#1Film, TV & Stage
John Cleese
born 1939English comedian and actor (born 1939)
77 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
65 famous people were born in Weston-super-Mare, more of them performers than in most towns
Articles in 77 languages make the English comedian and actor John Cleese the best known. The British guitarist Ritchie Blackmore ranks second, ahead of Rupert Graves. The largest group, 32, was born in the 20th century. Only 3 of the 100 towns in Somerset with anyone on record list more.
Born here
65
notable people
Best known
John Cleese
in 77 Wikipedia languages
First
1807
Charles Algernon Lewis
Youngest
1997
Curtis Langdon
Most common field
Sports
26 people
What stands out about Weston-super-Mare’s famous people
Known worldwideJohn Cleese is written about in 77 languages.A town of performersAmong the 65 people born here, 10 are performers: 1.8 times the usual share.Still making namesThe most recent birth on the list came in 1997, among 23 since 1950.65 notable peopleWeston-super-Mare lists 65 notable people, more than most towns.
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Weston-super-Mare
Performers take two of the three places.
#1
#2
#3Film, TV & Stage
Rupert Graves
born 1963English film, television, and theatre actor
35 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for
What Weston-super-Mare is known for
Set against the usual town, performers come out 1.8 times as common.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Through the years
When Weston-super-Mare’s famous people were born
The 1940s saw the most births of any decade: 9.
SportsFilm, TV & StageWriting & ArtsScience & MedicineMusicPolitics & LawMilitaryFaithBusinessNotable
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Weston-super-Mare
62 more, 26 of them athletes.
John Polkinghorne
1930–2021Physicist, theologian and anglican priest (1930–2021)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Jill Dando
1961–1999Murdered English journalist and television presenter (1961–1999)
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
A. V. Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough
1885–1965British Labour Co-operative politician (1885-1965)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Ian A. Anderson
born 1947English magazine editor, folk musician and broadcaster
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
James Taylor
1917–1993English-born Scottish cricketer and umpire, and rugby union footballer and referee (1917-1993)
SportsWikipedia ↗
Nicola Bradbury
born 1951English literary critic, lecturer, editor, and author
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
4 towns around it have someone on record.
Questions about famous people from Weston-super-Mare
Who is the most famous person from Weston-super-Mare?
John Cleese (English comedian and actor (born 1939)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 77 languages. Next come Ritchie Blackmore and Rupert Graves.
How many famous people were born in Weston-super-Mare?
65 people born in Weston-super-Mare have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 73 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Weston-super-Mare known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 26 of the 65. That is 40% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Weston-super-Mare?
Charles Algernon Lewis, born in 1807. The youngest on the list was born in 1997.
Who counts as from Weston-super-Mare?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Weston-super-Mare’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 (23)
- John Cleese: Miguel Discart & Kiri Karma, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ritchie Blackmore: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rupert Graves: Rupert_Graves_2010.jpg: Ian Smith from London, England derivative work: RanZag, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Polkinghorne: Jack1956, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Augustus Edward Hough Love: Antique wood engraved print taken from The Graphic (British Newspaper), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Con O'Neill: Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Henry Edwards: Lallie Charles, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- A. V. Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Hillsborough: Howard Coster, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Gareth Taylor: Stew jones, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edward Alfred Minchin: Journal of Pathology, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lance Dossor: Koncern Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny - Archiwum Ilustracji, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Gemma Tumelty: Davelewis at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Julian L'Estrange: The Dover Street Studios, London, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Leonard Stanton Jefferies: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mitch Harding: Mattythewhite, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Williams: Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Trego: SGGH, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ian A. Anderson: Judith Burrows, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles Bartlett: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Curtis Langdon: Bearas, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ernest Edwin Philip Truman: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mark Pizey: John Alfred Hampton, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Elizabeth Hartley: Samuel William Reynolds (1773-1835) after Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), 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.