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Famous Bristolians
Bristol has its fair share of famous people who either have been born in Bristol or spent a large part of their life in bristol. I have listed all the famous Bristolians that i'm aware of. If anyone is aware of any more please send me a message.



Arthur Milton


Arthur Milton
Clement Arthur Milton (10 March 1928 — 25 April 2007[1]) was an English cricketer and footballer. He played County cricket for Gloucestershire from 1948 to 1974, playing six Test matches for the English cricket team in 1958 and 1959. He also played domestic football for Arsenal between 1951 and 1955, and then for a brief period for Bristol City. He played one match for the England national football team in 1951, against Austria at Wembley. He was the last survivor of the 12 people to have played at the highest international level for both England's football and cricket teams.

Milton was born in Bedminster, in Bristol, and was educated at Cotham Grammar School also in Bristol. A natural sportsman, he became School Captain of cricket, football and rugby union. He also showed talent at mathematics, but decided to pursue sporting glory rather than attend university. ¥
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Banksy


banksy
Banksy is a world renowned, Bristol-based graffiti artist whose artwork is often political and/or humorous in nature.
His street art, which combines graffiti with a distinctive stenciling technique, has appeared throughout London and in cities around the world. Publicity in the media has made his name well known to many people.
Bristol also has one of the best nightlife scenes in the southwest with an abundance of clubs, pubs, restaurants and bars.

Banksy started as a freehand graffiti artist, then he discovered the art of stenciling and soon became noticed for his art. Anarchist rat by Banksy Banksy's stencils feature a wide range of striking and humorous images occasionally combined with slogans. The overall message is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment or pro-freedom. Subjects include animals such as monkeys and rats, policemen, soldiers, children and the elderly. He also makes stickers (the Neighbourhood Watch subvert) and sculpture (the murdered phone box), and was responsible for the cover art of Blur's 2003 album Think Tank. ¥
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Cathy Barry


Cathy Barry
Cathy Barry (born September 28, 1973 in Bristol, England) is an actress in pornographic movies. She is known for her large breasts. Barry is often referred to as the UK's top porn star.
She has starred along with other West Country porn stars Taylor Morgan and Melissa Walker. She has also dated British rock singer, Joe Breakdown.
Her most recent performance in the film "The Affair" with Omar Williams, has earned her the Industries critical acclaim.¥
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Cary Grant


Carry Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach (January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986), better known by his screen name, Cary Grant, was an English film actor. With his distinctive Mid-Atlantic accent, he was perhaps the foremost exemplar of the debonair leading man, not only handsome, but also witty and charming. He was named the second Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute.

Archibald Leach was born in Horfield, Bristol, England. An only child (before he was born his parents had had another son who died in infancy), Leach had a confused and unhappy childhood. His mother, Elsie, was placed in a mental institution when he was nine. His father (who later had a relationship with another woman, with whom he had a son) told him that she was dead, and he only learned in 1935 that she was still alive, in an institution.

After some success in light Broadway comedies, he came to Hollywood in 1931, where he acquired the name Cary Grant.
Grant starred in some of the classic screwball comedies, including The Awful Truth with Irene Dunne (the pivotal film in the establishment of Grant's screen persona), Bringing Up Baby with Katharine Hepburn, His Girl Friday with Rosalind Russell and Arsenic and Old Lace with Priscilla Lane. These performances solidified his appeal, and The Philadelphia Story, with Hepburn and James Stewart, presented his best-known screen role: the charming if sometimes unreliable man, formerly married to an intelligent and strong-willed woman who first divorced him, then realized that he was — with all his faults — irresistible.¥
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David Prowse


Carry Grant
David Prowse MBE (born July 1, 1935) is an English body-builder from Bristol, weightlifter and actor, most widely known for his role as the physical form of Darth Vader. At his peak, he stood 6ft 7in (201cm) tall and weighed 265lb (120kg).

