List of atheists in film, radio, television and theater

• Douglas Adams (1952–2001): British radio and television writer and novelist.^[1]
• Mary Adams (1898–1984): English producer and BBC television administrator.^[2]
• Phillip Adams (1939–): Australian broadcaster, writer, film-maker, left-wing radical thinker, and iconoclast. He was the Australian Humanist of the Year in 1987.^[3]
• Adithya (1974–): Indian actor.^[4]
• Joe Ahearne (1963–): British television screenwriter and director.^[5]
• Brandy Alexandre (1964–): American adult actress.^[6]
• Keith Allen (1953–): British comedian, actor, singer and writer.^[7]
• Woody Allen (1935–): American film director, writer, actor, comedian, and playwright.^[8]
• Robert Altman (1925–2006): American film director.^[9]
• Alejandro Amenábar (1972–): Spanish-Chilean film director.^[10]
• Wil Anderson (1974–): Australian comedian, radio presenter, and television host.^[11]
• Seth Andrews (1968–): American author and host of The Thinking Atheist radio podcast.^[12]
• Aziz Ansari (1983–): American actor and comedian.^[13][14][15]
• Fred Armisen (1966–): American actor, comedian.^[16]
• Michelangelo Antonioni (1912–2007): Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.^[17]
• Jane Asher (1946–): English film and television actress.^[18]
• Kevin Bacon (1958–): American film and theater actor.^[19]
• Joan Bakewell CBE (1933–): English television presenter and journalist.^[20]
• Javier Bardem (1969–): Spanish actor and former rugby player.^[21]
• Pelin Batu (1978–): Turkish actress and author.^[22]
• Andréa Beltrão (1963–) Brazilian actress, comedian and author.^[23]
• Sarah Bernhardt (1844–1923): French stage actress. She was asked by French composer Charles Gounod if she ever prayed. Bernhadt replied “No, never. I’m an atheist”.^[24]
• Paul Bettany (1971–): English actor.^[25]
• Frankie Boyle (1972–): Scottish comedian.^[26]
• Orla Brady (1961–): Irish actress.^[27]
• Brannon Braga (1965–): American TV producer and writer.^[28]
• Neal Brennan (1973–): American comedian, writer, producer, and director.^[29]
• Jim Broadbent (1949–): English theatre, film, and television actor.^[30]
• Jeremy Brock (1959–): British actor, producer, writer, and director.^[31]
• Charlie Brooker (1971–): British writer and satirist best known for his TV show Screenwipe.^[32]
• Derren Brown (1971–): English psychological illusionist, mentalist, and skeptic of paranormal phenomena. Professed to being an atheist in his book Tricks of the Mind and described Bertrand Russell‘s collection of essays Why I Am Not a Christian “an absolute joy.”
• Luis Buñuel (1900–1983): Spanish film-maker, activist of the surrealist movement. Known for his one-liner, “Thank God I’m an atheist.”^[33]
• Richard Burton (1925–1984): Welsh actor.^[34]
• Kari Byron (1974–): American television host and artist.^[35][36]
• Peter Caffrey (1949–2008): Irish actor.^[37]
• James Cameron (1954–): Canadian film director.^[38]
• Richard Carleton (1943–2006): Current affairs journalist.^[39]
• Adam Carolla (1964–): American comedian, actor, author, radio host, and podcaster. Regularly refers to himself as an atheist.^[40][41]
• Jimmy Carr (1972–): English comedian, author, actor, and presenter of radio and television.^[42]
• Asia Carrera (1973–): Former American pornographic actress.^[43]
• Matthew Chapman (1950–): English journalist, screenwriter, and director.^[44]
• Jeremy Clarkson (1960–): English journalist and broadcaster.^[45]
• Scott Clifton (1984–): American soap opera actor.^[46]
• Billy Connolly (1942–): Scottish comedian, actor, former musician.^[47]
• Jim Cornette (1961–): American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker.^[48]
