Madame Tussauds is pretty much a household name when it comes to London attractions – and it’s also home to many household names who were born in the Big Smoke, or built a glittering career here. Whether it’s powerful velvet-lined vocals, environmental wisdom or nifty ball-bending skills, these stars have been given a place on the waxwork red carpet.
It may not be the real thing, but you know what they say: never meet your heroes…unless they’re inanimate recreations of them that look uncannily similar and have plenty of time to hold still for a selfie.
Music
London is widely regarded as the music capital of the world, with many iconic acts that were born and raised here, their melodic roots intertwined with the city’s labyrinthine streets and career-launching venues. So, it’ll be no surprise that you are pretty much spoilt for choice if you’re looking to spot a London musician waxwork in Madame Tussauds, including…
David Bowie – The Brixton-born mulleted megastar has had two waxworks, the first, in 1983, celebrated his ‘Let’s Dance’ era, and he was heavily involved in the creation process. Later, in 2022, he was immortalised as his Ziggy Stardust alter ego on what would have been his 75th birthday.
Stormzy – The Croydon-born grime icon had his historic Glastonbury headline immortalised in wax in the summer of 2021. The carefully crafted figure also wears his famous Union Jack stab vest which is a detailed, stitch-for-stitch recreation.
Dua Lipa – The British-Albanian, Grammy-winning pop artist was born in London, then after being raised in Kosovo, returned to the capital independently at age 15 to pursue a music career. Her wax counterpart went on display in 2019 and actually wears a real outfit that Dua Lipa herself wore on stage at Glastonbury 2017.
Elton John – Pinner-born Elton John’s unapologetically flamboyant, glitter-clad and hit-filled career rightfully earned him a spot in Madame Tussauds in 1976. It has since been updated, with the new waxwork depicting his famous piano handstand jump. Plus, in true Rocket Man style, the piano is decked out in 24,000 rhinestones.
Amy Winehouse – Born in Enfield, and famously associated with Camden, the jazz-influenced singer-songwriter is one of Madame Tussauds’ most requested figures. The waxwork was unveiled in 2008; it reportedly used 50% more hair than regular waxworks so they could create her iconic beehive style.
Stage and Screen
The capital is no stranger to the big screen, and neither are some of its famous residents who grew up in the cinematic city. Home to major studios, theatres galore, film festivals and plenty of picture-perfect settings, it’s a pretty ideal springboard to launch a career in stage and screen. These are some of the London-born stars you can see in Madame Tussauds who carved out a name in the spotlight…
Idris Elba – The wax figure of this much-loved Hackney-born actor and activist was a recent addition to the museum in 2025, and was accurate enough to even fool the facial recognition on Elba’s phone – and his own mother…well, over a video call.
Enola Holmes (aka Millie Bonnie Bonjiovi) – Actor Millie may not be London-born, but she spent many summers at her Grandma’s place in Bethnal Green, and one of her most well-known characters, Enola Holmes, definitely has an iconic family association with Baker Street (also the home of Tussauds), so this waxwork will feel right at home.
Sports Stars
With three summer Olympics, 17 professional football teams and one of the world’s marathon majors to its name, this city clearly loves its sports and has no shortage of homegrown talents that have forged their careers here and made it into the big leagues. Here are just a few London-based sports stars who Madame Tussauds has bestowed with a waxwork commemoration…
David Beckham – It’ll likely be no surprise that the Leytonstone-born footballer has had multiple waxworks dating back to 2002 over the course of his active playing days – and not just because of his ever-changing hairstyles. Now, his most recent incarnation from 2014 sees him on the red carpet beside Spice Girl, fashion designer and wife Victoria Beckham, in what I guess you could call his style era.
Lewis Hamilton – Born and raised in nearby Stevenage, but a longtime resident of London, the F1 driver got his waxwork counterpart in 2009 after he won his first World Championship. He even donated his all-black Mercedes racing overalls for his figure to wear, a personal choice as the gear was part of a campaign to fight racism within motorsport.
Anthony Joshua – Similar to Hamilton, Joshua was born in nearby Watford but built his career in London. His wax figure went on display in 2020 after he reclaimed his world heavyweight titles. It is the largest figure in the museum to date.
National Treasures
We’d be remiss if we didn’t include a couple of famous faces who have earned themselves national treasure status, whether it’s through their legacy of inspiring work or unfaltering politeness and services to marmalade…
David Attenborough – Of course, this beloved wildlife documentarian and natural historian has a wax figure; in fact, he has had two. The Isleworth-born icon first had his likeness made in 1992, before an updated version was created in 2023. The sculptors added a special mechanical touch to the latter – listen closely and you’ll hear his wristwatch actually tick.
Paddington – Ok, so not technically a real person, but still a star by all means. And yes, technically he is Peruvian, but as we all know, his story is intertwined with London. His wax figure debuted at Madame Tussauds in 2024, complete with custom-crafted wax fur, his signature sandwich and a stack of vintage suitcases that he sits on.