Arguably, Prowse is most famous for playing the physical form of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. Although he spoke the dialogue during the production of the films, James Earl Jones overdubbed the character's voice in post-production, a fact over which Prowse bears some resentment towards Star Wars creator George Lucas particularly since he was never told that his voice was going to be dubbed. Perhaps partly in response to this, Prowse has developed the habit of signing his autographs "David Prowse IS Darth Vader." However, Lucas claims he wanted a "darker voice" (not in an ethnic term. Lucas has stated that Darth Vader had to have a deep, reverberating voice.) that Prowse simply could not provide and never intended to use his voice. In the 2004 documentary, Empire of Dreams, actress Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia Organa in the original trilogy films, quipped that they nicknamed Prowse "Darth Farmer" because of his un-intimidating West Country accent.¥
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Derren Brown


Derren Brown
Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971) is an English psychological illusionist and skeptic of paranormal phenomena. He was born in Croydon, Surrey, and while studying Law and German at the University of Bristol he attended a show by the hypnotist Martin S. Taylor who was also a Bristolian. The show inspired him to turn to illusion and hypnosis as a career. Around 1994 he worked as a conjurer, practising the traditional skills of close-up 'magic'. In 1996, he started performing stage hypnosis shows at the University of Bristol under his then stage name of Darren V. Brown. In September 1997 he attended a Neuro-Linguistic Programme course with Richard Bandler, Paul McKenna and Michael Breen[citation needed].
Two years later, Brown started getting interested in mind-reading through his friend Ian Rowland[citation needed]. Shortly after, he got commissioned to do the first pilot of Mind Control. Brown's psychological illusions are skillfully performed and are enhanced by his personality and showman's flair to influence and misdirect. Some observers have commented, however, that most of Brown's act consists of standard magic tricks and that little psychology or suggestion is actually used.
Other than his main work, Derren is also an artist who paints caricatures of famous people. His work has also been exhibited. His paintings can be viewed via his website.¥
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Fred Wedlock


Fred Wedlock
Fred Wedlock (23 May 1942 – 4 March 2010) was a folk singer best known for his UK hit single "The Oldest Swinger In Town". Wedlock performed at many venues in Britain and Europe, presented programmes for West Country TV and acted with the Bristol Old Vic and the Ministry of Entertainment, as well as undertaking after-dinner speaking engagements.
Fred Wedlock was born in the old Bristol Maternity Hospital in Southwell Street, Kingsdown, Bristol. He was brought up in Redcliffe, where his father ran the York House pub. He sang in the church choir at St Mary Redcliffe. Wedlock was educated at Bristol Grammar School in the 1950s. He represented the school and the Old Bristolians playing hockey.
It was announced on 4 March 2010 that Fred Wedlock had died, in hospital in Bath, Somerset, following a heart attack, after having contracted pneumonia.¥
www.fredwedlock.com/back to top
Gareth Chilcott


Gareth Chilcott
Gareth James Chilcott (Welsh father) was born 20th November 1956 at Bristol and attended Ashton Park School.
His potential was recognized at an early age with selection for Somerset and South and South West Schools. He graduated to the successful Bristol Combination side - Old Redcliffians and later - eastwards to Bath.
He became a dominant figure in the Bath pack, with the ability to play left or right prop. An early highlight in his career was selection for the South and South West Division which drew 12-12 with the Australian tourist at Exeter in 1984. His performance earned him the first of his 14 England caps against Australia that season.
His 1st XV debut was on 28th September 1977, with a farewell game on 4th December 1993 after 373 1st XV appearances, 16 tries and one memorable conversion - 66 points.
He was a British Lion's Tourist to Australia 1989 in company with Andy Robinson and Jeremy Guscott.
www.bathrugby.com/657.phpback to top
Gary Mabbutt


Derren Brown
Gary Mabbutt MBE (born 23 August 1961 in Bristol) is an English former professional football player. He was most regularly seen in central defence but was a versatile player who excelled also in midfield. His father is Ray Mabbutt. He his best remembered for his 16-year spell at Tottenham Hotspur, where he played from 1982 until 1998. He became one of the best known defenders in English football in the 1980s, playing initially for Bristol Rovers before joining the first division club Tottenham Hotspur, where he became captain and won 16 caps for England, and scored one goal for England against Yugoslavia in 1986.¥
wikipedia.orgback to top
Ian Holloway


Ian Holloway
A native of Bristol, Holloway grew up in Cadbury Heath where his mother Jean still lives in the same council house. Holloway was in the same class as fellow player Gary Penrice at school and they still remain close friends today. His father Bill, an outstanding amateur footballer, was a seaman, then a factory worker. Holloway began his playing career as an apprentice with his hometown team Bristol Rovers, turning professional in March 1981 and making his league debut the same year. He usually played on the right side of midfield, and made his name as one of the more promising players in the Third Division (now League One). After four seasons at Rovers, he was transferred to Wimbledon in July 1985 for £35,000.¥
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Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Brunel

