List of people from Brighton and Hove

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

This is a list of notable inhabitants of the city of Brighton and Hove in England. This includes the once separate towns of Brighton and Hove.

Note that in the case of persons still living, they may not currently live within the area of the city, but have done so at some time.

For clarification: note the distinction between Kemptown and Kemp Town.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

• Harrison Ainsworth, lived in Kemptown; wrote the novel "Ovingdean Grange" 1860
• Chemmy Alcott, Britain's number one Alpine Skier
• Elizabeth Allan, actress, lived in Arundel Terrace, Kemp Town in the 1950s
• Chesney Allen, comedian, one of Flanagan and Allen, born in Brighton in 1893
• Henry Allingham, briefly the world's oldest man, moved to St Dunstan's at age 109
• Emma Anderson, guitarist and songwriter of indie music bands Lush and Sing-Sing (band)
• Richard Attenborough, broadcaster and film-maker (Gandhi), brother of David Attenborough
• Michael "Atters" Attree, satirist, comedy writer and performer
• Dean Ayass, television wrestling commentator
• Richard Addinsell, composer of the Warsaw Concerto and many film soundtracks — lived in Chichester Terrace 1960–77; blue commemorative plaque adorns house
• Peter Andre, British-born Australian singer

B

• David Baboulene, humorous travel writer, scriptwriter and story theory expert
• John Baine, known as Attila the Stockbroker, poet, singer and campaigner
• Zoe Ball broadcaster, daughter of Johnny Ball
• Howard Barker, playwright
• Carol Barnes, former ITV newsreader in Brighton Marina
• Alexandra Bastedo, actress
• Biddy Baxter, former editor of Blue Peter
• Aubrey Beardsley, fin-de-siecle artist, born in Brighton 1872; for some time lived at Lower Rock Gardens, Kemptown
• Steve Bell, Guardian cartoonist
• William Bemister, documentary filmmaker, born in Brighton
• Pete Bennett, winner of TV Show Big Brother
• Patrick Bergin, actor in films including Sleeping with the Enemy and Patriot Games
• Robin Bextor, film and TV director, including Norfolk Coast, Windsor Restored, Paul McCartney Today and Yesterday and many music films has a residence in Lewes Crescent (from 2008)
• William Black, novelist lived at 1 Paston Place from 1879 until his death in 1898
• Paul Blackburn, bassist for popular rock band Gomez currently lives in Hove
• Howard Blake, OBE, composer, pianist, conductor, lyric-writer, grew up in Brighton and attended Downs Junior School (1944–49), then Brighton Grammar School (1950–57)
• Cate Blanchett, Australian actress,^[1] owned and lived in 23 Lewes Crescent between 2003–06
• Arthur Bliss, composer, most famously the score for Things to Come
• Edward Booth, naturalist and taxidermist, lived in Brighton and founded its Booth Museum
• Tim Booth, lead singer of the band James
• Kirk Brandon, musician famous for forming and fronting post-punk bands Theatre of Hate and Spear of Destiny
• Frank Bridge, composer
• Raymond Briggs, artist, writer and illustrator of many children's books including The Snowman, taught at Brighton Art College
• The members of British Sea Power, an indie rock band (Yan, Noble, Hamilton and Woody)
• Ray Brooks, actor
• Janet Brown, actress and impersonator of Margaret Thatcher, lived in Hove^[2]
• Frank Browne, Astrophysicist and humanitarian
• Isambard Kingdom Brunel, engineer, attended Dr Morell's school in Hove
• Dora Bryan, comic actress (whose Clarges hotel on Marine Parade was used in the Carry On films)
• David Bull, TV doctor and Conservative candidate for the next UK general election
• Nick Burbridge, author of poetry/plays/novel and songwriter founder of folk rock McDermott's Two Hours
• Richard Burchett, artist
• Julie Burchill, journalist; founder of Modern Review
• Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Pre-Raphaelite artist; resident 1880–98
• Sir John Cordy Burrows (1813–76), surgeon and local politician; mayor of Brighton 1857
• Keith Burstein, composer, born (1957) and brought up in Hove
• Charles Busby, Regency architect, prolific in Brighton. Lived in Lansdowne Place. House is adorned by a blue commemorative plaque
• Dame Clara Butt, recitalist and concert singer, lived in St Aubyns Mansions between 1903 and 1906.^[3]
• Douglas Byng, comic singer and songwriter; lived in Arundel Terrace, Kemp Town; died 1987

