UK Celebrities Trivia Quiz

Bristol, in the west of England is the birthplace of Russ Conway and Cary Grant. Russ Conway was born there in 1925 with his birth name being Trevor Stanford. As Russ Conway he had several hits in the UK with piano instrumentals. The hits included 'Side Saddle' and 'Roulette', both of which reached number one on the UK Singles chart in 1959.

Cary Grant, born Archibald Leach, was born in 1904 and became one of Hollywood's most bankable leading men after arriving in the USA in the 1920s. Among his best known films are 'Bringing Up Baby' (1938) and the four films he made with director Alfred Hitchcock - 'Suspicion' (1941), 'Notorious' (1946), 'To Catch a Thief' (1955) and 'North by Northwest' (1959).

Torquay, in Devon, is where two comedians, Miranda Hart in 1972, and Peter Cook in 1937, were born. Miranda Hart has primarily appeared on television as a comedy actress in series such as 'Not Going Out' and the self-titled 'Miranda', which ran from 2009 until 2015. She has also played more serious roles, including a regular appearance in 'Call the Midwife'.

Peter Cook studied at Cambridge University where he joined the Footlights Club, a breeding ground for many performers. He formed a partnership with Dudley Moore which lasted for several years and included television shows and films. The Guardian newspaper called him 'the father of modern satire' in 2005. Cook also put his money into the satirical magazine 'Private Eye', which began publishing in 1961 and is still going strong at the time of writing this quiz.

Actress Maggie Smith and jazzman Kenny Ball were both born in Ilford, Essex, Maggie in 1934 and Kenny in 1930. Maggie was a well respected actress and became a Dame in 1990. In a long-lasting career, Maggie received two Oscars, the first for Best Actress in the 1969 film 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' and a Best Supporting Actress award for 'California Suite' (1978). For younger players, she will be better known for her role as the sharp-tongued Violet Crawley in the television series 'Downton Abbey'.

Kenny Ball left school at the tender age of fourteen, taking up the trumpet in his spare time. Having honed his skill in various bands, he formed Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen in 1958 with the focus on traditional forms of jazz. The move paid off as the band had several instrumental hits during the 1960s. The first was 'Midnight in Moscow', which reached as high as number two in the singles charts of both the UK and USA. Other hits were 'The Green Leaves of Summer' (1962) and 'Sukiyaki' (1963). Ball worked closely with other British jazz musicians including Chris Barber and Acker Bilk. He continued touring until his death in 2013.

Both born in Doncaster, Jeremy Clarkson (b. 1960) and Louis Tomlinson (b. 1991) can be described as Yorkshiremen. Clarkson is known as a television presenter, appearing regularly on the BBC show 'Top Gear', a motoring programme, before moving to present the similar show called 'The Grand Tour' on Amazon Prime when the BBC sacked him. Clarkson has also hosted 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire' on UK television since 2018.

Louis Tomlinson rose to fame as one of the five members of the 'boy band' One Direction. The five young men were put together for the television show 'The X Factor'. Despite not winning (they came third), they became extremely popular and had numerous hit records starting with 'What Makes You Beautiful' in 2011. Zayn Malik left the band in 2015 and the remaining members took the decision to take a break in 2016. Tomlinson has continued his career as a solo artist.

Heading to the north-east of England takes us to Newcastle-upon-Tyne where sportsman Alan Shearer and singer Eric Burdon were both born. Alan Shearer, born in 1970, was a professional footballer (soccer player) who played for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United in a career that lasted from 1988 until 2006. He also played for the national England team 63 times. On retirement, Shearer became a pundit on television.

Born in 1941, Eric Burdon was the lead singer for the bands The Animals and War. With The Animals he had hits including 'The House of the Rising Sun' (1964) and 'San Franciscan Nights'(1967). War primarily had success in the USA with 'Spill the Wine' (1970), one of the band's best selling singles.

