List of nontheists (surnames N to Q)

Atheists with surnames starting N, O, P and Q, sortable by the field for which they are mainly known and nationality.
 	Name	Dates 	Known as / for 	Who 	Reference
 	 	1982– 	Musicians 	British (English) grindcore/death metal band from Birmingham. All members hold atheistic outlooks. 	Mark "Barney" Greenway writes regarding the album Smear Campaign: "People are also very supportive about the new album theme of atheism/free thought in a world being driven by aggressive religious mythology."roadrunnerrecords.comOfficial Napalm Death Forum Forum Index -> Inside the Torn Apart
 	 	1939– 	Musician 	British (English) music producer, songwriter, journalist and author, best known as manager of (among others) The Yardbirds, Marc Bolan, T. Rex and Wham!. 	"Bob was arguing the point but Dick was having none of it. 'Look, I'm telling you. There'll be no fucking religion - not Christian, not Jewish, not Muslim. Nothing. For God's sake, man - you were born Jewish, which makes your religion money, doesn't it? So stick with it, for Christ's sake. I'm giving you 20 million bucks - it's like baptising you, like sending you to heaven. So what are you fucking moaning about? You want 20 million bucks from us? Well, you gotta do what we tell you. And what we're telling you is... No Torah! No Bible! No Koran! No Jesus! No God! No Allah! No fucking religion. It's going in the contract.' As a devout atheist, I could hardly object, though it seemed tough that a contract should include such specific restrictions."Simon Napier-Bell, 'The life and crimes of the music biz', The Observer (England), 20 January 2008, Observer Music Magazine, Pg. 41.
 	 	1962– 	Activist 	Bangladeshi physician, writer, feminist human rights activist and secular humanist. 	"I was born in a Muslim family, but I became an atheist."For freedom of expression, Taslima Nasreen, November 12, 1999 - Taslima Nasreen took the floor during Commission V of UNESCO's General Conference, as a delegate of the NGO International Humanist and Ethical Union (Accessed 23 December 2006).
 	 	1940– 	Politician 	Kazakh polititian, President of Kazakhstan since 1991. 	"It must be noted that, despite the death of the Aral Sea, the folly of Astana, the spectre of corruption and the terrible burden of history, Nazarbayev has presided over the dismantling of his own independent nuclear deterrent, has declared himself an enlightened atheist proud of his Muslim heritage and is tough on Islamist baddies."Paul Levy, The Observer (England), 20 May 2007, Observer Review Books Pages, Pg. 26.
 	 	1889–1964	Politician 	Indian prime minister (1947–1964). 	Nehru says that he does not believe in a god in any form in the two books (see sources).In Jawaharlal Nehru's autobiography, An Autobiography (1936), and in the Last Will & Testament of Jawaharlal Nehru, in Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, 2nd series, vol. 26, p. 612,
 	 	1915–1995	Author 	Turkish humorist and author of more than 100 books. 	"He [Salman Rushdie] emphasised that the direct cause of the riot seemed to be a speech by Nesin, rather than The Satanic Verses. "I'm damned if I'm going to carry the can for this one," he said. Versions of the speech that Nesin delivered differ, but all agree that he said he was an atheist, that religion should be adapted to modern times and that there was no reason to obey books written hundreds of years ago, including the Koran."Hugh Pope, 'Turks say publisher provoked 35 deaths', The Independent (London), 4 July 1993, Pg 15.
 	 	1900–1954	Political scientist 	German political scientist, known for theoretical analyses of National Socialism, and considered among the founders of modern political science in Germany. 	"Like my parents, I have always been an atheist."Franz Leopold's son Michael Neumann, 'What is Antisemitism?', 
Counterpunch, 4 June 2002 (accessed 6 August 2008).
 	 	1946– 	Philosopher 	American professor of philosophy at Trent University, noted for his work on utilitarianism, rationality and antisemitism. 	"Israel is building a racial state, not a religious one. Like my parents, I have always been an atheist. I am entitled by the biology of my birth to Israeli citizenship; you, perhaps, are the most fervent believer in Judaism, but are not." Michael Neumann, 'What is Antisemitism?', Counterpunch, 4 June 2002 (accessed 6 August 2008).
