List of people from Sunderland

This is a list of famous or notable people born in, or associated with, Sunderland or the wider City of Sunderland in North East England.

## Notable people from Sunderland

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### Arts

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* Debbie Arnold (1955–), actor
* Griselda Allan (1905–1987), artist
* Audrey Amiss (1933–2013), artist
* Marion Angus (1865–1946), Scottish poet writing in Scots, born in Sunderland
* James Baxter, actor
* Emeli Sandé (singer)
* Ernie Lotinga (actor)
* James Bolam (1935–), actor
* Alan Browning actor, born Alan Brown
* Bernard Comrie (1947–), linguist
* Ida Cook (1904–1986), Righteous among the Nations; as Mary Burchell, romance novelist
* Terry Deary (1946–), author
* Mike Elliott, comedian, actor and radio presenter
* Edward Gregson, composer
* James Herriot (pen name of James Alfred Wight) (1916–1995), veterinary surgeon and author
* Melanie Hill (1962–), actress
* Nat Jackley, comedian
* Jools Jameson (1968–), game developer
* Bobby Knoxall, comedian
* Gina McKee (1964–), actress
* Gibb McLaughlin (1884–1960), actor, born George Gibb McLaughlin
* Christine Norden (1924–1988), actress, born Mary Lydia Thornton
* David Parfitt, an Oscar-winning film producer
* Sheila Quigley, novelist
* Rob Rackstraw (1965-), voice actor
* Ronald Radd (1929–1976), actor
* Callum Keith Rennie (1960–), film and television actor
* Richard Riddell (2000-), film and television actor
* Maurice Roëves (1937–2020), actor
* William Russell actor and the first actor of three actors to appear as Doctor Who Companion
* Clarkson Stanfield, painter
* Mary Stewart, novelist
* Tom Taylor, playwright and editor of Punch
* Alan Temperley born 1936, children's and young adults author, works include Harry and the Wrinkles, The Deck Boy, Scar Hill.
* Bobby Thompson, comedian, the 'Little Waster'
* William Lindon-Travers, actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist, known professionally as Bill Travers
* Linden Travers, actor
* Graham Wallas, author and academic
* Alison Wright (1976–), actress
* Michael Young (1966–), industrial designer

### Industry

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* Sir Robert Appleby Bartram (1835–1925), shipbuilder
* William Reid Clanny (1770–1850), inventor and physician
* John Cryan (born 1960), banker
* Sir Tom Cowie, entrepreneur and philanthropist
* George Daniels, world-famous horologist and inventor of the co-axial escapement
* Sir Edward Temperley Gourley, coalfitter, shipowner and politician
* Sir William Halcrow, civil engineer
* Thomas Elliott Harrison, railway engineer
* George Burton Hunter, shipbuilder and innovator
* Patrick Meik and Charles Meik, civil engineering brothers
* Sir William Mills, inventor of the Mills Bomb (hand grenade)
* William Pile, shipbuilder
* Sir Joseph Swan, inventor of the electric light bulb
* Harry Watts, shipyard worker and multiple life-saver

### Military and services

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* Robert Appleby Bartram (1894–1981), colonel and shipbuilder
* Gertrude Bell (1868–1926), colonial administrator
* PC Keith Blakelock (1945–1985), police officer
* Sir Lawrence Andrew Common (1889–1953), Army officer and shipping director
* Jack Crawford (1775–1831), sailor
* Sir Henry Havelock (1795–1857), Major-General
* Captain Richard Avery Hornsby, navy captain
* Joseph Robert Kayll (1914–2000), WW2 RAF flying Ace
* John Lilburne 'Free-born John', civil war figure
* Alan Parnaby (1916–1974), cricketer and British Army officer
* Ernest Vaux (1865–1925), Army Officer and Brewer
* Robert Nairac (1948–1977), Army Officer

### Music

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* Don Airey, musician, keyboardist with Deep Purple
* Sir Thomas Allen, baritone
* Eric Boswell, songwriter (Little Donkey)
* Mark Brydon, one half of electro outfit Moloko
* Bryan Ferry, singer, musician, and songwriter. Lead singer with Roxy Music
* Muriel Foster, contralto
* Frankie Stubbs, Singer, Guitar player, Leatherface, punk rock band
* Frankie & The Heartstrings, indie rock band
* The Futureheads, indie rock band
* Eve Gallagher, singer
* Kenickie, 1990s pop band
* Lauren Laverne, ex-lead singer of Kenickie, later radio and TV presenter[1]
* Jez Lowe, folk singer, songwriter and broadcaster
* Bob and Alf Pearson, singers, pianist (Bob) and variety performers[2]
* Alan Price, singer, musician, and songwriter. Keyboard player with The Animals
* Emeli Sandé, musician
* David A. Stewart (1952–), musician and songwriter, most notably as one half of the band Eurythmics
* The Toy Dolls, punk rock band
* Baz Warne, guitarist with The Stranglers
* Faye Fantarrow (2002-2023), singer, songwriter[3]

### Politics

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* Hilary Armstrong, Member of Parliament, Cabinet Office and Social Exclusion Minister, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 2006–07
* Sir Theodore Doxford, shipbuilder and politician
* George Hudson, Member of Parliament and railway financier
* Sir Edward Temperley Gourley, coalfitter, shipowner and politician
* John Stapylton grey Pemberton (1860–1940), MP and Vice-Chancellor of Durham University
* Bridget Phillipson, Labour Party MP
* Jonathan Reynolds, Labour Party MP
* Sir Luke Thompson, coal merchant and politician
* Joseph Havelock Wilson, Trade union leader, Liberal Party politician, and campaigner for the rights of merchant seamen.