• Sir Noël Coward (1899–1973): English actor, playwright, and composer of popular music.^[49]
• Daniel Craig (1968–): English actor, well known for playing James Bond from 2006 to 2020. ^[50]
• David Cronenberg (1943–): Canadian film director, one of the principal originators of the ‘body horror‘ genre.^[51]
• Mackenzie Crook (1971–): English actor and comedian.^[52]
• David Cross (1964–): American actor, writer.^[53]
• Adrianne Curry (1982–): American model, television host, and film actress.^[54]
• Rodney Dangerfield (1921–2004): American comedian and actor.^[55]
• John Davidson (1941–): American singer, actor, and game show host.^[56]
• Larry David (1947-): American comedian, writer, actor, director, and television producer
• Alan Davies (1966–): English comedian, writer, and actor.^[57]
• Russell T Davies (1963–): Welsh television producer and writer.^[58]
• Terence Davies (1945–): English screenwriter, film director, actor, and novelist.^[59]
• William B. Davis (1938–): Canadian actor.^[60]
• Guillermo del Toro (1964–): Mexican director and screenwriter.^[61]
• Andrew Denton (1960–): Australian comedian and television host.^[62]
• Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992): German-born American actress, singer and entertainer.^[63]
• Phyllis Diller (1917–2012): American actress and comedian.^[64]
• Stanley Donen (1924–2019): American film director.^[65]
• Natalie Dormer (1982–): English film and television actress.^[66]
• Jamie Dornan (1982–): Irish actor, model and musician.
• John Doyle (1953–): Australian comedian, actor, and writer.^[67]
• Christopher Eccleston (1964–): English stage, film, and television actor.^[68]
• David Edgar (1948–): British playwright.^[69]
• Sergei Eisenstein (1898–1948): Soviet Russian film director and film theorist.^[70][71][72]
• Ben Elton (1959–): English comedian, writer and director.^[73][74]
• Frances Farmer (1913–1970): American film, television, and theater actress.^[75][76]
• Diane Farr (1969–): American actress.^[77]
• Harvey Fierstein (1952–): American actor, playwright, and screenwriter.^[78]
• Brian Flemming (1966–): American film director and playwright, notable for his 2005 film The God Who Wasn’t There.^[79]
• Dave Foley (1963–): Canadian actor.^[80]
• Peter Fonda (1940–2019): American actor.^[81]
• Sir Denis Forman (1917–2013): British director (1949–1954) and later Chair (1971–1973) of The British Film Institute, Chairman and managing director of Granada Television, and Director of the Royal Opera House in London.^[82]
• Jodie Foster (1962–): American film actress, director, and producer.^[83]
• Nick Frost (1972–): English actor, comedian, and writer.^[84]
• Stephen Fry (1957–): British humourist, writer, actor, and filmmaker.^[85][86]
• Bob Geldof (1951–): Irish musician, businessman and political activist.^[87]
• Ricky Gervais (1961–): British actor, film and TV director, screenwriter, producer, and comedian.^[88][89]
• Paul Giamatti (1967–): American film and television actor.^[90]
• Ira Glass (1959–): American radio personality and host of This American Life. He has stated that he is a staunch atheist.^[91]
• Theo van Gogh (1957–2004): Dutch film director, television producer, publicist, and actor, murdered following the broadcasting of his anti-Islamic film Submission.^[92]
• Bobcat Goldthwait (1962–): American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film and television director.^[93]
• Dan Gordon (1961–): Northern Irish actor, director and author. Calls himself agnostic.^[94]
• Richard E. Grant (1957–): British actor.^[95][96]
• Seth Green (1974-): American actor and comedian.^[97][98]
• Peter Greenaway, CBE (1942–): Welsh-born English film director.^[99]
• Kathy Griffin (1960–): American actress and comedian.^[100][101]