 	 	1953– 	Atheist activist 	American physician and attorney. 	Sued a school district on the grounds that its requirement that children recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, containing the words "under God", breached the separation-of-church-and-state provision in the establishment clause of the United States Constitution.
 	 	1949– 	Activist 	British (English born) animal rights activist, author, and president and co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the world's largest animal rights organization. 	"Newkirk considers herself a feminist and an atheist."Michael Specter interviewing Newkirk, 'Mother Nature', The Observer, 22 June 2003, Observer Magazine Pages, Pg. 24.
 	 	1926– 	Philosopher 	Canadian adjunct professor of philosophy at Concordia University in Montreal and professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Calgary. 	"Since my mid-undergraduate days, I have been an atheist. By now I suppose there are some who would call me a professional atheist troikaing me with Antony Flew and Michael Scriven."Kai Nielsen, God and the Grounding of Morality, p.155 books.google.co.uk
 	 	1907– 	Architect 	Brazilian architect, considered one of the most important names in international modern architecture. 	"Niemeyer turns up the volume on architecture to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. In 1987, when I first visited Brasilia and walked into the cathedral, it was a revelation. Stepping from the sunlight into the dimly lit nave and out again into the glorious light-filled, blue-glazed cathedral, alive with doves and angels, was exhilarating, an electrifying play upon light and shade. "Earth meets space. The nave opens up to infinity," Niemeyer explains. So what if he is an atheist?"Nonie Niesewand interviewing Niemeyer, 'Architecture: The city that Oscar built', The Independent (London), 3 October 1998, Pg. 24-25.
 	 	1844–1900	Philosopher 	German philosopher whose Beyond Good and Evil sought to refute traditional notions of morality. 	Nietzsche penned a memorable secular statement of the Doctrine of Eternal Recurrence in Thus Spake Zarathustra and is forever associated with the phrase, "God is dead" (first seen in his book, The Gay Science).Die fröhliche Wissenschaft, aphorisms 108 and 125 gutenberg.spiegel.de)
 	 	1958– 	Musician 	British (English) New Wave and industrial musician whose albums Sacrifice (1994), Exile (1997), Pure (2000), and Jagged (2006) mock and condemn religious beliefs. 	"After writing "Sacrifice" I received a number of complaints about the religious imagery that I had started to use on that album. Some of the people complaining were so fiercely protective of their faith, that I tried to write material with more of a middle ground religiously speaking. The first song I wrote was about the dangers of blind faith. When I had looked at my own lack of faith, I had come up with the idea that God and the Devil might be the same thing. That being in Heaven or Hell was all a matter of prospective. By the time I got to the third song, it was obvious that the entire album was going to work along this theme. Oddly enough it was all sparked by the religious faithful who had complained to me about "Sacrifice". "Exile" to me is one big horror story. Personally. I don't believe in God at all, but if I'm wrong and there is a God, what kind of god would it be who would give us the world we live in? It certainly cannot be a good deity. At best God would have to be cruel, selfish, and he would have to have a huge ego. "Thou shalt not worship any other gods before me." That is just one huge ego trip." Gary Numan'Interview with of Gary Numan', Sonic Boom Magazine, 16 May 1998 (accessed 30 July 2008).
 	 	1949– 	Scientist 	British (English) winner of the 2001 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine. 	"I gradually slipped away from religion over several years and became an atheist or to be more philosophically correct, a sceptical agnostic."Nurse's autobiography at Nobelprize.org
 	 	1972– 	Comedian 	Irish comedian and television presenter. 	Describes himself as an atheist, but "ethnically Catholic" for comic effect.
"I’m staunchly atheist, I simply don’t believe in God. But I’m still Catholic, of course. Catholicism has a much broader reach than just the religion. I’m ethnically Catholic, it’s the box you have to tick on the census form: ‘Don’t believe in God, but I do still hate the Rangers.’"
dara o'briain the atheist catholic retrieved August 11, 2008
 	 	1950–2001	Journalist 	British (Northern Irish) journalist, the most prominent journalist to be assassinated during the the Troubles. 	"Marty really rattled the paramilitaries because he had such good contacts," said John Keane, a friend and colleague of O'Hagan's. "He'd be able to tell you what they had for breakfast before they went out to kill. He had a cynical eye and he was very aware of the sub-structure of society, the unusual alliances, the way people weren't always what they seemed. He was an atheist and a Marxist, liable to start spouting Hegel if you gave him a chance. He used to say, my enemy's enemy is my friend. Very little that happened in Northern Ireland would have surprised Marty."Susan McKay, 'Faith, Hate and Murder', The Guardian, 17 November 2001, Weekend Pages, Pg. 19.