C

• Simon Callow, Famous British actor has a house in Hove
• George Canning, (1770–1827), British politician and Prime Minister; resident April to August, 1827)
• Marie-Antoine Carême, chef to the Prince Regent, inventor of chef's toque (hat)
• Edward Carpenter, poet and philosopher
• Dirick Carver, Protestant martyr, 1554
• Michael Cashman, MEP and former EastEnders actor
• Nick Cave, Australian musician, writer, and film maker
• Ian Chapman, footballer
• Shaun Charman, formerly drummer of band The Wedding Present
• Peter Chrisp, children's writer
• Sir Winston Churchill, journalist and politician; attended a school run by the "Misses Thompson" in Hove
• Dave Clarke, disc-jockey
• Julian Clary, comedian, formerly the Joan Collins fan club
• John Clements, (1910–88) actor
• Carol Cleveland, Monty Python actress
• Bryan Clough, author of State Secrets: The Kent-Wolkoff Affair
• Brian Cobby, former voice of the British Telecom speaking clock
• C. B. Cochran, (1872–1951) impresario, showman, born in Prestonville Road, Brighton
• Admiral Sir Edward Codrington, (1770–1851) hero of the Battle of Navarino — lived in 140 Western Road (1828–52); a blue commemorative plaque adorns the house
• Ben Cohen (1907-1971), author, publisher and distributor of bridge books and stationary supplies.
• Dainton Connell (1961-2007), a leading Arsenal hooligan, was born in Brighton
• Steve Coogan, comedian well-known as Alan Partridge
• Norman Cook musician formerly of band The Housemartins, and subsequently known as DJ Fatboy Slim (Portslade)
• Gaz Coombes, lead singer of band Supergrass, once lived in Brighton
• David Courtney, born David Cohen in Whitehawk, composer and record producer; discovered and co-wrote with Leo Sayer; also nephew of Henry Cohen who conceived and built Brighton Marina
• Simon Cowell, Sony BMG executive, born in Brighton^[4]
• Henry Radcliffe Crocker (1846–1909), dermatologist born in Hove
• A. J. Cronin, novelist, lived in Hove in 1945
• Luke Cresswell (of musical performers Stomp)
• Aleister Crowley, author, died in a nursing home in Hastings, along the coast from Brighton, in December 1947; ashes scattered at Devil's Dyke
• James Crump (1812–92), founder of St. Aubyn's School (named after the Hove street in which he lived)
• Thomas Cubitt (1788–1855), master builder, employed in the development of Kemp Town. Lived in 13 Lewes Crescent
• Richard Crane, Playwright, Kemp Town
• Sam Crane, Actor, born Brighton

D

• Alfred Darling, pioneer film equipment manufacturer
• Roger Dean, artist, famous for prog-rock album covers
• Lord Alfred Douglas (poet and writer) friend & lover of Oscar Wilde
• Graham Duff television writer and actor famous for BBC Three TV series ideal

E

• Nick Van Eede, lead singer, Cutting Crew
• G. H. Elliott, (1884–1962), music hall singer and comedian, buried in Rottingdean church yard
• Bella Emberg, actress; co-star of The Russ Abbot Show
• Revd. Richard Enraght, religious controversialist, curate of St. Paul's Church, Brighton 1867–71, and priest in Charge of St. Andrew's Church, Portslade 1871–74
• Chris Eubank, ex-boxer, who holds the purchased title of "Lord of the Manor of Brighton"
• George Everest, surveyor after whom the mountain was named, buried in Hove
• Maurice Evans, leading Shakespearan actor in the United States, regularly in Bewitched and Batman, and Dr Zaius in Planet of the Apes

