Famous People

Politicians, musicians, actors, composers and supermodels, many famous people have been born in Oldham:-

Please note that all links are to external sites. Although every care is taken to ensure these links are up to date, relevant and accurate, Oldham Council cannot take responsibility for the content of external links.

• Agyness Deyn– Supermodel from Failsworth
• Alex Carter – Actor and radio presenter, played Lee Hunter in Hollyoaks and currently stars in Emmerdale
• Anne Kirkbride – Oldham-born actress who plays Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street 
• Annie Kenney - a Saddleworth born Suffragette who is credited with sparking off suffragette militancy when she heckled Winston Churchill
• Barbara Knox – Actress from Oldham who plays Rita Sullivan in Coronation Street.
• Barrie McDermott – former professional Rugby League player with Oldham, Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos, Bramley and Widnes. Barrie also played for Great Britain.
• Bernard Cribbins - character actor and musical comedian
• Cannon and Ball – Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball are Britain’s longest running double-act who were both born in Oldham.
• Carl Cox – A techno and house DJ from Oldham 
• Christopher Biggins - TV presenter, pantomime actor and winner of I'm a Celebrity....Get Me Out of Here 2007
• Clem Beckett – Famous Speedway motorcycle rider and promoter born in Oldham who lost his life in the Spanish Civil War in 1937. His racing helmet can be found in Gallery Oldham.
• Clint Boon - is a musician and DJ. Boon originally rose to notability as the keyboards player with Oldham band Inspiral Carpets.
• David Platt - born in Chadderton and played for Aston Villa, Arsenal and several Italian teams as well representing England 
• Eric Sykes - Oldham born veteran actor and comedian
• Helen Bradley MBE - an artist born in Lees whose paintings vividly depict Lancashire life between 1900 and 1910
• Henry Taylor – Hollinwood-born Olympic freestyle swimming triple gold medallist and champion.
• Iestyn Harris - former Great Britain rugby league player
• Inspiral Carpets – Alternative rock band from Oldham that rose to fame during the ‘Madchester’ scene. Famous for the song ‘This Is How It Feels’.
• Jack Wild – Actor from Royton who achieved fame through his performance as the Artful Dodger in Lionel Bart’s musical film production of Oliver!
• Karen Elson - Model and singer from Oldham who has walked the runways for many of the biggest fashion designers 
• Kevin Sinfield – Oldham born English Rugby League player with Leeds Rhinos.
• Mark Owen – Born in Oldham, he was a founding member of the band, Take That who were successful in the 1990s and are currently enjoying a revival.
• Mike Atherton – Failsworth born England Cricket captain. Currently commentates on cricket for Sky Sports.
• N-TRANCE - Electronic group formed of Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth from Oldham, whose hits include 'Set You Free', 'D.I.S.C.O' and 'Stayin Alive'
• Paul Edwards – Ex-professional footballer for Manchester United, Oldham Athletic and Stockport County.
• Paul Scholes – Manchester United midfielder who is lifelong Latics supporter and Saddleworth resident..
• Phillip Schofield -This Morning and Dancing on Ice TV presenter and also presented Going Live and played Joseph in the West End production, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
• Professor Brian Cox OBE - a Particle Physicist who works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN near Geneva. He has gained wide recognition for his efforts to make Science exciting through his many documentaries and television shows.
• Roy Skelton- Actor who voiced the Daleks in the popular BBC sci fi show Doctor Who. He also voiced the characters of Zippy and George in the popular BBC Childrens show "Rainbow".
• Sarah Lancashire - TV actress famous for her roles in Coronation Street and Where the Heart Is
• Shobna Gulati - plays Sunita in Coronation Street and has since appeared in various theatre productions and also in Celebrity Masterchef
• Sir William Turner Walton - a composer born in Oldham who gained international recognition for his oratorio, Belshazzar's Feast
• Sir Winston Churchill - Started his political career as MP for Oldham in 1900, before becoming Prime Minister in 1940. "I always cherish my memories of Oldham, and the warm hearts and bright eyes of its people, and I always wish them the good luck I know they deserve."
• Suranne Jones – Chadderton-born actress best known for playing Karen McDonald in Coronation Street.
• Twisted Wheel - Indie rock band from Saddleworth who have supported Oasis, Kasabian and The Enemy
• Wayne Marshall - an Oldham-born organist who has appeared at many of the world's top venues