This is a list of atheists in film, radio, television and theater. Included are living persons whose atheism is relevant to their notable activities or public life, and who have publicly identified themselves as atheists. All additions should be sourced.
Film, radio, television and theater
Douglas Adams (1952–2001): British radio and television writer and novelist.
Mary Adams (1898–1984): English producer and BBC television administrator.
Phillip Adams (1939–): Australian broadcaster, writer, film-maker, left-wing radical thinker, and iconoclast. He was the Australian Humanist of the Year in 1987.
Adithya (1974–): Indian actor.
Joe Ahearne (1963–): British television writer and director.
Brandy Alexandre (1964–): American adult actress.
Keith Allen (1953–): British comedian, actor, singer and writer.
Woody Allen (1935–): American film director, writer, actor, comedian, and playwright.
Robert Altman (1925–2006): American film director.
Alejandro Amenábar (1972–): Spanish-Chilean film director.
Wil Anderson (1974–): Australian comedian, radio presenter, and television host.
Seth Andrews (1968–): American author and host of The Thinking Atheist radio podcast.
Aziz Ansari (1983–): American actor and comedian.
Fred Armisen (1966–): American actor, comedian.
Michelangelo Antonioni (1912–2007): Italian modernist film director, screenwriter, editor and short story writer.
Jane Asher (1946–): English film and television actress.
Kevin Bacon (1958–): American film and theater actor.
Joan Bakewell CBE (1933–): English television presenter and journalist.
Javier Bardem (1969–): Spanish actor and former rugby player.
Pelin Batu (1978–):Turkish actress
Andréa Beltrão (1963–) Brazilian actress, comedian and author.
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".
Paul Bettany (1971–): English actor.
Orla Brady (1961–): Irish actress.
Brannon Braga (1965–): American TV producer and writer.
Robert Bresson (1901–1999): French film director known for his spiritual, ascetic style.
Jim Broadbent (1949–): English theatre, film, and television actor.
Jeremy Brock (1959–): British actor, producer, writer, and director.
Charlie Brooker (1971–): British writer and satirist best known for his TV show Screenwipe.
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."
Richard Burton (1925–1984): Welsh actor.
Kari Byron (1974–): American television host and artist.
Peter Caffrey (1949–2008): Irish actor.
James Cameron (1954–): Canadian film director.
Richard Carleton (1943–2006): Current affairs journalist.
George Carlin (1937–2008): American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author.
Adam Carolla (1964–): American comedian, actor, author, radio host, and podcaster. Regularly refers to himself as an atheist.
Jimmy Carr (1972–): English comedian, author, actor, and presenter of radio and television.
Asia Carrera (1973–): Former American pornographic actress.
Matthew Chapman (1950–): English journalist, screenwriter, and director.
Jeremy Clarkson (1960–): English journalist and broadcaster.
Scott Clifton (1984–): American soap opera actor.
Billy Connolly (1942–): Scottish comedian, actor, former musician.
Jim Cornette (1961–): American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker.
Sir Noël Coward (1899–1973): English actor, playwright, and composer of popular music.
David Cronenberg (1943–): Canadian film director, one of the principal originators of the 'body horror' genre.
Mackenzie Crook (1971–): English actor and comedian.
David Cross (1964–): American actor, writer.
Adrianne Curry (1982–): American model, television host, and film actress.
John Davidson (1941–): American singer, actor, and game show host.
Alan Davies (1966–): English comedian, writer, and actor.
Russell T Davies (1963–): Welsh television producer and writer.
Terence Davies (1945–): English screenwriter, film director, actor, and novelist.
William B. Davis (1938–): Canadian actor.
Guillermo del Toro (1964–): Mexican director and screenwriter.
Andrew Denton (1960–): Australian comedian and television host.
Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992): German-born American actress, singer and entertainer.
Phyllis Diller (1917–2012): American actress and comedian.
Stanley Donen (1924–): American film director.
Natalie Dormer (1982–): English film and television actress.
John Doyle (1953–): Australian comedian, actor, and writer.
Christopher Eccleston (1964–): English stage, film, and television actor.
David Edgar (1948–): British playwright.
Sergei Eisenstein (1898–1948): Soviet Russian film director and film theorist.
Ben Elton (1959–): English comedian, writer and director.
Frances Farmer (1913–1970): American film, television, and theater actress.
Diane Farr (1969–): American actress.
Harvey Fierstein (1952—): American actor, playwright, and screenwriter.
Brian Flemming (1966–): American film director and playwright, notable for his 2005 film The God Who Wasn't There.
Dave Foley (1963–): Canadian actor.
Peter Fonda (1940–): American actor.
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.
Jodie Foster (1962–): American film actress, director, and producer.
Nick Frost (1972–): English actor, comedian, and writer.
Stephen Fry (1957–): British humourist, writer, actor, and filmmaker.
