Here are a few more surprises from the world of music and the creative arts - as well as several Hollywood connections.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Felix Mendelssohn, born in Hamburg, was a child prodigy, composing music and playing piano from an early age. Later he toured Europe, taking notes for later compositions inspired by the places he visited. When he came to Scotland, he was to start work on his Scottish Symphony and the Hebrides or Fingal's Cave overture, the inspiration being a visit to Staffa, near Mull. He wrote of ‘that vast cathedral of the sea, with its dark lapping waters within, and the brightness of the gleaming waters without’ and captured the surging spirit of the place in his evocative music.

Jack Buchanan (1891-1957)
Helensburgh-born Jack Buchanan, actor and producer was noted for his portrayal of the quintessential Englishman on stage and screen. He worked on Broadway and the West End and had roles in several Hollywood musicals. He was considered the leading major British musical stage and screen star of his day. He starred alongside Fred Astaire in the highly successful MGM musical comedy The Bandwagon (1953) – some say his very best film. He was also a personal friend of Astaire. Buchanan also had a financial involvement in the work of John Logie Baird (also from Helensburgh) and his efforts to develop his television system.

Jimmy Logan (1928-2001)
The well-loved Scottish entertainer and Helensburgh resident Jimmy Logan was born as James Short into a theatrical family. His parents were a music hall act - Short and Dalziel - while his Logan stage name came from his aunt Ella Logan, a Broadway musical star. His sister is the jazz singer Annie Ross. Jimmy Logan had a distinguished career in theatre, television and film. His first film was the gritty Clydeside drama Floodtide (1949). He was also a famous pantomime dame, though also remembered for a serious theatre work, including The Entertainer, Death of a Salesman and On Golden Pond.

Deborah Kerr
Helensburgh-born actress Deborah Kerr displayed a talent for dramatics at a very early age when she would stage presentations for her family. During World War Two she made many British classic films but is best remembered for Hollywood epics like "The King and I" and "From Here to Eternity". As one of Hollywood’s most famous actresses, she worked with stars such as John Wayne and Cary Grant. In 1994 she was given a Lifetime Achievement Oscar.

Dame Diana Rigg
Dame Diana Rigg is the first woman to hold the post of Chancellor of Stirling University in its 30+ year history. She received an honorary degree from the University in 1988 and has lived in Stirling since the 1980s. As an actress, she became a household name in the 1960s for her role as Emma Peel in the television series The Avengers. She was recently voted the sexiest ever TV star by TV Guide in the USA. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her work in theatre and film. Her daughter is the actress Rachael Stirling, who has appeared in many television dramas, including The Final Quest, Marple: Murder at the Vicarage, Freeze Frame and Poirot: Five Little Pigs.

Sir Paul McCartney
Released in November 1977, the single Mull of Kintyre went on to sell six million copies world-wide, with the name of the Argyll peninsula gaining huge publicity. Sir Paul McCartney has a home and estate there. Today, visitors to Campbeltown can see a bronze statue of the late Linda McCartney, commissioned and donated to the community by Sir Paul McCartney on behalf of his family, as the centrepiece of a Memorial Garden.

Sylvester McCoy (James Kent-Smith)
Perhaps best known as the seventh Dr. Who in the BBC television science-fiction series (a role he played between 1987 and 1996), McCoy was born James Kent-Smith in Dunoon, where he was also educated. Having had a career in insurance in his 20s, he later started acting without formal training, first having had a job in a London theatre box-office.

John Lowrie Morrison (Jolomo)
Glasgow-born artist lived at Tayvallich and taught at Lochgilphead High School but has painted full-time since 1997. Works characterised by buoyant, bright colours and are usually scenes from Scotland’s western seaboard. Both prolific and organised, he is said to produce around 1000 paintings yearly, each signed with the characteristic ‘Jolomo’

Karen Matheson
The lead singer of Capercaillie was born and brought up in the little village of Taynuilt, on the road to Oban, by Loch Etive. Her musical roots lie in the ceilidhs and musical get-togethers she remembers as a child. She learned a substantial part of her repertoire from the Gaelic singing of her grandmother from Barra. Capercaillie have been credited with being a major force in bringing traditional Celtic music to the world stage and inspiring the resurgence of today.

Hazel Irvine
A well-known television face, Hazel Irvine was educated at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh. Another local connection is her role as honorary President of Dumbarton Football Club Supporters Association. She is one of BBC Sport's most experienced and adept sports presenters, a regular on Grandstand and the main presenter of Snooker, Ski Sunday and the Sports bulletins on BBC Television's news programmes.

Sharleen Spiteri
This Glasgow-born singer was brought up in Balloch on the southern edge of Loch Lomond. She was recruited for the band Texas in 1986, becoming its lead singer and song-writer. The band have had a successful string of albums, while their Greatest Hits compilation has sold more than 15 million copies. Spiteri is known for her intelligent and lively personality, and has a notable enthusiasm for live performance.

Colin MacIntyre
This talented songwriter/producer who records as Mull Historical Society took his name from an actual genealogical society on Mull, his birthplace island. Because of the attentions of fans, the original Society has had to change its name! MacIntyre meanwhile has had several musical successes with his distinctive ‘Scottish indie-rock meets Beach Boy harmonies’ style. He has been quoted as saying that he hopes to give his success special substance by acquiring a dream-house overlooking Calgary Bay, one of the most beautiful parts of the island.

Kirsty Young
The television presenter Kirsty Young was born and brought up in Stirling and began her career as a Radio Scotland newsreader. She eventually became a presenter of the new Channel 5 TV news in 1997, noted for its informal format. She went on to win the Sir James Carreras Award for Outstanding New Talent (1997) and, later, the Newscaster of the Year award.

Celebrity Weddings
High profile or ultra-discreet- here are some names to remind you that this is a great place for that big day!

Stella McCartney
Mount Stuart, the spectacular Gothic stately home set in 300 acres of landscaped gardens on the island of Bute, was the setting for the star-studded wedding of successful fashion designer Stella McCartney, daughter of ex-Beatle Sir Paul, to publisher Alasdhair Willis in August 2003. Dozens of stars attended, including Pierce Brosnan, Sharleen Spiteri, Liv Tyler and Kate Moss. Mount Stuart is owned by former Formula 1 racing driver Johnny Dumfries, the seventh Marquis of Bute.

Emma Thompson
The actress Emma Thompson married Greg Wise in the summer of 2003. The newlyweds chose Dunoon for the ceremony, as Thompson has strong local ties. She has a holiday home there, while her grandparents also used to live in the area (as does her actress mother Phyllida Law). Their reception afterwards was at the 17th-century Coylet Inn on the shores of Loch Eck.

Dougie Payne
Travis band-member Dougie Payne married actress Kelly Macdonald (Trainspotting, Gosford Park) at the splendid setting of Castle Lachlan on Loch Fyne in the summer of 2003. The Inver Cottage Restaurant near the Castle also had a role in the celebrations.

Kirsty Hume
The Scots-born supermodel Kirsty Hume married Donovan Leitch, a male model and son of Scottish folk singer of the same name, at the picturesque village of Luss on the banks of Loch Lomond. This was a very grand affair with lot of celebrities from the media and fashion world.