List of famous residents of Birmingham, England
Encyclopedia
This is a list of famous or notable people born in, or associated with, Birmingham
in England.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in England.
Born in Birmingham
- Gabriel AgbonlahorGabriel AgbonlahorGabriel Imuetinyan "Gabby" Agbonlahor is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Aston Villa. Agbonlahor is a product of Aston Villa's Academy and has earned three caps for the English national team. He is currently the longest-serving player at Villa Park, joining as a youth player in...
– (Footballer) - Stephen ArlenStephen ArlenStephen Arlen was an English theatre manager and operatic administrator. Originally an actor, he took up backstage work as a stage manager, and in the years after the Second World War was in charge of stage management at the Old Vic.He was persuaded to join Sadler's Wells Opera as an...
– (Opera manager) - Keith ArkellKeith ArkellKeith Charles Arkell is an English Grandmaster of chess.As a long-time resident of the West Midlands, he has lived in Rednal, Droitwich and Worcester. His brother Nicholas was also a strong player....
– (English Chess champion, 2008) - Ian AshbeeIan AshbeeIan Ashbee is an English professional footballer currently playing for Preston North End. He has previously played for Hull City, Derby County and Cambridge United, and has also played in Iceland, on loan to ÍR....
– (Footballer) - Albert AustinAlbert AustinAlbert Austin was an actor, film star, director and script writer, noted mainly for his work in Charlie Chaplin films. He was the brother of actor William Austin....
– (Silent film star) - Pato BantonPato BantonPato Banton is a reggae singer and toaster from Birmingham, England. He received the nickname 'Pato' from his stepfather, and 'Banton' from the disc jockey slang for a "heavyweight DJ".-Biography:Born in Birmingham, Banton first came to public attention in the early 1980s when he worked with The...
– (Reggae artist) - Blaze BayleyBlaze BayleyBlaze Bayley is an English singer and songwriter. He has been the lead singer of Wolfsbane from 1984 to 1994, and nowadays since their recent reunion. Blaze is however world-known for having been the lead singer of British metal band Iron Maiden from 1994 to 1999...
– (Musician - former vocalist of WolfsbaneWolfsbane (band)Wolfsbane are an English heavy metal band. Formed in 1984, the band remained active until lead singer Blaze Bayley went on to join Iron Maiden in 1994. After a couple of reunion shows in 2007 and 2009, Wolfsbane officially reunited in June 2010...
and Iron MaidenIron MaidenIron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
) - Sir Michael Balcon – (Film director)
- Edward White BensonEdward White BensonEdward White Benson was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 until his death.-Life:Edward White Benson was born in Highgate, Birmingham, the son of a Birmingham chemical manufacturer. He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1852...
– (Archbishop of Canterbury) - Alfred BirdAlfred BirdAlfred Bird was a British food manufacturer and chemist. He was born in Nympsfield, Gloucestershire, England in 1811 was the inventor of a series of food products mostly now taken for granted...
– (Inventor of custardCustardCustard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk. Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce , to a thick pastry cream used to fill éclairs. The most common custards are used as...
powder)- His son, Sir Alfred Frederick BirdSir Alfred Bird, 1st BaronetSir Alfred Frederick Bird, 1st Baronet was a British chemist, food manufacturer and Conservative Party politician...
– (Food manufacturer and chemist)
- His son, Sir Alfred Frederick Bird
- Matthew BoultonMatthew BoultonMatthew Boulton, FRS was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engines, which were a great advance on the state of the art, making possible the...
– (Pioneering industrialist and member of the Lunar SocietyLunar SocietyThe Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle,...
) - Jon BoundsJon BoundsJon Bounds is a blogger, freelance social media and multimedia consultant and humorist from Birmingham, England.Raised in the City's Perry Barr district, he attended King Edward VI Grammar School, Aston, and now lives in the suburb of Moseley....
– (Blogger, humorist) - William BraggeWilliam BraggeWilliam Bragge, F.S.A., F.G.S., was a civil engineer, antiquarian, and author. He established a museum and art gallery. He was notable in his day for collecting a library containing the entire literature on tobacco...
– (Civil engineer/Antiquarian) - Justin BroadrickJustin BroadrickJustin Karl Michael Broadrick is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the band Godflesh, one of the first bands to combine elements of extreme metal and industrial music.-Biography:Broadrick was born in the council estates of inner...
– (Musician - GodfleshGodfleshGodflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham, England. Originally known as Fall of Because, they formed in 1988 by Justin K. Broadrick and G.C. Green and disbanded in 2002. Godflesh's innovative music is widely regarded as a foundational influence on industrial metal and post-metal...
) - Geezer ButlerGeezer ButlerGeezer Butler is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was also involved in Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010.-Career:Butler formed his first band, Rare Breed, with old friend John "Ozzy" Osbourne in the autumn of...
– bassist of (Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
) - Pogus CaesarPogus CaesarPogus Caesar is a British artist, television producer and director. He was born in St Kitts, West Indies, and grew up in Birmingham, England.-History:...
– (TV Director and Photographer) - John CadburyJohn CadburyJohn Cadbury was proprietor of a small chocolate business in Birmingham, England, that later became part of Cadbury plc, one of the world's largest chocolate producers.-Biography:...
