Manchester, Lancashire & NorthWest Celebrities

Manchester, Lancashire and the northwest region have produced more than their fair share of famous people - pioneers, explorers, scientists, philanthropists, explorers, inventors, artists, musicians, actors, sports men and women, composers, social and political reformers, film stars, media celebrities - all local heroes, as well as a few notable villains.
Their names are immotalised throughout the region - in place names, streets, districts, townships and squares, statues and monuments, libraries, schools and institutions which still bear their names.

See Also

• Manchester Footballers
• Coronation Street Characters
• Local Artists of the Region
• Manchester Blue Plaques
• Manchester Pop & Rock Music

The Arts: Written, Visual & Performance

William Harrison Ainsworth Samuel Bamford Walter Greenwood Anthony Burgess Isabella Banks Benjamin Brierley Frances Hodgson Burnett John Byrom John Collier (Tim Bobbin) Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell Walter Greenwood Thomas de Quincey Shelagh Delaney Richmal Crompton Peter Maxwell-Davies Elizabeth Raffald Charles Prestwich Scott L S Lowry Joe Sunlight Edgar Wood Robert Bolt Alan Garner Kathleen Ferrier Maurice Johnstone James Hilton John Critchley Prince

Samuel Hill Harry Rutherford Walter Kershaw Louise Jopling Arthur Devis Josef Locke John Cassidy Matthew Noble Terry Eagleton Walter Crane Frank Hampson Howard Jacobson Dave Dee Nicholas Hytner Pierre Adolphe Valette Ford Madox Brown Alfred Waterhouse Thomas Worthington John Knowles Sir John Barbirolli Sir Charles Hallé Charles Alexander Calvert George Formby Gracie Fields Annie Horniman William Stanley Houghton Trevor Griffiths

Harold Riley Russell Watson Sir Thomas Beecham Lawrence Isherwood Edwin Waugh Francis Thompson Samuel Laycock Michael Ball Roger Fenton Mike Leigh Nick Park Henry Hall James Lamb Ralph Sweeney Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Anna Jacobs Francis Lennon Ronnie Hazlehurst Alfred Wainwright George Lockhart Hans Richter Howard Spring Sir Neville Cardus John Ralston Sir Norman Foster Sir William Walton

Politics: Law & Social Reformers

Sir Nicholas Mosley James Stanley Charles Worsley Robert Owen Thomas Fleming Sir Robert Peel Mark Philips Abel Heywood Friedrich Engels Richard Cobden John Bright Emmeline Pankhurst Christabel Pankhurst Chaim Weizmann Margaret Beckett Hugh Scanlon Ernest Marples Henry Hunt Lloyd George Sir Cyril Smith Gerald Kaufman MP Hannah Mitchell

Joe Gormley Joseph Rayner Stephens Alf Morris Armitage, Sir Elkanah Lees Knowles, Sir James Alistair Campbell Michael Meacher Ernest Jones Reginald Richardson William Gladstone Hazel Blears John Fielden Oswald Mosley Barbara Castle Jack Straw Mitchell Henry Annie Kenney Nellie Wilkinson Sir James Anderton Jerome Caminada Dame Kathleen Ollerenshaw Lord Woolton (F.J.Marquis)

James Brotherton John Owens Thomas Ashton John Fielden John Shuttleworth Archibald Prentice Absalom Watkin John, Richard, Thomas & William Potter John Edward Taylor Hugh Birley Ellen Wilkinson Robert Duckenfield Harry Pollitt Estelle Morris Davies, Thomas Neil Hamilton John Stalker William Hulton Feargus O'Connor Glenda Jackson Arthur Balfour, PM

Philanthropy: Philosophy & Religion

Lady Ann Bland Hugh Oldham Sir Humphrey Chetham William Hulme John Rylands Joseph Whitworth Lord Ernest Simon Thomas la Warre

Thomas Deacon Edward Barlow St Ambrose Barlow Laurence Vaux James Prince Lee John Bradford Mary Moffat Michael Levy Thomas Henshaw

James Fraser Sir Ashton Lever Cardinal William Allen Joseph Livesey Terry Waite Kirsty Howard Richard Mather 'Mother' Ann Lee

Discovery: Engineers, Inventors & Scientists

Samuel Crompton Richard Arkwright Sir William Fairbairn Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater Sir Frederick Henry Royce Daniel Adamson George Bradshaw John Dee Marie Stopes William Crabtree Charles White Thomas Percival John Ferriar Peter Mark Roget John Dalton William Sturgeon Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie

Sir Henry Roscoe James Hargreaves Hans Geiger Charles Mackintosh Thomas Highs John Mercer Robert Hope-Jones JJ Thomson Sir Arnold Wolfendale John Dancer James Prescott Joule Sir Edwin Alliot Verdon-Roe Ernest Rutherford Capt Sir John Alcock Lt Sir Arthur Brown James Brindley John Kay

Alan Turing Sir Bernard Lovell Col Sir William Coates Robert Angus Smith Roy Chadwick Dr Patrick Steptoe Edmund Cartwright George Stephenson Lawrence Earnshaw William Webb Ellis Thomas Earnshaw Sir James Chadwick James Bullough Prof Eric Laithwaite George Leigh Mallory Prof Tom Kilburn Rev George Garrett Sir Roger Bradshaigh

