Yorkshire Tourist Guide - Articles
Famous Yorkshire People
This is a list of Yorkshire people. Yorkshire is the largest county in England and has contributed many famous names to all walks of life. Some of the most notable are:
W H Auden, poet, born in York in 1907
Julian Barratt, comedian, actor and writer, best known as one half of The Mighty Boosh
John Barry, composer, best known for his soundtracks for James Bond films and Midnight Cowboy
Sean Bean, actor
Henry Beauclerk, Norman King of England
Alan Bennett, playwright and actor
Doug Binder, artist
Harold "Dickie" Bird, cricket umpire
Brian Blessed, actor
Eirik Bloodaxe, 2nd King of Norway and last King of Jorvik
David Blunkett, Labour MP for Sheffield Brightside, Home Secretary 2001-2004
Ivar the Boneless, conqueror of Northumbrian Deira from the Angles
Betty Boothroyd, former Speaker of the House of Commons
Geoffrey Boycott, cricketer
John Braine, novelist and playwright
John Bratby, artist
Alan Brent Actor, Chairman Yorkshire Actors' Equity Association
Professor Asa Briggs, historian
Anne Brontė, writer, author of "The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall"
Branwell Brontė, writer and artist
Charlotte Brontė, writer, author of "Jane Eyre"
Emily Brontė, writer, author of "Wuthering Heights"
Arthur Brown, rock singer
Beryl Burton, cyclist
Marti Caine, comedienne
Lords Baltimore the founding colonists of Avalon Peninsula and Maryland
Tony Capstick, folk singer and actor
Kenny Carter, former world speedway champion
Barbara Castle, Labour MP, former Minister of Transport who introduced the breathalyser
Thomas Chippendale, furniture designer and maker
Tony Christie, singer
Howard Clark, Ryder Cup golfer
Jeremy Clarkson, broadcaster
Brian Clough, football manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest
Jarvis Cocker, lead singer of Pulp
Joe Cocker, rock singer
Sebastian Coe, athlete and politician
Constantine the Great, Roman Emperor crowned in Eboracum(York)
Capt. James Cook, Georgian oceanic explorer
Harry Corbett, puppeteer, creator of "Sooty and Sweep"
John Craven, television presenter
Barry Cryer, writer and comedian
Olaf Cuaran, King of Dublin and Jorvik
Kiki Dee, singer/songwriter
Frederick Delius, composer
Judi Dench, actress
Michael Denison, actor
George Duffield, jockey
Richard Dunn, boxer
Saint Edwin of Northumbria, King of Northumbria
Adrian Edmondson, comedian and actor, "Vyvyan" in The Young Ones
Peter Elliott (athlete), athlete
Keith Emerson, organist
Professor Sir William Empson, author of "Seven Types Of Ambiguity"
Derek Enright, linguist and Labour MP
Frank Feather, international business futurist and author
Stuart Fielden, rugby league player
Peter Firth, actor
Sir Marcus Fox, Conservative MP for Shipley (1970-1997), former chairman of the 1922 Committee
Neil Fox, rugby league player
Mark Frith, editor, Heat magazine
Martin Fry, lead singer of ABC
Lesley Garrett, opera singer
Gareth Gates, singer
Brian Glover, actor and former wrestler
Guy Fawkes, of the Gunpowder Plot
Herol 'Bomber' Graham, boxer
J. Atkinson Grimshaw, artist
William Hague, MP and former leader of the Conservative Party
Ellery Hanley, rugby league player
"Prince" Naseem Hamed, boxer
Alan Hardisty, rugby league player
John Harris, legendary settler and businessman
Gail Harris, actress and model
John Harrison, horologist and mathematician
Roy Hattersley, former deputy leader of the Labour Party