– (Founder of the Cadbury chocolate company) - Ali CampbellAli CampbellAli Campbell, , is a British singer, solo artist and songwriter and was the lead singer and founding member of UB40. As part of UB40, Campbell sold over 70 million records world wide and toured the globe for 30 years. In 2008 Campbell left UB40 and embarked on a successful solo career.-Personal...
and Robin Campbell – (Musician, UB40UB40UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
) - David CannadineDavid CannadineSir David Nicholas Cannadine, FBA is a British historian, known for a number of books, including The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy and Ornamentalism. He is also notable as a commentator and broadcaster on British public life, especially the monarchy. He serves as the generaleditor...
– (Historian) - Barbara CartlandBarbara CartlandDame Barbara Hamilton Cartland, DBE, CStJ , was an English author, one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century...
– (Novelist) - Jasper CarrottJasper CarrottJasper Carrott OBE is a British comedian, actor, television presenter and personality.-Early life:...
– (Comedian) - Austen ChamberlainAusten ChamberlainSir Joseph Austen Chamberlain, KG was a British statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and half-brother of Neville Chamberlain.- Early life and career :...
– (Politician) - Neville ChamberlainNeville ChamberlainArthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
– (Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
) - Lisa ClaytonLisa ClaytonLisa Lyttelton, Dowager Viscountess Cobham is the first British woman to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world...
– (Solo yachtswoman) - David CoxDavid Cox (artist)- David Cox Junior :David Cox had a son of the same name who followed his calling as a watercolour painter. He was born in Dulwich, but educated in Hereford. He exhibited in London from 1827, although today he is known mainly through association with his father. He died in Streatham on 4 December...
– (Artist) - Lauren CraceLauren CraceLauren Rose Crace is an English actress known for playing Danielle Jones in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders.-Biography:The daughter of contemporary English writer Jim Crace, Lauren Rose Crace was born in Birmingham, West Midlands...
– (Actress) - Chris CrudelliChris CrudelliChris Crudelli is a martial artist, television presenter and author. He is best known as the host of BBC television programmes about the martial arts of far eastern countries, Mind, Body & Kick Ass Moves, Kick Ass Miracles, and Kick Ass in a Crisis all shown on BBC Three...
– (Martial artist) - Cat DeeleyCat DeeleyCatherine Elizabeth "Cat" Deeley is an English television presenter and model. Since 2006, Deeley has also been the host of So You Think You Can Dance in the United States, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition...
– (Television presenter) - Nathan DelfounesoNathan DelfounesoNathan Abayomi Delfouneso is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Aston Villa. His natural playing position is as a striker, however he has been used as a winger throughout his career...
– (Footballer) - Oscar DeutschOscar DeutschOscar Deutsch was the founder of the Odeon Cinemas chain in the United Kingdom.-Life and career:Deutsch was born in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, England, the son of Leopold Deutsch, a successful Hungarian Jewish scrap metal merchant. After attending King Edward VI Five Ways, he opened his first...
– (Founder of the Odeon CinemasOdeon CinemasOdeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
chain) - Hunt EmersonHunt EmersonHunt Emerson is a cartoonist living and working in Birmingham, England. He was closely involved with the Birmingham Arts Lab of the mid-to-late 1970s, and with the British underground comics scene of the 1970s and 1980s...
– (Cartoonist) - Ian EmesIan EmesIan Ronald Emes is a British animator and film director, from Handsworth, Birmingham, England, known for his work with Pink Floyd, who have used his animated films as back-projections in concert and released them as extras on their DVDs...
– (animator) - Frederick Roland EmettFrederick Roland EmettFrederick Rowland Emett OBE, his name frequently misspelled as Roland Emmett, was an English cartoonist and constructor of whimsical kinetic sculpture.- Early Life :...
– (Cartoonist, artist and kinetic sculptor) - Niki EvansNiki EvansNiki Evans is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her appearance in the fourth UK series of the popular television talent show The X Factor in 2007. She is currently appearing as Mrs. Johnstone in the current UK national tour of Blood Brothers.-Pre X Factor:Niki Evans has sung...
– (Singer) - Trevor EveTrevor EveTrevor John Eve is a British film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series Shoestring and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC television drama Waking the Dead.-Early life:Eve was born in Sutton Coldfield,...
– (Actor) - Frank FarrellFrank Farrell (musician)Frank Farrell was a British rock bassist, vocalist and songwriter born in Birmingham, England. Over a professional career that spanned thirty years he is best known as the bassist of British rock band Supertramp and for his musical association with Leo Sayer...
– (Rock bassist and co-writer of chart hit "MoonlightingMoonlighting (song)Moonlighting is a popular single about a young couple eloping to be married at Gretna Green, recorded by Leo Sayer.Written by Sayer and Frank Farrell and co-produced by Adam Faith, "Moonlighting" made Number 2 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1975....
") - Sid FieldSid Field-Early Years:Sid Field was an English comedy entertainer. He was born Sidney Arthur Field in Ladywood, Birmingham, son of Albert and Bertha . Field spent most of his childhood at 152 Osborn Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham.Field had entertainment in his blood from an early age...