Isambard was born in Portsmouth, educated at Hove, near Brighton and studied for two years at the College Henri Quatre, Paris, after which, in 1823, he rejoined his father in England. After his work on the Thames Tunnel, Isambard planned the Clifton Suspension Bridge, over the River Avon, which was completed posthumously in 1864 using chains from his own Hungerford Suspension Bridge.
He was responsible for the design of several famous ships. The Great Western, launched in 1837, was the first steamship ever to engage in transatlantic service. The Great Britain, launched in 1843, was the world's first iron-hulled, screw propeller-driven, steam-powered passenger liner. The Great Eastern, launched in 1859, was designed in cooperation with John Scott Russell, and was by far the biggest ship ever built up to that time, but did not in the end turn out to be a successful venture commercially. Brunel was also responsible for the redesign and construction of many of Britain's major docks, including Bristol, Monkwearmouth, Cardiff and Milford Haven. ¥

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James May
Brunel

James May was born in Bristol, one of four children; he had two sisters and a brother. In early years James attended Caerleon Endowed Junior School in Newport, Monmouthshire and was a choirboy at Whiston Parish Churc. He spent his teenage years in South Yorkshire where he attended Oakwood Comprehensive School in Rotherham, the same town where Jeremy Clarkson began his journalistic career. He was also at school with Life On Mars and Ashes to Ashes star Dean Andrews. A keen flautist and pianist, he later studied music at Lancaster University, where he was a member of Pendle College. May currently lives in Hammersmith, London with his cat Fusker, who was a gift from Richard Hammond's wife, Mindy and has been dating the music journalist and dance critic Sarah Frater since 2000.¥

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John Cabot


massive attack
Italian-born explorer who sailed from Bristol to Newfoundland on the Matthew in 1497. May have lived in St Nicholas Street. Cabot statues can be seen outside the Arnolfini and the Council House. The Cabot Tower was erected on Brandon Hill in 1897 in commemoration of his voyage.

A 105 feet high tower built in 1897 to commemorate John Cabot's voyage from Bristol and the sighting of North America four hundred years earlier. It was designed by the Bristol architect William Venn Gough and paid for by public subscription. The tower is built from red sandstone covered with cream Bath stone. ¥
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John Atyeo


John Atyeo
Peter John Walter Atyeo (February 7, 1932 - June 8, 1993) was an English football striker. He was signed from under the noses of League Champions Portsmouth in 1951 by Bristol City. He won six England caps from 1955 to 1957, scoring five goals. Despite offers from Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool that could have made him the most expensive player in England, he stayed with City throughout his career, making 647 appearances and scoring 350 goals by the time he retired in 1966. The new stand that replaced the Park End at Ashton Gate in 1994 is named the Atyeo Stand after him.¥

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Johnny Ball


Jonny Ball
Originally from Bristol, he spent his primary years there and later in his childhood moved to Bolton, Lancashire where he attended Bolton Grammar School. He then did national service in the Royal Air Force, worked as a Butlin's Redcoat and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret
He was a regular fixture on children's television in the 1970s and 1980s, presenting several series of popular science and technology programmes intended for children (including Think of a Number; Think Again; Think Backwards; Think...This Way and Johnny Ball Reveals All)..¥

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Julie Burchill


Jonny Ball
Julie Burchill (born 3 July 1959, Frenchay, Bristol) is an English writer and columnist known as a "firebrand journalist specialising in OTT polemics" for a number of publications over the last thirty years. Beginning as a writer for the New Musical Express at the age of 17, she has written for newspapers such as The Sunday Times and The Guardian. She is a self-declared "militant feminist". She has several times been involved in legal action resulting from her work. She is also an author and novelist, her 1989 novel Ambition being a bestseller, and her 2004 novel Sugar Rush being adapted for television.
Julie Burchill was born in Bristol, England to working class parents. "Her father was a Communist union activist who worked in a distillery. Her mother had a job in a cardboard box factory." She did not attend university, leaving the A-levels she had started a few weeks earlier to begin writing for the New Musical Express (NME)..¥

