READ Famous Rhodes University Alumni

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List Rules People on this list must have gone to Rhodes University and be of some renown.

List of famous alumni from Rhodes University, with photos when available. Prominent graduates from Rhodes University include celebrities, politicians, business people, athletes and more. This list of distinguished Rhodes University alumni is loosely ordered by relevance, so the most recognizable celebrities who attended Rhodes University are at the top of the list. This directory is not just composed of graduates of this school, as some of the famous people on this list didn't necessarily earn a degree from Rhodes University.

Examples of graduates on this list include Dana Wynter and Alice Krige.

This list answers the questions “Which famous people went to Rhodes University?” and “Which celebrities are Rhodes University alumni?”

1

Gerrit Verschuur Scientist Gerrit L. Verschuur, PhD, born in 1937 in Cape Town, South Africa, is a naturalized American scientist who is best known for his work in radio astronomy. Though a pioneer in that field—he has 50 ...more

2

Zackie Achmat Social activist Abdurrazack "Zackie" Achmat is a South African activist and film director. He is a co-founder the Treatment Action Campaign and known worldwide for his activism on behalf of people ...more

3

Dana Wynter Actor, Writer Dana Wynter was a German-born English actress, who was raised in England and Southern Africa. She appeared in film and television for over forty years beginning in the 1950s, her best known film ...more

4

Chris Hani Politician Chris Hani, born Martin Thembisile Hani was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress. He was a ...more

5

Alice Krige Film Producer, Actor Alice Maud Krige is a South African actress and producer. Her first feature film role was as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the 1981 Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire. ...more

6

John McCormick Political scientist John McCormick is Jean Monnet Chair of European Union Politics at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, and was department chair from 2001 until 2008. He spent eight years working ...more

7

Humphry Knipe Screenwriter, Author Victor Humphry Knipe is a sociology and history author, and adult film writer, director, and website administrator. He is a co-author of The Dominant Man: The Pecking Order in Human Society, a ...more

8

Ian Smith Politician Ian Douglas Smith, GCLM, ID was a politician, farmer and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 1964 to 1979. His country's first native-born premier, he led the ...more

9

Embeth Davidtz Actor Embeth Jean Davidtz is an American actress. Her screen roles include movies such as Matilda, Mansfield Park, Bicentennial Man, and Fracture, and the television series Mad Men. Davidtz spent much ...more

10

Wilbur A. Smith Novelist, Author, Writer Wilbur Addison Smith is a South African novelist specialising in historical fiction about the international involvement in Southern Africa across three centuries, seen from the viewpoints of ...more

11

Trevor Hastie Professor Trevor John Hastie is an American statistician and computer scientist. He is currently serving as the John A. Overdeck Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Professor of Statistics at the ...more

12

Rob Davies Politician, Researcher, Economist Rob Haydn Davies is minister of trade and industry of South Africa.

13

K. Sello Duiker Novelist, Writer Kabelo "Sello" Duiker, was a South African novelist. His debut novel, Thirteen Cents, won the 2001 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book, Africa Region. Furthermore, his ...more

14

Edmund Morris Biographer, Author, Writer Edmund Morris is an American writer best known for his biographies of United States Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

15

Heather Ford Heather Ford is a South African researcher, blogger, journalist, social entrepreneur and open source activist who has worked in the field of Internet policy, law and management in South Africa, ...more

16

Jeremy Mansfield Jeremy Mansfield is a South African radio and television personality. He worked on numerous radio stations as presenter and voice-over artist, and also presented numerous television shows, and ...more

17

Steven Hatfill Researcher, Scientist Steven Jay Hatfill is an American physician, virologist and biological weapons expert. A former biodefense researcher for the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases ...more

18

Marguerite Poland Writer Marguerite Poland is a South African writer and author of eleven children's books.

19

Margaret Legum Journalist, Economist, Writer Margaret Jean Roberts Legum was a South African/British anti-apartheid activist and social reformer, who specialized in economics. Known primarily for her globally influential 1963 book on the ...more

20

Antony Roy Clark Antony Roy Clark MA is a South African schoolmaster and educationalist, formerly a first-class cricketer, currently headmaster of Malvern College.

