List of people from Sunderland

This is a list of famous or notable people born in, or associated with, Sunderland or the wider City of Sunderland in North East England.

Arts

 * Griselda Allan (1905–1987), artist
 * Audrey Amiss (1933–2013), artist
 * Marion Angus (1865–1946), Scottish poet writing in Scots, born in Sunderland
 * James Baxter, actor
 * Emeli Sandé (singer)
 * Ernie Lotinga (actor)
 * James Bolam (1935–), actor
 * Alan Browning actor, born Alan Brown
 * Bernard Comrie (1947–), linguist
 * Ida Cook (1904–1986), Righteous among the Nations; as Mary Burchell, romance novelist
 * Terry Deary (1946–), author
 * Mike Elliott, comedian, actor and radio presenter
 * Edward Gregson, composer
 * James Herriot (pen name of James Alfred Wight) (1916–1995), veterinary surgeon and author
 * Melanie Hill (1962–), actress
 * Nat Jackley, comedian
 * Jools Jameson (1968–), game developer
 * Bobby Knoxall, comedian
 * Gina McKee (1964–), actress
 * Gibb McLaughlin (1884–1960), actor, born George Gibb McLaughlin
 * Christine Norden (1924–1988), actress, born Mary Lydia Thornton
 * David Parfitt, an Oscar-winning film producer
 * Sheila Quigley, novelist
 * Ronald Radd (1929–1976), actor
 * Callum Keith Rennie (1960–), film and television actor
 * Maurice Roëves (1937–2020), actor
 * William Russell actor and the first actor of three actors to appear as Doctor Who Companion
 * Clarkson Stanfield, painter
 * Mary Stewart, novelist
 * Tom Taylor, playwright and editor of Punch
 * Alan Temperley born 1936, children's and young adults author, works include Harry and the Wrinkles, The Deck Boy, Scar Hill.
 * Bobby Thompson, comedian, the 'Little Waster'
 * William Lindon-Travers, actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist, known professionally as Bill Travers
 * Graham Wallas, author and academic
 * Alison Wright (1976–), actress
 * Michael Young (1966–), industrial designer

Industry

 * Sir Robert Appleby Bartram (1835–1925), shipbuilder
 * William Reid Clanny (1770–1850), inventor and physician
 * John Cryan (born 1960), banker
 * Sir Tom Cowie, entrepreneur and philanthropist
 * George Daniels, world-famous horologist and inventor of the co-axial escapement
 * Sir Edward Temperley Gourley, coalfitter, shipowner and politician
 * Sir William Halcrow, civil engineer
 * Thomas Elliott Harrison, railway engineer
 * George Burton Hunter, shipbuilder and innovator
 * Patrick Meik and Charles Meik, civil engineering brothers
 * Sir William Mills, inventor of the Mills Bomb (hand grenade)
 * William Pile, shipbuilder
 * Sir Joseph Swan, inventor of the electric light bulb
 * Harry Watts, shipyard worker and multiple life-saver

Military and services

 * Robert Appleby Bartram (1894–1981), colonel and shipbuilder
 * Gertrude Bell (1868–1926), colonial administrator
 * PC Keith Blakelock (1945–1985), police officer
 * Sir Lawrence Andrew Common (1889–1953), Army officer and shipping director
 * Jack Crawford (1775–1831), sailor
 * Sir Henry Havelock (1795–1857), Major-General
 * Captain Richard Avery Hornsby, navy captain
 * Joseph Robert Kayll (1914–2000), WW2 RAF flying Ace
 * John Lilburne 'Free-born John', civil war figure
 * Alan Parnaby (1916–1974), cricketer and British Army officer
 * Ernest Vaux (1865–1925), Army Officer and Brewer
 * Robert Nairac (1948–1977), Army Officer

Music

 * Don Airey, musician, keyboardist with Deep Purple
 * Sir Thomas Allen, baritone
 * George Bellamy, musician
 * Eric Boswell, songwriter (Little Donkey)
 * Mark Brydon, one half of electro outfit Moloko
 * Bryan Ferry, singer, musician, and songwriter. Lead singer with Roxy Music
 * Muriel Foster, contralto
 * Frankie & The Heartstrings, indie rock band
 * The Futureheads, indie rock band
 * Eve Gallagher, singer
 * Kenickie, 1990s pop band
 * Lauren Laverne, ex-lead singer of Kenickie, later radio and TV presenter
 * Jez Lowe, folk singer, songwriter and broadcaster
 * Bob and Alf Pearson, singers, pianist (Bob) and variety performers
 * Alan Price, singer, musician, and songwriter. Keyboard player with The Animals
 * Emeli Sandé, musician
 * David A. Stewart (1952–), musician and songwriter, most notably as one half of the band Eurythmics
 * The Toy Dolls, punk rock band
 * Baz Warne, guitarist with The Stranglers
 * Faye Fantarrow (2002-2023), singer, songwriter

Politics

 * Hilary Armstrong, Member of Parliament, Cabinet Office and Social Exclusion Minister, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 2006–07
 * Sir Theodore Doxford, shipbuilder and politician
 * George Hudson, Member of Parliament and railway financier
 * Sir Edward Temperley Gourley, coalfitter, shipowner and politician
 * John Stapylton grey Pemberton (1860–1940), MP and Vice-Chancellor of Durham University
 * Jonathan Reynolds, Labour Party MP
 * Sir Luke Thompson, coal merchant and politician
 * Joseph Havelock Wilson, Trade union leader, Liberal Party politician, and campaigner for the rights of merchant seamen.