 	 	1919–1995	Atheist activist 	American founder of American Atheists, campaigner for the separation of church and state 	Filed the lawsuit that led the US Supreme Court to ban teacher-led prayer and Bible reading in public schools.
 	 	1947– 	Author 	British author, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. 	"He had been very religious as a boy — 'You have to be to survive being brought up in a vicarage' — but he became, on discovering Darwin at 14, not merely an agnostic, but a militant atheist, much to his father's distress. They still don't talk about it. His mother, he says, is also very religious but in an emotional way: 'She believes that in heaven she will be reunited with every spaniel she has ever owned.' While O'Hanlon was away in Africa, his older brother, a book rep, took Belinda and the children to communion. O'Hanlon was shocked, but 'I decided not to be angry about it. A real atheist, you see, is not exercised about it.' "Lynn Barber interviewing O'Hanlon, 'Carry On Up the Congo', The Observer, 13 October 1996, The Observer Review Page, Pg. 7.
 	 	1938– 	Author 	American author and Professor of Creative Writing at Princeton University. 	Q: "I noticed that nobody uses the "A-word"-- atheist--for you. Perhaps it is a step beyond nontheist or humanist. Do you identify as an atheist?
Oates: "That's a good question. I have met Christopher Hitchens once or twice, and he has a book that I'm sure you've either read or are aware of titled God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. He is very adversarial, very eloquent, and very funny in his interviews. And, of course, he is very much a self-declared atheist.
"I'm not averse to acknowledging it, but as a novelist and a writer, I really don't want to confront and be antagonistic toward people. As soon as you declare that you are an atheist, it's like somebody declaring that he is the son of God; it arouses a lot antagonism. I'm wondering whether it might be better to avoid arousing this antagonism in order to find--not compromise--some common ground."Joyce Carol Oates, Humanism and Its Discontents, The Humanist, November/December 2007 (accessed 9 June 2008).
 	 	1934–1982	Economist 	Kenyan senior economist for his government, ex-Muslim, and father of United States President Barack Obama. 	"My father was almost entirely absent from my childhood, having been divorced from my mother when I was 2 years old; in any event, although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist, thinking religion to be so much superstition."Barack Obama Jr, 'My Spiritual Journey', Time, 16 October 2006 (accessed 7 May 2008).
70px	 	1950– 	Philosopher 	Italian mathematician, philosopher and science writer. 	see source
 	 	1986– 	Pornographic actress 	American pornographic actress and Penthouse Pet. 	"I'm atheist . I know that when you die, there's no heaven, so that really bums me out. I wish I could be Christian and say I'm going to heaven but I know I'm not. It sucks to know the truth."
 	 	1876–1962	Politician 	American politician and Governor of California (1939–1943). 	The Hon. Atheist Governor: Culbert L. OlsonThe Hon. Atheist Governor:
 	 	1959– 	Philosopher 	French philosopher, founder of Université populaire de Caen and author. 	Author of Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Amazon listing for Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, by Michel Onfray. (Accessed 23 March 2008)
 	 	1960– 	Philosopher 	Australian philosopher and Associate Dean of Research at Monash University, and Associate Editor of the Australasian Journal of Philosophy. His main area of research is the philosophy of religion. 	In Is God Good By Definition Oppy presented a logical argument for God's nonexistence based upon an alleged fact of metaethics: the falsity of moral realism. If moral realism is false, then that is a fact that is incompatible with God's existence.'Is God Good By Definition?' (1992),
 	 	1962–2019	Journalist 	British journalist and broadcaster, married to writer and satirist Will Self. 	"As a fully paid-up atheist, I need no persuasion that God is neither great nor real. But, at times, as I hear for the umpteenth time the assertion that religion is the cause of all human strife, I start to find myself thinking that blaming religion for war is like blaming coloured bibs for school netball. The belief that religion is the root of all human evil is as blinkered and simplistic as the most unquestioning faith of religious adherents."Deborah Orr, 'Assaults on religion are all too easy; what we need is to define human rights', The Independent (London), 26 December 2007.