Ricky Gervais (1961–): British actor, film and TV director, screenwriter, producer, and comedian.
Paul Giamatti (1967–): American film and television actor.
Ira Glass (1959-): American radio personality and host of This American Life. He has stated that he is a staunch atheist.
Theo van Gogh (1957–2004): Dutch film director, television producer, publicist, and actor, murdered following the broadcasting of his anti-Islamic film Submission.
Bobcat Goldthwait (1962–): American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film and television director.
Dan Gordon (1961–): Northern Irish actor, director and author. Calls himself agnostic.
Richard E. Grant (1957–): British actor.
Seth Green (1974–): American actor and comedian.
Peter Greenaway, CBE (1942–): Welsh-born English film director.
Sasha Grey (1988–): Former American pornographic actress.
Kathy Griffin (1960–): American actress and comedian.
Rachel Griffiths (1968–): Australian film and television actress.
Shenae Grimes (1989–): Canadian actress.
Kamal Haasan (1954–): Indian film actor and film director.
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.
Brian Hall (1937–1997): English actor.
Tony Hancock (1924–1968): British actor and comedian.
Sir David Hare (1947–): English dramatist and theatre and film director.
Nina Hartley (1959–): American pornographic actress, film director, author, and sex educator.
Amber Heard (1986–): American film and television actress.
Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003): American actress.
Werner Herzog (1942–): German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.
Kenny Hotz (1973–): Canadian comedian, filmmaker, actor, producer, director and photographer.
John Humphrys (1943–): Welsh journalist, author and radio and television presenter. Prefers the term agnostic.
John Huston (1906–1987): American film director and actor.
Jamie Hyneman (1956–): American visual effects expert.
Eric Idle (1943–): British comedian.
Eddie Izzard (1962–): British comedian.
Clive James AM (1939–): Australian expatriate author, poet, critic, memoirist, travel writer, and cultural commentator.
Derek Jarman (1942–1996): English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.
Penn Jillette (1955–): American magician. He has also taken the Blasphemy Challenge.
Alejandro Jodorowsky (1929–): Chilean-French filmmaker, playwright, actor, author, comic book writer and spiritual guru.
Dom Joly (1967–): Award-winning British television comedian and journalist.
Sarah Kane (1971–1999): English playwright.
Skandar Keynes (1991–): English actor.
Rajeev Khandelwal (1975–): Indian television actor.
Margot Kidder (1948–): Canadian American film and television actress.
Larry King (1933–): American radio and television host.
Michael Kinsley (1951–): American political journalist, commentator, and television host.
Jerzy Kawalerowicz (1922–2007): Polish film director.
Keira Knightley (1985–): English actress and model.
Jan Kott (1914–2001): Polish theatre theoretician and critic.
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.
Burt Lancaster (1913–1994): American film actor.
Elsa Lanchester (1902–1986): English-born American actress. Atheism is mentioned in her autobiography.
John Landis (1950–): American film director.
Fritz Lang (1890–1976): Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor.
Charles Laughton (1899–1962): English-born American actor. Atheism is mentioned in his wife's autobiography.
Hugh Laurie OBE (1959–): English actor, comedian and writer.
Nigella Lawson (1960–): English journalist, food writer, broadcaster, and television presenter.
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." Also in 1972, when asked if he believed in God, he responded, "To be perfectly frank, I really do not."
Tom Leykis (1956–): American radio talk-show host.
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.
Rebecca Lord (1973–): French pornographic actress.
Kevin Macdonald (1967–): Scottish director.
Seth MacFarlane (1973–): Creator, animator, executive producer, actor and writer.
Bill Maher (1956–): American comedian, author, political satirist and television host.
John Malkovich (1953–): American actor, producer, and director.
Stephen Mangan (1972–): English actor.
Paul Mazursky (1930–2014): American director, producer, and actor.
Sylvester McCoy (1943–): Scottish actor.
John McCririck (1940–): English television horse racing pundit.
Ian McDiarmid (1944–): Scottish theatre actor and director.
Sir Ian McKellen (1939–): English stage and screen actor.
Butterfly McQueen (1911–1995): American actress.
Stephen Merchant (1974–): British actor and writer.
George Meyer (1956–): American television producer and writer.
Dame Helen Mirren (1945–): English stage, television and film actress.
Warren Mitchell (1926–2015): English actor.
Julianne Moore (1960–): Actress.
Dylan Moran (1971–): Irish comedian.
Dermot Morgan (1952–1998): Irish comedian and actor.
Cillian Murphy (1976–): Irish stage and screen actor.
Jonathan Myerson (1960–): British television and radio dramatist.
Akkineni Nageswara Rao (1924-2014): Indian actor, producer, Padmavibhushan award recipient.
Thandie Newton (1972–): English actress.
Mike Nichols (1931–2014): American television, stage and film director, writer, and producer.
Gaspar Noé (1963–): Argentinian-born French filmmaker.
