Yorkshire is a hotspot when it comes to the home of acting talent, as many of your favourite movies are in fact filled with some of the best actors with Yorkshire being their hometown! Some of the finest Yorkshire actors have gone on to international success. From big cities to small pit villages, Yorkshire’s acting talent has graced stage and screen for generations and helped boost the county’s reputation as a real creative hotspot. In this article, discover and learn more about some of the most well-known and well-loved actors who hail from this beautiful part of the world.
Sean Bean
Sean Bean is an obvious choice to start the list. This famous Yorkshireman was born in Sheffield in 1959 and has one of the most diverse and lengthy CVs in the industry! Having trained at RADA, he went on to play everyone from Boromir in Lord of the Rings to Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, Major Richard Sharpe in the long-running Sharpe series to Bond villain Alec Trevelyan. Having made his name in the acting world, Sean Bean must be one of the most famous people from Yorkshire and continues to thrive in his career.
Dame Penelope Wilton
Dame Penelope Wilton was born and raised in beautiful Scarborough, before attending the Drama Centre London in the 1960s. She’s had a long and glittering career on both stage and screen, with her most notable films including Calendar Girls (also set in Yorkshire), The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Pride and Prejudice, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Her role as widow Isobel Crawley in Downton Abbey also won her many plaudits and helped her reach an international audience which has continued to boost her career onwards!
Sir Patrick Stewart
Best known for his roles in Star Trek and X-Men, Sir Patrick Stewart was born in Mirfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire and is known as one of Yorkshire’s best success stories as he is noted as one of the most famous actors from his hometown! While he may be a familiar face on-screen, Sir Patrick Stewart’s true love has always been classical theatre and he’s played countless stage roles, including around 60 productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Dame Judi Dench
Few actors are so deserving of the title ‘national treasure’ as Dame Judi Dench, who hails from the Heworth area of York. Born in 1934, she made her first stage appearance in 1957 and quickly established herself as one of Britain’s most talented actors. Her diverse body of work includes on-screen performances as M in multiple James Bond films, Queen Victoria in both Mrs Brown and Victoria and Abdul, Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love and Jean Mary Hardcastle in the long-running As Time Goes By. She was made a dame in 1988 and has won an Academy Award, multiple BAFTA Awards, and has been nominated for many others, making her an icon in the industry.
Her work in the multiple scenes of James Bond films over the years has also proved outstanding. The 007 films are full of action packed moments from car chases to intense casino moments. Fans of the film can even play some of the casino games that Bond plays themselves through online casinos which offer many other games too such as, pinkcasino.co.uk/bingo. Whether she was playing M or another iconic role, Dame Judi Dench has proved she can play any role throughout her career to a high standard.
Brian Blessed
Well-known for his booming voice, sharp wit and larger than life performances, Brian Blessed is probably one of the most loved Yorkshire actors. A miner’s son who was born in the pit village of Goldthorpe, his role as Flash Gordon made Brian Blessed a household name. His other on-screen appearances include Star Wars: Episode I, My Family and Other Animals, Blackadder and, of course, his memorable performance as Grampy Rabbit in the wildly successful Peppa Pig series which has ever since brought together a community that loves him!
Sir Michael Palin
Part of the hugely popular Monty Python team, Michael Palin was born in Sheffield and has starred in numerous films and television shows, as well as presenting travel documentaries. He was awarded his knighthood in 2019, for services to travel, geography and culture, but it’s for his work with Monty Python that he is most celebrated. Often acting as the ‘straight man’ to John Cleese’s characters, Michael Palin has been a familiar face on-screen for decades.