 	 	1903–1950	Author 	British (English) writer and journalist, a novelist, critic, and commentator on politics and culture, one of the most admired English-language essayists of the twentieth century, and most famous for two novels critical of totalitarianism in general (Nineteen Eighty-Four), and Stalinism in particular (Animal Farm).	"Again, Astor took care of arrangements. Orwell, the atheist, had requested that he be buried according to the rites of the Church of England. Astor found a plot in the churchyard in Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire."
Andrew Anthony, 'Review: George Orwell's Books', The Observer, 11 May 2003, Observer Review Pages, Pg. 1.
"Both Orwell, the avowed atheist, and Waugh, the Catholic convert, railed against moral relativism."Cristina Odone, 'What would Evelyn Waugh and George Orwell think?', The Times Online, 5 August 2008 (accessed 5 August 2008).
 	 	1760–1793	Author 	British (Scottish) journalist, poet, social critic and revolutionary. 	"Oswald, a vegetarian and atheist, used the pseudonyms Ignotus (in the Political Herald, 1785–7), Sylvester Otway (London newspapers 1788–9), and H. K."T. F. Henderson, 'Oswald, John (c.1760–1793)', rev. Ralph A. Manogue, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, May 2006 (accessed 2 May 2008).
 	 	1969– 	Comedian and actor 	American actor and comedian. 	On his December 2004 Comedy Central stand-up special, No Reason to Complain, Oswalt said he was a "stone cold atheist." In his 2004 comedy album, Feelin' Kind of Patton, Oswalt hypothesizes what might happen during the Apocalypse: "I'm wrong and there is a God."Patton Oswalt at CelebrityAtheist.com Oswalt's atheism was also referenced by him in 2009 special, My Weakness is Strong, and by Katt Williams in the opening act of The Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav.
 	 	1908–2003	Artist 	Basque sculptor, painter, designer and writer, renowned for being one of the main theorists on Basque modern art. 	"A profound spirituality informs most of Oteiza's work. He could articulate a humanistic form of Christianity or, with equal lucidity, proclaim himself "a devout atheist"."Michael Mullan, 'Obituary: Jorge Oteiza', The Independent (London), 10 April 2003, Pg. 15.
 	 	1947– 	Author 	American post-feminist literary and cultural critic. 	see sourceSalon magazine 28 April 1999 Salon.com
 	 	1950– 	Politician 	British (English) politician and Labour Member of Parliament, a Parliamentary Private Secretary and a member of the Justice Committee. 	"Palmer blamed concerns about disability on a tendency for people "to see physical perfection as important". The MP said that although his co-sponsors include Catholic MPs Tom Clarke and Ann Widdecombe, he is an atheist and had not been influenced by faith groups."
Jenny Percival, 'Amendment could cut number of late abortions', guardian.co.uk, 19 May 2008 (accessed 22 May 2008).
 	 	1923–1996	Historian 	British (English) oral historian, whose work was dedicated to giving a voice to British and American society's most marginalised figures. 	"The oral historian Tony Parker, who has died aged 73, was an atheist. "If it turns out I'm wrong and I find myself in front of God, I shan't half have a lot to say on the subject." One reason Tony will have so much to say in heaven is because he spent so much of his time on earth being totally silent."
Roger Graef, 'Obituary: Tony Parker: Courage and Convictions', The Guardian, 5 October 1996, Pg. 18.
 	 	1949– 	Journalist and politician	South African-born British journalist and former Conservative politician. 	"Tanya Byron: Former MP and newspaper columnist Matthew Parris is proud to call himself an atheist. Matthew Parris: I don't have a lot of doubt any more. I think it's a mistake, religion. I think that God doesn't exist. I am not absolutely hundred percent certain of that, any more than I am not absolutely a hundred percent certain that there isn't an elephant in the next room. There may be, but I think it's highly unlikely. Of course I know lots of very nice Christians, and their Christianity doesn't make me angry at all. But I get irritated with laziness of mind, with bad arguments and with a reaching for the comfort of something that, in some part of their brain, they must know is unprovable, and perhaps not true."Am I Normal? episode 'Spirituality', BBC TV, first broadcast BBC2, 28 April 2008 21:00.
