Walsall - Notable Residents

Notable Residents

  • Francis Asbury – one of two founders of the Methodist movement in the United States was born in Handsworth, Birmingham and lived for a large part of his life close to the Sandwell/Walsall border.
  • Fred Bakewell – The 1930s Northamptonshire batsman.
  • Tom Major-Ball – Music hall performer and father of John Major (British prime minister from 1990 to 1997), born in Walsall in 1879 but lived in London at the time of his death in 1962.
  • David Brown – Warwickshire and England fast bowler. Went to Queen Mary's Grammar School
  • John Byrne – Comic book creator, born in Walsall but grew up in Canada.
  • John Henry Carless VC, sailor
  • Colin Charvis – British and Irish Lion and Welsh International rugby union player studied at Queen Mary's Grammar School and played for Walsall RUFC and QMGS 1st VX
  • Edward Clayton- Actor born in Shelfield 9 October 1940 played Stan Harvey in Crossroads
  • Rob Collins - Musician & Keyboard player with the Charlatans born in Willenhall lived in Leamore
  • Peter Corey – Author of the Coping with... and television actor.
  • Martin Davies - ITV Weatherman born in Bloxwich and attended T P Riley Comprehensive School in Bloxwich
  • Zoe Dawson, English actress, born & brought up in Walsall.
  • Martin Degville – From Beechdale, lived with Boy George and later went on to form Sigue Sigue Sputnik
  • Martin Fowler - Author on software development, born in Walsall, educated at Queen Mary's School
  • Don Gilet – Actor born in the Caldmore area of Walsall.
  • Nick Gillingham – Olympic swimmer.
  • Goldie – Drum 'n' Bass musician. Born in Walsall Lived in the Stroud Avenue orphanage in Willenhall and attended St. Francis of Assisi RC Secondary School in Aldridge.
  • Rob Halford – Singer of heavy metal band Judas Priest, was born in Walsall on 25 August 1951.
  • Harry Hinsley - Sir Francis Harry Hinsley OBE (26 November 1918 – 16 February 1998) was an English historian and cryptanalyst. He worked at Bletchley Park during the Second World War.
  • Noddy Holder – Lead singer of 1970s rock band, Slade, born in Caldmore in Walsall and then later moved to Beechdale. Also attended T.P. Riley Comprehensive School in Bloxwich.
  • James Alexander Holden - Founder of the automobile company, Holden.
  • Jeffrey Holland - Actor
  • Terry Holbrook - Former England Referee
  • Jerome K. Jerome – Author of Three Men in a Boat.
  • Alex Lester – Presenter for BBC Radio 2.
  • Mark Lewis-Francis – 100 metres sprinter and a member of the gold medal winning 4x100 metres relay team at the 2004 Olympics, was born in Darlaston and attended Darlaston Comprehensive School. He is nicknamed the Darlaston Dart.
  • Paul McDonald - Comic novelist and academic was born in Walsall in 1961.
  • Matthew Marsden - Actor, started his career in the British soap Brookside, now work is America and has starred in such films as Black Hawk Down and Helen of Troy.
  • Peter McEnery – English actor of stage and screen, born 21 February 1940 in Walsall. He was reported to have given actress Hayley Mills her first ever kiss, while filming The Moon-Spinners (1964.) He has also acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
  • Tony Mills – Lead singer of Norwegian rock band TNT (and previously Brummie rockers Shy) lives in the town.
  • Raymond Morris Cannock Chase Murders in the late 1960s
  • Frank Mullings – Operatic tenor and the first to sing Parsifal in English
  • Sir Henry Newbolt – Poet
  • Garry Newman – Creator of Half-Life 2 sandbox mod, Garry's Mod
  • Sue Nicholls – Actress in Coronation Street and previously Crossroads
  • Mark Oakley - Playwright & screenwriter. Born in Pleck
  • Erin O'Connor - Model, born 9 February 1978
  • Dorothy Wyndlow Pattison (Sister Dora) – Born in Yorkshire but lived locally 1865–77. She is honoured, for her compassion and her medical work, by a statue in the centre of town, thought to be the first to a non-royal woman in England. She is now buried in The Sister Dora Gardens/Queen Street Cemetery which is a short walk from the town centre.
  • Andrew Peach – BBC Radio 2 broadcaster
  • Nick Redfern - Cryptozoologist.
  • Mark Rhodes – Runner-up of pop idol, also born in Darlaston.
  • Eleanor Simmonds - Swimmer. Won gold in the 100m and 400m freestyle events in the Beijing 2008 paralympic games.
  • Meera Syal – Comedienne, attended Queen Mary's High School.
  • Connie Talbot- English child singer from Streetly, Aldridge. She rose to fame in 2007 when she reached the final of the first series of Britain's Got Talent.
  • Baroness Jenny Tonge - Liberal Democrat politician and doctor of medicine.
  • Professor Sir James Underwood – Leading international pathologist
  • Rachel Unitt – England Women's football star. Born in Bentley.
  • Bob Warman - Central ITV news anchorman
  • Leila Williams - Beauty Queen and Blue Peter Presenter Born in Walsall 1937
  • Frank Windsor - Actor

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Famous quotes containing the words notable and/or residents:

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