List of people from Birmingham

This is a list of famous or notable people born in, or associated with, Birmingham in England.

Famous people born in Birmingham

• Emma Willis - (TV presenter)
• Walter Abbott – (Footballer)
• Gabriel Agbonlahor – (Footballer)
• Moeen Ali – (England cricketer)
• Dennis Amiss – (Cricketer and Warwickshire Administrator)
• Keith Arkell – (English Chess champion, 2008)
• Stephen Arlen – (Opera manager)
• Ian Ashbee – (Footballer)
• Francis William Aston – (Nobel Prize winner, Physicist)
• Ian Atkins – (Footballer)
• Albert Austin – (Silent film star)
• Jack Badham – (Footballer)
• Don Stanley – (Yodeller)
• Kenny Baker Actor R2D2 in Star Wars
• Sir Michael Balcon – (Film director)
• Pato Banton – (Reggae artist)
• Dave Barnett – (Footballer)
• Simon Bates – (DJ)
• Blaze Bayley – (Musician, former vocalist of Wolfsbane and Iron Maiden)
• Moazzam Begg - (Outreach Director)
• Edward White Benson – (Archbishop of Canterbury)
• Bev Bevan – (Musician)
• Big Dog Yogo (Rapper)
• Alfred Bird – (Inventor of custard powder)
• Cameron Blain - (Musician)
  • His son, Sir Alfred Frederick Bird – (Food manufacturer and chemist)
• Daniel Boone – (Musician)
• Sarah Booth – (Actress)
• Matthew Boulton – (Pioneering industrialist and member of the Lunar Society)
• Jon Bounds – (Blogger, humorist)
• Peter Bradley – (Politician)
• William Bragge – (Civil engineer/Antiquarian)
• Edward Burne-Jones – (Pre-Raphaelite painter and William Morris Associate)
• Trevor Burton – (Musician)
• Geezer Butler – Bassist, (Black Sabbath)
• George Cadbury – (Son of John Cadbury, Founder of the Cadbury chocolate company)
• John Cadbury – (Founder of the Cadbury chocolate company)
• Richard Cadbury – (Son of John Cadbury, Founder of the Cadbury chocolate company)
• Pogus Caesar – (TV Director and photographer)
• Ali Campbell and Robin Campbell – (Musician, UB40)
• Duncan Campbell – (Musician)
• David Cannadine – (Historian)
• Bob Carolgees TV Presenter Tiswas and Surprise Surprise
• Lee Carsley – (Footballer)
• Darren Carter – (Footballer)
• John Carter – (Musician)
• Barbara Cartland – (Novelist)
• Jasper Carrott – (Comedian)
• Austen Chamberlain – (Politician)
• Neville Chamberlain – (Prime Minister)
• Gary Childs – (Footballer)
• Adrian Chiles – (Broadcaster)
• Ian Clarkson – (Footballer)
• Lisa Clayton – (Solo yachtswoman)
• Janice Connolly – (Comedy actress)
• Andy Cox Musician – Fine Young Cannibals and The Beat
• David Cox – (Artist)
• Lauren Crace – (Actress)
• Aleem Iqbal – (YouTube and Award Winning Entrepreneur)
• Chris Crudelli – (Martial artist)
• John Curry – (Olympic and World Champion figure skater)
• Arthur Darvill – (Actor and singer-Doctor Who)
• Aidan Davis – (Dancer and TV Presenter)
• Lindsey Davis (Historical Novelist)
• Cat Deeley – (Television presenter)
• Nathan Delfouneso – (Footballer)
• Oscar Deutsch – (Founder of the Odeon Cinemas chain)
• Don Dorman – (Paratrooper, 1st Airborne Division, footballer, manager and scout)
• K.K. Downing – (Musician)
• Hunt Emerson – (Cartoonist)
• Ian Emes – (Animator)
• Frederick Rowland Emett – (Cartoonist, artist and kinetic sculptor)
• Jo Enright – (Actress and comedian)
• Niki Evans – (Singer)
• Trevor Eve – (Actor)
• Earl Falconer – Bass player, UB40
• Frank Farrell – (Rock bassist and co-writer of chart hit "Moonlighting")
• Sid Field – (Comedian)
• Robert Firth – (Footballer and Real Madrid Manager )
• Philip Edward Fisher – (Musician)
• Winston Foster – (Footballer)
• Kevin Francis – (Footballer)
• Edward Augustus Freeman – (Historian, architectural artist and liberal politician)
• Fuzzbox – late 1980s girl band
• Phil Hawker – (Footballer)
• Ian Hill – (Musician)
• Martha Howe-Douglas – (Actor)
• Sir Francis Galton – (Scientist, founder of eugenics)