 	 	1969– 	Television personality 	British (English) former Royal Marine instructor who presents the BBC / Discovery Channel documentary Tribe. 	"Newly tolerant Parry is a "post-Deist" - "basically I'm an atheist but reluctant to admit it."Cassandra Jardine interviewing Bruce Parry, Daily Telegraph, 19 September 2007, Features, Pg. 25.
 	 	1953– 	Musician 	British (English) guitarist for rock band XTC. 	"...I don't believe in God..." From the essay The Ballad of the Pumpkinheads: A Stratosphearic History of the Dukes of Swindon by Riccardo Bertonceas reported at celebatheists.com. (Accessed 26 August 2007) "Basically I don't believe in God." From an interview with Partridge in The Limelight Annual, 1987as reported at celebatheists.com. (Accessed 26 August 2007)
 	 	1900–2004	Author 	British (English) member of the Bloomsbury Group and a writer, probably best known for the publication of her diaries. 	"Frances Partidge was a pacifist long before she met Ralph. She says she cannot pinpoint the day with the same clarity with which she can remember discovering herself an atheist—at the age of 11 in an Isle of Wight boarding house—but hearing about the outbreak of World War I in the company of bellicose friends, and a feminist cousin who supported conscientious objectors, put her on the path."Caroline Moorehead, 'Love and laughter on the fringe of the Bloomsbury set', The Times, 12 August 1978; pg. 12; Issue 60378; col A.
 	 	1949– 	Playwright 	British Jewish playwright and theatre director. 	"Islam as we are experiencing it in the west at the moment is having difficulties examining areas of criticism. All religions should face criticism. As an atheist, I believe it is a healthy society that does criticise religions. What happened to Salman Rushdie was absolutely shameful. It takes us back to the middle ages."Julia Pascal, interviewed for the article 'Sikh theatre row: Can censorship ever be justified?', The Guardian, 22 December 2004, Pg. 7.
 	 	1922–1975	Author 	Italian poet, intellectual, film director, and writer. 	"Not since 1964 had Pasolini created such a stir, and even then it was not the content of his The Gospel According to St. Matthew that stunned people. It was the discovery that a director who was both a communist and an atheist could bring such fervor and insight to a religious subject. [...] There are times when Pasolini sounds remarkably religious for a self-acknowledged atheist. "I suffer from the nostalgia of a peasant-type religion, and that is why I am on the side of the servant," he says. "But I do not believe in a metaphysical god. I am religious because I have a natural identification between reality and God. Reality is divine. That is why my films are never naturalistic. The motivation that unites all of my films is to give back to reality its original sacred significance."Guy Flatley, The Atheist who was Obsessed with God, 1969, located at Moviecrazed.com (accessed 25 April 2008).
 	 	1967– 	Artist 	British (English) artist, shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1996. 	"Other artists have been far from equivocal in their more jaundiced views of the liturgy and Christian myth. [...] Simon Patterson also submitted a sunburst, but with probably a quite different subtext. [...] In the work, sunlight filters through trees to encounter the purple smoke from a firework grenade billowing up from the ground. "I thought it was redolent of the kind of Hollywood perception of God on a Cecil B DeMille set," says the London-based Patterson, who is an atheist. "It seemed to me that all that was missing was the Voice of God from the film The Ten Commandments."Simon Tait, 'Oh My God!', The Independent (London), 12 November 2004, Features, Pg. 2-4.
 	 	1901–1994	Scientist 	American chemist, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (1954) and Peace (1962) 	"... I [Pauling] am not, however, militant in my atheism. The great English theoretical physicist Paul Dirac is a militant atheist. I suppose he is interested in arguing about the existence of God. I am not. It was once quipped that there is no God and Dirac is his prophet."