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Justin Lee Collins


John Atyeo
Justin Lee Collins (born 28 July 1974) is a Bristolian comedian, radio and television presenter, often known as 'The JLC'. His catchphrases include, "I love it!", "Rock On!", "Rock and roll!" and "Good Times!". He is known to be a big fan of classic Rock music and can often be seen wearing T-Shirts depicting his favourite bands, for example Whitesnake, Ramones, KISS, Guns N' Roses and Tom Petty. He is often seen offering high-5s. He is also a huge film buff, and it is rumored that he models himself on Jeff Bridges's character The Dude in The Big Lebowski. Collins presents The Friday Night Project with Alan Carr for Channel 4. He has also hosted a clutch of Bring Back... shows in which he aims to reunite groups, normally who are associated with TV or music. Previous shows included the 1980s cast of Grange Hill and The A-Team. The Bring Back series also included Bring Back The Christmas #1 and Bring Back The One Hit Wonder. He was also one of the presenters of Channel 4 and Paramount's Flipside TV, and has also presented his own weekend show on London alternative station XFM. Collins worked as a double glazing demonstrator before he won the New Comedy Competition at the 1997 Glastonbury Festival and reached the finals of the BBC New Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Festival. He gave up doing stand-up comedy in 2002 to concentrate fully on presenting.¥

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Lee Evans

leeevans.jpg

Evans was born in Avonmouth, Bristol, England, the son of Dave Evans, a nightclub performer. His secondary school was The Billericay School in Billericay, Essex. After a spell as a boxer and two years at art school in Essex, Evans decided to follow in his father's footsteps in the entertainment business. In his teens he moved to Rhyl, Wales, and played drums in a punk rock band called The Forgotten Five.
In 1984, he married Heather Evans with whom he has a daughter Molly, born in 1993. They currently live in Billericay, Essex.¥
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Massive Attack

massive attack

Massive Attack is a successful and critically acclaimed band from Bristol, UK. They have released eight albums - four full studio albums, two movie soundtracks, one remix album, and a greatest hits collection. Their music is electronic and combines elements of jazz, hip hop, rock, and classical into music that is often named as trip-hop and other genres; lately darker, subtler forms of electronic music have been dominant influences.
Massive Attack are constant collaborators and have worked with a diverse mix of artists, from Sinéad O'Connor to reggae star Horace Andy to Madonna and they did a remix for Qawwali master, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Their work has also been used in many feature films, including The Matrix, Snatch, 187, Pi, and television shows, such as 24, The West Wing, This Life, CSI and Prison Break. Their song "Teardrop" is the title theme for the television series House. They also now own a members-only club, Nocturne, located in their hometown of Bristol.¥
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Robin Cousins

Robin Cousins

Cousins is an Olympic and European gold medalist, but he never won a World title, finishing second in 1979 and 1980. Bristol-born Robin Cousins won his first national title aged 12 as a novice, he was junior champion at 14 and made his international debut that same year. He represented Great Britain as an amateur skater for eight years, winning the National Senior Championships for four consecutive years. He won the freeskating portion of the World Championships three times, 1978-1980, and sealed his amateur ice skating career by winning European Championship gold and taking the Olympic title at Lake Placid in 1980. A highly successful career as a professional skater followed. He starred in shows such as Holiday on Ice and Ice Capades, and was a regular at the World Professional Figure Skating Championships. In 1983 he formed his own ice company, and toured the world with Electric Ice and Ice Majesty. In 2005 he was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.¥
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Roger Cook

massive attack

Roger Frederick Cook (born 19 August 1940, in Fishponds, Bristol, England) is a well-known songwriter who has written many hits for other recording artists. He has also had a successful recording career in his own right.
Amongst hits he has written with others, including Greenaway and writers such as Albert Hammond, Mike Hazlewood, and Tony Macaulay, are "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" (The New Seekers), "Good Times, Better Times" (Cliff Richard), "Softly Whispering I Love You" (The Congregation), "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" (Gene Pitney), "Home Lovin' Man" (Andy Williams), "Blame It On The Pony Express" (Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon), "Something Old, Something New" (The Fantastics), "Something Tells Me Something's Gonna Happen Tonight" (Cilla Black), "I've Got You On My Mind", "When You Are a King", and "My Baby Loves Lovin'" (White Plains), "Gasoline Alley Bred" and "Long Cool Woman In a Black Dress" (The Hollies); "Freedom Come, Freedom Go" (The Fortunes), "Doctor's Orders" (Sunny), "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" (Whistling Jack Smith), and "Like Sister Like Brother" (The Drifters). .¥
www.rogercook.com/back to top
Stephen Merchant


Tricky
Stephen Merchant (born November 24, 1974 in Bristol, England) is a writer, director and actor. He is best known for his work with Ricky Gervais in the popular British sitcoms The Office and Extras, as well on Xfm London.