Dara Ó Briain (1972–): Irish comedian and television presenter.
Patton Oswalt (1969–): American comedian and actor. 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.
Ellen Page (1987–): Canadian actress.
Sir Michael Parkinson CBE (1935–): English broadcaster and journalist.
Bruce Parry (1969–): English former Royal Marines instructor.
Julia Pascal (1949–): British Jewish playwright and theatre director.
Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922–1975): Italian film director, poet, writer and intellectual.
Simon Pegg (1970–): English actor, comedian, writer, film producer and director.
Sam Perrin (1901–1998): American screenwriter.
Julia Phillips (1944–2002): film producer and author.
Joaquin Phoenix (1974–): American film actor.
Brad Pitt (1963–): American actor and producer, has stated that he does not believe in God, and that he is partly atheist, partly agnostic.
Michael Pitt (1981–): American actor and musician.
Roman Polanski (1933–): Polish director. Describes himself as an atheist in his autobiography.
Sarah Polley (1979–): Canadian actress and director.
Gail Porter (1971–): Scottish television presenter.
Peter Purves (1939–): English actor and television presenter.
Daniel Radcliffe (1989–): English actor.
Carl Reiner (1922–): American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian.
Rob Reiner (1947–): American actor, film director, producer, and political activist
Griff Rhys Jones (1953–): Welsh comedian, writer, actor, and television presenter.
Anna Richardson (1971–): English presenter, television producer, writer, and journalist.
Fyfe Robertson (1902–1987): Scottish television journalist.
Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991): American screenwriter and producer.
Richard Rodgers (1902–1979): American composer.
Seth Rollins (1986–): American professional wrestler and actor.
Ray Romano (1957–): American actor, writer and stand-up comedian.
Pascual Romero (1980–): American musician and television producer.
Andy Rooney (1918–2011): Humorist, American radio and television writer.
Roberto Rossellini (1906–1977): Italian film director and screenwriter.
Douglas Rushkoff (1961-): American media theorist, writer, columnist, lecturer, graphic novelist, documentarian, and outspoken critic of religion.
Adam Savage (1967–): American television co-host.
Alan Scarfe (1937–): Canadian actor, director and novelist.
George C. Scott (1927–1999): American stage and film actor, director, and producer.
Ridley Scott (1937–): English film director and producer.
Andy Serkis (1964–): English actor and director.
Elyse Sewell (1982–): American fashion model.
Léa Seydoux (1985–): French actress.
Don Siegel (1912–1991): American film director and producer.
Sarah Silverman (1970–): American comedian, writer and actress.
Marc Sinden (1954–): English Theatre producer and actor.
Tarsem Singh (1961–): Indian-American director.
Ian Smith (1938–): Australian soap opera character actor and television scriptwriter.
Matt Smith (1982–): English actor.
Dan Snow (1978–): English television presenter and historian.
Stellan Skarsgård (1951–): Swedish actor.
Steven Soderbergh (1963–): American filmmaker, director.
Todd Solondz (1959–): American screenwriter and independent film director.
Doug Stanhope (1967–); American comedian.
David Starkey CBE (1945–): English historian, television and radio presenter.
Juliet Stevenson (1956–): English actress.
Matt Stone (1971–), co-creator of South Park.
J. Michael Straczynski (1954–): American writer and producer.
Sir Alan Sugar (1947–): English entrepreneur, businessman, and television personality.
Julia Sweeney (1959–): American actress, comedian, and author.
Paul Taylor (1930–): American choreographer.
Teller (1948–): American magician.
Louis Theroux (1970–): English documentary filmmaker and broadcaster who is noted for various documentary series.
Emma Thompson (1959–): English actress, comedian, and screenwriter.
François Truffaut (1932–1984): French filmmaker and film critic.
Wendy Turner Webster (1967–): English TV presenter and animal rights campaigner.
Tom Tykwer (1965–): German film director.
Brian Tyler (1978–): American film composer
Kenneth Tynan (1927–1980): British theatre critic and writer.
Ram Gopal Varma (1962–): Indian film director, writer, and film producer.
Wynford Vaughan-Thomas CBE (1908–1987): Welsh newspaper journalist and radio and television broadcaster.
Paul Verhoeven (1938–): Dutch film director, screenwriter, and film producer.
Paolo Villaggio (1932–): Italian actor, writer, director, and comedian.
Joss Whedon (1964–): American screenwriter and director.
Lalla Ward (1951–): English actress and illustrator.
Orson Welles (1915-1985): American actor, director, writer, and producer.
Peter White (1947–): English broadcast journalist and DJ.
Gene Wilder (1933–2016): American actor.
Robyn Williams (1944–): Australian science journalist and broadcaster.
Ted Willis (1914–1992): British television dramatist, also politically active in support of the Labour Party.
Terry Wogan KBE DL (1938–2016): Irish radio and television broadcaster.
List of atheists in film, radio, television and theater Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