21

Ian Roberts Actor, Singer, Playwright Ian Roberts is an actor, a playwright and a singer.

22

Achmat Dangor Novelist, Author, Writer Achmat Dangor is a South African writer. His most important works include the novels Kafka's Curse and Bitter Fruit, but he is also the author of three collections of poetry, a novella and a ...more

23

John Waite John Henry Bickford Waite was a South African cricketer who played in fifty Tests from 1951 to 1965. He was born in Johannesburg, Transvaal, and educated at Hilton College and Rhodes University. ...more

24

Gerald Pillay Professor Professor Gerald John Pillay FRSA, DL is the present Vice Chancellor & Rector of Liverpool Hope University.

25

Kit Vaughan Christopher L. 'Kit' Vaughan, DSc, is Emeritus Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town in South Africa.

26

Mandla Mandela Zwelivelile "Mandla" Mandela is the chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and the grandson of Nelson Mandela. He graduated from Rhodes University with a degree in Politics in 2007. ...more

27

Cathy O'Dowd Cathy O'Dowd is a South African rock climber, mountaineer, author and motivational speaker, famous for being the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest from both south and north sides. ...more

28

Stephen Bowen Stephen Bowen is an American biologist, educator, and educational administrator. Since August 2005 he has been the Dean and CEO of Oxford College of Emory University, located in Oxford,

29

Troy Blacklaws Troy Blacklaws is a writer and teacher from South Africa. He was born on 9 September 1965 in Pinetown, Natal Province. After his schooling at Paarl Boys' High School he studied at Rhodes ...more

30

Denise Robinson Denise Robinson is a South African politician, currently a Member of Parliament with the Democratic Alliance, and the Shadow Minister of Women in the Presidency

31

Nick Binedell Professor Nick Binedell is a South African academic and the founding director of the Gordon Institute of Business Science of the University of Pretoria in Johannesburg, South Africa., During his ...more

32

Mbali Ntuli Mbali Ntuli is the leader of the Democratic Alliance Youth, the youth wing of South Africa's official opposition party. She was elected to this position in May 2013. She held of the office of ...more

33

Alex Boraine Dr. Alex Boraine is a South African politician. He was born in Cape Town. Having been ordained as a Methodist minister in 1956, he studied at Rhodes University in South Africa, Oxford University ...more

1 Gerrit Verschuur Scientist Gerrit L. Verschuur, PhD, born in 1937 in Cape Town, South Africa, is a naturalized American scientist who is best known for his work in radio astronomy. Though a pioneer in that field—he has 50 ...more

2 Zackie Achmat Social activist Abdurrazack "Zackie" Achmat is a South African activist and film director. He is a co-founder the Treatment Action Campaign and known worldwide for his activism on behalf of people ...more

3 Dana Wynter Actor, Writer Dana Wynter was a German-born English actress, who was raised in England and Southern Africa. She appeared in film and television for over forty years beginning in the 1950s, her best known film ...more

4 Chris Hani Politician Chris Hani, born Martin Thembisile Hani was the leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress. He was a ...more

5 Alice Krige Film Producer, Actor Alice Maud Krige is a South African actress and producer. Her first feature film role was as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the 1981 Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire. ...more

6 John McCormick Political scientist John McCormick is Jean Monnet Chair of European Union Politics at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, and was department chair from 2001 until 2008. He spent eight years working ...more

7 Humphry Knipe Screenwriter, Author Victor Humphry Knipe is a sociology and history author, and adult film writer, director, and website administrator. He is a co-author of The Dominant Man: The Pecking Order in Human Society, a ...more

8 Ian Smith Politician Ian Douglas Smith, GCLM, ID was a politician, farmer and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia from 1964 to 1979. His country's first native-born premier, he led the ...more

9 Embeth Davidtz Actor Embeth Jean Davidtz is an American actress. Her screen roles include movies such as Matilda, Mansfield Park, Bicentennial Man, and Fracture, and the television series Mad Men. Davidtz spent much ...more

