Merthyr Tydfil - Notable People

Notable People

See Category:People from Merthyr Tydfil

Among those born in Merthyr Tydfil are:

• Gareth Abraham — professional footballer
• Laura Ashley — fashion designer and retailer
• Des Barry — author
• Mario Basini — journalist, broadcaster and author
• Barrie Bates — professional darts player
• William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose — newspaper proprietor, and his brothers Seymour Berry (Baron Buckland) and James Gomer Berry, 1st Viscount Kemsley
• Jamie Bevan — Welsh language activist
• The Blackout — post-hardcore band
• Nathan Craze — professional ice hockey goaltender
• Richard Davies — actor
• Thomas Nathaniel Davies — artist
• Kevin Gall — professional footballer
• Sir Samuel Griffith — Australian politician
• Craig Handley — film director
• John Hughes — businessman
• Ciaran Jenkins — broadcaster and journalist
• Glyn Jones — poet
• Michael 'Micky' Jones (1942 – 10 March 2010) — guitarist, singer and songwriter with The Bystanders and Man
• John Edward Jones (governor) — American politician and the eighth Governor of Nevada
• William Ifor Jones — American conductor and organist
• Julien Macdonald — fashion designer
• Philip Madoc — actor
• Leslie Norris — poet
• Johnny Owen — boxer
• Jonny Owen — actor, broadcaster and producer
• Joseph Parry — composer
• Gustavius Payne — artist (painter)
• Mark Pembridge — Wales international football player
• Robert Sidoli — Welsh rugby international
• Rob Spragg — aka Larry Love — frontman (lead vocals) for Alabama 3
• Eddie Thomas — boxer
• Malcolm Vaughan — singer/actor
• Ian Watkins — lead singer of Lostprophets
• Howard Winstone — boxer

Other notable residents include and have included poet and author Mike Jenkins (and his son Ceiran mentioned above) and daughter Plaid Cymru politician Bethan Jenkins, poet, journalist and Welsh Nationalist Harri Webb, General Secretary of the PCS trade union Mark Serwotka, poet, author and Welsh language activist Meic Stephens, poet, author and journalist Grahame Davies. Sam Hughes began his career as a noted player of the ophicleide in the Cyfarthfa Brass Band. One of the first two Labour MPs to be elected to parliament was the Scot Keir Hardie, who was elected by the Merthyr Tydfil constituency.

Notable descendants of Merthyr Tydfil include the singer-songwriter Katell Keineg, whose mother is a native of Merthyr Tydfil, also the "Chariots of Fire" athlete Harold Abrahams' mother Esther Isaacs and the grandfather of Rolf Harris both came from Merthyr Tydfil. The 1970s juvenile group The Osmonds are of Welsh descent and have traced their ancestry to Merthyr Tydfil.