– (Comedian) - Sir Francis Galton – (Scientist, founder of eugenicsEugenicsEugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
) - Roland GiftRoland GiftRoland Lee Gift is a British singer and actor. He was the lead singer of the band Fine Young Cannibals.-Biography:...
– (Actor and musician - Fine Young CannibalsFine Young CannibalsFine Young Cannibals were a British band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1984, by bassist David Steele and guitarist Andy Cox , and singer Roland Gift...
) - Mark "Barney" GreenwayMark GreenwayMark "Barney" Greenway is a British extreme metal singer, who has been a member of Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, and Benediction....
–(Musician - Napalm DeathNapalm DeathNapalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
) - Brian GriffinBrian GriffinBrian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
;(Photographer) - Rob HalfordRob HalfordRobert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
– (Musician - Judas PriestJudas PriestJudas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
) - Charlie Hall – (Actor - most famous for his work with Laurel and HardyLaurel and HardyLaurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
) - Alison HammondAlison HammondAlison Hammond is a British television presenter who became famous after appearing on the third series of Big Brother in 2002. The former child actress, holiday representative and cinema usherette was the second housemate to be evicted when she left on day 15...
– (Television Presenter) - Richard HammondRichard HammondRichard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
– (Broadcaster - Top GearTop Gear (current format)Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
) - John HampsonJohn Hampson (novelist)John Frederick Norman Hampson Simpson , who wrote as John Hampson, was an English novelist.Best known for his 1931 novel Saturday Night at the Greyhound - an unexpected critical and commercial success for the Hogarth Press - he was a member of the Birmingham Group of working class authors which...
– (novelist) - Tony HancockTony HancockAnthony John "Tony" Hancock was an English actor and comedian.-Early life and career:Hancock was born in Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, England, but from the age of three was brought up in Bournemouth, where his father, John Hancock, who ran the Railway Hotel in...
– (Comedian and actor) - Nic HarcourtNic HarcourtNic Harcourt was, most recently, the Music Director for Santa Monica, California-based radio station KCRW. Before joining KCRW, Harcourt worked for eight years as a news director and music director at radio station WDST in Woodstock, New York...
– (American radio personality) - Julia Hartley-BrewerJulia Hartley-BrewerJulia Hartley-Brewer is a British broadcaster and columnist. She presents the weekday afternoon radio show from 1pm to 4pm on LBC 97.3FM, the talk radio station....
; Journalist and TV panelist - William Hayward – (Architect, Town Planner & Secretary of The Birmingham Civic SocietyThe Birmingham Civic SocietyThe Birmingham Civic Society was founded at an inaugural meeting on 10 June 1918 in The Council House, Birmingham, England and is registered with The Civic Trust. The first President of the Society, the Earl of Plymouth, addressed the assembled Aldermen, Councillors, Architects and other city...
) - George Jacob Holyoake – (Reformer)
- Ken HodgeKen HodgeKenneth Raymond Hodge, Sr. is a retired hockey player for the NHL Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers.-Playing career:...
(NHL player) - Mr Hudson – (singer)
- Raymond HuntleyRaymond HuntleyRaymond Huntley was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s through to the 1970s...
– (Actor) - Kassem IbadullaKassem IbadullaKassem Ben Khalid Ibadulla is an English born former New Zealand cricketer. Ibadullah was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break. He was born at Birmingham, Warwickshire, England....
– (Cricketer) - Tony IommiTony IommiAnthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and its sole continual member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in...
– guitarist of (Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
) - JameliaJameliaJamelia Niela Davis , best known mononymously as Jamelia, is an English singer-songwriter, model, entertainer, television presenter and actress. She is most famous for her use of a cappella and prolific work in the R&B genre...
– (R&BContemporary R&BContemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer) - Seth JohnsonSeth JohnsonSeth Art Maurice Johnson is a former England international footballer, who is currently without a club after his second spell as a player with Derby County ended in 2007.-Playing career:...
– (Sportsman Derby Footballer) - Ann JonesAnn Haydon-JonesAnn Haydon-Jones Ann Haydon-Jones Ann Haydon-Jones (born Adrianne Shirley Haydon on 7 October 1938 in Birmingham, United Kingdom, is a former table tennis and lawn tennis champion...
– (TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player) - Digby Jones – (Director-General of the CBIConfederation of British IndustryThe Confederation of British Industry is a British not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works...
) - Edward Burne-JonesEdward Burne-JonesSir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
– (Pre-Raphaelite painter) - Mike KellieMike KellieMike Kellie is an English drummer. Most notably, he has played in Spooky Tooth and The Only Ones. Kellie has also played with Peter Frampton and in various bands with Chris Wood....
– (Musician - Spooky ToothSpooky ToothSpooky Tooth are an English rock band principally active, with intermittent breakups, between 1967 to 1974. In recent years, the band has been reconstituted at various points, and continues to perform occasionally.-Career:...
, The Only OnesThe Only OnesThe Only Ones are an English rock band. They were initially active in the late 1970s and were associated with punk rock, yet straddled the musical territory in between punk, power pop and hard rock, with noticeable influences from psychedelia...
