How George Burley teamed up with Brad Pitt to become an A-list name

Published on Sunday 6 December 2009 21:53

JUST three weeks after losing his job, George Burley can take comfort in the fact that his two years as manager of Scotland's football team has got him a permanent listing in Who's Who.

Burley is just one of 54 Scots, also including Everton manager and former Celtic player David Moyes, who have made it for the first time into the directory of prominent people to be published today.

They find themselves among 33,000 people from around the world, including royalty and those who have achieved prominence in their field.

Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, television presenters Ant and Dec, and Little Britain stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams have all also made it into Who's Who for the first time this year.

Entries include details of a person's profession, age, place of birth, education and recreations. In the book, Lucas lists his interests as "eating crisps, watching football, eating chocolate, watching stage musicals, sleeping, eating crumpets".

Each entrant is invited to provide their own list of achievements, which is printed in full. This means that Alex Salmond has a longer entry, at 16 lines, than Nelson Mandela, who provided just 11 lines, or Barack Obama, who considers his achievements worth 13 lines.

The Scot with the biggest ego by this standard is Sean Connery, who provided 31 lines, although Dame Barbara Cartland had a 211-line entry by the time of her death in 2000.

A spokesman for Who's Who said: "With almost 1,000 new entries, Who's Who 2010 celebrates the diversity of human achievement, recognising the people who have reached the pinnacle of excellence in their field. The uniquely autobiographical entries convey an enlightening and often amusing snapshot of the lives of those of enduring interest from all walks of life."

Some key political positions and hereditary titles are automatically added into Who's Who and a selection board chooses the other entrants carefully, because, once listed, a person is there for life.

John McLellan, editor-in-chief of Scotsman Publications and editor of The Scotsman, is another new entry this year, alongside Dr Petra Wend, principal and vice-chancellor of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh; writer and broadcaster Ruth Wishart; and Dr Louise Richardson, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of St Andrews.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "For generations, Scotland has produced some of the world's greatest inventors, intellectual thinkers, giants of industry and political figures.

"These latest additions to Who's Who continue that glittering roll-call of men and women that enrich our nation's standing across the world."

George Elder Burley

Scottish national football club coach since 2008 (Who's Who went to print before Burley lost his job]

&#149 Born: Cumnock, Ayrshire, 3 June, 1956

&#149 Education: Cumnock Academy

&#149 Recreations: Golf, tennis

William Bradley Pitt

Actor

&#149 Born: Shawnee, Oklahoma, 18 December, 1963

&#149 Educated: University of Missouri

&#149 Recreations: None listed

Ruth Wishart

Writer and broadcaster

&#149 Born: No date given

&#149 Educated: Eastwood Secondary School

&#149 Recreations: Visual arts, theatre, gardening, golf

Lorna Burn Jack

Chief executive of the Law Society of Scotland

&#149 Born: Fraserburgh, 20 August, 1962

&#149 Educated: University of Aberdeen

&#149 Recreations: Skiing, reading, music

Dr Louise Richardson

Principal, vice-chancellor, St Andrews University

&#149 Born: Dublin, June 8 (she does not reveal the year]

&#149 Educated: Harvard University

&#149 Recreations: None listed

Ricky Dene Gervais

Comedian, actor, director, producer and author (how he describes himself]

&#149 Born: Reading, 25 June, 1961

&#149 Educated: Ashmead Comprehensive

&#149 Recreations: None listed