A lot of world-famous and widely-admired people were born and spent a certain period of their lives in Leeds. This city features good education conditions and opportunities for self-development, so it isn’t surprising that it gave the world really talented people. Even if they left their hometown and continued their life somewhere else, Leeds remembers them and is proud of them. Learn more at ileeds.
As Leeds-live.co.uk notes, among such outstanding personalities are singers, actors, writers, TV presenters and representatives of other professions. For example, the actor from the Harry Potter movies Matthew Lewis or the world-famous pop singer Mel B, who was a member of the Spice Girls.
Mel B
The singer was born in Leeds on May 29, 1975. Her real name is Melanie Janine Brown. She is not only recognised as a talented singer but also as an actress, model, TV presenter and dancer. As a child, the future pop singer won the Miss Caribbean Sun contest. She also played percussion instruments and studied at a music school. She even received a scholarship there.
In 1993, she joined the Spice Girls group. Mel B’s solo career began in 1998 when she released a single, featuring Missy Elliott. It was called I Want You Back. After that, there was a series of other successful creative works. Mel’s personal family drama prompted her to create the first solo album, Hot, which was released on October 9, 2000. It was perfect timing, as the Spice Girls soon disbanded and Mel already had her own projects.
The second solo album, L.A. State Of Mind, which was released in 2005, didn’t reach such success and popularity as the first one. Meanwhile, the band that made her famous reunited and Melanie toured with it. In addition to singing, she is also remembered for her participation in the Dancing with the Stars show and judging in the Australian and British versions of The X Factor.
Melanie wrote an autobiographical book, Catch a Fire: The Autobiography. In addition, she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for her work in a charity organisation, which was involved in the fight against domestic violence. Being active and determined, Mel B suffered severe setbacks in her personal life but eventually found her love, Rory McPhee.
Marco Pierre White
Famous restaurateur, chef and native of Leeds, Marco Pierre White, was born on December 11, 1961. He was one of four children in the family. Marco’s father, Frank White, was also a chef, so, presumably, Marco decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. White’s mother, Maria-Rosa Gallina, was an Italian immigrant from Veneto.
He left studying at Allerton High School in Leeds and decided to train as a chef. When Marco was 20, he left for London with just £7.36 in his pocket, a box of books and a bag of clothes. At first, he studied classical cooking at Le Gavroche and then continued learning under the guidance of Pierre Koffmann at La Tante Claire. In January 1995, at the age of 33, White became the first British chef (and the youngest chef at the time) to win three Michelin stars at once. Thus, his high-quality professional training and impeccable skills as a talented chef were recognised.
Marco Pierre White has taught such outstanding culinary masters as Mario Batali, Heston Blumenthal, Shannon Bennett, Gordon Ramsay and Curtis Stone. Besides, he is a successful owner of a number of restaurants throughout the UK.
Matthew Lewis
This young actor from Leeds became famous for his role in the movie Harry Potter, where he played Neville Longbottom, one of the students at the Hogwarts School of Magic. Matthew was born to Lynda and Adrian Lewis on June 27, 1989. He has two brothers, Chris, who works in one of the TV companies and Anthony, who also earns money as an actor.
The young man studied at St Mary’s Menston Catholic Voluntary Academy. He played his first movie role as a 5-year-old child in the TV series Some Kind of Life. Then there was the enchanting success of the film series about the young wizard Harry Potter, thanks to which Matthew became a recognisable actor.
In 2012, he appeared in the TV series The Syndicate, which was broadcast on BBC One. In the next year, he played the role of a reporter in the film The Sweet Shop. Lewis also starred in the film The Rise.
Matthew Lewis is passionate about rugby. In addition, the man is a real fan of the number 11, which he considers to have a special place in his life.
Jeremy Dyson
Jeremy Dyson showed his talent in several directions at once, he is a successful writer, screenwriter and musical performer. He was born in Leeds on June 14, 1966. The celebrity’s parents are Elaine Saville and Melvin Dyson. He attended The Grammar School in Leeds and then studied philosophy at the University of Leeds. In addition, Dyson got a master’s degree in screenwriting at the Northern Film School.
He is a co-writer of the West End play Ghost Stories and a member of The League of Gentlemen comedy team. Jeremy has written several books that have been highly praised by the public. Thus, the writer’s novel What Happens Now, which was published on April 6, 2006, was nominated for the Goss first novel award.
Jeremy Dyson also performs on stage as a musician in the pop group Rudolf Rocker, and in the 1980s, he was a part of the group Flowers for Agatha. In addition, Dyson likes supernatural fiction by the famous British writer Robert Aickman. He adapted these books in several media.
Barbara Taylor Bradford
Barbara Taylor Bradford is a famous writer from Leeds. She was born on May 10, 1933. Since her childhood, Barbara has shown an interest in fantasy books. Therefore, she decided that she would be engaged in literature. However, she was in no hurry to publish novels, realising that the first immature attempts most likely wouldn’t be successful.
Barbara began her career working in a typing pool and then as an editor. She began writing books actively in 1968-1975. Those experiments were never finished, although they gave her some experience.
Her career breakthrough happened in 1979 when she published a book A Woman of Substance. Thanks to this novel, Barbara became a widely-known writer. On its pages, she showed an example of a strong woman and this image gained popularity. The debut book was published in an edition of 30 million copies worldwide.
The author owes everything she has to self-discipline. She works on books carefully and meticulously studies sciences that aren’t directly related to literature. A common feature of Bradford’s works is that her main characters are ordinary women who, thanks to hard work, achieve unprecedented heights in business. Obviously, the writer bases them on her own experience.
The total number of novels by Barbara Taylor Bradford is 39 and all of them, without exception, became bestsellers in Europe and the USA. The author works in the love prose genre.