) - Albert William Ketèlbey – (Composer)
- Rupert Alfred KettleRupert Alfred KettleSir Rupert Alfred Kettle was an English county court judge born at Birmingham. His family had for some time been connected with the glass-staining business....
– (County court judge and noted strike arbitrator) - Denny LaineDenny LaineDenny Laine is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and lead singer of The Moody Blues' 1965 debut album "The Magnificent Moodies"; and, later, best known for his role as co-founder of Wings...
– (Paul McCartney and WingsWings (band)Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
) - Frederick William Lanchester – (maker of the first petrol-driven carAutomobileAn automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
in Britain) - Joleon LescottJoleon LescottJoleon Patrick Lescott is an English footballer who currently plays for Manchester City. He plays as a centre-back, though he has played in various other positions across the defensive line, in particular left-back....
– (Manchester City F.C Defender) - Jeff LynneJeff LynneJeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
– (Musician; co-founder of the Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
) - Nigel MansellNigel MansellNigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
– (Sportsman- F1 driver) - Eric MaschwitzEric MaschwitzAlbert Eric Maschwitz OBE , known as Eric Maschwitz and sometimes credited as Holt Marvell, was an English entertainer, writer, broadcaster and broadcasting executive.-Life and work:...
– (lyricistLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
) - Nick MasonNick MasonNicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
– (Musician - Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
; did not reside in Birmingham) - Zena McNallyZena McNallyZena McNally was a co-presenter of the breakfast show on the BBC Radio 1Xtra alongside Trevor Nelson. She is a former member of the band Mis-Teeq, and also a solo singer...
– (Singer - Mis-TeeqMis-TeeqMis-Teeq are a British R&B girl group, comprising singers Alesha Dixon, Su-Elise Nash and Sabrina Washington. Originally a quartet which included Zena McNally, the group was formed in 1999 and released three major studio albums and seven consecutive UK top ten singles, including international hits...
) - Shazia MirzaShazia MirzaShazia Mirza is a British comedian and columnist from Birmingham, England.-Background:Shazia was born as the eldest daughter in Birmigham to Pakistani parents, Mohammed and Sarwat Mirza...
– (Comedian) - Henry Vollam MortonHenry Vollam MortonHenry Canova Vollam Morton, was a journalist and pioneering travel writer from Lancashire, England, best known for his prolific and popular books on Britain and the Holy Land...
– (Journalist and travel writer) - Constance NadenConstance Caroline Woodhill NadenConstance Caroline Woodhill Naden was an English poet and philosopher.Born at 15 Francis Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England to Thomas Naden, an architect, later president of the Birmingham Architectural Association, and Caroline Ann who died within two weeks of giving birth...
– (Poet & Philosopher) - Alan NapierAlan NapierAlan William Napier-Clavering was an English actor, best known for portraying Alfred Pennyworth in the 1960s live-action Batman television series.-Early life and career:...
– (Actor) - Ernest Willmott NortonErnest NortonErnest Willmott Norton, registered at birth as Ernest Willmott was an English cricketer who played eight first-class matches in the early 1920s: two for Warwickshire and then six for Worcestershire....
, – (Cricketer) - Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
– singer of (Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
) - Carl PalmerCarl PalmerCarl Frederick Kendall Palmer is an English drummer and percussionist. He is credited as one of the most respected rock drummers to emerge from the 1960s...
– (Musician - Emerson, Lake & PalmerEmerson, Lake & PalmerEmerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
) - Kay ParkerKay ParkerKay Parker is a New Age author and former pornographic actress, best known for her depictions of incest scenes in the Taboo series.-Career:...
– (Pornographic actress) - Alexander ParkesAlexander ParkesAlexander Parkes was a metallurgist and inventor from Birmingham, England. He created Parkesine, the first man-made plastic.-Biography:...
– (Inventor of the world's first plastic) - Dave PeggDave PeggDave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
– (Musician - Fairport ConventionFairport ConventionFairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
, Jethro TullJethro Tull (band)Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
) - Rob Peters – (Musician - Dangerous GirlsDangerous GirlsDangerous Girls is the first novel in the Dangerous Girls series by R. L. Stine. First published in 2003, the novel was followed by a sequel, The Taste of Night, in 2004...
, Sound Engineer Highbury Studio , Tour Manager) - James and Oliver PhelpsJames and Oliver PhelpsJames Andrew Eric Phelps and Oliver Martyn John Phelps are identical twin English actors, best known for playing Fred and George Weasley, respectively, in the Harry Potter film series.-Early life:...
– (Harry PotterHarry Potter (film series)The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
movie actors) - John PooleJohn Poole (sculptor)A. John Poole, FRBS, Hon. FRBSA, . Was a British freelance sculptor, and winner of 2 Otto Beit medals- Early life :...
– (Sculptor) - Enoch PowellEnoch PowellJohn Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
– (Politician, poet and classical scholar) - Peter PowellPeter Powell (disc jockey)Peter Powell is a former disc jockey, popular on BBC Radio 1 in the late 1970s and 1980s, who has a second career in talent management.-Early career:...