Media: Television, Film & Broadcasting

Joan Bakewell John Thaw Harry H Corbett Caroline Aherne Will Hay Stuart Hall Bernard Manning Robert Donat Warren Clarke Brian Redhead Les Dawson Roy Kinnear Eric Sykes Eric Morecambe Eddie Large Mike Harding Frank Finlay Albert Finney Robert Powell Ben Kingsley David Warner Robert Shaw Burt Kwouk Bill Oddie Tommy Cannon Bobby Ball Alistair Cooke Mike Yarwood Joanne Whalley (Kilmer) Victoria Wood Peter Skellern Pete Postlethwaite Coronation Street Characters Fred Dibnah Sir Ian McKellen John Mahoney Steve Coogan Hylda Baker Al Read Ralf Little Will Mellor Philip Schofield Sarah Lancashire Ted Ray David Coleman Roy Skelton Jonathan Morris Colin Baker Kenneth Wolstenholme Jane Horrocks Jimmy Clitheroe Tracie Bennett Danny Ross Keith Macklin

Bernard Wrigley Frank Randle Dora Bryan Arthur Lowe Terry Christian Ian McShane Johnny Vegas Matthew Kelly David Dickinson John E Blakeley Maggie Philbin Paula Wilcox Anna Friel Lord Sidney Bernstein Mike Sweeney Dominic Monaghan Richard Madeley & Judy Finnigan Bob Greaves Gordon Burns Jimmy Saville Violet Carson Pat Pheonix Melanie Sykes Ronald Fraser Kieran Prenderville Peter Kay Vivien Merchant John Thomson Michael Wood Lynda Baron Bill Grundy Tim Grundy Charles Foster Colin Weston Jim Pope Bob Smithies Wendy Hiller Anna Ford Judith Chalmers Jim Hancock Diane Oxberry Jenni Murray Martin Henfield Lynda Lee-Potter Don Estelle Jimmy Cricket Jon Culshaw Kerry McFadden Ray Gosling Dave Spikey Shirley Stelfox David Starkey Maxine Peake

Mike Scott Nicholas Hytner Sara Cox Dame Thora Hird Natalie Casey Christopher Eccleston Max Beesley Jack Wild Tony Gubba Bernard Cribbins Ben Gerrard Nick Conway Vernon Kay Janet Munro Eric Knowles Chris Evans Bernard Hill Andy Kershaw Lucy Meacock Felicity Goodey John Mundy Danny Boyle Judi Dench John Peel Katie Derham Ted Lune Jim Bowen Tess Daly Timmy Mallett John Inman Buzz Hawkins Freddy 'Parrot Face' Davies Glenda Jackson Daniel Craig Simon Rimmer Nick Robinson James H Reeve Hovis Presley Ranvir Singh Stuart Flinders Dave Guest Edgar Lustgarten Kathy Staff James Stannage Lee Mack Alan Carr Annabel Tiffin Tony Livesey Eno Eruotor Jason Manford Colin Crompton Sue Johnstone Vince Powell

Sport: Olympic & Sporting Champions

Alfred Edward Tysoe Jackie Brown George Wilkinson Emil Robert Voigt Sybil Newall Ben Jones Harold Hardman Max Woosnam Rex Crummack Douglas Lowe Harold Walden James Borland William Roberts June Croft Sunny Lowry John Amaechi Amir Khan

Reg Harris Manchester Footballers Mike Atherton Fred Perry John Virgo Billy Dean John Henry Osborne Henry Taylor John Ephraim Sibbert Frank Tyson Diane Modahl Bill Beaumont Paula Radcliffe Stanley Matthews Ricky Hatton Chris Hoy Beth Tweddle

Darren Campbell Peter Kane Chris Boardman William Webb Ellis Stephen Parry Tom Finney Jason Queally David Lloyd Geoff Duke Billy Nevett Andrew "Freddy" Flintoff Steven Burke Ben Ainslie Keri-Anne Payne Rebecca Romera Carl Fogarty Bradley Wiggins

Commerce: Business, Industry & Entrepreneurship

Fred Duerr J J Kearns J D Williams Arthur Brooke James Allcock Charles Dreyfus James & Henry Forsyth Paul Hauser John Holden Josiah Hardman Joseph Holt Mathieu Vallet

Henry Duffy John Stanier Ernest Broadbelt Marks & Spencer Thomas Kendal Shami Ahmed Eddie Shah Sir William Pickles Hartley Robert Gillow Charles Mackintosh Samuel Ogden Sir William Mather

Samuel Oldknow Samuel Brooks Charles Tennant Sir Edward Holt John Whittaker John Mayall Sir Henry Tate Nicholas Kilvert Charles Roe Samuel Greg Hugh Mason

Heroism: Military & Civilian

Ensign Charles Ewart Mark Addy Bill Speakman VC George Peachment VC Henry Kelly VC MC Issy Smith VC JP Edward Colquhoun Charlton VC James Leach

William Horace Taylor GC Percy Walton GC Joanna Toff QGM John Henry Code DCM James Kirk VC Harry Norton Schofield VC Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory John Beeley VC Graham Thompson Lyall VC

Albert Hill VC Joel Halliwell VC William Thomas Forshaw VC Andrew Moynihan VC John Buckley VC Chris Finney GC Ernest Sykes VC Wilfred Wood VC

Myra Hindley Ian Brady Dr Harold Shipman The Manchester Martyrs

John Jackson Lt Frederick Rothwell Holt Ann Britland Louisa May Merrifield

Louie Calvert Dr Buck Ruxton Margaret Allen James Inglis