F

• Michael Fabricant MP, born in Brighton in 1950; educated at the Brighton and Hove Grammar School
• Simon Fanshawe, broadcaster, writer, and comedian
• Tommy Farr, boxer, "The Tonypandy Terror", ran a pub in Brighton after retirement
• Frank Finlay, actor, owned a house in Wyndham Street for 30 years until 2009.
• Maria Fitzherbert, illegitimate wife of George IV (the marriage of a Catholic to a member of the British Royal Family was illegal)
• Amanda Jane Fleming^[5], film, radio, and stage actress, lived in Brighton in early 2000s
• William Friese-Greene, cinematographic pioneer, subject of the film The Magic Box

G

• David Garnett, novelist
• George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent, and later King George IV of the United Kingdom
• Grant Gee, filmmaker and music video director
• Dave Gibbons, comic book illustrator, famed for co-creating Watchmen
• Annabel Giles, TV presenter, lives in Brighton^[6]
• Eric Gill, typographer, engraver, sculptor, born in Brighton 1882
• David Gilmour, guitarist and vocalist of Pink Floyd, owns house on Kings Esplanade, Hove
• Harvey Goldsmith, rock promoter
• Nat Gonella, singer and trumpeter, Lived in Saltdean
• Stephen Grant, comedian and writer, lives in Brighton and frequently performs in the town's Komedia venue
• Graham Greene, writer (worked in but did not live in Brighton)
• Lucy Griffiths, actress (attended Varndean College)
• Martha Gunn, famous dipper and friend of the Prince Regent
• Sally Gunnell, athlete, olympic 400m hurdles champion in 1992

H

• Eamon Hamilton, of the band Brakes and formerly of British Sea Power
• Kay Hammond, (1909–1980), Stage and film actress, wife of John Clements
• Gilbert Harding TV personality in the 1950s; lived in Clifton Terrace, Brighton
• Cyriak Harris, British freelance animator, E4 winner, B3TA member
• Harry Harrison, science-fiction writer
• Phil Hartnoll, of band Orbital
• Tony Hawks, comedian, author and philanthropist
• John Albert Hay, former British Politician
• Peter Thomas Hay, author
• Rachel Hayward, former British Steel Pan Champion Soloist
• Michael Heath, cartoonist
• Den Hegarty, of bands Darts and Rocky Sharpe and the Razors/Replays
• Toby Hemingway, actor best known for playing Reid Garwin in 'The Covenant'
• James Herbert, horror author of The Rats and The Fog
• Phoebe Hessel, (1713–1821), buried in the graveyard of St Nicholas' Church, Brighton
• Rowland Hill, postal reformer
• Steve Hillier of band Dubstar (Hove)
• Georg Hólm, bassist of Sigur Rós
• Nicholas van Hoogstraten, multimillionaire and property tycoon
• Rufus Hound, comedian and presenter
• Barbara Hulanicki, fashion designer and founder of Biba
• Jessica Hynes (née Stephenson), actress and writer, grew up in Brighton

J

• Mick Jackson, writer, best known for novel The Underground Man, lives in Brighton
• Edward James, poet and art collector, who lent many famous Surrealist works to Brighton Museum in the 1950s and 1960s
• Samantha Janus, actress Eastenders
• Konrad Jarnot, opera singer
• Michael Jayston, actor, lives in Hove

K

• Charles Albert Keeley, pioneering colour theorist and entertainer
• Natasha Kaplinsky, journalist and newsreader
• Joe Kelly, philosopher and former member of Zut Alors
• Nigel Kennedy, violinist
• Natasha Khan (also known as Bat for Lashes), musician
• Alex King, rugby player
• Matt King, actor and comedian; Super Hans in Peep Show
• Philip King, playwright; wrote the farce See How They Run.
• William King, philanthropist; supporter of Cooperative Movement
• Rudyard Kipling, author; lived in Rottingdean between 1897 and 1903
• Prince Peter Alexeevich Kropotkin, anarchist; resident 1912–17