– (disc jockey) - Michael Pinder – (Musician - The Moody BluesThe Moody BluesThe Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
) - Alfred Radcliffe-BrownAlfred Radcliffe-BrownAlfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown was an English social anthropologist who developed the theory of Structural Functionalism.- Biography :...
– (anthropologist) - Micah RichardsMicah RichardsMicah Lincoln Richards is an English footballer who plays for Manchester City and the England national team. A versatile defender, Richards is equally adept at centre back and right back or in centre midfield...
, (Manchester City F.C Defender) - Nick RhodesNick RhodesNick Rhodes is an English musician, is best known as the keyboardist of the pop rock band Duran Duran...
– (Musician - Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
) - Pat RoachPat RoachFrancis Patrick "Pat" Roach was an English actor, wrestler and author, from Birmingham. His most famous role is that of West Country bricklayer Brian "Bomber" Busbridge in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He also played a memorable role as General Kael in Willow...
– (Actor and wrestler) - John Rogers (c.1500–1555) – (Bible editor and Martyr)
- Sax RohmerSax RohmerArthur Henry Sarsfield Ward , better known as Sax Rohmer, was a prolific English novelist. He is best remembered for his series of novels featuring the master criminal Dr...
– (Arthur Henry Sarsfield Ward) – (novelist) - Gary ShawGary ShawGary Shaw was an English football striker who played for Aston Villa in the early 1980s. His goals helped Aston Villa win the English First Division championship in 1980–81 and the European Cup the following year - the only Birmingham-born player in the team. In 1981 he was voted PFA Young Player...
– (footballer) - Martin ShawMartin ShawMartin Shaw is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in shows such as The Professionals, The Chief, Judge John Deed and Inspector George Gently.-Theatrical background:...
– (actor) - Visanthe ShiancoeVisanthe ShiancoeVisanthe Shiancoe is an American football tight end who currently plays for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.-High school:...
– (American football player) - Sukshinder Shinda – (English born Punjabi music producer and artist)
- Jane SixsmithJane SixsmithJanet Theresa "Jane" Sixsmith MBE is a former field hockey player, who was a member of the British squad that won the bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She retired from the international scene after scoring over hundred goals and winning 165 caps for England and 158 for Great...
– (hockey player) - 1st Viscount Slim of Yarralumla and BishopstonWilliam Slim, 1st Viscount SlimField Marshal William Joseph "Bill"'Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC, KStJ was a British military commander and the 13th Governor-General of Australia....
– (Military Commander) - James SuttonJames Sutton (actor)James Sutton is an English television actor, best known for playing the parts of John Paul McQueen in the British Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks and Ryan Lamb in the ITV soap Emmerdale.-Personal life:...
– (Actor) - Andrew SymondsAndrew SymondsAndrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
– (Cricketer) - John TaylorNigel John TaylorJohn Taylor is an English musician who is best known as the bass guitarist and co-founder of pop rock band Duran Duran....
– (Musician - Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
) - Roger TaylorRoger Andrew TaylorRoger Andrew Taylor is an English double grammy award winning musician who is best known as the drummer of British rock band Duran Duran from their inception until 1985, and again from 2001 onwards, the band selling in excess of 80 million records worldwide in the process.-Early life:Taylor began...
– (Musician - Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
) - Will ThorneWill ThorneWilliam James Thorne CBE , known as Will Thorne, was a British trade unionist, activist and one of the first Labour Members of Parliament .-Early years:...
– (Trade unionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader and MP) - Charlie TimminsCharlie TimminsCharles "Charlie" Timmins was an English former footballer.Born in Birmingham, Timmins signed for Birmingham City before the Second World War. However, his registration papers were lost after heavy bombing in the Birmingham area...
– (Footballer) - James Vaughan – Everton F.C Striker
- Murray WalkerMurray WalkerGraeme Murray Walker, OBE is a former Formula One motorsport commentator...
– (Racing driver and commentator) - Kate Walsh – (T.V. presenter-Live from Studio FiveLive from Studio FiveLive From Studio Five was an early evening, British magazine programme which was produced by Sky News for Channel 5. The show was presented by Kate Walsh and a line-up of other co-presenters during its run. It consisted of interviews and discussing topical issues, with an emphasis on showbusiness...
) - Bill Ward – drummer of (Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
) - Brooke Foss WestcottBrooke Foss WestcottBrooke Foss Westcott was a British bishop, Biblical scholar and theologian, serving as Bishop of Durham from 1890 until his death.-Early life and education:...
– (Theologian and Bishop of Durham) - Peter WestonPeter WestonPeter Weston is a British science fiction fan. Now retired, he lives in Birmingham, UK.Weston's made many contributions in fan writing, fanzine editing, convention-running and in local science fiction clubs. His 1960s pseudonym "Malcolm Edwards" caused some confusion several years later, when a...
– (Influential British science fiction fan) - Willard WiganWillard WiganWillard Wigan, MBE is a sculptor from Birmingham, England, who makes microscopic art. His sculptures are created in the eye of a needle or placed on the head of a pin...