10 Wilbur A. Smith Novelist, Author, Writer Wilbur Addison Smith is a South African novelist specialising in historical fiction about the international involvement in Southern Africa across three centuries, seen from the viewpoints of ...more

11 Trevor Hastie Professor Trevor John Hastie is an American statistician and computer scientist. He is currently serving as the John A. Overdeck Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Professor of Statistics at the ...more

12 Rob Davies Politician, Researcher, Economist Rob Haydn Davies is minister of trade and industry of South Africa.

13 K. Sello Duiker Novelist, Writer Kabelo "Sello" Duiker, was a South African novelist. His debut novel, Thirteen Cents, won the 2001 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book, Africa Region. Furthermore, his ...more

14 Edmund Morris Biographer, Author, Writer Edmund Morris is an American writer best known for his biographies of United States Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

15 Heather Ford Heather Ford is a South African researcher, blogger, journalist, social entrepreneur and open source activist who has worked in the field of Internet policy, law and management in South Africa, ...more

16 Jeremy Mansfield Jeremy Mansfield is a South African radio and television personality. He worked on numerous radio stations as presenter and voice-over artist, and also presented numerous television shows, and ...more

17 Steven Hatfill Researcher, Scientist Steven Jay Hatfill is an American physician, virologist and biological weapons expert. A former biodefense researcher for the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases ...more

18 Marguerite Poland Writer Marguerite Poland is a South African writer and author of eleven children's books.

19 Margaret Legum Journalist, Economist, Writer Margaret Jean Roberts Legum was a South African/British anti-apartheid activist and social reformer, who specialized in economics. Known primarily for her globally influential 1963 book on the ...more

20 Antony Roy Clark Antony Roy Clark MA is a South African schoolmaster and educationalist, formerly a first-class cricketer, currently headmaster of Malvern College.

21 Ian Roberts Actor, Singer, Playwright Ian Roberts is an actor, a playwright and a singer.

22 Achmat Dangor Novelist, Author, Writer Achmat Dangor is a South African writer. His most important works include the novels Kafka's Curse and Bitter Fruit, but he is also the author of three collections of poetry, a novella and a ...more

23 John Waite John Henry Bickford Waite was a South African cricketer who played in fifty Tests from 1951 to 1965. He was born in Johannesburg, Transvaal, and educated at Hilton College and Rhodes University. ...more

24 Gerald Pillay Professor Professor Gerald John Pillay FRSA, DL is the present Vice Chancellor & Rector of Liverpool Hope University.

25 Kit Vaughan Christopher L. 'Kit' Vaughan, DSc, is Emeritus Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town in South Africa.

26 Mandla Mandela Zwelivelile "Mandla" Mandela is the chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and the grandson of Nelson Mandela. He graduated from Rhodes University with a degree in Politics in 2007. ...more

27 Cathy O'Dowd Cathy O'Dowd is a South African rock climber, mountaineer, author and motivational speaker, famous for being the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest from both south and north sides. ...more

28 Stephen Bowen Stephen Bowen is an American biologist, educator, and educational administrator. Since August 2005 he has been the Dean and CEO of Oxford College of Emory University, located in Oxford,

29 Troy Blacklaws Troy Blacklaws is a writer and teacher from South Africa. He was born on 9 September 1965 in Pinetown, Natal Province. After his schooling at Paarl Boys' High School he studied at Rhodes ...more

30 Denise Robinson Denise Robinson is a South African politician, currently a Member of Parliament with the Democratic Alliance, and the Shadow Minister of Women in the Presidency

31 Nick Binedell Professor Nick Binedell is a South African academic and the founding director of the Gordon Institute of Business Science of the University of Pretoria in Johannesburg, South Africa., During his ...more

32 Mbali Ntuli Mbali Ntuli is the leader of the Democratic Alliance Youth, the youth wing of South Africa's official opposition party. She was elected to this position in May 2013. She held of the office of ...more

33 Alex Boraine Dr. Alex Boraine is a South African politician. He was born in Cape Town. Having been ordained as a Methodist minister in 1956, he studied at Rhodes University in South Africa, Oxford University ...more

34