L

• Thomas Lainson, architect
• David Land, theatre producer
• George Larner, race-walker; double gold medallist at 1908 Olympics
• David Lavender, co-founder of Komedia theatre and production company
• Vivien Leigh, actress, Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind
• Reginald Leopold, BBC violinist, lived in Saltdean at the time of his death.^[7]
• Fred Lillywhite, cricketer; organised first England overseas tour
• Ken Livingstone, politician; formerly Mayor of London; had a house in the Seven Dials area^[8]
• Hugh Lloyd, actor and comedian, lived in Rottingdean
• Jane Longhurst, killed by Graham Coutts; the Jane Longhurst Trust was set up to campaign for the criminalisation of what the Government labelled "extreme pornography", a move opposed by Backlash and the Consenting Adult Action Network^[9]
• Ida Lupino, actress and film-maker, c.1914 – c.1949, daughter of Stanley Lupino
• Desmond Lynam, broadcaster

M

• Matt Machan (born 1991), Sussex cricketer
• Sake Dean Mahomet, introduced the Turkish bath to Britain
• Gideon Mantell, doctor, palaeontologist, discoveror of dinosaurs (Iguanodon), lived and worked in Brighton in the 1830s
• Lesley Manville (born 1956), English actress
• Edward Marshall-Hall, criminal barrister famous for Edwardian theatrics in court
• Ivan Massow, entrepreneur
• Susan Maughan, singer of hit record Bobbys Girl, lived in Rottingdean
• Peter Mayle, author of A Year in Provence
• Pete McCarthy actor and writer
• Heather Mills, ex-wife of musician and ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, lives and owns the vegan restaurant Vbites in Hove
• Joe McGann, actor; star of The Upper Hand
• Neil Megson, performance artist, also known as Genesis P-Orridge
• Alan Melville, (1910–1983) revue author, playwright, lyricist, radio and TV personality moved to Brighton in 1951 and lived in Clifton Terrace and Victoria St.^[10][11]
• Sara Mendes da Costa, the British Telecom speaking clock
• Prince Klemens von Metternich (15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), Austrian Foreign Minister, Diplomat and creator of the Congress of Vienna
• Max Miller, comedian, "the Cheeky Chappie", born in Brighton in 1894, lived there most of his life; blue plaque at 160 Marine Parade
• Juan, Count of Montizón, the Carlist claimant to the throne of Spain and Legitimist claimant to the throne of France — lived in Hove c.1870s – 1887, where he died; funeral mass held in Hove's Sacred Heart Church
• William Moon, teacher and inventor of an alphabet for the blind
• Gary Moore, musician, guitarist with Thin Lizzy amongst others as well as solo, lived in Hove
• Caitlin Moran, journalist, was born in Brighton^[12]
• James Morrison, recording artist, lives in Hove^[13]

N

• Napoleon III, Emperor of the French; deposed by the Third Republic in 1870 and lived in Brighton in 1872
• Dame Anna Neagle, actress; lived at Lewes Crescent, Kemp Town
• Annie Nightingale, BBC TV and Radio presenter and sometime Brighton night-club owner
• Ray Noble, band leader, composer, born 17 December 1903 in 1 Montpelier Terrace
• Jeff Noon, speculative fiction writer

O

• Peter O'Donnell, creator of Modesty Blaise
• Lord Olivier (Laurence Olivier) and Joan Plowright; lived at Royal Crescent 1960–78
• John Osborne, playwright, lived in 7a Arundel Terrace, Kemp Town in the 1950s
• Steve Ovett, Olympic runner, 800 metres gold medalist in 1980, born and brought up in Brighton
• Denise Van Outen, television presenter, currently renovating a house^{[citation needed]}
• Bill Owen, actor, lived in Sussex Square in the 1950s
• Adrian Oxaal, guitarist, formerly with James