Werner Heisenberg recollects a friendly conversation among young participants at the 1927 Solvay Conference about Einstein's and Planck's views on religion. Wolfgang Pauli, Heisenberg and Dirac took part in it. Among other things, Dirac said: "I cannot understand why we idle discussing religion. If we are honest — and as scientists honesty is our precise duty — we cannot help but admit that any religion is a pack of false statements, deprived of any real foundation. The very idea of God is a product of human imagination.[...] I do not recognize any religious myth, at least because they contradict one another.[...]" Pauli jokingly said: "Well, I'd say that also our friend Dirac has got a religion and the first commandment of this religion is: God does not exist and Paul Dirac is his prophet."
70px	 	1945– 	Scientist 	American writer and Professor of mathematics at Temple University in Philadelphia. 	Author of Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up (2007)Amazon listing of Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up.
 	 	1947–2006	Atheist activist 	American plaintiff in a series of law suits to remove a Christian cross from a prominent summit in the city of San Diego. 	"The real message is equal treatment under the law, and religious neutrality. That's the purpose of why I did it. It has nothing to do with me being an atheist. The fact is, the Constitution calls for no preference and that's why every judge ruled for me."
Philip K. Paulson, quoted in Kelly Thornton, 'Vietnam veteran dies of liver cancer', The San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 October 2006 (accessed 1 August 2008).
 	 	1849–1936	Scientist 	Russian Nobel Prize winning physiologist, psychologist, and physician; widely known for first describing the phenomenon of classical conditioning. 	Asked by his follower E. M. Kreps whether or not he was religious, Kreps wrote that Pavlov smiled and replied: "Listen, good fellow, in regard to [claims of] my religiosity, my belief in God, my church attendance, there is no truth in it; it is sheer fantasy. I was a seminarian, and like the majority of seminarians, I became an unbeliever, an atheist in my school years."Quoted in George Windholz, 'Pavlov's Religious Orientation', Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion Vol. 25 No. 3 (Sep., 1986), pp. 320-327.
 	 	1967– 	Actor 	British (English born) Australian-raised actor, perhaps best known for his crticially acclaimed roles in Rules of Engagement, The Count of Monte Cristo and L.A. Confidential as well as a starring role in The Proposition. 	"I've got a T-shirt that says, 'Jesus saves,' and the 's' in 'Jesus' is a big dollar sign," he says. "I've worn it here [in America] and had people come up on the street and go, 'You can't wear that.' People in Australia think it's funny. I'm fascinated by religion. I don't believe in God, but the thing I do believe in is that we're all connected."
 	 	1933– 	Philosopher 	Canadian Objectivist philosopher, he is Ayn Rand's intellectual and legal heir. He is a former professor of philosophy, a former radio talk show host, and founder of the Ayn Rand Institute. 	"...as an Objectivist I am an atheist."Religion vs. America, by Leonard Peikoff, delivered at the Ford Hall Forum on April 20, 1986, and published in The Objectivist Forum, June 1986 (Accessed 15 April 2008)
 	 	1913–2002	Journalist 	British wine writer, considered the foremost of his generation. 	"Penning-Rowsell and his sister were born Roman Catholic, but he was, if anything, an atheist. He was at Marlborough at the same time as John Betjeman, where his disposition to dissent first showed itself when he was the only boy to refuse to join the Corps."Paul Levy, 'Penning-Rowsell: surely the most conservative Communist ever', The Independent (London), 7 March 2002, Obituaries, Pg. 6.
 	 	1916–2003	Author 	Polish Jewish diarist and Jewish Ghetto policeman at the Warsaw Ghetto. 	see sourceAm I a Murderer? Testament of a Jewish Ghetto Policeman
 	 	1901–1992	Scientist 	French physicist, co-establisher the possibility of nuclear chain reactions and nuclear energy production. 	"After retirement, he remained politically active, defending Andrei Sakharov, and was President of the French Atheists' Union."D S Bell, 'Obituary: Francis Perrin', The Independent (London), 18 July 1992, Pg. 44.
 	 	1901–1998	Screenwriter 	American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter. 	"On The Burns and Allen Show, he [George Balzer] was paired with the more experienced scripter Sam Perrin. The two writers were a natural team, despite the fact that Balzer was a devout Catholic and Perrin a Jewish atheist."Dick Vosburgh, 'George Balzer: Veteran comedy writer', The Independent (London), 4 November 2006, Obituaries, Pg. 44.