– (Sculptor) - Toyah WillcoxToyah WillcoxToyah Ann Willcox is an English actress and singer. In a career spanning more than thirty years Toyah has had 13 top 40 singles, released 22 studio albums, written two books, appeared in over forty stage plays and ten feature films, as well as voicing and presenting numerous television shows...
– (Singer, actress and television presenter) - Emma WillisEmma WillisEmma Willis is a British television presenter of such shows as Big Brother's Little Brother for its final series in 2010 and co-presenter of the now defunct Live From Studio Five the same year....
– (Model) - Steve WinwoodSteve WinwoodStephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
– (Musician—solo artist and co-founder, TrafficTraffic (band)Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
) - Chris WoakesChris WoakesChristopher Roger Woakes is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast pace bowler who found success at Warwickshire to the extent that he topped Warwickshire's 2008 county bowling averages, and was selected for the England Lions squad as well as the preliminary...
England and Warwickshire cricketer - Chris WoodChris Wood (rock musician)Christopher Gordon Blandford 'Chris' Wood was a founding member of the English rock band Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Dave Mason....
– (Musician; co-founder, TrafficTraffic (band)Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
) - Roy WoodRoy WoodRoy Adrian Wood is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the bands The Move, Electric Light Orchestra, and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of these bands.-Career:Wood...
– (Musician - co-founder of the Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
) - Bill BonhamBill BonhamWilliam Gordon Bonham was a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds...
(Rock Musician) Played with Robert Plant link http://www.billbonham.com/Home.html Born In Kingstanding
Lived in, or associated with, Birmingham
- Joan ArmatradingJoan ArmatradingJoan Anita Barbara Armatrading, MBE is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist. Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee and has been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist...
– (Singer/Songwriter) - W. H. AudenW. H. AudenWystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
– (Poet and author) - W. V. AwdryW.V. AwdryWilbert Vere Awdry, OBE , was an English clergyman, railway enthusiast and children's author, better known as the Reverend W. Awdry and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, who starred in Awdry's acclaimed Railway Series.-Life:Awdry was born at Ampfield vicarage near Romsey, Hampshire in 1911...
– (Author of The Railway SeriesThe Railway SeriesThe Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
) - John BaskervilleJohn BaskervilleJohn Baskerville was an English businessman, in areas including japanning and papier-mâché, but he is best remembered as a printer and typographer.-Life:...
– (Printer and inventor of typefaces) - Marie Bethell BeauclercMarie Bethell BeauclercMarie Bethell Beauclerc was a pioneer in the teaching of Pitman's shorthand and typing in Birmingham, England. In 1888 she was the first woman to be appointed as a teacher in an English boys' public school. The school was Rugby...
– (First female shorthand teacher and reporter in England) - William BloyeWilliam BloyeWilliam James Bloye was an English sculptor, active in Birmingham either side of World War II.He studied, and later, taught at the Birmingham School of Art , where his pupils included Gordon Herickx, Raymond Mason and Ian Walters...
– (Sculptor) - William BoothWilliam Booth (forger)William Booth , one of eight children of a farmer and church warden, John Booth, and his wife Mary, was a farmer and forger, who lived at Great Barr, Birmingham...
– (Forger) - John BrightJohn BrightJohn Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
– (Politician) - Herbert Tudor BucklandHerbert Tudor BucklandHerbert Tudor Buckland was a British architect, best known for his seminal Arts and Crafts houses , the Elan Valley model village, educational buildings such as the campus of the Royal Hospital School in Suffolk and St Hugh's College in Oxford.-Biography:Buckland was born in...
– (Architect) - Elihu BurrittElihu BurrittElihu Burritt was an American philanthropist and social activist.-Biography:He was born December 8, 1810, in the town of New Britain, Connecticut....
– (US consul to Birmingham) - Pogus CaesarPogus CaesarPogus Caesar is a British artist, television producer and director. He was born in St Kitts, West Indies, and grew up in Birmingham, England.-History:...
– (Broadcaster and artist) - Jazzy BJazzy BJaswinder Singh Bains, more popularly known as Jazzy B, is a Punjabi language bhangra singer-songwriter. He was born on April 1, 1975 in Durgapur, Nawanshahr, Punjab, India. When he was 5 years old, his family moved to Vancouver, Canada. He has released 12 studio albums, including two religious ones...
– (PunjabiPunjabi peopleThe Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
singer) - Daniel CainesDaniel CainesDaniel Stephen Caines is an English athlete who mainly competes in the 400 metres.-Early life:He was educated at Solihull School, a British independent school in the affluent West Midlands town of Solihull...
- (AthleteAthletics (track and field)Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
) - Joseph ChamberlainJoseph ChamberlainJoseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
– (Politician, Mayor of Birmingham) - Bruce ChatwinBruce ChatwinCharles Bruce Chatwin was an English novelist and travel writer. He won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his novel On the Black Hill...
– (Author) - Lee ChildLee ChildJim Grant , better known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British thriller writer. His wife Jane is a New Yorker, and they currently live in New York state. His first novel, Killing Floor, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel....
– Author - George DawsonGeorge Dawson (preacher)George Dawson was an English nonconformist minister.-Ministry:He was born in London and educated at Marischal College, Aberdeen, and the University of Glasgow....
