List of people from the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale

This is a list of people from Rochdale, in Greater Manchester. The demonym of Rochdale is Rochdalian, however, this list may include people from Heywood, Littleborough, Middleton, Milnrow and Wardle, all from the wider Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. This list is arranged alphabetically by surname:

B

 * Colin Baker – actor known for playing Doctor Who on television
 * Samuel Bamford – radical and writer; born in Middleton
 * Lizzy Bardsley – gained fame from appearing on Channel 4's Wife Swap in 2003
 * Les Barton – English professional footballer
 * Stephen Butterworth – British physicist and engineer.
 * Stuart Bithell – Olympic Silver Medallist – Men's 470 sailing at the London 2012 summer Olympics and Olympic Gold Medalist - Men's 49er sailing at the Tokyo 2020 summer Olympics
 * Christine Bottomley – actress known for her roles on Early Doors, Heartbeat and as Shoo Coggan on BBC drama, Hope Springs
 * Steve Brackenridge – football player
 * John Bright – radical; Liberal statesman associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League

C

 * Robert Chadwick – American politician; Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County from 1881 to 1888
 * Steve Clayton – Rochdale-born author and drummer in Tractor; co-founder with Chris Hewitt and Jim Milne of Tractor Sound Studios, marked in Heywood by a blue plaque; his albums under the name Tractor and his book under the name Stephen Clayton received critical acclaim
 * Brian Clegg – science writer; born in Rochdale
 * John Collier – Urmston-born 18th-century caricaturist and satirical poet; brought up and spent all his adult life in Milnrow
 * Jake Cody – professional poker player, winner of the triple crown
 * Steve Coogan – Middleton-born and brought up comedian
 * Jack Crabtree – contemporary artist; born in Rochdale
 * Lisa Cross – IFBB professional bodybuilder

D

 * Craig Dawson – professional footballer, Rochdale, West Bromwich Albion, Bolton Wanderers, Watford and England U21
 * Victoria Derbyshire - British journalist, newsreader and broadcaster who was born in Bury, but spent most of her childhood in Littleborough

E

 * Kelvin Earl – Littleborough born rugby league footballer of the 1970s. He played at club level for Rochdale Hornets (two spells), St. Helens, Bradford Northern, and Swinton
 * G. H. Elliott – music hall singer and recording star
 * Don Estelle – Crumpsall-born actor and singer who lived for much of his life in Rochdale

F

 * Roger Fenton – Heywood-born pioneering war photographer; his work on the Crimean War is particularly acclaimed; a blue plaque marks his former home
 * Gracie Fields – real name Grace Stansfield; actress, singer and comedian
 * Darrell Fitton – electronic musician from Rochdale, England. Most of his work is recorded under recording monikers Bola and Jello,
 * Paul Flowers – banker, also known as the Crystal Methodist; councillor in the town in 1988–92
 * Anna Friel – stage and screen actress

G

 * Alfred Henry Gill (1856–1914) – MP for Bolton, 1906–1914. In first group of 29 Labour MPs to enter Parliament.
 * Julie Goodyear – television actress and personality, best known for her portrayal of Bet Lynch in Coronation Street

H

 * Trevor Hoyle – novelist, radio dramatist, broadcaster whose literary work is set in the northwest

J

 * Anna Jacobs – novelist
 * Barb Jungr – singer, songwriter and musician
 * Sajid Javid – Politician and former Home Secretary for the Conservative Government

K

 * Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baronet – politician and educationalist
 * Andy Kershaw – BBC music broadcaster
 * Liz Kershaw – BBC music broadcaster
 * Walter Kershaw – artist
 * Heather Knight - cricketer

L

 * Donald Love – professional footballer
 * Jessica Lord - actress

M

 * Bob Mason – actor
 * Joseph Massey – cricketer
 * Dwight McNeil – footballer, first teenager to score a Premier League goal for Burnley F.C.
 * Vance Miller – controversial entrepreneur from Rochdale
 * Jim Milne – lead guitarist and vocalist in Tractor and co founder of Tractor Sound Studios – see John Peel blue plaque in Heywood
 * John Milne – Liverpool-born, Milnrow-brought up professor, geologist and mining engineer who invented a pioneering seismograph (known as the Milne-Shaw seismograph) to detect and measure earthquakes

O

 * Bill Oddie – naturalist, comedian, musician and actor

R

 * Dan Rhodes - Young musician, YouTuber, and Britain's Got Talent contestant
 * Francis Robert Raines – former Anglican vicar of Milnrow; antiquary; edited 23 volumes for the Chetham Society publications
 * Alec Roth – composer

S

 * Joseph A. Sladen, recipient of the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, born in Rochdale
 * Joseph Smith (born 1849) – steeplejack known as "the Best Steeplejack in the World"; born in Coventry
 * Cyril Smith (1928-2010) - Disgraced Member of Parliament
 * Nik & Eva Speakman (known collectively as The Speakmans) - Have lived in Littleborough for over 20 years
 * Lisa Stansfield – Grammy Award-nominated and BRIT Award-winning R&B and soul singer; brought up in Heywood

T

 * Annie Tomlinson (1870–1933), British journalist and co-operative movement supporter

W

 * Keira Walsh, footballer for FC Barcelona Femení and Lionesses.