P

• George Painter, biographer, died at Hove on 8 Dec 2005
• Chris Paling, novelist
• Phillip Reeve, novelist; grew up in Brighton
• Patsy Palmer, current EastEnders actress
• Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish politician, died in Brighton
• Marguerite Patten, cookery writer
• David Pearce, philosopher
• Donald Peers, Welsh crooner, lived in St. John's Road, Hove; memorial tablet at Downs Crematorium
• John Pelling, artist, born (1930) and raised in Hove^[14]
• Laurie Penny, columnist and blogger, grew up in Brighton, attended Brighton College
• Fred Perry, tennis player, lived in Rottingdean
• Karen Pickering, swimmer, former 200 metres freestyle champion
• David Pilbeam, anthropologist
• Keith Pilbeam, economist
• Alan Pipes, author and illustrator
• Joan Plowright — see Lord Olivier, above
• Tim Pope, film director and video maker
• Samuel Preston, lead singer of the band The Ordinary Boys, formally married to Celebrity Big Brother winner, Chantelle Houghton
• Katie Price, model (also known as Jordan), formerly married to Peter Andre
• Tobin Prinz, of Prinzhorn Dance School
• Partho Sen-Gupta, film director and scriptwriter (resident since October 2006)
• Luke Pritchard, lead singer and rhythm guitarist for The Kooks

Q

• Roger Quilter, composer, born in Hove in 1877

R

• Peggy Ramsay (1908–1991), theatrical agent, lived in Kensington Place, Brighton. Blue plaque at the property.
• Robert Rankin, author
• Terence Rattigan, playwright, author of The Browning Version and The Winslow Boy lived at Bedford House, 79 Marine Parade. Blue plaque at the property.
• Rita Ray, once singer with the Darts, latterly radio presenter and DJ
• Amanda Redman, actress, born in Brighton in 1957
• Terence Reese, Also from London, a national and international award winning player of and highly regarded writer on contract bridge; a writer on other games; died at the age of 83 of aspirin poisoning on January 29, 1996 at his residence at 23 Adelaide Crescent; an inquest ruled his death accidental.
• Dakota Blue Richards, actress, is attending Brighton College sixth form
• Rizzle Kicks, hip-hop duo
• Paul Roberts, frontman/singer with pop band the stranglers — session singer and actor
• Frederick William Robertson, Anglican divine
• George Robey, (1869–1954), music hall comedian, lived in Arundel Drive, Saltdean until his death
• Dame Flora Robson, actress, 1960 until her death in 1984, famous as Elizabeth I
• Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, opened first shop in Kensington Gardens, Brighton in 1976; a blue commemorative plaque marks the building.
• Arnold Ruge, German philosopher and political writer, lived in exile in Brighton from 1850 until his death in 1880
• Dr. Richard Russell (1687–1759), encouraged the submersion and drinking of seawater. Buried in the churchyard of St Nicholas' Church, Brighton.
• Gilbert Ryle, philosopher
• John Alfred Ryle, professor of medicine at Cambridge and Oxford. Physician to George V. Brother of Gilbert Ryle.
• Martin Ryle, winner of 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics

S

• Victoria Sackville-West, had two houses in Sussex Square, Kemp Town conjoined by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who also built her another at nearby Roedean
• Sir Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, British Indian philanthropist and merchant, 1st Baronet Sassoon
• Sir Edward Albert Sassoon, businessman and politician, MP for Hythe, whose mausoleum became the Hanbury Arms; 2nd Baronet Sassoon, of Kensington Gore
• Tom Sayers, boxer
• Paul Scofield, actor, lived in Brighton as a child and went to school there
• Tom Searle, Guitarist of UK Metalcore band Architects
• Dan Searle, Drummer of UK Metalcore band Architects
• Captain Sensible, punk musician with The Damned
• Jake Shillingford, musician and front-man of My Life Story
• Roy Skelton, actor and voice of the Daleks^[15]
• Sylvia Sleigh, artist
• George Albert Smith, pioneering early cinematographer lived and built a studio in Hove
• Robert Smith, singer for band The Cure; long-term resident
• Jimmy Somerville, musician formerly of band The Communards
• Herbert Spencer, philosopher and political theorist
• Victor Spinetti, actor, film, stage TV, lived in Kemp Town
• Dusty Springfield, singer, had home in Wilbury Road, Hove
• Victor Stiebel, fashion designer, lived in Chichester Terrace
• Joakim Sundström, Swedish sound editor, sound designer and musician

