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Famous people · Eccles, Greater Manchester

Of the 63 famous people born in Eccles, an unusual share are performers

At the top of the list is the British actor Benedict Wong, covered in 43 languages. Danny Simpson is second and Sydney Chapman third. 29 of them were born in the 20th century, more than in any other period. The first birth on record is William Booth’s, in 1388, and the last Maiya Quansah-Breed’s, in 1997.

#1 best knownBenedict WongFilm, TV & Stage · born 1971
+59more
Born here
63
notable people
Best known
Benedict Wong
in 43 Wikipedia languages
First
1388
William Booth
Youngest
1997
Maiya Quansah-Breed
Most common field
Sports
25 people

What stands out about Eccles’ famous people

★ What stands out · Known for

What Eccles is known for

Set against the usual town, performers come out 2.6 times as common.

The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.

The best known

Born in Eccles

Ranked by languages covered: Benedict Wong with 43, then Danny Simpson with 35 and Sydney Chapman with 29.

Benedict Wong#1
Film, TV & Stage

Benedict Wong

born 1971

British actor

43 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Danny Simpson#2
Sports

Danny Simpson

born 1987

English association football player (born 1987)

35 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Sydney Chapman#3
Science & Medicine

Sydney Chapman

1888–1970

British mathematician and geophysicist (1888–1970)

29 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years

When Eccles’s famous people were born

Count by decade and the 1880s come out on top, with 9 births.

Before the GeorgiansGeorgianVictorianThe 20th century1400150016001700180019002000Sydney Chapman
SportsFilm, TV & StageWriting & ArtsScience & MedicineMilitaryPolitics & LawNotableFaithBusiness

Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.

Everyone

Everyone else born in Eccles

Another 60, the earliest born in 1388.

GA

Gustav Alexander

1886–1929

British lacrosse player

Kathleen Shaw

Kathleen Shaw

1903–1983

Figure skater (1903–1983)

AH

Alan Henning

1967–2014

British humanitarian and taxi driver (1967-2014)

Claire Fox

Claire Fox

born 1960

British writer (born 1960)

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Samia Longchambon

Samia Longchambon

born 1982

English television actress

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Joseph Wolstenholme

Joseph Wolstenholme

1829–1891

British mathematician (1829–1891)

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
JA

James Abbott

1892–1952

Football player (1892-1952)

John Moores

John Moores

1896–1993

English businessman and philanthropist (1896–1993)

PQ

Pooky Quesnel

born 1964

English actress, screenwriter and singer

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
RC

Roy Cheetham

1939–2019

English footballer (1939-2019)

AB

Andrew Bennett

1939–2024

British politician, former Member of Parliament (1939-2024)

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Kieron Richardson

Kieron Richardson

born 1986

English actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
RW

Rosalie Williams

1919–2009

British actress (1919-2009)

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
JP

Joe Parkinson

born 1971

English footballer (born 1971)

RA

Robert Ainsworth

1660–1743

English lexicographer and author

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
CD

Chris Duffy

born 1973

British association football player (1973-)

EB

Eric Birley

1906–1995

British historian and archaeologist (1906–1995)

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
IH

Isabel Hodgins

born 1993

British actress

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
AP

Arthur Phoenix

1902–1979

English footballer (1902-1979)

FC

Frederick Cole

1852–1941

Cricketer (1852-1941)

HY

Humphrey Yates

1883–1956

English cricketer (1883-1956)

JB

John Blackburn

1933–1994

British politician (1933-1994)

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

Around it, Salford has the most people on record, 307 of them.

Questions about famous people from Eccles

Who is the most famous person from Eccles?

Benedict Wong (British actor) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 43 languages. Next come Danny Simpson and Sydney Chapman.

How many famous people were born in Eccles?

63 people born in Eccles have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 71 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.

What is Eccles known for?

Among its famous people, athletes: 25 of the 63. That is 40% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Eccles?

William Booth, born in 1388. The youngest on the list was born in 1997.

Who counts as from Eccles?

People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Eccles’ 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 (23)

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.