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.
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 cricket — 4.2× the global rate.
Birmingham under-produces politician — only 0.3× the global rate.
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.
- Sports
- Film & TV
- Writing
- Music
- Art & Design
- Science
- Other
William Russell (merchant)
1740 - 1818
John Collins (poet)
1742 - 1808
William Alexander Harvey
1874 - 1951
Jason John (athlete)
Born 1971
Ian Hallard
Born 1974
Dean Glover
Born 1963
Harry White (footballer)
Born 1994
Arthur Holland (referee)
1922 - 1987
Jake Hughes
Born 1994
Janet Sawbridge
Born 1947
Graham Brookhouse
Born 1962
Arthur Edwin Hill
1888 - 1959
Sam Eggington
Born 1993
Aktar Islam
Born 1980
Carl Chinn
Born 1956
Richard Walker (footballer, born 1977)
Born 1977
Alan Dale (critic)
1861 - 1928
Paul Haddad
1963 - 2020
Brian Rose (boxer)
Born 1985
Reg Bunn
1905 - 1971
Tesfa Robinson
Born 1985
Richard C. Harrington
1956 - 2004
Tom Breese
Born 1991
Paul Ready
-
Alfred Messenger
1887 - 1968
Hannah Wants
Born 1986
Ranking Roger
1961 - 2019
Adil Ray
Born 1974
Philip Harper (brewer)
Born 1966
Letty Lind
1861 - 1923
Soni Razdan
Born 1962
Paul Bignot
Born 1986
Tiger Smith
1886 - 1979
Peter Maddocks
Born 1928
Kane Wilson
Born 2000
Randall Faye
1892 - 1948
Ray Foxley
1928 - 2002
Joseph Harris (organist)
1744 - 1814
Keith O'Nions
Born 1944
Andrew Grant (writer)
Born 1968
Charles Hare (tennis)
1915 - 1996
Sampson Lloyd
1699 - 1779
Shabana Mahmood
Born 1980
George Thomas Bethune-Baker
1857 - 1944
Doris Fisher, Baroness Fisher of Rednal
1919 - 2005
Scott Mansell
Born 1985
Anthony James Merrill Spencer
1929 - 2008
Paul Green (footballer, born 1987)
Born 1987
Bert Harris
1874 - 1897
Peter Buckley (boxer)
Born 1969
Jordan Murphy (footballer)
Born 1996
Simon Morgan
Born 1966
Dan Preston
Born 1991
Mary Neal
1860 - 1944
Henry Payne (artist)
1868 - 1940
John Barton (footballer, born 1953)
Born 1953
Doug Lishman
1923 - 1994
William Jay Smith (Tennessee politician)
1823 - 1913
Orlando le Fleming
Born 1976
Joshua Toulmin Smith
1816 - 1869
Gwilym Hugh Lewis
1897 - 1996
James McKeown
Born 1989
Kayleden Brown
Born 1992
Seán Mac Réamoinn
1921 - 2007
Henry Reed (poet)
1914 - 1986
Debbie Isitt
Born 1966
Lewis Hunt
Born 1982
John Davies (réalisateur)
Born 1934
Mark Aldred
Born 1987
Gamal Yafai
Born 1991
Jeffery Farnol
1878 - 1952
Harry John Johnson
1826 - 1884
Albert Allen
1867 - 1899
John Goldingay
Born 1942
Philomena Lee
Born 1998
Malcolm Clarke (zoologist)
1930 - 2013
Sharon Lee (judoka)
Born 1963
Thomas Turner (metallurgist)
1861 - 1951
Julian Salomons
1835 - 1909
Herman David
1905 - 1974
John Croxall
Born 1946
Max Fewtrell
Born 1999
L. J. Greenberg
1861 - 1931
William Moreton Condry
1918 - 1998
John Simon Gabriel Simmons
1915 - 2005
Vince Bartram
Born 1968
Adam Rachel
Born 1976
Samuel Henry Baker
1824 - 1909
Rick Price (bassist)
Born 1944
Nicola Davies (author)
Born 1958
Sue Reeve
Born 1951
Dave Ingram
Born 1969
Harry Weedon
