millwall on September 30, 2000, coming on as a late substitute for Paul Ifill in a 4-1 win away to Peterborough United. He had loan spells with Leyton Orient and Partick Thistle, …
- Kevin Lisbie
Kevin Anthony Lisbie (born October 17, 1978 in Hackney, London) is an English-Jamaican football player. He made his professional debut for Charlton Athletic during the 1996-97 season and has played for them for his entire professional career, aside from a few loan spells. He has also represented the Jamaican national team. A prodigiously talented youngster who won many plaudits, he has never maintained form in the top two tiers of the English professional game.
- Robert Ainsworth
Robert Ainsworth (September 1660- 4 April 1743) was an English Latin lexicographer, and author of the well-known compendious "Dictionary of the Latin Tongue". He was born at Eccles, near Salford, Lancashire in September 1660. After he had finished his own education, he commenced schoolmaster at Bolton: hence he removed to London; and at Bethnal Green, Hackney, and other suburban villages, continued to keep a school, …
- Stanley Clinton Davis Baron Clinton-Davis
Stanley Clinton Davis, Baron Clinton-Davis, PC (born 6 December 1928) is a British Labour Party politician. Davis was educated at Hackney Down's School, the Mercer's School and King's College London, and became a solicitor. Davis was elected as Member of Parliament for Hackney Central at the 1970 general election and held the seat until it was abolished in boundary changes for the 1983 general election.
- Kevin Austin
Kevin Austin (born 12 February 1973 in Hackney, London, England) is an English professional footballer, currently playing for Swansea City in League One. He was eligible to play for either England or Trinidad and Tobago at international level and chose to play for T&T against Panama in 2000. Austin is a centre-half who has also been used as a full-back. Standing at 6'1" (185cm), he is an imposing figure who has been dubbed "The Doorman".
- Eddie Nestor
English actor, stand up comedian, TV and radio presenter, Eddie Nestor is best known for his starring roles in "The Real McCoy" and "Desmonds", as well as playing a small role in Trainspotting. He was most recently seen in the BBC's "Canterbury Tales" and is a former "Casualty" star. He currently co-presents BBC London 94.9 FM’s show "Drivetime" with Kath Melandri.
- Colin Low Baron Low of Dalston
Colin Mackenzie Low, Baron Low of Dalston, CBE (born 23 August 1942) is a British politician and member of the House of Lords. In 2006, he was made a life peer as Baron Low of Dalston, of Dalston in the London Borough of Hackney. Colin Low was born blind and is Chairman of the RNIB.
- Maurice Hope
Maurice Hope (born December 6, 1951 in St. John's, Antigua) is a former boxer from England, who was world Jr. Middleweight champion. Hope lived in Hackney most of his life, but now lives in his place of birth, Antigua. He represented Great Britain at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.
- Glamma Kid
Iyael Iyases Tafari Constable (born 14 March 1978, in Hackney, London, UK) better known as Glamma Kid, is a British ragga toaster and former Royal Air Force trainee of part Jamaican descent.
- Paul Weekes
Paul Nicholas Weekes (born July 8, 1969) is an English cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm offspin bowler. Born in Hackney, Weekes made his first-class debut for Middlesex in 1990. He is the only English cricketer to have scored more than 150 runs in both innings of a first class game. He has twice made over 1,000 runs in 1996 and 2004. He helped Middlesex finish the 2005 National League as runners-up to Essex.
- Kate Shortt
Kate Shortt is a pianist, cello player, song writer and comedian. Since training as a professional musician at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama she has performed her cabaret style sets at the Edinburgh Fringe as well as the Hackney Vortex Club, the King's Head Islington, Jermyn Street Theatre and the Covent Garden Festival Club. She recently won Performer of the Year award at the London Palladium.
- Leo Genn
Leo John Genn was an English actor on stage and in films. He was born at 144 Kyverdale Road, Stamford Hill, Hackney, London. His father, Woolfe (William) Genn, was a jewelry salesman and the maiden name of his mother, Rachel, was Asserson. Leo had studied law at Cambridge and qualified as a barrister in 1928. Earlier, he had attended the City of London School. He ceased practising as a lawyer soon after the Second World War.
- Andrew Kippis
Andrew Kippis (March 28, 1725 - October 8, 1795), was an English nonconformist clergyman and biographer. The son of Robert Kippis, a silk-hosier, he was born at Nottingham. Having gone to school at Sleaford in Lincolnshire he passed at the age of sixteen to the nonconformist academy at Northampton, of which Dr Philip Doddridge was then president. In 1746 Kippis became minister of a church at Boston; in 1750 he removed to Dorking, …