Merseyside has produced some of the world’s biggest stars, with many iconic musicians, actors, athletes and more coming from Liverpool and Wirral.
While you’ll certainly know some of the famous faces that come from our region, you may not know the exact area they’re from. Other celebrities may be a complete surprise, with you never knowing they hailed from Merseyside.
A new study published by Nature has identified the most notable people from cities, towns and villages around the world, including right here in Merseyside. Geographer and map designer Topi Tjukanov has turned the data into an interactive map pinpointing exactly where each famous face is from.
READ MORE: 18 things everyone from Wirral has done at least once
Each notable person included was determined using information from Wikipedia and Wikidata. Each celebrity’s notability is based on a number of things, including the number of Wikipedia editions with each individual, the length of their biographies, the number of views for each between 2015 and 2018, and the amount of information retrieved on each person.
Below is a selection of the “most notable people” that have hailed from Liverpool and Wirral areas. Of course, there are many more famous faces from Merseyside, but what the survey shows is that our region has produced some absolute icons.
Liverpool - John Lennon
John Lennon (1940-1980) is arguably our city’s most famous creation. The singer-songwriter went on to become one of the world’s greatest musicians, finding success with The Beatles where he played guitar and shared song writing and lead vocal duties with Paul McCartney.
Bootle - Jamie Carragher
LFC legend Jamie Carragher (born 1978) had an incredible 17-year career at the club before going on to find success as a football pundit.
Whiston - Steven Gerrard
Another LFC legend is Steven Gerrard MBE (born 1980) who played for the club from 1998 to 2015. The team won nine trophies during this period. Gerrard is now the manager of Aston Villa.
Birkenhead - Glenda Jackson
Glenda Jackson OBE (born 1936) has had success as an actress and politician. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama Women in Love and for her role as Vickie Allessio in the rom-com A Touch of Class.
Port Sunlight - Pete Burns
Pete Burns (1959-2016) was a musician, singer-songwriter and TV personality. He founded the band Nightmares In Wax which went on to become Dead or Alive in 1980. Pete took part in Celebrity Big Brother in 2006 where he finished fifth.
Huyton - Rex Harrison
Sir Rex Harrison (1908-1990) began his acting career as a stage actor, making his West End debut in 1936 in the Terence Rattigan play French Without Tears. It was his breakthrough role, with Harrison going on to have starring roles in My Fair Lady, Cleopatra and Doctor Doolittle.
Kensington - David Morrissey
Actor and filmmaker David Morrissey (1964) has starred in many iconic TV shows and films over the years. This includes The Walking Dead, The Other Boleyn Girl, Britannia and Sherwood.
Toxteth - Robbie Fowler
Completing the trio of LFC legends in this list is Robbie Fowler (born 1975) who played for the club from 1993 to 2001, and later returned in 2006. He’s the eighth-highest goal scorer in the history of the Premier League, and since his retirement as a striker, Robbie has become a manager.
Heswall - John Peel
Many of us will have grown up listening to DJ and radio presenter John Peel OBE (1939-2004). He was the longest-serving host of the original Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting on the station from 1967 until his death.
Wallasey - Dominic Purcell
British-Australian actor Dominic Purcell (born 1970) began his life in Wirral before heading to the other side of the world. His most famous role was playing Lincoln Burrows in the hit TV show Prison Break from 2005 to 2017.
Kirkby - Stephen Graham
Stephen Graham (1973) has dominated the acting industry over the last two decades. Since his role as Andrew “Combo” Gascogine in This Is England, he has had starring roles in some of Great Britain's best television series, including Line of Duty, Time, Little Boy Blue and Help. Stephen recently starred in the film Boiling Point which is remarkably filmed in a single shot and directed by Liverpool’s Philip Barantini.
Aintree - Neil Buchanan
For us 90s kids, TV presenter and musician Neil Buchanan (born 1956) was a part of our childhoods. Neil co-founded and fronted the CITV show Art Attack in the 1990s and 2000s. He was also in the heavy metal band Marseille.
Bromborough - Paul Heaton
Singer-songwriter Paul Heaton (born 1962) was the frontman of the Housemartins who had a number of successful hits in the 1980s including Happy Hour and Caravan of Love.
West Kirby - Joanna Scanlan
Actress and screenwriter Joanna Scanlan (born 1961) has starred in an array of iconic British TV series, including The Thick of It, Getting On, Puppy Love, and No Offence. Most recently she played Ma Larkin in ITV’s The Larkins.
Aigburth - Les Chadwick
Musician Les Chadwick (1943-2019) was a founding member of Gerry and the Pacemakers. He played bass in the band until 1966 when the group split.
Hoylake - Chris Boardman
Chris Boardman MBE (born 1968) had an incredible sporting career as a racing cyclist. As well as winning a gold medal in the individual pursuit at the 1992 Summer Olympics, Chris broke the world hour record three times, won three stages at the Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey during the race on three occasions.
Southport - Miranda Richardson
Miranda Richardson (born 1958) has had starring roles in a handful of iconic 1990s films, including Sleepy Hollow, Merlin and Damage. For the latter, Miranda won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She also played Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Garston - Rita Tushingham
Another iconic actress from Merseyside is Rita Tushingham (born 1942) who’s best known for her starring roles in the films A Taste of Honey, The Knack ...and How to Get It and Doctor Zhivago.
Who is your favourite "notable" person from Merseyside? Let us know in the comments section below.
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