 	 	1960– 	Artist 	British (English) artist, best known for his ceramics and for cross-dressing, the first ceramic artist and public transvestite to win the Turner Prize. 	"Perry rages at the dead, he even has contempt for them. He has hung a collection of Victorian samplers - religious texts and domestic images embroidered by middle-class women - among which is his own, atheist, sampler. Anger is generous, and in raging against these dead peoples' beliefs he treats them as if they mattered."Jonathan Jones, 'Perry's rural magic casts the right spell', The Guardian, 10 July 2006, Review Pages, Pg. 32.
 	 	1944–2002	Film producer 	American Academy Award-winning film producer and author, the first woman to win an Oscar as a producer. 	"Both her parents came from Russian Jewish backgrounds, but Julia was brought up as an atheist and an avid reader in Brooklyn, before the family moved, first to Great Neck, Long Island, and then to Milwaukee."Obituary of Julia Phillips, Daily Telegraph, 4 January 2002, Pg. 25.
 	 	1951– 	Philosopher 	Dutch Professor of philosophy at Utrecht University. Philipse has written many philosophical works in Dutch, including the widely-read Atheist Manifesto and the Unreasonableness of Religion (Atheistisch manifest & De onredelijkheid van religie. 	"Herman Philipse is a Dutch professor of Philosophy who gained national notoriety in the Netherlands with his 'Atheist Manifesto.'"Divided House: Dutch Debate Nature of Europe’s Culture War, by Paul Belien, The Brussels Journal, 2006-03-02 (Accessed 15 April 2008)
 	 	1964–1997	Journalist 	British journalist and editor, noted for her memoir of living with breast cancer, Before I Say Goodbye. 	"I found the self-mocking humour relentless, and would have almost been relieved if Ruth had given way to complete despair, which I'm sure she sometimes did in private. She and most of her friends were atheists. Would it have been easier for her, and for them, if they hadn't been? Instead, as a self-confessed "post-feminist chick" she found solace in Pret-a-Manger, Ghost and style magazines. It seems sad that these products acted as life-lines, but I suppose this is the reality of life in a secular age."
Elisa Segrave reviewing Before I Say Goodbye by Ruth Picardie, The Independent (London), 6 May 1998, Features, Pg. 2.
 	 	1964– 	Scientist 	Italian Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the Stony Brook University and is known as an outspoken critic of creationism and advocate of science education. 	"...I'm an atheist..."Enough blasting Dennett and Dawkins, all right?, from Rationally Speaking, the blog of Massimo Pigliucci, October 30, 2006 (Accessed 15 April 2008)
 	 	1954– 	Scientist 	Canadian-born American psychologist. 	"I never outgrew my conversion to atheism at 13, but at various times was a serious cultural Jew."
 	 	1930– 	Author 	British (English) playwright, screenwriter, poet, actor, director, author, and political activist, best known for his plays The Birthday Party (1957), The Caretaker (1959), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978). Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2005. 	"The Meeting is a about the afterlife, despite Pinter being well known as an atheist."
 	 	1819–1884	Businessperson 	British (Scottish born) American detective and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton Agency, the first detective agency of the United States. 	"Although christened by a Baptist minister in the Gorbals (25 August 1819), he had a churchless upbringing and was a lifelong atheist."Richard Davenport-Hines, 'Pinkerton, Allan (1819–1884)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (accessed 2 May 2008).
 	 	1907–1997	Scientist 	British (English) biochemist and virologist co-discoverer in 1936 of viral crystallization, an important milestone in understanding DNA and RNA. 	"During sixty years from 1937 he also wrote over forty articles on the origins, distribution, and nature of life, taking the stance of a 'dogmatic atheist'."David F. Smith, 'Pirie, Norman Wingate [Bill (1907–1997)'], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edition, October 2005 (accessed 2 May 2008).
 	 	1981– 	Actor 	American actor and musician. 	"Does Pitt think suicide is selfish? 'I see why people think it is, and sometimes I do. And sometimes I don't think it's selfish. I'm probably an atheist, though I was raised a Catholic " and that whole religion is based on the first suicide, in many ways.'"Roger Clarke interviewing Pitt, 'Film: Nearly Nirvana', The Independent (London), 26 August 2005, Features, Pg. 8-9.
