You may well think that Gloucestershire doesn’t produce that many stars of stage, screen, radio or music. However this is far from the truth. The rural county is well supplied in talent and has been the home to many a popular British star. Being one of the most beautiful counties in the country it’s easy to see why. It is also one of the reasons that draws people to the place. Just look at the interest in places like Park Homes Gloucester. A visit to their website at parkhomelife.com/our-parks/orchard-park-homes-gloucester-gloucestershire/ will show you an affordable home that many already enjoy. Here are a few of those famous people.
- JK Rowling. Born in Yate, JK Rowling is one of the most well known and richest authors in the world following her Harry Potter series and the work under her pen name of Robert Galbraith. Rowling based much of Harry’s story on locations around Gloucestershire including the Cathedral and Gloucester and the Forest of Dean.
- Simon Pegg. Pegg was born in Gloucester and spent his formative years in the village of Brockworth, just outside of the county’s capital and attended the local comprehensive there. He has gone on to write and star in several groundbreaking shows like Spaced and Big Train before finding international and Hollywood fame with the Cornetto Trilogy including Shaun of the Dead and the Star Trek movie franchise as Scotty.
- Daisy May Cooper. Already a BAFTA winner, Daisy May grew up in Cirencester where she and her brother Charlie used their experiences to write “This Country” a spoof documentary of young people in a rural village. Now a rising star with her own show her talent is still developing and she is set to be a big star similar to Simon Pegg.
- Jimmy Young. Born in Cinderford, Jimmy Young became a celebrated and successful singer in the 1950s and 60s until he decided to move over to the world of radio as a DJ and presenter. He was one of the original Radio 1 DJs and he forged a career there and on the light programme before. Finding a home on Radio 2 for many decades in the Morning to Lunchtime slot he was working well into his 80s before finally retiring.
- Robert Hardy. Although born in Cheltenham and growing up in Gloucestershire Hardy is best known for his role as Yorkshire vet Siegfried Farnon in the television adaptation of All creatures great and small. He also played Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic in the Harry Potter films.
Simon Pegg’s journey from Brockworth
Actor Simon Pegg is one of the best-known names with roots in the county. He grew up in Brockworth, just outside Gloucester and in the shadow of the Cotswold Hills, and went to school in the area before moving to Warwickshire at 16.
He went on to study at Bristol University, and it was in the city’s arts scene that he began to make his name, working alongside others who would later become successful, including David Walliams. He took roles in influential comedies of the time such as Big Train, worked with Steve Coogan and also played a serious part in Band of Brothers.
His real breakthrough came with Spaced, the sitcom he co-wrote with Jessica Stevenson. That led to Shaun of the Dead, the first film in the Cornetto Trilogy, which took him to Hollywood. Despite his success, he still speaks often about growing up in Gloucestershire.