#1Famous people · Ely, Cambridgeshire
Performers stand out among the 45 famous people born in Ely
Guy Pearce, the Australian actor, is the most widely known, written about in 61 languages. Most were born in the 20th century: 24 of them. Births span 1450 to 1990, from Thomas Murfyn to Josh McNally. 9 of them were born since 1970.
Born here
45
notable people
Best known
Guy Pearce
in 61 Wikipedia languages
First
1450
Thomas Murfyn
Youngest
1990
Josh McNally
Most common field
Sports
13 people
What stands out about Ely’s famous people
Known worldwideGuy Pearce is written about in 61 languages.Still making namesSince 1950, 27 of them have been born here, the latest in 1990.A town of performersAmong the 45 people born here, 6 are performers: 1.6 times the usual share.45 notable peopleEly lists 45 notable people, more than most towns.
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Ely
Two of the three are performers.
#1SM#2
Film, TV & Stage
Simon MacCorkindale
1952–2010British actor (1952–2010)
22 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Through the years
When Ely’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1960s than in any other decade: 9.
SportsFilm, TV & StageWriting & ArtsPolitics & LawScience & MedicineNotableMusicMilitaryFaith
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Ely is known for
No other field is as far above the usual share as performers, at 1.6 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Ely
Another 42, the earliest born in 1450.
Alastair Hignell
born 1955English rugby union footballer, cricketer and broadcaster (born 1955)
SportsWikipedia ↗
Edward Bentham
1707–1776Bentham, Edward (1707–1776), Church of England clergyman and natural philosopher
FaithWikipedia ↗
Beatrice White
1902–1986White, Beatrice Mary Irene (1902–1986), literary scholar
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Littleport leads the towns around it, with 7 names.
Questions about famous people from Ely
Who is the most famous person from Ely?
Guy Pearce (Australian actor (born 1967)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 61 languages. Next come Simon MacCorkindale and Andrew Eldritch.
How many famous people were born in Ely?
45 people born in Ely have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 55 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Ely known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 13 of the 45. That is 29% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Ely?
Thomas Murfyn, born in 1450. The youngest on the list was born in 1990.
Who counts as from Ely?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Ely’s built-up area (the ONS 2022 boundary), a hospital or district within it included, whose English Wikipedia article agrees. People who only lived here, adult performers and people known mainly for crimes aren’t listed.
Why is someone missing?
Their Wikidata birthplace may be a bigger area (“London”), another town, or missing, or their article may give no birthplace. We only list people both sources agree on; editing Wikidata or Wikipedia changes this page at the next refresh.
From Wikidata (CC0: birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations) and English Wikipedia (each person’s article confirms the birthplace; linked, not quoted). Birthplaces are placed in the town by the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary (Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0). Ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. Fields are read from Wikidata’s description and occupations. “The usual town”: everyone listed across UK towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (18)
- Guy Pearce: LucaFazPhoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Andrew Eldritch: Mendor, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Hulbert: Allan warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Clive Woodward: David Sedlecký, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stephen Conroy: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8907248@N08/, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Miller: Mattythewhite, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Marshall: Alphonse Legros, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ken Wallis: No machine-readable author provided. Hannibal assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Nick de Bois: Jachartuk, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Hunt: David Woolfall, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Glenn Torpy: Mike Paussic, U.S. Air Force, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Murfyn: Ammelida, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Frances Cromwell: John Michael Wright, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Josh McNally: Stefano Delfrate, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas W. Bartingale: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Marty Scurll: Simon Q, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nick Pope: Charltonkyle, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mark Ridley: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.