– preacher - Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan DoyleSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
– (Author of Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
) - John Boyd DunlopJohn Boyd DunlopJohn Boyd Dunlop was a Scottish inventor. He was one of the founders of the rubber company that bore his name, Dunlop Pneumatic Tyre Company....
– (Industrialist, built Fort DunlopFort DunlopFort Dunlop , is the common name of the original tyre factory and main office of Dunlop Rubber in the Erdington district of Birmingham, England. It was established in 1917, and by 1954 the entire factory area employed 10,000 workers...
) - Revd.Richard EnraghtRichard William EnraghtRichard William Enraght SSC was an Irish-born Church of England priest of the late nineteenth century. He was influenced by the Oxford Movement and was included amongst the priests commonly called “Second Generation” Anglo-Catholics.Fr...
– (Vicar, religious controversialist) - Joseph GillottJoseph GillottJoseph Gillott was an English pen-maker and patron of the arts.- Pen manufacturing :For some time he was a working cutler in his home town Sheffield, but in 1821 he moved to Birmingham, where he found employment in the steel toy trade, the technical name for the manufacture of steel buckles,...
– industrialist - Tommy Godwin – (Racing cyclist and Olympic medallist)
- Ashia HansenAshia HansenAshia Hansen, MBE was a British triple jumper who competed internationally from 1994-2008.-Early life:...
– (AthleteAthletics (track and field)Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
) - James HinksJames HinksJames Hinks, was born in Mullingar, Ireland in 1829. He lived most of his life in Birmingham, where he died in 1878. Hinks bred and named the English Bull Terrier in the 1860s, as well as the English White Terrier.-Bibliography:...
– (Bred the Bull TerrierBull TerrierThe Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. They are known for their large, egg-shaped head, small triangular eyes, and "jaunty gait." Their temperament has been described as generally fun-loving, active and clownish...
dog) - Alex HughesAlex HughesAlex Hughes is an English freelance cartoonist, caricaturist and illustrator, whose work is published in Tribune and has been used in PC Pro, Red Pepper and by the BBC's The Midlands at Westminster and Five's Live With Christian O'Connell...
– (Cartoonist) - Washington IrvingWashington IrvingWashington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
– (Author) - JameliaJameliaJamelia Niela Davis , best known mononymously as Jamelia, is an English singer-songwriter, model, entertainer, television presenter and actress. She is most famous for her use of a cappella and prolific work in the R&B genre...
– (RnB singer) - John JoubertJohn Joubert (composer)John Joubert is a British composer of South African descent, particularly of choral works. He has lived in Moseley, a suburb of Birmingham, England, for over 40 years. A music academic at the universities of Hull and Birmingham for 36 years, Joubert took early retirement in 1986 to concentrate on...
– (South African-born composer) - Roi KwabenaRoi KwabenaDr. Roi Ankhkara Kwabena was a cultural anthropologist, who worked with all age ranges in Europe, Africa, Latin-America and the Caribbean for over 30 years....
– (author) - Robert LloydRobert Lloyd (Nightingales)Robert Lloyd is the lead singer with The Nightingales and formerly with The Prefects. When The Nightingales split in 1986, Lloyd embarked on a solo career, initially signing to In-Tape before signing to Virgin Records in 1989 and releasing the album Me and My Mouth...
– (Musician - The NightingalesThe NightingalesThe Nightingales are a British punk/alternative band formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England. Original members were Robert Lloyd , Joe Crow on guitar, Eamonn Duffy on bass and Paul Apperley on drums, all formerly of The Prefects...
) - Louis MacNeiceLouis MacNeiceFrederick Louis MacNeice CBE was an Irish poet and playwright. He was part of the generation of "thirties poets" which included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis; nicknamed "MacSpaunday" as a group — a name invented by Roy Campbell, in his Talking Bronco...
– (Poet) - Stuart MaconieStuart MaconieStuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
– (Radio DJ and television presenter) - Josiah MasonJosiah MasonSir Josiah Mason was an English pen-manufacturer.Mason was born in Mill Street, Kidderminster, the son of a carpet-weaver. He began life as a street hawker of cakes, fruits and vegetables. After trying his hand in his native town at shoemaking, baking, carpentering, blacksmithing, house-painting...
– (Industrialist and philanthropist) - Nigel MansellNigel MansellNigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
– (Racing driver) - Cardinal Newman – (Theologian and founder of the English Oratory)
- William McGregor – (Instrumental in forming the football league)
- Christine McVieChristine McVieChristine McVie is an English rock singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Her primary fame came as a member of the British/American rock band Fleetwood Mac, though she has also released three solo albums...
– (Musician - Fleetwood MacFleetwood MacFleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
) - William MurdochWilliam MurdochWilliam Murdoch was a Scottish engineer and long-term inventor.Murdoch was employed by the firm of Boulton and Watt and worked for them in Cornwall, as a steam engine erector for ten years, spending most of the rest of his life in Birmingham, England.He was the inventor of the oscillating steam...