1887 - 1970
DJ Hazard (musician)
Born 1977
Jess Phillips
Born 1981
Tony Stratton-Smith
1933 - 1987
Hurvin Anderson
Born 1965
Marc Wadsworth
-
Amelia Sarah Levetus
1853 - 1938
Yan Dhanda
Born 1998
Mary Linwood
1755 - 1845
Howard Spencer
1875 - 1940
James Joseph Allport
1811 - 1892
Paul Crawford (academic)
Born 1963
Nathan Cameron
Born 1991
Lawrence (musician)
Born 1961
Alan Smith (cricketer)
Born 1936
Thomas Edgar Pemberton
1849 - 1905
Exodus Geohaghon
Born 1985
Jeremy Williams (actor)
Born 1982
Sally Davies (doctor)
Born 1949
Theo Streete
Born 1987
Edward Musgrave Blaiklock
1903 - 1983
John Rafter Lee
-
Pauline Neville-Jones, Baroness Neville-Jones
Born 1939
Peter Bennett, 1st Baron Bennett of Edgbaston
1880 - 1957
James Brockway
1916 - 2000
Ruth Cadbury
Born 1959
Joe Dixon (actor)
Born 1965
Cameron Gayle
Born 1992
Alan Burgess
1915 - 1998
David Townsend (rower)
Born 1955
Doug Hele
1919 - 2001
Brian G. W. Manning
1926 - 2011
Robert Dudley Best
1892 - 1984
Colin Figures
1925 - 2006
Percy Brown (art historian)
1872 - 1955
Marcus Bignot
Born 1974
Marjie Lawrence
1932 - 2010
Dave Barnett (footballer)
Born 1967
Cian Harries
Born 1997
Michael Haykin
Born 1953
Garry Thompson (footballer, born 1959)
Born 1959
John Bryan Taylor
Born 1928
Malcolm Cannon
Born 1944
Ryan Brunt (footballer)
Born 1993
Dorothy Reynolds
1913 - 1977
Charles Swinnerton Heap
1847 - 1900
Robert McCracken
Born 1968
Vaughan Lee (fighter)
Born 1982
Pelé Reid
Born 1973
Imogen Edwards-Jones
Born 1968
Greg Pearson
Born 1985
Miles Hunt
Born 1966
William Adlington Barrow Cadbury
1867 - 1957
Andy Cox
Born 1956
Lee Ayres
Born 1982
Simon Inglis
Born 1950
David Handley (cyclist)
1932 - 2013
George T. Morgan
1845 - 1925
Mary Heeley
1911 - 2002
Barry Jackson (athlete)
Born 1941
May Louise Greville Cooksey
1878 - 1943
Sue Austin
Born 1965
Alfred Mellon
1820 - 1867
Terry Breverton
Born 1946
Herbert Nicol
1873 - 1950
Kyle Patterson
Born 1986
Ken Shuttleworth (architect)
Born 1952
Paul Whetnall
1947 - 2014
Carol McNicoll
Born 1943
Edward Cowie
Born 1943
Nikeata Thompson
Born 1980
Charlie Fellows (gymnast)
Born 1997
Henry Jamyn Brooks
1839 - 1925
Dennis Hodgetts
1863 - 1945
Ben Richards-Everton
Born 1991
Julie-Anne White
Born 1962
Joshua Dugdale
Born 1974
Frank Moss (footballer, born 1895)
1895 - 1965
Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck
1778 - 1856
Lynne Jones
Born 1951
Theodore Tylor
1900 - 1968
Bob Woffinden
1948 - 2018
Robert Martineau
1913 - 1999
Robin French
Born 1978
Anthony Slide
Born 1944
Donald Rodney
1961 - 1998
Jonathan Richards (sailor)
Born 1954
Gary Birch
Born 1981
Brother XII
1878 - 1934
David J. Russell
Born 1954
Patrick McKinney
Born 1954
Verily Anderson
1915 - 2010
Matthew Davenport Hill
1792 - 1872
Mary Stewart (athlete)
Born 1956
Simon Bates
Born 1946
Natalie Haynes
Born 1974
Harold William Rickett
1896 - 1989
Bob Wilson (footballer, born 1943)
1943 - 2020
Joseph Henry Shorthouse
1834 - 1903
Ashwin Sood
Born 1967
Aaron Chapman
Born 1990
Ellis Ellis-Griffith
