52.4791° N, 1.9017° W

BIRMINGHAM

Most Famous People Born in Birmingham, United Kingdom

Notable people
1,855
Peak decade
1960s
Median birth year
1945
Most distinctive
Cricket 4.2×

England's second city, and the engine room of the Industrial Revolution. Birmingham's distinctive professions are cricketers, boxers, footballers, and musicians — the last because the city produced an outsized share of the British heavy-metal scene, from Black Sabbath (Ozzy, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward) through Judas Priest and ELO. Matthew Boulton, Francis Galton, and Neville Chamberlain all belong to the 19th-century Midlands establishment that built the place.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Birmingham during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1960s with 216 notable births.

What Birmingham Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Football is Birmingham's biggest profession — 25% of all notables (467).

Birmingham over-indexes on cricket4.2× the global rate.

Birmingham under-produces politician — only 0.3× the global rate.

  1. Football467
  2. Actor117
  3. Cricket99
  4. Politician73
  5. Painter59
  6. Writer57
  7. Singer46
  8. Player46
  1. Cricket994.2×
  2. Boxer263.5×
  3. Football4672.3×
  4. Music431.6×
  1. Politician730.3×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Birmingham's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

15001550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Music
  • Art & Design
  • Science
  • Other
Music43
Sort By

Showing 43 of 1,855 notable people

0028 MUSIC

Laura Mvula

Born 1987

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0051 MUSIC

Mike Skinner (musician)

Born 1978

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0054 MUSIC

Bev Bevan

Born 1944

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0070 MUSIC

Roland Gift

Born 1961

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0079 MUSIC

Geoff Nicholls

1948 - 2017

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0086 MUSIC

Justin Broadrick

Born 1969

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0095 MUSIC

Chris Wood (rock musician)

1944 - 1983

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0121 MUSIC

John Rostill

1942 - 1973

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0131 MUSIC

Solarstone

-

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0155 MUSIC

Richard Tandy

Born 1948

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0255 MUSIC

Alan Moore (drummer)

Born 1947

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0317 MUSIC

Dave Wakeling

Born 1956

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0324 MUSIC

Ronnie Ball

1927 - 1984

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0348 MUSIC

Steve Lawler

Born 1973

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0372 MUSIC

Simon Hale

Born 1964

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0390 MUSIC

Dennis Rollins

Born 1964

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0408 MUSIC

William Pole

1814 - 1900

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0419 MUSIC

Dave O'Higgins

Born 1964

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0435 MUSIC

Keith Baker (musician)

Born 1948

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0487 MUSIC

Trevor Burton

Born 1949

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0488 MUSIC

Rob Holliday

Born 1979

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0559 MUSIC

Kim Brown (musician)

1945 - 2011

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0626 MUSIC

Hannah Wants

Born 1986

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0627 MUSIC

Ranking Roger

1961 - 2019

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0637 MUSIC

Ray Foxley

1928 - 2002

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0861 MUSIC

Franklin Taylor

1843 - 1919

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0869 MUSIC

John Spiers

Born 1975

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0877 MUSIC

Jaz Dhami

Born 1988

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0916 MUSIC

Fritz McIntyre

Born 1952

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0923 MUSIC

Nerm

-

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0951 MUSIC

Paul Neville (musician)

-

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0975 MUSIC

Nick Duffy

Born 1956

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0981 MUSIC

Oscar Harrison

Born 1965

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1281 MUSIC

Matthew J. Saunders

Born 1972

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1290 MUSIC

Josh Gilbert (musician)

Born 1987

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1301 MUSIC

Tom Clarke (musician)

Born 1986

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1342 MUSIC

Sarah Eaglesfield

Born 1974

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1348 MUSIC

Jaja Soze

Born 1980

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1523 MUSIC

Karen Mixon Cook

Born 1955

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1590 MUSIC

Lee Gamble

-

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1721 MUSIC

Millicent Stephenson

Born 1963

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1786 MUSIC

Mick Hopkins

Born 1946

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1846 MUSIC

Gerald Woodruffe

Born 1951

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