– (Inventor of gas lightingGas lightingGas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
) - Bill OddieBill OddieWilliam "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
– (Comedian and ornithologist) - John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
– (Radio DJ) - Sadie PlantSadie PlantSadie Plant is a British author and philosopher.She earned her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Manchester in 1989, then taught at the University of Birmingham's Department of Cultural Studies before going on to found the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit at the University of Warwick,...
– (Author) - Elizabeth "Tetty" PorterElizabeth PorterElizabeth Jervis Porter was the wife of Samuel Johnson.Born Elizabeth Jarvis , her first marriage was to Henry Porter, a Birmingham merchant, with whom she had three children...
– wife of Samuel JohnsonSamuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer... - Joseph PriestleyJoseph PriestleyJoseph Priestley, FRS was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works...
– (Chemist and dissentingDissenterThe term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
clergyman) - Sir Simon RattleSimon RattleSir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
– (conductor of CBSOCity of Birmingham Symphony OrchestraThe City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
1980-1998) - John RayJohn RayJohn Ray was an English naturalist, sometimes referred to as the father of English natural history. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after "having ascertained that such had been the practice of his family before him".He published important works on botany,...
– ("the father of English natural historyNatural historyNatural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
") - Sir Peter Rigby – (Entrepreneur)
- Mike Skinner – (Musician - The StreetsThe StreetsThe Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
) - Sir Benjamin StoneJohn Benjamin StoneSir John Benjamin Stone , known as Benjamin, was a British Conservative politician, and noted photographer.Stone was born in Aston, Birmingham the son of a local glass manufacturer...
– (Pioneering photographer) - Simon SturridgeSimon SturridgeSimon Andrew Sturridge is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He made more than 250 appearances in the Football League.-Career:...
– (Footballer) - Dean SturridgeDean SturridgeDean Constantine Sturridge is an English former footballer who played as a striker.-Derby County:Sturridge began his career as a trainee at Derby County, and worked his way through the ranks to make his first team debut on 11 January 1992 in a 1-0 defeat at Southend United.He gained more first...
– (Footballer) - Daniel SturridgeDaniel SturridgeDaniel Andre Sturridge is an English footballer who plays for Chelsea and the England national team. He is primarily a forward, but has been used on the right flank as a winger for Chelsea...
– (Footballer) - Dave SwarbrickDave SwarbrickDave Swarbrick is an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. He has been described by Ashley Hutchings as 'the most influential [British] fiddle player bar none' and his style has been copied or developed by almost every British, and many World folk violin players that have followed him...
– (Musician) - J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
– (Author) - Joshua ToulminJoshua ToulminJoshua Toulmin of Taunton, England was a noted theologian and a serial Dissenting minister of Presbyterian , Baptist , and then Unitarian congregations...
– (Non-conformist preacher) - Joshua Toulmin SmithJoshua Toulmin SmithJoshua Toulmin Smith was a British political theorist, lawyer and local historian of Birmingham.Born in Birmingham as Joshua Smith, he moved to London in 1835 and pursued a career in law, studying at Lincoln's Inn...
– (Political theorist) - Ruby TurnerRuby TurnerRuby Turner is a British R&B and soul singer, songwriter and actress. In 1967, she relocated with her family to Handsworth, Birmingham, England when she was nine years old...
– (singer) - UB 40 – (reggae group)
- Bill Ward – (Musician - Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
) - James WattJames WattJames Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
– (Inventor and member of the Lunar SocietyLunar SocietyThe Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle,...
) - Una WhiteUna WhiteUna White was an ordinary citizen of Birmingham, England. She achieved posthumous notability when her name was placed, in 12-foot high illuminated lettering, on Birmingham Central Library for three weeks, as an art installation by Joshua Sofaer part of the city's Fierce! festival...
– Subject of public art-work - William WitheringWilliam WitheringWilliam Withering was an English botanist, geologist, chemist, physician and the discoverer of digitalis.-Introduction:...
– (Doctor, discoverer of digitalisDigitalisDigitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials that are commonly called foxgloves. This genus was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, but recent reviews of phylogenetic research have placed it in the much enlarged family...
) - Victoria WoodVictoria WoodVictoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
– (Actress) - John Skirrow WrightJohn Skirrow WrightJohn Skirrow Wright was one of the prominent pioneers and social improvers of the 19th century in Birmingham, England. He was involved in many aspects of Birmingham's mid-Victorian life that were for the benefit of its citizens including the General Hospital, the Chamber of Commerce, The School of...
– (Social improver) - John WyndhamJohn WyndhamJohn Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris was an English science fiction writer who usually used the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names, such as John Beynon and Lucas Parkes...
– (Author) - Alastair YatesAlastair YatesAlastair Yates is a British journalist. He worked with the BBC, on BBC World News and BBC News until his retirement in April 2011.Born and brought up in Burton upon Trent, Yates was educated at Manor House School, Ashby and the former Burton Grammar School...
– (Radio and television presenter) - Dorian YatesDorian YatesDorian Andrew Mientjez Yates , is an English professional bodybuilder, winning the Mr. Olympia title six consecutive times beginning in 1992. He is fourth on the list of most Olympias won, and out of the seven in which he competed, he won six and placed second in his debut...
– (6x Mr. Olympia)
See also
- 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.