| GUYGIBSON | The real-life hero of 7 down who won the VC for his efforts (3,6) |
| DAWES | Captain (surname) of the 21 down who won the 1971 series against New Zealand (5) |
| EDUARDHEGER | Prime minister of 7 Down who succeeded Igor Matovie on 1 April 2021 (6,5) |
| ANT | "A Bug's Life" hero |
| KISSINGER | American statesman noted for his efforts in establishing ceasefire in Vietnam in 1973, Henry ... |
| EMMASTONE | Actress who got to know the real-life Billie Jean King while portraying her in "Battle of the Sexes": 2 wds. |
| DARTAGNAN | Protagonist of Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers based on the real-life Charles de Batz de Castelmore (1611-73) |
| ROBRIGGLE | Actor who served under the real-life US colonel he portrays in "12 Strong": 2 wds. |
| ATONEMENT | Which novel contains a fictional letter from the real life literary critic Cyril Connolly to Briony |
| COLOMBIA | 2016 winner Juan Manuel Santos won the Peace Prize for his efforts in ending the civil war in this country |
| VICEVERSA | Revise a VC? (anag) (4,5) |
| NESS | Eliot _, American Prohibition agent famous for his efforts to bring down Al Capone (4) |
| ANTIGUA | Caribbean island forming a country with Barbuda, site of the VC Bird International Airport (7) |
| NABOKOV | Vladimir, author of the novels Lolita and The Real Life of Sebastian Knight (7) |
| EVIDENCE | Proof that is of the VC we need to know (8) |
| BOYSTOWN | Spencer Tracy gave his Oscar for this 1935 film to Father Flanagan, the real-life head of the title organization |
| BLACKBERRY | In a 2023 dramedy, Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel played the real-life co-CEOs of a tech firm that became this company, which is also the name of the film |
| CABOT | Explorer who, during his efforts to find a direct route to Asia, became the first "modern" European |
| MARTINLUTHERKING | 1964 winner for his effort combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance (6,6,4) |
| MONEY | Drama about the real-life kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, All the ___ in the World |