summer 2001, the first series of The Office was broadcast on BBC 2. Also in 2001, Merchant and Gervais were rehired by Xfm and soon discovered the unique "talents" of Karl Pilkington.
Merchant made a cameo appearance as Oggy (also known as "The Oggmonster", although his real name is Nathan), a friend of Gareth Keenan, in the second series of The Office in 2002. His father, Ron Merchant, also appears as a character named "Gordon", an office handyman who becomes transfixed by the pseudo-documentary cameras whenever he walks into shot.
In 2002 Merchant directed a one-off comedy called The Last Chancres for Channel 4's Comedy Lab strand. In 2003, he had a recurring role in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace as a chef. In 2004, he worked as a Script Associate on the Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker sitcom Nathan Barley, and had a cameo in Green Wing. Merchant is also an executive producer for the American version of The Office, which stars Steve Carell.
The most recent Merchant-Gervais sitcom, Extras, premiered on BBC2 on July 21, 2005. Merchant stars as Darren Lamb, the incompetent agent of Andy Millman (Gervais). ¥
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Sophie Anderton


Sophie Anderton
Anderton attended Redland High School for Girls in Bristol between 1988 and 1993. In 1993 she briefly attended Bristol Cathedral School before becoming a model at age 16.

She became famous in 1996 after appearing in the Gossard Glossies "Girl in the grass" national advertising campaign shot by Herb Ritts, with the strapline "Who said a woman couldn't get pleasure from something soft?". The campaign attracted a record number of complaints (321) to the Advertising Standards Authority, none of which were upheld. The ASA later found out that the majority of complaints came from women who had never seen the ads, and had been encouraged to write in by an outraged newspaper columnist.

In 2004, Anderton was a contestant on the fourth series of ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, where she came fifth
¥
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Terry 'The odd job man'


Terry
Terry 'The odd job man' was made a bristolion celebrity after trying to help others by posting bristolian translation videos. These videos were made for tourists and new comers to the city, so they would be able to understand and communicate with the people of bristol. The video's success promted Terry to later add more videos and he ended up bringing out a DVD called Terry's gert luck guide to Bristol.

Terry was born in Southmead hospital in Bristol, He never knew his dad as Terry was conceived after his mum had a one night stand following a night out in the mauritania. He is a supporter of the Bristol City football team
www.terrytheoddjobman.com/back to top
Tricky


Tricky
Born in Knowle West, Bristol, England, as of 2006 Tricky is based in West Hollywood, California .
Tricky was born on the 27th of January 1968 in Bristol, England. His father left the family before he was even born and his mother, Maxine Quaye, committed suicide when he was four. He named his first solo album after her - Maxinquaye - and once said that though he hardly knew her he feels like she's speaking through him with his words.

Adrian Thaws (born January 27, 1968), better known as Tricky, is an English rapper and musician important in the trip hop and British music scene (despite loathing the "trip hop" tag). He is noted for a whispering lyrical style that is half-rapped, half-sung. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound. Culturally, Tricky bridges white and black Britain, particularly in his fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop culture.¥
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Wallace and Gromit (& creator Nick Park)


wallace and gromit
wallace and grommit in
curse of the ware rabbit
The creator, Nickpark created the characters Wallace and Gromit in Bristol.
Wallace and Gromit appeared on our in the short animated movie Agrand day out.
The story was pure comic-book adventure - building a space rocket and blasting-off to the moon in search of cheese. The characters, however, were strongly delineated; the naive, somewhat inept Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) and the real brains behind the partnership, Gromit, whose facial expressions - wide, slightly mournful eyes - quickly register his despair, frustration or total incredulity.
Park's films work on many levels. Children respond to the broad character comedy, adults to the more sophisticated elements including the affectionate spoofing of movie genres such as horror films, thrillers, heist pictures, action movies and the deep shadows and crazy camera angles of film noir. This richness of character and relentlessly paced animation (the model train chase in The Wrong Trousers and the motorbike pursuit in A Close Shave) have carried clay animation to unprecedented heights.
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Wurzels

massive attack

Adge Cutler and The Wurzels, renamed The Wurzels after Cutler's death, are a British Scrumpy and Western band.

The band is best known for its 1976 number one hit The Combine Harvester but has a history stretching nearly 40 years, and still performs to this day.
In its heyday the band was very popular despite disdain from "serious" critics.
The name of the band came from the fodder beet Mangelwurzel. As can be determined from the subject matter of many of their songs, cider is very popular amongst Wurzels and their fans. Their particular "genre" of music has been named "Scrumpy And Western" (scrumpy is a name given to traditional cider).

The wurzuls are well know though-out bristol especially among Bristol city fans where the single 'Drink up me Zider' has become one the Bristol city's anthems. ¥
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¥ - Information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org.


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