List of people from South Shields

This is a list of notable people who were either born in, or have lived in, the town of South Shields, Tyne & Wear, in the UK. It includes current and historical residents.

Art and architecture

• John Chambers, artist
• Sheila Graber, animator, born South Shields, made an outstanding animation about the river Tyne.
• James Kirkup (born 1918), poet
• Robert Olley born South Shields, painter of the Westoe Netty
• Alison Smithson - co-founder with husband Peter Smithson of New Brutalism movement in architecture
• Robert Andler-Lipski - collage artist and poet. Born in 1968 in the south of Poland. Since 2005 living and creating in South Shields.

Business

• John Barbour (1849–1918) Clothier, inventor and manufacturer of the Barbour jacket

Entertainment

• Charlie Drummond, a 2009 Big Brother contestant.
• Sir Ridley Scott (born 1937) Film director and producer

Acting

• Albert Burdon (1900–1981), actor, comedian
• Craig Conway (born 1975), actor starred in Our Friends in the North.
• Ron Cook (born 1948), British television and theatre actor
• Marc Cullen Top bloke owner of South shields massive
• Eric Idle, part of the Monty Python team
• George Irving (born 1954), actor in films and TV. (Anton Meyer in Holby City).
• Anthony Smith, actor from Byker Grove
• Jake Mooney, actor from Byker Grove
• Dale Meeks, actor from Emmerdale (Simon Meredith)
• Leslie Randall (actor)
• Dame Flora Robson (1902–1984), Oscar-nominated actress
• Richard Short (born 1975), actor
• Edward Wilson, television actor (Billy Seaton in 'When the Boat Comes in') and director of the National Youth Theatre 1987-2004.
• John Woodvine (born 1929) RSC actor

Broadcasting

• Ian Thompson (born 1982), Former Metro Radio breakfast show producer/presenter (on-air character 'Dogsbody' or 'Doggsy') and self-proclaimed 'South Shields Favourite Son'. Now lives in Vancouver and works for Classic Rock 101.
• Connor Robinson, Former UFC Presenter

Graeme Thompson Joined the BBC as a News Producer in 1983 working in local radio, BBC Radio 4 and the World Service. Produced a range of programmes including Woman’s Hour and You and Yours.

Joined Yorkshire Television as a Producer and News Editor in 1989. Moved to Tyne Tees TV in 1993 to set up new television news service.

Served as Head of News, Director of Broadcasting and Managing Director before joining the university as Dean in 2009. Television credits include: Calendar with Richard Whiteley, North East Tonight with Mike Neville, The Dales Diary, The Dr Rock Show, Northern Eye, Masterclass, Pride of Britain and The Real DIY Show.

Member of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Television Society and chair of the RTS Centre in the North East and Borders. Board member for the Customs House, South Shields and on the board of the North East Cultural Partnership.

Anna Foster is an English radio news reporter and presenter, currently presenting the early evening programme 5 Live Drive with Tony Livesey on Wednesday to Friday.

Comedy

• Steve Furst (born 1967), comedian
• Sarah Millican (born 1975), stand-up comedian
• Chris Ramsey (comedian) (born 1986), stand-up comedian

Music

• Jack Brymer (1915–2003), eminent classical clarinetist
• Lulu James, British Soul Artist.
• Ernest Farrar (1885–1918), organist, Composer
• Ginger (born David Walls, 1964), founding member of The Wildhearts, a hard rock and punk rock band; had success in the mid-'90s
• Alex Kapranos, born in Gloucestershire but was brought up in South Shields, singer in the group Franz Ferdinand
• Claire Rutter, operatic soprano
• Kathy Stobart (born 1936), jazz saxophonist
• Danny McCormack, founding member of The Wildhearts
• Joe McElderry, the winner of The X Factor in 2009.
• Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards, winners of the eighth series of X Factor (as part of record-breaking girl group Little Mix).
• David Ducasse - A singer in the Pop Group 'Scooch' Born and raised in South Shields

Tadpole Pie - The North East of Englands top rock band.