• Albert Gardner – (Footballer)
• Mike Gayle – (Author)
• Helen George – (Actress)
• Steve Gibbons – (Musician)
• Roland Gift – (Actor and musician, Fine Young Cannibals)
• John Goldingay – Theologian; currently working as Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.
• Jaki Graham – (Soul singer)
• Jack Grealish – (Footballer)
• Mark "Barney" Greenway – (Musician, Napalm Death)
• Tom Grosvenor – (Footballer)
• Rob Halford – (Musician, Judas Priest)
• Charlie Hall – (Actor, most famous for his work with Laurel and Hardy)
• Anisa Haghdadi – Social Entrepreneur
• Alison Hammond – (Television presenter)
• Richard Hammond – (Broadcaster, Top Gear)
• John Hampson – (Novelist)
• Tony Hancock – (Comedian and actor)
• Ian Handysides – (Footballer)
• Nic Harcourt – (American radio personality)
• David Harewood – (Actor)
• Wally Harris – (Footballer)
• Julia Hartley-Brewer – Journalist and TV panelist
• Norman Hassan – Perrcussionist, UB40
• William Hayward – (Architect, town planner and Secretary of The Birmingham Civic Society)
• Lee Hendrie – Former Aston Villa and current Basford United midfielder
• Duane Henry - (Actor)
• Michael Higgs – (Actor)
• Jacqueline Hill – (Actress, Doctor Who)
• Ken Hodge – (NHL player)
• George Jacob Holyoake – (Reformer)
• Jack Hood – (Boxer)
• Dorothy Howell – (Musician)
• Mr Hudson – (Singer)
• David Hughes – (Opera tenor)
• Geoff Humpage – (Cricketer)
• Raymond Huntley – (Actor)
• Kassem Ibadulla – (Cricketer)
• Tony Iommi – Guitarist, (Black Sabbath)
• Jamelia – (R&B singer)
• Seth Johnson – (Sportsman Derby Footballer)
• Ann Jones – (Tennis player)
• Digby Jones – (Director-General of the CBI)
• Felicity Jones – (Actress)
• Geoffrey Jones (academic) – (Business Historian)
• Ace Kefford – (Musician)
• Mike Kellie – (Musician, Spooky Tooth, The Only Ones)
• David Kelly – (Republic of Ireland footballer)
• Louise Kemble
• Albert William Ketèlbey – (Composer)
• Rupert Alfred Kettle – (County court judge and noted strike arbitrator)
• Robert Kilroy-Silk – (Politician and television presenter)
• Denny Laine – (Paul McCartney and Wings)
• Frederick William Lanchester – (Maker of the first petrol-driven car in Britain)
• Bunny Larkin – (Footballer)
• Bob Latchford – (Footballer)
• Dave Latchford – (Footballer)
• Peter Latchford – (Footballer)
• Ian Lavender – Actor in Dads Army and Eastenders
• Alfred Law – (Warwickshire Cricketer & Umpire)
• Russell Leetch – (Musician)
• Joleon Lescott – (Footballer, formerly of Man City, Everton and Wolves)
• Adrian Lester – (Actor)
• Dick Lilley – (England and Warwickshire Cricketer)
• John Lodge – (Musician)
• Jane C. Loudon – (Author of Prose and Verse and The Mummy)
• Joseph Lucas – (Founder of Lucas Industries)
• Joe Lycett - (Comedian)
• Jeff Lynne – (Musician; co-founder of the Electric Light Orchestra)
• Clare Maguire (Musician born in Solihull but resides in London)
• Nigel Mansell – (Sportsman, F1 driver)
• Lee Mantle – (U.S. Senator from Montana)
• Sarah Manners – (Actress)
• Tony Martin – (Musician, singer of (Black Sabbath)
• Eric Maschwitz – (lyricist)
• Herbert Mason MC – (Film director, producer, stage actor, stage manager, choreographer and army officer in the First World War)
• Nick Mason – (Musician, Pink Floyd; did not reside in Birmingham)
• Robert McCracken – (Boxer, Commonwealth Middleweight champion and World Title challenger)
• Zena McNally – (Singer, Mis-Teeq)
• Christine McVie – Musician, Fleetwood Mac
• Gil Merrick – (Footballer and club manager)
• Shazia Mirza – (Comedian)
• Mist - (Rapper)
• Alan Moore – (Musician)
• Henry Vollam Morton – (Journalist and travel writer)
• Laura Mvula – (singer-songwriter)
• Stanley Myers – (Film music composer)
• Constance Naden – (Poet and philosopher)
• Alan Napier – (Actor)
• Ernest Willmott Norton – (Cricketer)