1860 - 1926
Omari Sterling-James
Born 1993
Manny Smith
Born 1988
Gemma Cairney
Born 1985
Alison Hammond
Born 1975
Jeffrey Skidmore
Born 1951
Fred Lawrence
Born 1895
Preet Gill
Born 1972
Peter Butler (golfer)
Born 1932
Fred Barnes (performer)
1885 - 1938
David Allen Green
Born 1971
George Mogridge (Old Humphrey)
1787 - 1854
Lisa Daniels (actress)
1930 - 2010
Grace Ndiritu
Born 1976
Demi Rose
Born 1995
Matt Everitt
Born 1972
Isobel Lambot
1926 - 2001
Sarah Anne Curzon
1833 - 1898
Keith Leonard
Born 1950
Jermaine Hylton
Born 1993
Keith Shine
Born 1958
Albert Swinden
1901 - 1961
Richard Smalbroke
1672 - 1749
Henry Harris Lines
1800 - 1889
Arthur Brown (footballer, born 1858)
1859 - 1909
John Kenneally
1921 - 2000
Corey O'Keeffe
Born 1998
Kofi Josephs
Born 1991
Martha Howe-Douglas
Born 1980
Darren Wassall
Born 1968
Aaron Moses-Garvey
Born 1989
Sarah Trevis
-
Louisa Sharpe
1798 - 1843
Sid Bowser
1891 - 1961
Peter Jackson (rugby union)
1930 - 2004
Kevin Brown (ice hockey)
Born 1974
William Sands Cox
1802 - 1875
William Bragge
1823 - 1884
Steve Augarde
Born 1950
John Williams (footballer, born 1968)
Born 1968
Georgina Lee
Born 1981
Kyle Hogg
Born 1983
Arthur Dorrell
1896 - 1942
Bernard Sleigh
1872 - 1954
Richard Blaze
Born 1985
Henry McCardie
1869 - 1933
Thomas Williams (Archbishop of Birmingham)
1877 - 1946
Lee Vaughan
Born 1986
Stephanie Peacock (politician)
Born 1986
Edward Black (producer)
1900 - 1948
Paul Attfield
Born 1962
Jem Carney
1856 - 1941
Louis Brain
Born 1982
Lauren Crace
Born 1986
James John Hill
1811 - 1882
Sam Webb (model)
Born 1989
Sheila Walsh (novelist)
1928 - 2009
Sue Cogswell
Born 1951
Simon Huw Jones
Born 1960
William Armfield Hobday
1771 - 1831
Adam Jones (racing driver)
Born 1980
Rodney Newton
Born 1945
Harry Herbert Trusted
1888 - 1985
Philip Edward Fisher
Born 1979
Christopher Evans (theologian)
1909 - 2012
Helen Monks
-
Sam Bernard
1863 - 1927
Franklin Taylor
1843 - 1919
Denis Smallwood
1918 - 1997
Sam Walker (golfer)
Born 1978
Richard York
1899 - 1969
George Linnaeus Banks
1821 - 1881
Eden Smith
1858 - 1949
Matt Rawle
Born 1977
David Hughes (tenor)
1929 - 1972
John Spiers
Born 1975
Charles Riley
1854 - 1929
Chris Clements (footballer)
Born 1990
Trevor Beattie
Born 1959
Hugh Maynard
Born 1997
Craig Gotsman
Born 1964
William Haywood (architect)
1876 - 1957
Neil MacKenzie
Born 1976
Jaz Dhami
Born 1988
Francis Skidmore
1817 - 1896
Frankie Bennett
Born 1969
Andrew MacKay
Born 1949
Samuel Lewis (financier)
1837 - 1901
Paul Henry (actor)
Born 1947
Shaq McDonald
Born 1995
Jamie East
Born 1974
Nicholas Bailey
Born 1971
Zita Sattar
Born 1975
Ruhal Ahmed
Born 1981
Ron Green (footballer)
Born 1956
Kemistry
1963 - 1999
Eleanor Smith (politician)
-
Corinne Russell
Born 1963
Michael Upton
1938 - 2002
Sarah Booth
1793 - 1867
Colette Whiten
Born 1945
John Copley (producer)
Born 1933
William Derby
1786 - 1847
William Boughton
Born 1948
Richard B. Flavell
Born 1943
Walter Harris (football manager)
-
Eliza Sharpe
1796 - 1874