The north-east of Scotland has birthed and nurtured talent across many fields, from global musicians to legendary sports stars and even royalty.
Some people on this list might be well known, however, some achieved notoriety after their deaths, but their legacy lives on.
Here is a list of 23 famous faces with links to the north-east
Annie Lennox
Perhaps Aberdeen’s most famous name, Annie Lennox has achieved worldwide fame.
Annie’s parents were from Ellon and the singer was a pupil at Aberdeen High School for Girls – which later became Harlaw Academy.
Annie Lennox shot to stardom as the lead singer of pop band Eurythmics.
She has won four Grammys and an Oscar during her long career and secured spots in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Emeli Sande
Raised in Alford, singer Emeli Sande gained global recognition when she performed at both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics.
She has won four Brit Awards and is regarded as one of the best voices in the country.
Denis Law
An Aberdeen son who became a superstar footballer in Manchester and is known throughout Europe as the King.
During his 11 years at Man United, he helped the team lift the European Cup in 1968 and is the only Scottish player to win the Ballon d’Or.
Nan Shepherd
A modernist writer and poet from Cults, she is famous for her seminal memoir, The Living Mountain.
Most people would recognise her face from the £5 banknote issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Michael Gove
Politician Michael Gove has held various positions in government under four Conservative Prime Ministers and is currently Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Gove was born in Aberdeen and lived in the Kittybrewster area. He went to school at Robert Gordon’s College and went to on to work as a journalist at The Press and Journal.
Thomas Blake Glover
Born in Fraserburgh, Mr Glover moved to Aberdeen during his childhood where he worked in the maritime industry.
He is most known for his work in Asia, including China and Japan and was instrumental in founding one of Japan’s biggest manufacturers, Mitsubishi.
David Rintoul
The Aberdeen-born actor has played many roles over his long career, including in Game of Thrones as Aerys II Targaryen and Michael Adeane, private secretary to the Queen, in season 3 of The Crown.
Paul Lawrie
Pro-golfer Paul Lawrie hails from Aberdeen and is most known for winning The Open Championship in 1999 at Carnoustie Links.
Lawrie opened his own 9-hole golf course on South Deeside Road.
James Fleet
Known for playing Hugo Horton on the hilarious sitcom The Vicar of Dibley alongside Dawn French, has was once a pupil at Westhill Academy and went on to study engineering at Aberdeen University.
Laura Main
Having starred in all 12 series of BBC’s Call the Midwife first as a Nun Bernadette and then as Nurse Shelagh Turner, Laura Main was born in Aberdeen and studied at Hazlehead Academy.
Lord Byron
Regarded as one of the greatest English poets, Lord Byron was born to Captain John Byron and his second wife, Catherine Gordon, who was heiress to the Gight estate near Fyvie.
Byron attended Aberdeen Grammar School, where there is a statue in memory of him.
Leslie Benzie
A video game producer born in Aberdeen, he was the lead designer for the popular video game series, Grand Theft Auto including the third, fourth and fifth games.
He is also the former president of Rockstar North UK.
Vogue Williams
The Irish-born television personality studied at Robert Gordon University, earning a construction design and management degree.
She is most famous for her podcast with her husband, Spencer Matthews from Made in Chelsea, called Spencer & Vogue.
Connor Ball
One-fourth of the popular band, The Vamps, are most known for their hits, including Can We Dance, Last Night and All Night.
The Aberdeen native also competed in the 14th series of Dancing on Ice, where he reached the semi-finals.
Annie Wallace
Born and raised in the Granite City, Annie Wallace is known for portraying the role of Sally St. Claire in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.
She is the first transgender person to portray a regular transgender character in British soap opera history.
Henry Cecil
Henry Cecil is arguably one of the greatest horse trainers ever – having trained 75 horses which eventually became winners at Royal Ascot.
He trained Frankel, who went unbeaten in his fourteen-race career and came first in the 2000 Guineas Stakes in 2011.
Henry Cecil was born in Aberdeen and spent the first years of his life at Crathes Castle – his family’s ancestral home. He was laid to rest in the grounds of the castle when he died in 2013.
Amy Manson
Aberdeenshire-born actress Amy Manson has made a name for herself starring in both British and US TV shows such as Casualty, Atlantis, Once Upon a Time and The Nevers.
Rose Leslie
Aberdeen-born Rose Leslie has starred in major TV shows such as The Good Fight and Game of Thrones.
The latter was where she met her famous husband Kit Harrington who was her love interest on the show. The couple have been married since 2018.
Georgia Toffolo
Former Made in Chelsea star, Georgia Toffolo has become an honorary Aberdonian as she spends much of her time here visiting various places with her boyfriend Brewdog boss, James Watt.
Her famous face has recently been spotted in an Ellon bakery.
James Watt
Brewdog boss, James Watt, founded the company in Fraserburgh back in 2007 with Martin Dickie.
The duo actually tried out for the show Dragon’s Den in 2009 but were told their idea was not original enough. Brewdog is now estimated to be worth around $2 billion.
Calvin Goldspink
During the 2000s, one of the most popular music ensembles created was, S Club 8 (originally S Club juniors). Among those chosen was Aberdeen-born Calvin Goldspink.
S Club 8 had success with six Top 10 singles, including the incredibly catchy Sundown. Calvin now lives in Los Angeles and is a father to two daughters.
Sandi Thom
Banff-born singer Sandi Thom had a chokehold on the UK when she released her addictively catchy song – I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair).
The debut made her famous, topping the charts in June 2006 in several countries, including the UK, Australia and Ireland.
Victoria, Queen of Spain
Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg was born in 1887 at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire as the youngest granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
In 1906, she married Alfonso XIII, King of Spain, however, their wedding day was spoiled by an assassination attempt on the king’s life.
In 1931, her husband was deposed and the family went into exile where the royal couple separated. Victoria continued to live her life between the UK and Switzerland until she died in 1969.
Do you know of any other famous people from Aberdeen and the north-east? Let us know in the comments below!
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