20th-century atheists

founding leader of the Soviet Union (1870–1924)

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held office as general secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1952 and as premier from 1941 until his death. Despite initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he eventually consolidated power to become a dictator by the 1930s. Stalin codified the Communist Party's official interpretation of Marxism as Marxism–Leninism, and his version of it is referred to as Stalinism.

Marilyn Monroe was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as well as an emblem of the era's sexual revolution. She was a top-billed actress for a decade, and her films grossed $200 million by her death in 1962.

1st chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and founder of the People's Republic of China (1893–1976)

Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, politician, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia in popular culture.

British writer and journalist (1903–1950)

French philosopher, author, and journalist (1913–1960)

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician, journalist, and dictator who led Italy as Il Duce from 1922 until his overthrow in 1943. He founded the fascist movement in 1919, with the creation of the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, which became the National Fascist Party (PNF) in 1921. Mussolini was appointed Prime Minister of Italy after the March on Rome in 1922, establishing a totalitarian dictatorship. He oversaw Italy's participation in World War II as a prominent member of the Axis Powers, and was summarily executed near the end of the war in 1945.

Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between 1979 and 2009, he was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, widely viewed as one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.

French existentialist philosopher (1905–1980)

English computer scientist (1912–1954)

Xi Jinping is a Chinese statesman and politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Party Central Military Commission (CMC) since 2012, and the president of China and chairman of the State Central Military Commission since 2013. Xi has been the leader of the fifth generation of Chinese leadership since 2012.

French novelist, critic and essayist (1871–1922)

British philosopher and logician (1872–1970)

Russian Marxist revolutionary (1879–1940)

English modernist writer (1882–1941)

leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964

American writer and biochemist (1920–1992)

Austrian physicist (1887–1961)

American theoretical physicist (1918–1988)

President of the Republic of Belarus

Vietnamese communist leader, founder of North Vietnam (1890–1969)

English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author (born 1941)

Portuguese novelist (1922–2010)

Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974

British science fiction writer and humorist (1952–2001)

French physicist (1859–1906)

former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (1925–1998)

American actress (1907–2003)

Russian-born American writer and public philosopher (1905–1982)

Russian-born American anarchist (1869–1940)

Russian and Soviet poet (1893–1930)

Italian poet and literary critic (1835-1907)

American author (1922–2007)

Russian revolutionary socialist and philosopher (1842–1921)

British playwright (1930–2008)

American scientist (1901–1994)

American actor and filmmaker (1915–1985)

French-Polish filmmaker (born 1933)

American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer (1859–1952)

American dancer and choreographer (1877–1927)

Keira Christina Knightley, OBE is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, four Golden Globes, and a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2018, she was appointed an OBE for services to drama and charity.

former First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania, Prime Minister of Albania

American computer pioneer, inventor, computer engineer and programmer; co-founder of Apple Inc.

Polish science fiction author, philosopher and futurologist, studied medical doctor (1921–2006)

General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1911-1985)

French anthropologist and ethnologist (1908–2009)

Slovenian philosopher (born 1949)

American theoretical physicist (1933-2021)

British physicist and Nobel Prize winner (1929–2024)

Prime Minister of Greece (2015; 2015–2019)

Spanish-Mexican filmmaker (1900–1983)

Argentine writer (1914–1984)

Indian-American astrophysicist

American novelist (1933–2018)

Swedish Prime Minister (1969–76, 1982–86)

Danish author (1873-1950)

American behaviorist (1904–1990)

Dame Emma Thompson is a British actress and screenwriter. Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and her accolades include two Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2018, she was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to drama.

American actor (born 1948)