 	 	1954– 	Author 	British poet, novelist, travel writer and journalist. 	"As a child she was very religious, and planned to become the first woman vicar. But she lost her faith when she discovered snogging because she couldn't bring herself to believe that it was sinful. She now describes herself as an atheist, but with "a penchant for the pagan gods"."Lynn Barber interviewing Pitt-Kethley, The Independent (London), 2 June 1991, The Sunday Review Page, Pg. 9.
 	 	1957– 	Scientist 	Dutch prize-winning molecular geneticist and columnist, and Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the fourth Balkenende cabinet for the Labour Party. 	"Ronald Plasterk (1957) is a convinced atheist. But he says expressly that he does not strive for atheism. "My own view cannot be gospel which I will defend at any cost. I respect belief, as long as people do not force it."(In Dutch: "Ronald Plasterk (1957) is een overtuigd atheïst. Maar hij zegt er nadrukkelijk bij dat hij niet streeft naar atheïsme. «Mijn eigen opvatting mag geen heilsleer zijn die ik ten koste van alles ga verdedigen. Ik respecteer geloof, zolang mensen het maar niet opdringen.» ") Interview with Ronald Plasterk, «Er is geen verband tussen altruïsme en God» ("There is no connection between altruism and God"), De Groene Amsterdammer, 22 December 2001 (accessed 6 August 2008).
 	 	1941– 	Artist 	German post-modern painter and photographer. 	"Neither artist is a believer. [...] The erudite Polke is deeply versed in religious traditions. He said, "It's not necessary to believe. Christianity for two thousand years has influenced the arts, architecture, philosophy, society.""Peter Schjeldahl, 'Many-colored Glass: Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke do windows', The New Yorker Vol. 84 No. 13, Pg. 124, 12 May 2008.
 	 	1979– 	Actress 	Canadian actress and director. 	"When asked what directors she admires, Polley talks about Ingmar Bergman and Terrence Malick (she says his Thin Red Line "single-handedly brought me out of a deep depression. It shifted something in me. I'm an atheist, but it was the first time that it gave me faith in other people's faith")."
Woman on the Verge by Mark Pupo, Toronto Life Magazine, October 2006.
 	 	1948– 	Author 	British (English) Fantasy author known for his satirical Discworld series. 	"I'm an atheist, at least to the extent that I don't believe in the objective existence of any big beards in the sky."The Line One Interview with Terry Pratchett, Gay, Anne, 1999. Accessed December 24, 2006.
 	 	1962– 	Musician 	British (English) session bassist, actor, comedian and radio DJ. 	"...There is no God..."amongst many other more humorous anti-religious remarks broadcast on Planet Rock (radio station), 20 July 2008.
 	 	1922–1983	Scientist 	British-American historian of science. 	"...my father [Derek] was a British Atheist... from a rather well known Sephardic Jewish family..."
 	 	1961– 	Author 	Canadian-born novelist and author of digital fiction. 	"Spanish churches are dark and gloomy, fitting locations for a Christianity that often seems completely demented to an appreciative atheist like myself."Kate Pullinger, 'Extremadura's Moorish tendency', The Independent, 18 November 1989, Weekend Travel, Pg. 49.
 	 	1946– 	Author 	British (English) author of His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy for young adults, which have atheism as a major theme. 	"As an atheist I'm rather on difficult ground here, but presumably this is what a Christian believes."
The Dark Materials debate: life, God, the universe... (interview of Pullman by Rowan Williams), Telegraph.co.uk, 17 March 2004 (Accessed 12 November 2007).
 	 	1939– 	Actor 	British (English) actor and television presenter, best known for a role in Doctor Who and presenting Blue Peter. 	"Religion makes me angry but I don't get overheated about it but I really dislike it and am a confirmed atheist and I believe most of the world's troubles are caused by people who have some abounding faith in some stupid superstition. It also makes me sad and depresses me immensely that people can be so stupid. Defending this, that and the other based on total myths and nonsense."Peter Purves, interviewed by 'Digger'.
==Notes and references==
Category:Lists of atheists