Famous People from Preston

Sir Richard Arkwright, inventor Cometan, founder of Astronism
Andrew Flintoff, cricketer
Edith Rigby, suffragetteFrancis Thompson, mystic Joseph Livesey, social reformer Sir Tom Finney, footballer
Nick Park, animator
A. J. Hartley, novelist

A

• Sir Richard Arkwright (1732–1792) — inventor of the water frame which revolutionised the cotton making industry in the late 18th century
• Fiona Armstrong (born 1956) — journalist, newsreader

B

• Professor Sir George Grenfell Baines, OBE (1908–2003) — architect, pioneer of multi-disciplinary design, and founder of the Building Design Partnership
• Roy Barraclough (1935–2017) — actor from Coronation Street
• Leo Baxendale (born 1930 in Preston) — cartoonist, ex-PCC and creator of Beano strips Little Plum (1953), Minnie the Minx (1953), The Bash Street Kids
• Heather Baron-Gracie — vocalist for Pale Waves
• Stu Bennett (born 1980) — wrestler also known by his ring name, Wade Barrett
• Tom Benson — marathon walker who held six world records
• Ian Bibby - Pro cyclist
• Holly Bradshaw - Pole vaulter
• Angela Brazil — writer of schoolgirls' stories
• Hannah Britland, actress.
• Jim Burns (born 1936) — poet, writer and magazine editor

C

• Eddie Calvert (1922–1978) — trumpeter, "The Man With the Golden Horn"
• Chris Canavan (1929–2013) — television and theatre actor, extra on Coronation Street from 1962 to 2013
• Clarke Carlisle - Footballer
• Hugh Carthy (born 1994) - Pro Cyclist
• Arthur Catterall (1883–1943) — concert violinist and conductor
• Belle Chrystall (1910–2003) — actress, born in Preston
• Helen Clitheroe (born 1974) — athlete, 1500m and 3000m steeplechase, went to Broughton High School
• Cometan (born 1998) — Founder of Astronism, philosopher, author, entrepreneur, religious leader

D

• Joseph Delaney (born 1945) — author of science fiction and fantasy books, born in Preston
• Michael Dempsey (born 1945) — Lancashire dialect monologue writer
• Anthony Devis (1729–1816) Half-brother of the artist Arthur Devis.
• Arthur Devis (1712–1728) Portrait artist, born and lived in Preston.
• Gregory Doran (born 1958) — Associate Director, Royal Shakespeare Company
• Tupele Dorgu (born 1977) — actress, known for role of Kelly Crabtree in Coronation Street
• Joseph Dunn (1746–1827) — owner of the coal-gas lighting company, the Preston Gaslight Company
• Anulka Dziubinska (born 1950) — actress and model

E

• Paul Englishby (born 1970) — film and theatre composer

F

• Tim Farron (born 1970) — Leader of the Liberal Democrats and MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale
• Sir Tom Finney (1922–2014) — footballer
• Scott Fitzgerald - Boxer, commonwealth gold medallist and WBA International super welterweight title holder
• Andrew Flintoff (born 1977) — cricketer
• Don Foster, Baron Foster of Bath (born 1947) — Liberal Democrat politician

G

• Zara Glover (born 1982) — international ten-pin bowler

H

• Susan Hanson (born 1943) —actress, Crossroads
• A.J. Hartley (born 1964) — novelist
• George Haydock (1556–1584) — Catholic priest, martyr
• James Hebblethwaite (1857–1921) — poet
• Mary Ann Hobbs - BBC radio DJ
• John Horrocks (1768–1804) — Member of Parliament for Preston
• Henry Hunt (1773–1835) — politician, noted for his campaigns that drastically improved the lives of working-class people

I

• John Inman (1935–2007) — comedy actor and pantomime artist

J

• Phil Jones, footballer

K

• Alan Kelly Jr - former professional footballer and Irish international
• Kevin Kilbane - professional footballer and Irish international
• Ian Kirkham — saxophone player, Simply Red

L

• General Sir Percy Henry Noel Lake — first Chief of the Canadian General Staff, commander of the 7th Indian Division and Chief of the Indian General Staff
• Mark Lawrenson (born 1957) — footballer turned football pundit
• Joseph Livesey (1794–1884) — social reformer and pioneer of the temperance movement in the 19th century
• Sir John Francis Lockwood — Master of Birkbeck College, London, 1951-1965, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, 1955-1958
• Andy Lonergan (born 1983) — footballer at Bolton Wanderers, ex-Preston North End

M

• James Mawdsley (1848–1902), English trade unionist
• Ian McCulloch (born 1971) — snooker player who reached career highest ranking of #16

N

• Ken Nicol (born 1951) — musician and guitarist in British folk rock band Steeleye Span

P

• Nick Park (born 1958) — animator famous known for Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run claymation
• Stuart Pettman (born 1975) — snooker player
• Peter Purves — Blue Peter presenter

R

• Edith Rigby (1872–1950) — suffragette

S

• Robert W. Service (1874–1958) —poet, known for his writings about the Yukon and the Klondike
• Ranvir Singh —BBC news presenter and journalist
• J. Keighley Snowden (1860–1947), — journalist and novelist
• Mark Strange —martial arts expert and film producer[citation needed]
• Johnny Sullivan (1932–2003) — British boxer and Commonwealth Middleweight Champion
• Andrew Sznajder (born 1967) —English-born Canadian tennis player

T

• Jessica Taylor (born 1980) —singer with Liberty X
• Francis Thompson (1859–1907) — poet
• John Thomson — actor and comedian

W

• John Wall (1620–1679) — martyr and saint
• Dick Wilson (1916–2007) — actor