### Sport

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* Charles W. Alcock: Cricketer and Football administrator.
* Allan Ball (born 1943), ex-professional footballer and now Honorary Director of Queen of the South F.C.
* Gordon Bradley (1933–2008), footballer and manager[4]
* Raich Carter (1914–1994), footballer and manager
* Nigel Clough (born 1966), former football player and manager
* Ralph Coates (1946–2010), former football player
* Kevin Dillon (English footballer) (born 1959), former football player and manager
* Randolph Galloway (1896–1964), former football player and manager of clubs like Valencia and Sporting Lisbon
* Michael Gray (born 1974), (footballer)
* Billy Hardy (born 1964), boxer who became Commonwealth featherweight champion
* Mick Harford (born 1959), former football player and manager
* Micky Hazard (born 1960), former football player
* Jordan Henderson (born 1990), footballer Sunderland A.F.C, Liverpool F.C-Current and England national football team
* Lee Howey (born 1969), footballer Sunderland A.F.C
* Steve Howey (born 1971), footballer Newcastle United
* Jordan Pickford (born 1994), footballer Sunderland A.F.C, Everton F.C-Current and England national football team
* Robert William "Bob" Jefferson (born 1882), footballer
* Tony Jeffries (born 1985), boxer, Olympic Bronze medalist
* Ernie Johnson (born 1948), jockey who won the 1969 Epsom Derby
* Alan Kennedy: Footballer, Liverpool F.C.
* Paul Kitson, ex-professional footballer
* Billy Marsden (born 1901), football player for England national football team
* Clive Mendonca, ex-professional footballer
* Jimmy Montgomery (born 1943), former football player (goalkeeper) and 1973 FA Cup winner
* Bob Paisley (1919-1996) Footballer, Three times European Cup winning manager.
* Mick Parkin (born 1995), mixed martial artist in UFC
* Alan Parnaby (1916–1974), cricketer and British Army officer
* Ross Pearson (born 1984), mixed martial artist in UFC
* Harry Potts (1920–1996), former football player and manager
* Harold Reay (1896-1959), footballer
* Giovanni Reyna (born 2002), footballer For BVB and USA National Team
* Lee Rushworth (born 1982), cricketer
* Jill Scott (born 1987), football player for England women's national football team and Manchester City L.F.C.
* Bob Willis (1949–2019), cricketer
* Stephanie Houghton (born 1988), football player for England women's national football team and Manchester City L.F.C.

### Other

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* Kate Adie, former BBC Chief News Reporter
* Jessica Andrews, novelist
* St Bede, monk
* Sir Joseph Swan, inventor of the incandescent light bulb
* George Binns, New Zealand chartist leader and poet
* St Benedict Biscop (628?–690)
* Abel Chapman (1851–1929), hunter and naturalist
* George Clarke, architect, television presenter
* James Watson Corder (1868–1953), historian of local family history
* Charlotte Crosby, television personality
* John Cryan, physicist and bank manager [5]
* Peter Gibbs, weather forecaster
* Jane Grigson, cookery writer
* Andreas Høivold, professional poker player
* Gareth Pugh (born 1981), fashion designer
* Denise Robertson, novelist and TV agony aunt
* Gordon Scurfield, biologist and author, active in Australia, with expertise in botany and ecology
* William Shanks, amateur mathematician, worked out the value of Pi to 707 decimals
* John Sowerby, botanist, writer and early member of the Alpine Club
* Chris Steele, TV doctor
* Ernest George Frederick Vogtherr (1898–1973), a New Zealand bacon curer, businessman and art collector[6]

## Notable residents

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* Charlie Buchan, footballer
* Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland
* Frank Caws, architect
* Brian Clough, footballer, manager and European Cup winner
* Steve Cram, Olympic Athlete and TV presenter
* Bernard Gilpin, Apostle of the North, Rector of Houghton-le-Spring, Archdeacon of Durham
* Sir William Herschel, composer and astronomer, discoverer of Uranus
* William Reid Clanny, Irish physicist
* Charlie Hurley, footballer
* Alex Kapranos, musician/singer
* Si King, television presenter, best known as one half of the Hairy Bikers
* Lola Montez, adventuress
* Chris Mullin, civil liberties campaigner and Labour MP
* Jimmy Nail, actor/singer
* William Paley, rector of Bishopwearmouth, wrote on intelligent design as opposed to evolution
* Frank Pick, industrial designer
* Don Revie, footballer and England manager
* George Reynolds, businessman and former chairman of Darlington FC
* William Sancroft, later Archbishop of Canterbury, was briefly Rector of Houghton-le-Spring
* Len Shackleton, footballer
* Michael Short, engineer and Professor
* Peter Smith, computer scientist
* Niall Quinn, footballer
* Robert Nairac (1948–1977), Army Officer
* Thomas Essomba, boxer
* Vivian Stanshall and his wife Ki Longfellow, found the Baltic Trader "Thekla" and sailed her to Bristol where she became the Old Profanity Showboat
* Shammai Zahn, rabbi of Sunderland and head of Sunderland Yeshiva
* Roy Kent, footballer

## References

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1. ^ Ellen, Barbara (18 March 2007). "Blonde ambition". The Observer. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 19 May 2007.
2. ^ "Biography of a Water Rat". www.gowr.co.uk. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
3. ^ "Faye Fantarrow: 'Onwards and upwards' after initial treatment". 27 January 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
4. ^ "NASL–Gordon Bradley". (NASL) jerseys. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
5. ^ "Riding With the King · Handelsblatt Global Edition". Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.
6. ^ Vogtherr, Gordon. "Ernest George Frederick Vogtherr". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.