Famous People

Ever wondered which North Wales residents have found fame? We’ve compiled a list of North Walians who are making a big impact internationally.

Lead singer of indie rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen, Ryan “Van” McCann, hails from the seaside town of Llandudno. The Brit award winner has also performed at leading North Wales festival, Festival no.6.

Comedian, actress and writer Dawn French was born in Holyhead, Anglesey. The BAFTA award winner stared in the popular comedy Vicar of Dibley.

The Lead singer of Motorhead, Ian Fraser Kilmister AKA Lemmy, grew up in North Wales. As one of the founders of the heavy metal genre, Lemmy grew up in Benllech, Anglesey.

Hollywood actor Rhys Ifans grew up in the rural town of Ruthin. Rhys Ifans has appeared in numerous blockbusters including Harry Potter, Notting Hill, The Amazing Spider-Man and of course, Kevin and Perry Go Large!

Rock band Neck Deep come from Wrexham. The band includes Ben Barlow, Sam Bowden, Fil Thorpe-Evans, Dani Washington and Matt West – all hailing from the Welsh town.

Former James Bond, Timothy Dalton, was born and grew up in Colwyn Bay. The actor played James Bond twice, The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989).

Another Colwyn Bay resident is Monty Python star Terry Jones. Terry is also an accomplished author and director. 

Mike Peters, lead singer of The Alarm, hails from the seaside town of Prestatyn.

Popular singer and TV presenter Aled Jones is from Bangor. The singer rose to fame with “Walking in the Air”.

Former Countdown co-host Carol Vorderman grew up in Prestatyn.

Sport stars hailing from North Wales include footballer Robbie Savage (Wrexham), Football players and managers, Gary Speed (Mancot) & Mark Hughes (Wrexham), Liverpool legend Ian Rush (St Asaph) and rugby star George North (Anglesey)

Famous residents & visitors

Many famous people have lived and visited North Wales over the years. We’ve listed some of the biggest names below.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge resided in Anglesey during the Princes’ Royal Air Force service. Interestingly, Prince William was the first member of the British Royal Family since Henry VII to live in Wales.

During filming Knights of the Roundtable, director Guy Ritchie visited North Wales. Even tweeting a picture of Snowdonia’s glorious landscape.

Both Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have filmed in North Wales for Tomb Raider 2 and World War Z, respectively.

Elton John, The Beatles and Mumford and Sons have all performed at venues across North Wales.

During filming for 2006 film “Half Light” Demi Moore visited to shoot several scenes on Llanddwyn Island.

Sam Worthington, Nicolas Hoult, Liam Neeson and Gemma Arterton shot scenes in Snowdonia and Anglesey filming Clash of the Titans.

British Adventurer Bear Grylls resides on a small island off the Llyn Peninsula. The island comes complete with its own slide into the sea – sounds like fun!