41.2889° S, 174.7773° E
WELLINGTON
Most Famous People Born in Wellington, New Zealand
- Notable people
- 814
- Peak decade
- 1980s
- Median birth year
- 1956
- Most distinctive
- Cricket 10.8×
Wellington's profile splits clean between cricket and cinema. The Basin Reserve and generations of Black Caps drive an outsized Cricket bench, and a harbor-club Rower scene has produced Olympic medalists out of all proportion to the city's size. The quieter story is the Miramar film industry — Weta Workshop turned Wellington into the southern hemisphere's effects capital, which is why the roster also leans heavily on screenwriters and directors.
One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Wellington during each.
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 126 notable births.
What Wellington Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Player is Wellington's biggest profession — 21% of all notables (167).
Wellington over-indexes on cricket — 10.8× the global rate.
Wellington under-produces football — only 0.5× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of Wellington's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Sports
- Politics & Law
- Film & TV
- Science
- Writing
- Music
- Other
- Filtered to 1930s Clear ×
Clive Revill
Born 1930
Patricia Grace
Born 1937
Paul Reeves
1932 - 2011
Ann Shulgin
Born 1931
Brian Smith (musician)
Born 1939
Max Cresswell
Born 1939
Michael Hardie Boys
Born 1931
Raymond Ching
Born 1939
Robin Leamy (bishop)
Born 1934
Brian Molloy (botanist)
Born 1930
Barry Sinclair
Born 1936
Tipene O'Regan
Born 1939
Ralph Caulton
Born 1937
John Drawbridge
1930 - 2005
Don Neely
Born 1935
Ron Brierley
Born 1937
Ron Horsley (rugby union)
1932 - 2007
Vivian Lynn
1931 - 2018
Don Jowett
1931 - 2011
Gerard Francis Loft
1933 - 2007
Gary Freeman (sculptor)
1937 - 2014
David Benney
1930 - 2015
Paul Barton
Born 1935
Thomas Gault
1938 - 2015
Vida Stout
1930 - 2012
John Anderson (businessman)
Born 1938
Marilyn Pryor
1936 - 2005
Ken Douglas
Born 1934
Leslie Butler
1934 - 2006
John Beck (cricketer)
1934 - 2000
David Beaglehole
1938 - 2014
Doug Armstrong (broadcaster)
1931 - 2015
Mike Watt (sport shooter)
1936 - 2015
Alan Preston
1932 - 2004
Colin Beyer
1938 - 2015
Donald MacLeod (New Zealand cricketer)
1932 - 2008
Brian O'Flaherty
Born 1938
Stew Nairn
Born 1931
Ian Kerr (field hockey)
Born 1935
Leslie Clark (cricketer)
Born 1930
Michael Powles
Born 1939
Bruce Bricknell
1935 - 1982
Mervyn Edmunds
Born 1932
Harry Morgan (cricketer)
Born 1938
Neville Huxford
1937 - 2006
Duncan McVey
1938 - 2010