Denis Healey, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
Barry Hines, Author and film producer ("Kes")
Allan Holdsworth, "jazz fusion" guitarist and composer
Robin Hood (Robert of Loxley), legendary outlaw and English folk hero
Godfrey Hounsfield, winner of 1979 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine
Professor Sir Fred Hoyle, astronomer and author of "A For Andromeda"
David Hockney, artist
Frankie Howerd, comedian
Ted Hughes, former poet laureate
Sir Leonard Hutton, cricketer
Dorothy Hyman, athlete
Raymond Illingworth, cricketer
Sir Bernard Ingham, former press secretary to Margaret Thatcher
Jimmy Jewel, actor
Amy Johnson, aviator
Kaiser Chiefs, indie band from Leeds
Kevin Keegan, former England footballer, now football manager
Les Kellett, wrestler and pig farmer
Richard H. Kirk, musician, member of Cabaret Voltaire
Jim Laker, cricketer and broadcaster
Charles Laughton, actor
Maureen Lipman, actress
Thomas Lord, builder of Lord's Cricket Ground in London
Geoff Love, bandleader
George MacBeth, poet
Stuart McCall, footballer, Bradford City, Everton, Rangers and Scotland
Steve McClaren, footballer, manager of England
John McLaughlin, jazz guitarist, founder of the Mahavishnu Orchestra
Stephen Mallinder, musician, member of Cabaret Voltaire
Michael Marks, founder of Marks and Spencer
Andrew Marvell, poet
James Mason, actor
Roy Mason, former Labour MP and cabinet minister
John Metcalfe, aka "Blind Jack of Knaresborough", pioneering road builder
Percy Metcalfe, artist
Henry Moore, sculptor
Adrian Moorhouse, Olympic swimmer
Don Mosey, cricket commentator and journalist, nicknamed "The Alderman"
Bill Nelson, lead guitarist in Be-Bop Deluxe
The Neville family, prior second family of Yorkshire after royal family
Brian Noble, rugby league player and coach
Richard Oastler, educationalist
Phil Oakey, musician, lead singer of the Human League
Oswiu of Northumbria, first Angle King of all Northumbria and also Bretwalda
Peter O'Toole, actor
Michael Palin, actor and comedian (Monty Python's Flying Circus)
Robert Palmer, singer
Jonty Parkin, rugby league player
Jonti Picking, creator of the Weebl and Bob cartoon series
Michael Parkinson, chat show host
James Pickles, former High Court judge
Wilfred Pickles, actor, comedian and quizmaster
Edward Plantagenet, Yorkist Prince of Wales.
Sandy Powell, comedian
J. B. Priestley, man of letters
Joseph Priestley, chemist and discoverer of oxygen
Halfdan Ragnarsson, first King of Jorvik
Robert Raikes the Elder, printer,founder of Gloucester Journal
Chris Rea, singer
Mal Reilly, rugby league player and coach
Don Revie, footballer and manager of Leeds United and England
Wilfred Rhodes, cricketer
Diana Rigg, actress, "Emma Peel" in The Avengers
Jason Robinson,rugby union
Mick Ronson, guitarist with David Bowie's Spiders From Mars
Steve Rothery, guitarist with Marillion
Sir Jimmy Savile, disc-jockey and broadcaster
Arthur Scargill, miners' union leader
The Scrope family of nobles
David Seaman, footballer, 75 caps as England goalkeeper
Len Shackleton, England footballer, known as the "Clown Prince"
Paul Shane, actor and comedian
Percy Shaw, inventor of Cat's Eyes
John Sherwood, athlete
Alan Smith, footballer
Harvey Smith, showjumper and racehorse trainer
Patrick Stewart, actor, "Jean-Luc Picard" in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Charles Stross, science fiction writer (Singularity Sky)
Mollie Sugden, actress (Are You Being Served?)
