Hayley Atwell: Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Hayley Atwell said elsewhere, not written here

Moyra Samuels, Nicole Belfon, Yvette Williams, Judy Bolton and Tasha Brade from Justice4Grenfell, for turning grief into action.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 December 2018 source ↗

Others on this question

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Phoebe Dynevor

My mum [the actor, Sally Dynevor] in so many ways. She is the real definition of a superwoman to me.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 3 February 2024 source ↗

Bernadette Peters

I most admire Steve Sondheim, who is not alive anymore. But his words and music keep him alive.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, April 2025 source ↗

Eddie Izzard British comedian and actress

Jo Brand. She’s a fighter, she’s successful, she’s a straight talker; she cares about people.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 May 2016 source ↗

George H. W. Bush 41st President of the United States, 1989–1993

Abraham Lincoln truly inspired me. It wasn't just the freeing of the slaves, he kept the Union together. Some people even forget that today. What I think inspired me was the fact that in spite of being the president of the United States he retained a certain down-to-earth quality. He never got to be a big shot, and he cared about people.

Recorded Academy of Achievement interview, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2 June 1995 source ↗