The names in the answers are familiarly known with one or more initials, ie Samuel L Jackson or K D Lang.
| 1 | American theoretical physicist, died 1967. Often known as "the father of the atomic bomb" J. Robert Oppenheimer |
| 2 | British author, died 1973. Wrote Lord of the Rings J R R Tolkien |
| 3 | American filmmaker, died 1959. He made multi movies in the silent era, & went on to produce Cleopatra (1934) & Samson & Delilah (1949) Cecil B DeMille |
| 4 | Australian-British writer, died 1996. Wrote Mary Poppins P L Travers |
| 5 | American actor, died 1999. Played General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove George C Scott |
| 6 | Author of War of the Worlds (1898) H G Wells |
| 7 | American banker, died 1913. He founded a bank, now the biggest in the US which bears his name. J P Morgan |
| 8 | British author, died 2008. Wrote multiple science fiction novels and short stories. Credited with the idea of geostationary satellites (rotate with the Earth). This orbit now bears his name. Arthur C Clarke |
| 9 | American sportsman, actor and armed robber O J Simpson |
| 10 | American rapper, singer and record producer. He was the lead member of the hip hop group Black Eyed Peas Will I am |