• Rachel Griffiths (1968–): Australian film and television actress.^[102]
• Shenae Grimes (1989–): Canadian actress.^[103]
• Kamal Haasan (1954–): Indian film actor and film director.^{[104][105][106]}
• Paul Haggis (1953–): Canadian born, American citizen screenwriter and producer for consecutive Best Picture Oscar winners, 2004’s Million Dollar Baby and 2005’s Crash, the latter of which he also directed.^[107][108]
• Brian Hall (1937–1997): English actor.^[109]
• Tony Hancock (1924–1968): British actor and comedian.^[110]
• Sir David Hare (1947–): English dramatist and theatre and film director.^[111]
• Nina Hartley (1959–): American pornographic actress, film director, author, and sex educator.^[112]
• Amber Heard (1986–): American film and television actress.^[113]
• Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003): American actress.^[114]
• Werner Herzog (1942–): German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.^[115]
• Kenny Hotz (1973–): Canadian comedian, filmmaker, actor, producer, director and photographer.^[116]
• John Humphrys (1943–): Welsh journalist, author and radio and television presenter. Prefers the term agnostic.^[117][118]
• John Huston (1906–1987): American film director and actor.^[119]
• Jamie Hyneman (1956–): American visual effects expert.^[120]
• Eric Idle (1943–): British comedian.^[121]
• Eddie Izzard (1962–): British comedian.^[122][123]
• Clive James AO (1939–2019): Australian expatriate author, poet, critic, memoirist, travel writer, and cultural commentator.^[124]
• Derek Jarman (1942–1994): English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.^[125]
• Penn Jillette (1955–): American magician.^[126] He has also taken the Blasphemy Challenge.
• Alejandro Jodorowsky (1929–): Chilean-French filmmaker, playwright, actor, author, comic book writer and spiritual guru.^[127]
• Dom Joly (1967–): Award-winning British television comedian and journalist.^[128]
• Sarah Kane (1971–1999): English playwright.^[129]
• Skandar Keynes (1991–): English actor.^[130]
• Rajeev Khandelwal (1975–): Indian television actor.^[131]
• Margot Kidder (1948–2018): Canadian American film and television actress.^[132]
• Larry King (1933–): American radio and television host.^[133]
• Michael Kinsley (1951–): American political journalist, commentator, and television host.^[134]
• Jerzy Kawalerowicz (1922–2007): Polish film director.^[135]
• Keira Knightley (1985–): English actress and model.^[136]
• Jan Kott (1914–2001): Polish theatre theoretician and critic.^[137]
• Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999): American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and editor whose films include 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining.^[138]
• Burt Lancaster (1913–1994): American film actor.^[139]
• Elsa Lanchester (1902–1986): English-born American actress. Atheism is mentioned in her autobiography.^[140]
• John Landis (1950–): American film director.^[141]
• Fritz Lang (1890–1976): Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor.^{[142][143][144]}
• Charles Laughton (1899–1962): English-born American actor. Atheism is mentioned in his wife’s autobiography.^[140]
• Hugh Laurie OBE (1959–): English actor, comedian and writer.^[145]
• Nigella Lawson (1960–): English journalist, food writer, broadcaster, and television presenter.^[146]
• Bruce Lee (1940–1973): martial artist, actor and philosopher. John Little states that Lee was an atheist. When asked in 1972 what his religious affiliation was, Lee replied “none whatsoever.”^[147][148] Also in 1972, when asked if he believed in God, he responded, “To be perfectly frank, I really do not.”^[148][149]
• Robert Lees (1912-2004): Hollywood screenwriter.