T

• Jake Tapsell, board member of OXFAM
• Maui Taylor, Filipino actress, big in the Philippines
• Nicholas Tettersell, ferried Charles II to exile in France
• Angela Thirkell, buried in St Margaret's Church, Rottingdean
• David Thomas, lead singer of Pere Ubu, Rocket from the Tombs, and David Thomas & Two Pale Boys
• Francis Tillstone, Brighton's Town Clerk from 1881 to 1904
• Mike Townsend O.B.E., Brighton-born internet developer
• Arthur Treacher, actor
• Tommy Trinder comedian, owned and lived in 71 Marine Parade (ref. Kelly's 1951)
• Jack Tripp, English pantomime dame, died 2005
• Lynne Truss, writer
• Kieran Turner, aid worker and founder of Brighton Lifeline for Kosova, which became Aid Convoy
• Keith Tyson, artist and Turner Prize winner in 2002, studied Critical Fine Art Practice at Brighton University's Grand Parade campus

V

• David Van Day, singer
• Ralph Vaughan Williams, composer, went to school in Rottingdean
• Wanda Ventham, actress, was born in Brighton
• Magnus Volk, electrical engineer and inventor

W

• Johnny Wakelin, musician
• Keith Waterhouse CBE (1929–2009), journalist, novelist and playwright, lived in Embassy Court, Brighton
• David Watkin (1925–2008) Oscar and BAFTA winning cinematographer lived in Sussex Mews, Kemp Town until his death
• Wildman Whitehouse, surgeon and destroyer of the first transatlantic telegraph cable
• Rachel Whiteread, artist and Turner Prize winner in 1993
• Herbert Wilcox, (1892–1977) film producer and director lived in Lewes Crescent, Kemp Town
• Amon Wilds and his son Amon Henry Wilds, both Regency architects, prolific in Brighton
• Mark Williams, member of The Fast Show team and actor in the Harry Potter films
• James Williamson (film pioneer), cinema pioneer had a chemist's shop in Church Road, Hove before building a studio in Cambridge Grove
• Holly Willoughby, television presenter
• Joe Lee Wilson, jazz singer
• John Wisden, cricketer, founded Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
• W.I.Z., music video director
• Faynia Williams, theatre, opera, film director, BBC producer, Kemp Town

Y

• Will Young, recording artist (popular music)
• Robyn Young, author

Z

• Helen Zahavi, writer
• Paul Zenon, magician

See also

• List of Brighton & Hove bus names (a series of buses have been named after famous people connected with the city)

References

1. ^ Cate Blanchett - Daily Mail article
2. ^ Actress Janet Brown dies aged 87
3. ^ http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9224967.Red_faces_after_blue_plaque_blunder/
4. ^ Simon Cowell Biography
5. ^ Amanda Jane Fleming resumé at Internet Movie DataBase
6. ^ Annabel Giles
7. ^ http://www.saltdean.info/news2003.htm
8. ^ Ken Livingstone
9. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7682319.stm
10. ^ http://history.buses.co.uk/history/fleethist/610am.htm
11. ^ http://uk.imdb.com/name/nm0578459/
12. ^ http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/m/26885/Catherine%20Elizabeth%20(Caitlin)+MORAN.aspx
13. ^ http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6405332.ece
14. ^ "John Pelling (biography)". Jackson & Hickey. http://www.jacksonandhickey.com/artists/John-Pelling/all/works. Retrieved 2011-05-30. 
15. ^ http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9072711.Dalek_voice_actor_dies_in_Brighton/?ref=rss