Birmingham, in the West Midlands area of England, was where both actress Julie Walters and comedian Jasper Carrott were born, Julie in 1950 and Jasper in 1945. Julie is best known for her comedy roles, starring in films such as 'Educating Rita' (1983) and the two (to date) 'Mamma Mia!' films, in 2008 and 2018. She also portrayed Molly Weasley in the 'Harry Potter' film series. On television, Julie performed regularly with Victoria Wood. She was created a Dame in 2017.

Jasper Carrott, the stage name of Robert Davis, was born in Acock's Green, one of the suburbs of Birmingham. The name of Jasper was a childhood nickname which he adopted when becoming a performer. He began as a folk singer, but his knack of telling anecdotes during his shows soon became a bigger part of his act, and he realised that he would do better as a comedian. Jasper did have some chart success, notably with the song 'Funky Moped' in 1975; several albums are also available.

Singer Gerry Marsden, born in 1942, and actress Jodie Comer, born in 1993, share Liverpool as their birthplace. Gerard Marsden, to give him his full name, was the lead singer of the band Gerry and the Pacemakers. They famously became the first band to have number one hits with their first three single releases, something even their fellow Liverpudlians, The Beatles, failed to do. The songs were 'How Do You Do It?', 'I Like It', and 'You'll Never Walk Alone', all released in 1963. The band also had some success in the USA, notably with 'Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying' and 'Ferry Cross the Mersey' both released in 1964.

Jodie Comer began acting while still at school and established a successful career quickly. She is particularly known for her portrayal of the character Villanelle in the television series 'Killing Eve', which ran from 2018 until 2022. She co-starred opposite Sandra Oh in the series. Jodie has also appeared on the big screen and on stage, with her performance in the Harold Pinter play 'Prima Facie' in London's West End being widely acclaimed.

Film director Ken Russell and comedian Benny Hill were both natives of Southampton, on the south coast of England. Russell was born in 1927 and Hill in 1924. Ken Russell was the director of films such as 'Women in Love' in 1969, adapted from the novel of the same name by D H Lawrence and 'Tommy' (1975) based on an album by the British band The Who.

Benny Hill is probably best remembered as a comedian, with a long-running television show which was broadcast on both the main UK channels, BBC1 and ITV, at different times. Hill was known for his double entendres which would be unlikely to be allowed in our more sensitive era. He was also an actor, with appearances in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' (1968) and 'The Italian Job' (1969) to his credit.

Ed Balls and Philip Pullman, born in 1967 and 1946 respectively, are both from Norwich, in East Anglia. Ed Balls was originally a politician, the Member of Parliament for Morley, near Leeds, until losing his seat in the 2015 General Election. Since then he has forged a new career in the media, appearing on the 2016 series of 'Strictly Come Dancing' (he didn't win) and as a regular presenter of the morning television show 'Good Morning Britain'.

Philip Pullman is an author, probably best known for the trilogy of novels called 'His Dark Materials', published between 1995 and 2000. His strong views on the role of religion and the monarchy (he's against both institutions) have made him unpopular in certain circles, but haven't stopped him receiving a knighthood, in 2019.

Actor Hugh Griffith and comedian and comedy actor Dawn French are both Welsh born, on the island of Anglesey, although Griffith was much more recognisably Welsh than French, who was born there when her father was serving with the Royal Air Force. Griffith was born in 1912 and was much in demand as a character actor - he won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'Ben-Hur' (1959). He also appeared in 'Tom Jones' (1963) and 'Oliver!' (1968).

Dawn French had a long-running comedy partnership with Jennifer Saunders with their 'French and Saunders' show beginning in 1987. They were known for their spoofs of the films of the time, such as 'The Lord of the Rings' and for parodies of the stars of the era, including Madonna and The Spice Girls;. Dawn also played the lead role in the television series 'The Vicar of Dibley' which ran from 1994 until 2000 over three series.