Clive Sullivan, rugby league player
Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper
Roger Taylor, tennis player, Wimbledon men's semi-finalist in 1973
Jake Thackray, folk singer
Jane Tomlinson, cancer charity fundraiser
Fred Trueman, cricketer
Harold Wagstaff, rugby league player
Eddie Waring, rugby league commentator
Keith Waterhouse, journalist and author
Fanny Waterman, concert pianist, music teacher, founder of the Leeds International Piano Festival
Timothy West, actor
Marco-Pierre White, Hell's Kitchen chef
Billie Whitelaw, actress
Richard Whiteley, television presenter, Countdown
William Wilberforce, social campaigner who brought about the abolition of slavery
Saint Wilfrid
Charlie Williams, footballer and comedian
Harold Wilson, Labour MP, Prime Minister 1964-70 and 1974-76
Ray Wilson, footballer, part of the England World Cup-winning team of 1966
Ernie Wise, comedian, the short half of Morcambe and Wise
Chris Wolstenholme, musician in the English band, Muse
Helen Worth, soap opera actress (Coronation Street)
Frank Worthington, footballer
W H Auden, poet, born in York in 1907
Julian Barratt, comedian, actor and writer, best known as one half of The Mighty Boosh
John Barry, composer, best known for his soundtracks for James Bond films and Midnight Cowboy
Sean Bean, actor
Henry Beauclerk, Norman King of England
Alan Bennett, playwright and actor
Doug Binder, artist
Harold "Dickie" Bird, cricket umpire
Brian Blessed, actor
Eirik Bloodaxe, 2nd King of Norway and last King of Jorvik
David Blunkett, Labour MP for Sheffield Brightside, Home Secretary 2001-2004
Ivar the Boneless, conqueror of Northumbrian Deira from the Angles
Betty Boothroyd, former Speaker of the House of Commons
Geoffrey Boycott, cricketer
John Braine, novelist and playwright
John Bratby, artist
Alan Brent Actor, Chairman Yorkshire Actors' Equity Association
Professor Asa Briggs, historian
Anne Brontė, writer, author of "The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall"
Branwell Brontė, writer and artist
Charlotte Brontė, writer, author of "Jane Eyre"
Emily Brontė, writer, author of "Wuthering Heights"
Arthur Brown, rock singer
Beryl Burton, cyclist
Marti Caine, comedienne
Lords Baltimore the founding colonists of Avalon Peninsula and Maryland
Tony Capstick, folk singer and actor
Kenny Carter, former world speedway champion
Barbara Castle, Labour MP, former Minister of Transport who introduced the breathalyser
Thomas Chippendale, furniture designer and maker
Tony Christie, singer
Howard Clark, Ryder Cup golfer
Jeremy Clarkson, broadcaster
Brian Clough, football manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest
Jarvis Cocker, lead singer of Pulp
Joe Cocker, rock singer
Sebastian Coe, athlete and politician
Constantine the Great, Roman Emperor crowned in Eboracum(York)
Capt. James Cook, Georgian oceanic explorer
Harry Corbett, puppeteer, creator of "Sooty and Sweep"
John Craven, television presenter
Barry Cryer, writer and comedian
Olaf Cuaran, King of Dublin and Jorvik
Kiki Dee, singer/songwriter
Frederick Delius, composer
Judi Dench, actress
Michael Denison, actor
George Duffield, jockey
Richard Dunn, boxer
Saint Edwin of Northumbria, King of Northumbria
Adrian Edmondson, comedian and actor, "Vyvyan" in The Young Ones
Peter Elliott (athlete), athlete
Keith Emerson, organist
Professor Sir William Empson, author of "Seven Types Of Ambiguity"
Derek Enright, linguist and Labour MP
Frank Feather, international business futurist and author
Stuart Fielden, rugby league player
Peter Firth, actor
Sir Marcus Fox, Conservative MP for Shipley (1970-1997), former chairman of the 1922 Committee
Neil Fox, rugby league player
Mark Frith, editor, Heat magazine
Martin Fry, lead singer of ABC
Lesley Garrett, opera singer
Gareth Gates, singer
Brian Glover, actor and former wrestler
Guy Fawkes, of the Gunpowder Plot
Herol 'Bomber' Graham, boxer
J. Atkinson Grimshaw, artist
William Hague, MP and former leader of the Conservative Party
Ellery Hanley, rugby league player
"Prince" Naseem Hamed, boxer
Alan Hardisty, rugby league player
John Harris, legendary settler and businessman
Gail Harris, actress and model
John Harrison, horologist and mathematician
Roy Hattersley, former deputy leader of the Labour Party
Denis Healey, former Chancellor of the Exchequer
Barry Hines, Author and film producer ("Kes")
Allan Holdsworth, "jazz fusion" guitarist and composer