• Ocean Colour Scene – Band from Moseley
• John Oliver – Comedian and 'Senior British Correspondent' of (The Daily Show)
• Ozzy Osbourne – Singer, (Black Sabbath)
• Carl Palmer – (Musician, Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
• Kay Parker – (Pornographic actress)
• Alexander Parkes – (Inventor of the world's first plastic)
• Norman Partridge – (Warwickshire Cricketer)
• William Pearce – (Comedian)
• Dave Pegg – (Musician, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull)
• Stephen Perryman – (Warwickshire Cricketer)
• Gerry Peyton – (Footballer and goalkeeper coach)
• James and Oliver Phelps – (Harry Potter movie actors)
• Michael Pinder – (Musician, The Moody Blues)
• Jacki Piper – (Actress)
• John Poole – (Sculptor)
• Enoch Powell – (Politician, poet and classical scholar)
• Peter Powell – (Disc jockey)
• Rick Price – (Musician)
• Bernard Quaife – (Cricketer)
• Alfred Radcliffe-Brown – (Anthropologist)
• Ranking Roger – (Musician, The Beat)
• Mick Rathbone – (Footballer)
• Adil Ray – (Comedian, actor, writer and presenter)
• Nick Rhodes – (Musician, Duran Duran)
• Micah Richards – (Manchester City F.C defender)
• Walter Richards – (Cricketer and umpire)
• Pat Roach – (Actor and wrestler)
• Dave Robinson – (Footballer)
• John Rogers (c.1500–1555) – (Bible editor and martyr)
• Sax Rohmer (Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward) – (Novelist)
• Les Ross – (Radio legend)
• Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck – (Author About Women in Society, Religion, & An Abolitionist)
• Gary Shaw – (Footballer)
• Martin Shaw – (Actor)
• Visanthe Shiancoe – (American football player)
• Sukshinder Shinda – (English born Punjabi music producer and artist)
• Paul Simm – (Musician)
• Brad Simpson (Musician, The Vamps)
• Jane Sixsmith – (Hockey player)
• 1st Viscount Slim of Yarralumla and Bishopston – (Military Commander)
• Gary Shaw - (Footballer)
• Sarah Smart – (Actress)
• Alan Smith – (Cricketer & England Selector)
• Denver Ed Smith (née Edward Corcoran) – (Boxer)
• Tiger Smith – (England & Warwickshire Cricketer)
• Maya Sondhi - (Actress)
• Simon Sturridge – (Footballer)
• Daniel Sturridge – (Footballer)
• Ernest Suckling – (Cricketer)
• Phil Summerill – (Footballer)
• James Sutton – (Actor)
• Andrew Symonds – (Cricketer)
• Connie Talbot – (Singer/Musician)
• John Taylor – (Musician, Duran Duran)
• Roger Taylor – (Musician, Duran Duran)
• Bobby Thomson – (Footballer)
• Will Thorne – (Trade union leader and MP)
• Charlie Tickle – (Footballer)
• Andrew Tiernan – (Actor)
• Charlie Timmins – (Footballer)
• James Vaughan – Everton F.C Striker
• Johnny Vincent – (Footballer)
• Murray Walker – (Racing driver and commentator)
• Kate Walsh – (TV presenter-Live from Studio Five)
• Julie Walters – (Actress)
• Bill Ward – Drummer, (Black Sabbath)
• Clint Warwick – (Musician, The Moody Blues)
• Alex Watson – (Football manager)
• Carl Wayne – (Musician, The Move The Hollies)
• Graham Webb – (World Amateur Road Race Champion 1967)
• Brooke Foss Westcott – (Theologian and Bishop of Durham)
• Peter Weston – (Influential British science fiction fan)
• Ian Westwood – (Cricketer)
• Fred Wheldon – (Footballer)
• Willard Wigan – (Sculptor)
• Toyah Willcox – (Singer, actress and television presenter)
• Emma Willis – (Model)
• Jimmy Windridge – (England Footballer)
• Muff Winwood – (Musician)
• Steve Winwood – (Musician—solo artist and co-founder, Traffic)
• Colin Withers – (Footballer)
• Chris Woakes – England and Warwickshire cricketer
• Chris Wood – (Musician; co-founder, Traffic)
• Roy Wood – (Musician, co-founder of the Electric Light Orchestra)
• Kal Yafai - (World champion boxer)
• Mark Yates – (Footballer and manager)
• Benjamin Zephaniah – (Poet)
• Oceans Ate Alaska (Metalcore Band)

