Born in Germany in 1921, Sir Ken Adam is a production designer who has worked on the sets of Dr Strangelove, The Madness of King George and numerous James Bond films of the 1960s and 1970s, including Dr No, Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever.

Born in 1917, Diana Athill is a British literary editor whose publishing career began when she helped André Deutsch establish his company. Following the publication of her memoirs, she is now hailed as an author in her own right.

Born in 1929, British mathematician Michael Atiyah studied in Cambridge where he became a Fellow of Trinity College and later held professorships at Princeton and Oxford. He is best known for his work on the K-theory and the Atiyah-Singer Index Theorem.

Ben Barres is Professor of Neurobiology and Developmental Biology at Stanford University. He focuses his research on neuro-glial interactions in the developing central nervous system. He has won many awards for his work in both research and education.

Born in 1929, Jeremy Bernstein is an American physicist, educator and writer known for the clarity of his writing for the lay reader on the major issues of modern physics.

German-born theoretical physicist Hans Bethe (1906-2005) was one of the first scientists to join the Manhattan Project, later strongly advocating nuclear disarmament. In 1967, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his theory of stellar nucleosynthesis.

The late Scottish pharmacologist Sir James W Black (1924-2010) revolutionised medical treatment of hypertension and angina with his invention of propranolol, the first ever beta blocker. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1998.

British illustrator Quentin Blake was born in 1932. He had his first work published by 'Punch' magazine at the age of 16. Since then, he has illustrated books by a variety of different authors, most famously many by Roald Dahl.

The late Baruch Blumberg (1925-2011) was an American scientist and doctor whose most significant contributions to medicine include the identification of the Hepatitis B virus. He was one of three co-recipients of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Biologist Sydney Brenner was born in South Africa in 1927. A pioneer in the field of genetics and molecular biology, he discovered messenger RNA. He is one of three co-recipients of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Abstract sculptor Anthony Caro was born in England in 1924. His characteristic method of sculpture involves the use of prefabricated metal. An influential tutor, Caro taught at St Martins School of Art. He was knighted in 1987.

Born in 1931, French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière has worked with many film-makers, most notably Luis Buñuel. He has written screenplays for films including 'Belle de Jour', 'The Discreet Charms of the Bourgeoisie', 'Tin Drum' and 'Cyrano de Bergerac'.

Born in New York in 1935, Michael Chapman is an innovative cinematographer. He has worked with a number of acclaimed directors including Martin Scorsese with whom he created his two best known films, 'Taxi Driver' and 'Raging Bull'.

French cinematographer Raoul Coutard was born in Paris in 1924. Originally a war photographer, he made his debut as a director of photography in the film 'La Passe du Diable' and has gone on to become a leading figure in French New Wave cinema.

Best known for jointly discovering the double helix structure of DNA with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins, British molecular biologist and biophysicist Francis Crick (1916-2004) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.

English watch-maker George Daniels (1926-2011) was most famous for creating the co-axial escarpment and could make a complete watch by hand. In his lifetime, he received many awards, including the rarely-given Gold Medal of the Clockmakers' Company of London.

Born in the UK in 1917 to Belgian parents, Christian de Duve is an internationally renowned cytologist and biochemist. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1974 for his work on lysosomes and peroxisomes.

Austrian-American Carl Djerassi was born in Vienna in 1923. He revolutionised the field of female contraception when he and his team of chemists produced synthetic progesterone which led to the development of the first oral contraceptive pill.

Italian biologist Renato Dulbecco (1914-2012) was a pioneer in the study of viruses. It was his plaque assay technique that facilitated most of the further major discoveries in virology. He was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1975.

American-British physicist and mathematician Freeman Dyson was born in England in 1923. Aged 25, he relocated to Cornell University and has become known for his achievements in the fields of solid state physics, nuclear engineering and quantum field theory.