• Shawna Leneé (1987-): Adult actress.^[150]
• Tom Leykis (1956–): American radio talk-show host.^[151]
• Robert Llewellyn (1956–): English actor, TV presenter, comedian, and writer. Also a skeptic and science enthusiast, and has expressed that his major pseudoscientific irritations are astrology and climate change denial.^[152][153]
• Rebecca Lord (1973–): French pornographic actress.^[154]
• Jane Lynch (1960–): American actress and comedian.^[155]
• Kevin Macdonald (1967–): Scottish director.^[156]
• Seth MacFarlane (1973–): creator, animator, executive producer, actor and writer.^[157][158]
• Bill Maher (1956–): American comedian, author, political satirist and television host.^[159][160]
• John Malkovich (1953–): American actor, producer, and director.^[161]
• Stephen Mangan (1972–): English actor.^[162]
• Benjamin Maio Mackay (1999–): Australian actor, podcaster, radio personality, director, singer and producer.^[163]
• Paul Mazursky (1930–2014): American director, producer, and actor.^[164]
• Sylvester McCoy (1943–): Scottish actor.^[165]
• John McCririck (1940–2019): English television horse racing pundit.^[166]
• Ian McDiarmid (1944–): Scottish theatre actor and director.^[167]
• Sir Ian McKellen (1939–): English stage and screen actor.^[168]
• Butterfly McQueen (1911–1995): American actress.^[169]
• Stephen Merchant (1974–): British actor and writer.^[170][171]
• George Meyer (1956–): American television producer and writer.^[172]
• Dame Helen Mirren (1945–): English stage, television and film actress.^[173]
• Warren Mitchell (1926–2015): English actor.^[174]
• Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962): American actress, model, and singer.^[175]
• Julianne Moore (1960–): American actress.^[176][177]
• Dylan Moran (1971–): Irish comedian.^[178]
• Dermot Morgan (1952–1998): Irish comedian and actor.^[179][180]
• Cillian Murphy (1976–): Irish stage and screen actor.^[181]
• Jonathan Myerson (1960–): British television and radio dramatist.^[182]
• Akkineni Nageswara Rao (1924–2014): Indian actor, producer, Padmavibhushan award recipient.^[183]
• Thandie Newton (1972–): English actress.^[184]
• Mike Nichols (1931–2014): American television, stage and film director, writer, and producer.^[185]
• Gaspar Noé (1963–): Argentinian-born French filmmaker.^[186]
• Dara Ó Briain (1972–): Irish comedian and television presenter.^[187]
• Patton Oswalt (1969–): American comedian and actor.^[188] In his standup special No Reason To Complain, he calls himself a “stone-cold atheist.”
• Yasujirō Ozu (1903–1963): Japanese film director and script writer.^[189]
• Ellen Page (1987–): Canadian actress.^[190]
• Sir Michael Parkinson CBE (1935–): English broadcaster and journalist.^[191]
• Bruce Parry (1969–): English former Royal Marines instructor.^[192]
• Julia Pascal (1949–): British Jewish playwright and theatre director.^[193]
• Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922–1975): Italian film director, poet, writer and intellectual.^[194]
• Simon Pegg (1970–): English actor, comedian, writer, film producer and director.^[195]
• Sam Perrin (1901–1998): American screenwriter.^[196]
• Julia Phillips (1944–2002): film producer and author.^[197]
• Joaquin Phoenix (1974–): American film actor.^[198]
• Brad Pitt (1963–): American actor and producer, has stated that he does not believe in God, and that he is partly atheist, partly agnostic.^[199]
• Michael Pitt (1981–): American actor and musician.^[200]
• Roman Polanski (1933–): Polish director.^[201]
• Sarah Polley (1979–): Canadian actress and director.^[202]
• Gail Porter (1971–): Scottish television presenter.^[203]
• Paula Poundstone (1959–): American stand-up comedian, author, actress, interviewer, and commentator.^[204]
• Peter Purves (1939–): English actor and television presenter.^[205]
• Aron Ra (1962-) American author, public speaker, and vlogger.^[206]
• Daniel Radcliffe (1989–): English actor.^[207]
• Carl Reiner (1922–2020): American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian.^[208]
• Rob Reiner (1947–): American actor, film director, producer, and political activist^[209]
• Griff Rhys Jones (1953–): Welsh comedian, writer, actor, and television presenter.^[210][211]
• Anna Richardson (1971–): English presenter, television producer, writer, and journalist.^[212]