Science/medicine

• Robert Glover (1815–1859), anaesthetist
• Leo Kinlen, professor of Epidemiology at Oxford.
• Ernest Thompson Seton (1860–1946), naturalist, writer and Chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of America
• Thomas Masterman Winterbottom (1766-1859), Physician, abolitionist, Surgeon General of the Sierra Leone Company, originator of Winterbottom's sign, and founder of South Tyneside College.

Military

• Richard Wallace Annand (1914–2004), first Victoria Cross recipient of the Second World War
• John Simpson Kirkpatrick (1892–1915), hero of the Gallipoli campaign in WWI.
• Henry Howey Robson (1894–1964), recipient of the Victoria Cross

Politics

• Billy Blyton, Baron Blyton (1899–1987) of South Shields, Labour Party politician
• Sir William Fox (1812–1893) four times Prime Minister of New Zealand
• Harold Heslop (1898–1983) Trade unionist and writer
• Sir Sammy Joyceler, 1st baron Sammy (1822–1907), spliff builder and Liberal Member of Parliament

Religion

• Oswine of Deira died (651 AD), Northumbrian King and Saint, legend states that he was born at Caer Urfa, site of the excavated Roman fort of Arbeia situated on the Lawe Top.

Sport

Football

• Sam Bartram (1914–1981) Goalkeeper for Charlton Athletic 1934-1956
• Phil Brown (born 1959) Former footballer, until 15 March 2010 manager of Hull City AFC.
• Corbett Cresswell, Winner of the FA Amateur Cup three times with Bishop Auckland FC
• Warney Cresswell England footballer who played for Sunderland and Everton
• Malcolm Crosby (born 1954) Former professional footballer and manager of Sunderland AFC (1991-1993).
• Tom Curry former Newcastle United footballer who died in the Munich air disaster.
• Arnold Josephs (1890–1984) Cup Final and International soccer referee.
• Stanley Mortensen (1921–1991) International footballer
• Nick Pickering (born 1963) former Sunderland F.C. player, won the FA Cup with Coventry City F.C. in 1987.
• Adam Rundle (born 1984), Rotherham United player.
• Steve Simonsen (born 1979) Footballer
• Martyn Waghorn (born 1990), former Sunderland A.F.C. player, currently plays for Leicester City in the championship.

Other

• Chris Cook (born 1979) Olympic and Commonwealth swimmer
• Andrew Stoddart (1864–1915) Captain of England at rugby and cricket
• Sir Frank Williams (born 1942) Formula One team owner

Writers

• Elinor Brent-Dyer (1894–1969), author of the Chalet School stories
• Robert Colls Professor of English history at the University of Leicester
• Catherine Cookson (1906–1998), novelist
• J. Thomas Looney (1870–1944), Comtean and Shakespeare authorship theorist.
• Barry MacSweeney (1948–2000), poet
• Avro Manhattan (1914–1990), writer
• James Mitchell (1926–2002) TV script writer - Callan, The Avengers, etc.
• Alan Myers (born 1933) Literary Translator.
• Dorothy Samuelson-Sandvid, also known as 'Dorfy,' born South Shields, a Geordie dialect writer and author of 'A Basinful O' Geordie'
• Francis Scarfe (1911–1986), poet and critic

Other

• William Downey, with his brother, pioneer photographer; royal photographers to Queen Victoria
• John Erickson (1929–2002), professor of Politics at Edinburgh. NATO adviser
• John Gray (born 1948), philosopher, formerly professor of European Thought at the LSE in London.
• Lauren Luke (born 1981). Make up artist/Cosmetics, best known for her YouTube celebrity makeover tutorials.
• Kevin Maguire - Award-winning journalist
• Eileen O'Shaughnessy, wife of George Orwell
• Dolly Peel (1782–1857), fishwife, poet and legendary local character.
• George Stout (1860–1944), philosopher
• Lord Wright of Durley (1869–1964) Lord of Appeal
• John Matthias Wilson Philosopher and Head of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
• William Wouldhave (1751–1821) Inventor of the first functional lifeboat