The Progress 1000: London's most influential people 2016 - Legacies

Dama Zaha Hadid's architectural designs continue to inspire thousands
Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images
7 September 2016

Dame Zaha Hadid

1950-2016

Few people have pushed architectural boundaries as wonderfully as Dame Zaha. Her designs drew inspiration from mathematics and it is fitting that the Science Museum’s new Mathematics:The Winton Gallery, which she designed, will inspire other would-be architects for years to come.

David Bowie

1947-2016

The death of rock god Bowie in January sent shockwaves around the world. Only two days previously he had released an album, Blackstar, to widespread acclaim. Brixton-born Bowie fitted no existing musical genres and sought constantly to expand horizons.

Rock god David Bowie
JARNOUX Patrick/Paris Match via Getty Images

Victoria Wood

1953-2016

She was a proud Northerner, but Wood made her home in London. She showed a generation of women not only that it was possible to break into a male-dominated industry, but also that they could be better and funnier than the men. Wood could do stand-up, sketches, funny plays, serious TV dramas, documentaries and so much else.

Sir George Martin

1926-2016

The fifth Beatle died in March after a hugely successful career spanning six decades. Aside from his extensive work with the Fab Four, the north Londoner produced two Bond themes and collaborated with artists ranging from Sir Elton John to Jeff Beck.

Prince

1958-2016

London embraces genius. Prince left his mark on the capital when he played several “secret” gigs at intimate venues in 2014. His musical eclecticism and fluid sense of identity were a perfect match for London’s diverse and funky sensibility. In the aftermath of his death it became clear how widely the star had been hero-worshipped here.

Guy Hamilton

1922-2016

Over four decades, Hamilton directed 22 films, with early successes including The Colditz Story and An Inspector Calls. But it was for his four Bond films that he will be best remembered: Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun are classics of the genre and have inspired all the Bonds that followed.

Alan Rickman

1946-2016

From the bad guy in Die Hard through to the bad guy in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and then the bad (though actually good) guy in Harry Potter, Acton-born Rickman played iconic film and stage roles for four decades. A slowly spoken sentence by Rickman was worth a dozen delivered by anyone else.

Acting legend Alan Rickman 
Rex

Sylvia Anderson

1927-2016

London-born Anderson, who created Thunderbirds with her then-husband Gerry, may be best remembered for voicing the show’s Lady Penelope. Working on an equal footing with male contemporaries, she proved that women could reach the top in the television industry.

Sir David MacKay

1967-2016

Described in one obituary as a “true polymath”, Sir David came to public prominence with his 2008 book Sustainable Energy: Without the Hot Air. Within two years the book, which he self-published, had been downloaded nearly half a million times. A brilliant mathematician, he was appointed chief scientific adviser to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in 2009.

Muhammad Ali

1942-2016

“The Greatest” had a special place in the capital’s heart. He first visited the city in 1963 as up-and-coming Cassius Clay. His promoter, Bob Arum, once said “Ali slipped into London like it fitted him”, and he inspired several generations of great British boxers.

Boxer Muhammed Ali
Jim Boudier/AP

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