• Fyfe Robertson (1902–1987): Scottish television journalist.^[213]
• Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991): American screenwriter and producer.^[214]
• Richard Rodgers (1902–1979): American composer.^[215]
• Seth Rollins (1986–): American professional wrestler and actor.^[216][217]
• Ray Romano (1957–): American actor, writer and stand-up comedian.^[218]
• Pascual Romero (1980–): American musician and television producer.^[219]
• Andy Rooney (1918–2011): Humorist, American radio and television writer.^[220]
• Roberto Rossellini (1906–1977): Italian film director and screenwriter.^[221]
• Douglas Rushkoff (1961–): American media theorist, writer, columnist, lecturer, graphic novelist, documentarian, and outspoken critic of religion.^[222]
• Adam Savage (1967–): American television co-host.^[223]
• Alan Scarfe (1937–): Canadian actor, director and novelist.^[224]
• George C. Scott (1927–1999): American stage and film actor, director, and producer.^[225]
• Ridley Scott (1937–): English film director and producer.^[226]
• Andy Serkis (1964–): English actor and director.^[227][228]
• Elyse Sewell (1982–): American fashion model.^[229]
• Vijay Sethupathi (1978–): Indian actor and producer.^[230]
• Léa Seydoux (1985–): French actress.^[231]
• Don Siegel (1912–1991): American film director and producer.^[232]
• Sarah Silverman (1970–): American comedian, writer and actress.^[233]
• Marc Sinden (1954–): English Theatre producer and actor.^[234]
• Tarsem Singh (1961–): Indian-American director.^[235]
• Ian Smith (1938–): Australian soap opera character actor and television scriptwriter.^[236]
• Matt Smith (1982–): English actor.^[237]
• Dan Snow (1978–): English television presenter and historian.^[238]
• Stellan Skarsgård (1951–): Swedish actor.^[239][240]
• Steven Soderbergh (1963–): American filmmaker, director.^[241]
• Todd Solondz (1959–): American screenwriter and independent film director.^[242]
• Doug Stanhope (1967–); American comedian.^[243]
• David Starkey CBE (1945–): English historian, television and radio presenter.^[244]
• Juliet Stevenson (1956–): English actress.^[245]
• Patrick Stewart (1940–): English Actor of stage, film and television.^[246]
• Matt Stone (1971–), co-creator of South Park.^[247][248]
• J. Michael Straczynski (1954–): American writer and producer.^[249]
• Sir Alan Sugar (1947–): English entrepreneur, businessman, and television personality.^[250]
• Julia Sweeney (1959–): American actress, comedian, and author.^[251]
• Paul Taylor (1930–2018): American choreographer.^[252]
• Teller (1948–): American magician.^[253]
• Louis Theroux (1970–): English documentary filmmaker and broadcaster who is noted for various documentary series.^[254]
• Emma Thompson (1959–): English actress, comedian, and screenwriter.^[255]
• François Truffaut (1932–1984): French filmmaker and film critic.^[256][257]
• Wendy Turner Webster (1967–): English TV presenter and animal rights campaigner.^[258]
• Tom Tykwer (1965–): German film director.^[259]
• Brian Tyler (1978–): American film composer^[260]
• Kenneth Tynan (1927–1980): British theatre critic and writer.^[261]
• Ram Gopal Varma (1962–): Indian film director, writer, and film producer.^[262]
• Wynford Vaughan-Thomas CBE (1908–1987): Welsh newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster.^[263]
• Paul Verhoeven (1938–): Dutch film director, screenwriter, and film producer.^[264]
• Paolo Villaggio (1932–2017): Italian actor, writer, director, and comedian.^[265]
• Joss Whedon (1964–): American screenwriter and director.^[266]
• Lalla Ward (1951–): English actress and illustrator.^[267]
• Orson Welles (1915–1985): American actor, director, writer, and producer.^[268]
• Wil Wheaton (1972–): American actor, blogger, and writer^[269]
• Peter White (1947–): English broadcast journalist and DJ.^[270]
• Gene Wilder (1933–2016): American actor.^[271]
• Robyn Williams (1944–): Australian science journalist and broadcaster.^[272]
• Ted Willis (1914–1992): British television dramatist, also politically active in support of the Labour Party.^[273]
• Mara Wilson (1987-) American actress best known for Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire.^[274]
• Terry Wogan KBE DL (1938–2016): Irish radio and television broadcaster.^[275]