The West Midlands boasts some seriously talented exports, from movie stars and musicians to world class football players
Recently, we’ve had a look at the famous faces - actors, musicians and even politicians - who were raised in and around Birmingham. Now, we’ve decided to take a look at the famous celebrities who were born just outside Birmingham in the North Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove.
Many famous people were also born and grew up in the area which has plenty of history. The leafy countryside market town is a nice place to grow up, and it has many tourist attractions such the Avoncroft Museum, which displays historic buildings, as well as the nearby Lickey Hills, Clent Hills, and Waseley Hills country parks which also provide great walks. Bromsgrove also has some great pubs and bars to enjoy in the town centre.
Many actors, footballers, singers, famous writers and millionaire entrepreneurs all come from the town. With this in mind, we’ve taken a look at the most famous people who were born and bred in Bromsgrove.
1. Michael Ball OBE
Born in Bromsgrove, singer and actor Michael Hall rose to fame through his opera singing and parts in plays. In 1987 he played Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera. In 1989, he reached number two in the UK Singles Chart with “Love Changes Everything”. His album Coming Home To You reached number one in the UK making it his 4th number one album to date.
2. Alan Smith
Arsenal legend Alan Smith was born in Bromsgrove and grew up in Hollywood in the town. The current Sky Sports pundit started his career at non-league Alvechurch before going on to win the English football league title with Arsenal in 1989. He won his first Golden Boot with 23 goals from 36 League games, the most important being the first goal in Arsenal’s 2-0 victory at Anfield on 26 May 1989 which saw them lift that season’s league championship. Smith was top scorer again when Arsenal claimed the title in 1990-91 and won his second Golden Boot.
3. Mark Williams
Actor Mark Williams was born in Bromsgrove. His film roles include Horace in the 1996 adaptation of 101 Dalmatians and Arthur Weasley in seven of the Harry Potter films. He’s also appeared in Doctor Who and Red Dwarf
4. Ben Francis
Ben Francis MBE is a British businessman and entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of gymwear brand Gymshark. Ben grew up in the town and attended South Bromsgrove High School. Today, he is worth an incredible £992million, aged just 30, according to Forbes.