READ Famous People From Wakefield

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List of famous people from Wakefield, including photos when available. The people below are listed by their popularity, so the most recognizable names are at the top of the list. Some of the people below are celebrities born in Wakefield, while others are simply notable locals. If you're from Wakefield you might already know that these prominent figures are also from your hometown, but some of the names below may really surprise you. This list includes people who were born and raised in Wakefield, as well as those who were born there but moved away at a young age.

This list is made up of a variety of people, including Royal Little and Jane Tomlinson.

If you want to answer the questions, "Which famous people are from Wakefield?" or "Which celebrities were born in Wakefield?" then this list is a great resource for you.
John W. Mitchell is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
John W. Mitchell Dec. at 88 (1917-2005)
John W. Mitchell was a sound mixer and sound recordist.
George Gissing is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Dec. at 46 (1857-1903)
George Robert Gissing was an English novelist who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. Gissing also worked as a teacher and tutor throughout his life. He published his first novel, Workers ...more
Adele Stevens is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
age 49
David Dellinger is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Dec. at 89 (1915-2004)
David T. Dellinger was an influential American radical, a pacifist and activist for nonviolent social change.
Johnny Longden is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Dec. at 96 (1907-2003)
John Eric Longden was an American Hall of Fame jockey who was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England. His father emigrated to Canada in 1909, settling in Taber, Alberta. By 1912, Longden Sr. had ...more
John A. Volpe is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Dec. at 86 (1908-1994)
John Anthony Volpe was an American politician and member of the Republican Party who served as the 61st and 63rd Governor of Massachusetts from 1961 to 1963 and 1965 to 1969, as the United ...more
Carleton S. Coon is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Dec. at 77 (1904-1981)
Carleton Stevens Coon was an American physical anthropologist, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, lecturer and professor at Harvard, and president of the American ...more
David Mercer is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Dec. at 52 (1928-1980)
David Mercer was an English dramatist.
Helen Baxendale is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
age 48
Helen Victoria Baxendale is an English actress of stage and television, best known for her roles in Cold Feet, Friends, Cardiac Arrest and An Unsuitable Job for a Woman.
John Travers Wood is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Dec. at 76 (1878-1954)
John Travers Wood was a physician and one-term congressman from northern Idaho.
Noel Gay is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Dec. at 56 (1898-1954)
Noel Gay was born Reginald Moxon Armitage. He also used the name Stanley Hill professionally. He was a successful British composer of popular music of the 1930s and 1940s whose output comprised ...more
Reynold C. Fuson is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Dec. at 84 (1895-1979)
Reynold Clayton Fuson was an American chemist. Born in Wakefield, Illinois, Fuson attended Central Normal College in Danville, Indiana, where after one year in 1914 he was certified as a ...more
Claire Cooper is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
age 38
Claire Elizabeth Cooper is a British actress, best known for portraying Jacqui McQueen in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a character she had been playing from 2006 to 2013. Cooper co-owns ...more
Chris Spence is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
age 48
Chris Spence is an award winning New Zealand journalist and former political advisor on environmental issues and foreign affairs. He currently has 20 years’ experience working internationally ...more
Joseph Bingham is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Joseph Bingham Dec. at 55 (1668-1723)
Joseph Bingham, was an English scholar and divine.
John Scott is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
age 62
John Gavin Scott LVO is an English organist and choirmaster. He directed the Choir of St. Paul's Cathedral in London from 1990 to 2004. He now directs the Choir of Men and Boys of Saint Thomas ...more
Tim Booth is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Tim Booth age 59
Timothy John Booth is an English singer, dancer and actor best known as the lead singer from the band James.
Royal Little is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Royal Little Dec. at 93 (1896-1989)
Royal Little, was the founder and chair of Textron, and is considered to be the Father of Conglomerates. Little graduated from Noble & Greenough School in 1915 and from Harvard University in ...more
Luke Burgess is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
age 32
Luke Burgess is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League. He previously played for South Sydney Rabbitohs). A forward like ...more
Andy Kelly is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Andy Kelly age 58
Andy Kelly is a professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and '90s, and rugby league coach, playing at representative level for England, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity, Hull ...more
George Burton is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
George Burton Dec. at 35 (1855-1890)
George Burton was a rugby union international who represented England from 1879 to 1881.
Thomas Oliver Bennett is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Thomas Oliver Bennett Dec. at 53 (1852-1905)
Thomas Oliver Bennett birth registered in Wakefield district, was an English rugby union footballer of the 1870s, playing at representative level for Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield ...more
Alicia Blagg is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Alicia Blagg age 22
Alicia Blagg is a British diver. In 2010 Blagg became the England's youngest ever double national champion when she won both the 1 metre springboard and 3 metre synchronised titles in the ...more
Frederick Lowrie is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Frederick Lowrie Dec. at 34 (1868-1902)
Frederick "Fred" William Lowrie born in Wakefield, was a rugby union footballer of the 1880s and '90s, playing at representative level for England, and Yorkshire, and at club level for ...more
Geoffrey Clarkson is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list Famous People From Wakefield
Geoffrey Clarkson Dec. at 58 (1943-2001)
Geoffrey "Geoff" Clarkson born in Wakefield, was an English rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, playing representative level rugby union ...more