Sport

 * Charles W. Alcock: Cricketer and Football administrator.
 * Allan Ball (born 1943), ex-professional footballer and now Honorary Director of Queen of the South F.C.
 * Paul Kitson, ex-professional footballer
 * Clive Mendonca, ex-professional footballer
 * Raich Carter (1914–1994), footballer and manager
 * Nigel Clough (born 1966), former football player and manager
 * Ralph Coates (1946–2010), former football player
 * Kevin Dillon (English footballer) (born 1959), former football player and manager
 * Randolph Galloway (1896–1964), former football player and manager of clubs like Valencia and Sporting Lisbon
 * Michael Gray (born 1974), (footballer)
 * Billy Hardy (born 1964), boxer who became Commonwealth featherweight champion
 * Mick Harford (born 1959), former football player and manager
 * Micky Hazard (born 1960), former football player
 * Jordan Henderson (born 1990), footballer Sunderland A.F.C, Liverpool F.C-Current and England national football team
 * Lee Howey (born 1969), footballer Sunderland A.F.C
 * Steve Howey (born 1971), footballer Newcastle United
 * Jordan Pickford (born 1994), footballer Sunderland A.F.C, Everton F.C-Current and England national football team
 * Robert William "Bob" Jefferson (born 1882), footballer
 * Tony Jeffries (born 1985), boxer, Olympic Bronze medalist
 * Ernie Johnson (born 1948), jockey who won the 1969 Epsom Derby
 * Alan Kennedy: Footballer, Liverpool F.C.
 * Billy Marsden (born 1901), football player for England national football team
 * Jimmy Montgomery (born 1943), former football player (goalkeeper) and 1973 FA Cup winner
 * Bob Paisley (1919-1996) Footballer, Three times European Cup winning manager.
 * Alan Parnaby (1916–1974), cricketer and British Army officer
 * Ross Pearson (born 1984), mixed martial artist in UFC
 * Harry Potts (1920–1996), former football player and manager
 * Giovanni Reyna (born 2002), footballer For BVB and USA National Team
 * Lee Rushworth (born 1982), cricketer
 * Jill Scott (born 1987), football player for England women's national football team and Manchester City L.F.C.
 * Bob Willis (1949–2019), cricketer
 * Stephanie Houghton (born 1988), football player for England women's national football team and Manchester City L.F.C.

Other

 * Kate Adie, former BBC Chief News Reporter
 * St Bede, monk
 * Sir Joseph Swan, inventor of the incandescent light bulb
 * George Binns, New Zealand chartist leader and poet
 * St Benedict Biscop (628?–690)
 * Abel Chapman (1851–1929), hunter and naturalist
 * George Clarke, architect, television presenter
 * James Watson Corder (1868–1953), historian of local family history
 * Charlotte Crosby, television personality
 * John Cryan, physicist and bank manager
 * Peter Gibbs, weather forecaster
 * Jane Grigson, cookery writer
 * Andreas Høivold, professional poker player
 * Gareth Pugh (born 1981), fashion designer
 * Denise Robertson, novelist and TV agony aunt
 * Gordon Scurfield, biologist and author, active in Australia, with expertise in botany and ecology
 * William Shanks, amateur mathematician, worked out the value of Pi to 707 decimals
 * John Sowerby, botanist, writer and early member of the Alpine Club
 * Chris Steele, TV doctor
 * Ernest George Frederick Vogtherr (1898–1973), a New Zealand bacon curer, businessman and art collector

Notable residents

 * Charlie Buchan, footballer
 * Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland
 * Frank Caws, architect
 * Brian Clough, footballer, manager and European Cup winner
 * Steve Cram, Olympic Athlete and TV presenter
 * Bernard Gilpin, Apostle of the North, Rector of Houghton-le-Spring, Archdeacon of Durham
 * Sir William Herschel, composer and astronomer, discoverer of Uranus
 * William Reid Clanny, Irish physicist
 * Charlie Hurley, footballer
 * Alex Kapranos, musician/singer
 * Si King, television presenter, best known as one half of the Hairy Bikers
 * L. S. Lowry, artist
 * Lola Montez, adventuress
 * Chris Mullin, civil liberties campaigner and Labour MP
 * Jimmy Nail, actor/singer
 * William Paley, rector of Bishopwearmouth, wrote on intelligent design as opposed to evolution
 * Frank Pick, industrial designer
 * Don Revie, footballer and England manager
 * George Reynolds, businessman and former chairman of Darlington FC
 * William Sancroft, later Archbishop of Canterbury, was briefly Rector of Houghton-le-Spring
 * Len Shackleton, footballer
 * Michael Short, engineer and Professor
 * Peter Smith, computer scientist
 * Niall Quinn, footballer
 * Paul Gascoigne, footballer
 * Robert Nairac (1948–1977), Army Officer
 * Thomas Essomba, boxer
 * Vivian Stanshall and his wife Ki Longfellow, found the Baltic Trader "Thekla" and sailed her to Bristol where she became the Old Profanity Showboat