Robin Hood (Robert of Loxley), legendary outlaw and English folk hero
Godfrey Hounsfield, winner of 1979 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine
Professor Sir Fred Hoyle, astronomer and author of "A For Andromeda"
David Hockney, artist
Frankie Howerd, comedian
Ted Hughes, former poet laureate
Sir Leonard Hutton, cricketer
Dorothy Hyman, athlete
Raymond Illingworth, cricketer
Sir Bernard Ingham, former press secretary to Margaret Thatcher
Jimmy Jewel, actor
Amy Johnson, aviator
Kaiser Chiefs, indie band from Leeds
Kevin Keegan, former England footballer, now football manager
Les Kellett, wrestler and pig farmer
Richard H. Kirk, musician, member of Cabaret Voltaire
Jim Laker, cricketer and broadcaster
Charles Laughton, actor
Maureen Lipman, actress
Thomas Lord, builder of Lord's Cricket Ground in London
Geoff Love, bandleader
George MacBeth, poet
Stuart McCall, footballer, Bradford City, Everton, Rangers and Scotland
Steve McClaren, footballer, manager of England
John McLaughlin, jazz guitarist, founder of the Mahavishnu Orchestra
Stephen Mallinder, musician, member of Cabaret Voltaire
Michael Marks, founder of Marks and Spencer
Andrew Marvell, poet
James Mason, actor
Roy Mason, former Labour MP and cabinet minister
John Metcalfe, aka "Blind Jack of Knaresborough", pioneering road builder
Percy Metcalfe, artist
Henry Moore, sculptor
Adrian Moorhouse, Olympic swimmer
Don Mosey, cricket commentator and journalist, nicknamed "The Alderman"
Bill Nelson, lead guitarist in Be-Bop Deluxe
The Neville family, prior second family of Yorkshire after royal family
Brian Noble, rugby league player and coach
Richard Oastler, educationalist
Phil Oakey, musician, lead singer of the Human League
Oswiu of Northumbria, first Angle King of all Northumbria and also Bretwalda
Peter O'Toole, actor
Michael Palin, actor and comedian (Monty Python's Flying Circus)
Robert Palmer, singer
Jonty Parkin, rugby league player
Jonti Picking, creator of the Weebl and Bob cartoon series
Michael Parkinson, chat show host
James Pickles, former High Court judge
Wilfred Pickles, actor, comedian and quizmaster
Edward Plantagenet, Yorkist Prince of Wales.
Sandy Powell, comedian
J. B. Priestley, man of letters
Joseph Priestley, chemist and discoverer of oxygen
Halfdan Ragnarsson, first King of Jorvik
Robert Raikes the Elder, printer,founder of Gloucester Journal
Chris Rea, singer
Mal Reilly, rugby league player and coach
Don Revie, footballer and manager of Leeds United and England
Wilfred Rhodes, cricketer
Diana Rigg, actress, "Emma Peel" in The Avengers
Jason Robinson,rugby union
Mick Ronson, guitarist with David Bowie's Spiders From Mars
Steve Rothery, guitarist with Marillion
Sir Jimmy Savile, disc-jockey and broadcaster
Arthur Scargill, miners' union leader
The Scrope family of nobles
David Seaman, footballer, 75 caps as England goalkeeper
Len Shackleton, England footballer, known as the "Clown Prince"
Paul Shane, actor and comedian
Percy Shaw, inventor of Cat's Eyes
John Sherwood, athlete
Alan Smith, footballer
Harvey Smith, showjumper and racehorse trainer
Patrick Stewart, actor, "Jean-Luc Picard" in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Charles Stross, science fiction writer (Singularity Sky)
Mollie Sugden, actress (Are You Being Served?)
Clive Sullivan, rugby league player
Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper
Roger Taylor, tennis player, Wimbledon men's semi-finalist in 1973
Jake Thackray, folk singer
Jane Tomlinson, cancer charity fundraiser
Fred Trueman, cricketer
Harold Wagstaff, rugby league player
Eddie Waring, rugby league commentator
Keith Waterhouse, journalist and author
Fanny Waterman, concert pianist, music teacher, founder of the Leeds International Piano Festival
Timothy West, actor
Marco-Pierre White, Hell's Kitchen chef
Billie Whitelaw, actress
Richard Whiteley, television presenter, Countdown
William Wilberforce, social campaigner who brought about the abolition of slavery
Saint Wilfrid
Charlie Williams, footballer and comedian
Harold Wilson, Labour MP, Prime Minister 1964-70 and 1974-76
Ray Wilson, footballer, part of the England World Cup-winning team of 1966
Ernie Wise, comedian, the short half of Morcambe and Wise
Chris Wolstenholme, musician in the English band, Muse
Helen Worth, soap opera actress (Coronation Street)
Frank Worthington, footballer
