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Famous people · Doncaster, South Yorkshire

278 famous people come from Doncaster, Diana Rigg the best known

Articles in 66 languages make the English actress Diana Rigg the best known. In the 20th century, 128 were born, the most of any period. Births since 1970 account for 119 of the names. Among the 54 towns in South Yorkshire with famous people on record, the town ranks 2nd.

183Sports28Film, TV & Stage17Science & Medicine16Writing & Arts
#1 best knownDiana RiggFilm, TV & Stage · 1938–2020
+274more
Born here
278
notable people
Best known
Diana Rigg
in 66 Wikipedia languages
First
1615
John Lacy
Youngest
2004
Beau Greaves
Most common field
Sports
183 people

What stands out about Doncaster’s famous people

Known worldwideDiana Rigg has a Wikipedia article in 66 languages.Still making namesSince 1950, 170 of them have been born here, the latest in 2004.278 notable peopleMore than most towns: 278 notable people were born in Doncaster.
★ What stands out · The best known

Born in Doncaster

Languages with an article: 66 for Diana Rigg, 59 for Louis Tomlinson, 55 for Danny Rose.

Diana Rigg#1
Film, TV & Stage

Diana Rigg

1938–2020

English actress (1938–2020)

66 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Louis Tomlinson#2
Music

Louis Tomlinson

born 1991

English singer and songwriter

59 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Danny Rose#3
Sports

Danny Rose

born 1990

English footballer (born 1990)

55 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years

When Doncaster’s famous people were born

Births peak in the 1980s, with 51 people born in that decade.

Before the GeorgiansGeorgianVictorianThe 20th centuryToday16001700180019002000John McLaughlin
SportsFilm, TV & StageScience & MedicineWriting & ArtsPolitics & LawMusicBusinessNotableMilitaryFaith

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

Known for

What Doncaster is known for

Doncaster has 1.3× the usual share of athletes.

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

Everyone

Everyone else born in Doncaster

275 more; the 197 best known are listed here.

John McLaughlin

John McLaughlin

born 1942

English guitarist, founder of the Mahavishnu Orchestra

MusicWikipedia ↗
Mason Holgate

Mason Holgate

born 1996

English association football player (born 1996)

SportsWikipedia ↗
Ron Flowers

Ron Flowers

1934–2021

English footballer and manager (1934-2021)

SportsWikipedia ↗
EC

Emma Chambers

1964–2018

English actress (1964–2018)

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
James Toseland

James Toseland

born 1980

British motorcycle racer, singer and motorcycle racing commentator

SportsWikipedia ↗
SS

Sarah Stevenson

born 1983

British taekwondo athlete

SportsWikipedia ↗
GR

Graham Rix

born 1957

English footballer and manager (born 1957)

SportsWikipedia ↗
Alex Mowatt

Alex Mowatt

born 1995

English association football player

SportsWikipedia ↗
Ethel Turner

Ethel Turner

1870–1958

Australian writer (1872–1958)

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Mary Millar

Mary Millar

1936–1998

English actress and singer (1936–1998)

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Bradly Sinden

Bradly Sinden

born 1998

British taekwondo practitioner

SportsWikipedia ↗
ND

Neil Dudgeon

born 1961

British actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Norman Hallows

Norman Hallows

1886–1968

English athlete (1886-1968)

SportsWikipedia ↗
Joel Latibeaudiere

Joel Latibeaudiere

born 2000

English association football player (born 2000)

SportsWikipedia ↗
Mark Ryan

Mark Ryan

born 1956

English actor, author and action director

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Brian Shenton

Brian Shenton

1927–1987

English sprinter (1927–1987)

SportsWikipedia ↗
DF

David Firth

born 1983

British animator

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Philip Davies

Philip Davies

born 1972

British Conservative politician (born 1972)

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Alex Cairns

Alex Cairns

born 1993

English association football player (born 1993)

SportsWikipedia ↗
Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

The most names next door are in New Rossington and Rossington: 10.

BFNew Rossington and Rossington · 3 miBobby Forrest & 9 moreKevin KeeganArmthorpe · 3 miKevin Keegan & 5 moreEDBentley · 2 miEric James Denton & 4 moreNMKirk Sandall and Edenthorpe · 4 miNeil Mallender & 1 moreBSArksey · 3 miBarry SwallowMRScawthorpe and Cusworth · 3 miMartin RedmondITWarmsworth · 4 miInigo Thomas

Questions about famous people from Doncaster

Who is the most famous person from Doncaster?

Diana Rigg (English actress (1938–2020)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 66 languages. Next come Louis Tomlinson and Danny Rose.

How many famous people were born in Doncaster?

278 people born in Doncaster have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 307 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.

What is Doncaster known for?

Among its famous people, athletes: 183 of the 278. That is 66% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Doncaster?

John Lacy, born in 1615. The youngest on the list was born in 2004.

Who counts as from Doncaster?

People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Doncaster’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 (79)

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.