Lived in, or associated with, Birmingham

• Francis William Aston – (Nobel Prize winner, Physicist)
• W. H. Auden – (Poet and author)
• W. V. Awdry – (Author of The Railway Series)
• Sir Granville Bantock – (Composer)
• John Baskerville – (Printer and inventor of typefaces)
• Marie Bethell Beauclerc – (First female shorthand teacher and reporter in England)
• William Bloye – (Sculptor)
• William Booth – (Forger)
• John Bright – (Politician)
• Herbert Tudor Buckland – (Architect)
• Elihu Burritt – (US consul to Birmingham)
• Pogus Caesar – (Broadcaster and artist)
• Jazzy B – (Punjabi singer)
• Daniel Caines - (Athlete)
• Joseph Chamberlain – (Politician, Mayor of Birmingham)
• Bruce Chatwin – (Author)
• Lee Child – Author
• George Dawson – preacher
• Arthur Conan Doyle – (Author of Sherlock Holmes)
• John Boyd Dunlop – (Industrialist, built Fort Dunlop)
• Revd.Richard Enraght– (Vicar, religious controversialist)
• Reuben Fitzpatrick – (YouTuber)
• Allan Ford – (Soldier and convicted of manslaughter)
• Philippa Forrester– (Attended Birmingham University)
• Harry Freeman – Music hall performer
• Joseph Gillott – industrialist
• Tommy Godwin – (Racing cyclist and Olympic medallist)
• Rob Halford– (Judas Priest)
• Ashia Hansen – (Athlete)
• Duane Henry - (Actor)
• James Hinks – (Bred the Bull Terrier dog)
• Alex Hughes – (Cartoonist)
• William Ick – (Botanist)
• Washington Irving – (Author)
• Jamelia – (RnB singer)
• John Joubert – (South African-born composer)
• Roi Kwabena – (author)
• Simon Le Bon - (Studied drama at the University of Birmingham before joining Duran Duran in 1980)
• Robert Lloyd – (Musician - The Nightingales))
• Louis MacNeice – (Poet)
• Stuart Maconie – (Radio DJ and television presenter)
• Josiah Mason – (Industrialist and philanthropist)
• Nigel Mansell – (Racing driver)
• Cardinal Newman – (Theologian and founder of the English Oratory)
• William McGregor – (Instrumental in forming the football league)
• William Murdoch – (Inventor of gas lighting)
• Bill Oddie – (Comedian and ornithologist)
• Syed Farradino Omar – (Television Presenter and Producer)
• John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne – (Rock musician)
• John Peel – (Radio DJ)
• Geoffrey Pernell – (Soldier and convicted of manslaughter)
• Sadie Plant – (Author)
• Elizabeth "Tetty" Johnson – wife of Samuel Johnson
• Joseph Priestley – (Chemist and dissenting clergyman)
• Sir Simon Rattle – (conductor of CBSO 1980-1998)
• John Ray – ("the father of English natural history")
• Sir Peter Rigby – (Entrepreneur)
• Kevin Rowland – (Dexys midnight Runners formed in Brum)
• Frank Skinner – (Comedian)
• Mike Skinner – (Musician - The Streets)
• Sir Benjamin Stone – (Pioneering photographer)
• Simon Sturridge – (Footballer)
• Dean Sturridge – (Footballer)
• Daniel Sturridge – (Footballer)
• Meera Syal – (Actor, Writer)
• Dave Swarbrick – (Musician)
• J. R. R. Tolkien – (Author)
• Joshua Toulmin – (Non-conformist preacher)
• Joshua Toulmin Smith – (Political theorist)
• Ruby Turner – (singer)
• UB 40 – (reggae group)
• Julie Walters – (Actress)
• James Watt – (Inventor and member of the Lunar Society)
• Una White – Subject of public art-work
• William Withering – (Doctor, discoverer of digitalis)
• Victoria Wood – (Actress)
• John Skirrow Wright – (Social improver)
• John Wyndham – (Author)
• Alastair Yates – (Radio and television presenter)
• Dorian Yates – (6x Mr. Olympia)
• Malala Yousafzai – (Pakistani Activist)
• Alumni of the University of Birmingham

External links

• Famous People Birmingham City Council feature page on Birmingham-related celebrities
• Blue Plaques erected by Birmingham Civic Society
• The Great Bull Birmingham bus network map featuring local celebrities.