h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Gerry Rafferty, you say?

Then Bob Holness, obviously. Quizmaster and saxophonist.

Meryl Streep has mastered dozens of things: playing the violin, rowing a boat [for "The River Wild"], singing, dancing, speaking in dozens of different accents, cooking ["Julie and Julia"], swimming in a lake full of leeches ["An unfortunate series of events"], operating a nuclear reactor ["Silkwood"], running Great Britain ["Iron Lady"]. In real life she juggles a major film career, and is a wife and the mother of four children. I simply can't imagine how she manages to do all these things, but apparently she does.

Can't beat Ronald Reagan. A cowboy who defeated the Soviet empire and brought about the collapse of Communism.

He also did acting.

It seems a lot of the people mentioned here are good at one thing, and happen to have some hobby. Surely we can come up with better.

A few weeks ago we could have said Vaclav Havel.

Have to agree with Xanatic. Being known for doing two things doesn't constitute a renaissance man. Even if you are pretty good at doing both of them.

Was it Thomas More of whom it was said that he was the last man to have known the whole of his culture?

I think that was Francis Bacon.

Which Francis Bacon?

'Course these days we're bound to be highly specialised. I blame Capitalism...and Adam Smith agrees with me.

Yes, I would have said it too if Xanatic hadn't been faster. I have an examples on the tip of my tongue, too

I guess we need someone who straddles CP Snow's Two Cultures.

I'm not a huge fan, but...Jonathan Miller? Doctor. Opera director. Smartarse.

Miller. Total twit.

(could tell, but it wouldn't be allowed).

Tracey Emin. Brainy woman of the first order.