British Sporting Greats

1. Ben Ainslie

Self | A Question of Sport

Ben Ainslie was born on February 5, 1977 in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, UK. He has been married to Georgie Thompson since December 20, 2014. They have one child.

2. Sydney Barnes

Self | This Is Your Life

3. George Best

Actor | The Alf Garnett Saga

George Best is a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C..

Named European Footballer of the Year in 1968, he is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. A highly skillful winger, considered by several ...

4. Ian Botham

Self | Emmerdale Farm

One of the world's greatest all-round cricketers, and an undoubted world class player in the England sides of the 1980s, whose ability to turn the course of a game with either bat or ball was best seen in the 1981 series against Australia. In 102 Test Matches for England he scored 5200 runs, ...

5. Alistair Brownlee

Self | Robot Wars

Alistair Brownlee was born on April 23, 1988 in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England, UK.

6. Beryl Burton

Self | A Question of Sport

7. Joe Calzaghe

Actor | Solitary

Joe Calzaghe was born on February 23, 1972 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Solitary (2015), Undisputed (2023) and Fish Finger Sandwich (2017). He was previously married to Mandy M. Davies.

8. Mark Cavendish

Self | Chasing Legends

Mark Cavendish was born on May 21, 1985 in the Isle of Man. He has been married to Peta Todd since October 5, 2013. They have two children.

9. Bobby Charlton

Actor | Jossy's Giants

Sir Robert Charlton is an English former footballer who played either as a midfielder or a forward. Considered one of the greatest players of all time, he was a member of the England team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the year he also won the Ballon d'Or. He played almost all of his club ...

10. Linford Christie

Actor | Hustle

Linford Cicero Christie OBE is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 meters at all four major competitions open to British athletes. He stars in several TV shows including BBC TV Show Hustle S3 E1.

11. Jim Clark

Self | Formula 1

When talking about the greatest race driver of all time, various opinions will throw out such great drivers as Mario Andretti, Tazio Nuvolari, A.J. Foyt, Juan Manuel Fangio or Ayrton Senna; but most may agree that Scotsman Jim Clark was probably the best of them all. The shy British racer lived to ...

12. Sebastian Coe

Actor | The Brittas Empire

Sebastian Coe is a British politician and former track and field athlete.

As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including the 1500 meters gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984. He set nine outdoor and three indoor world records in middle-distance track events - ...

13. Denis Compton

Self | Small Town Story

Denis Compton was born on May 23, 1918 in Hendon, London, England, UK. He died on April 23, 1997 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK.

14. Kenny Dalglish

Actor | First Division Liverpool FC versus Derby County

Kenny Dalglish was born on March 4, 1951 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He is an actor and editor, known for First Division Liverpool FC versus Derby County (1978), Will (2011) and Eyewitness to History (1959). He has been married to Marina Dalglish since November 26, 1976. They have four children.

15. Christopher Dean

Smucker's Stars on Ice

Christopher Dean was born on July 27, 1958 in Nottingham, England, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Smucker's Stars on Ice (2003), Smucker's Stars on Ice (2005) and Holiday on Ice: Believe (2016). He was previously married to Jill Trenary and Isabelle Duchesnay.

16. Joey Dunlop

Self | Ride On

Joey Dunlop was born on February 25, 1952 in Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK. He died on July 2, 2000 in Tallinn, Estonia.

17. Duncan Edwards

Duncan Edwards is an English footballer who played for Manchester United F.C. and the England National Football Team. He was one of The Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid-1950s, playing 177 matches for the club. One of eight players who died as a result of...

18. Gareth Edwards

Actor | Old Scores

Sir Gareth Owen Edwards CBE (born 12 July 1947) is a Welsh former rugby union player who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey".

In 2003, in a poll of international rugby players conducted by Rugby World magazine, Edwards was ...

19. Jonathan Edwards

Actor | Fast Girls

Jonathan Edwards was born on May 10, 1966 in Westminster, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Fast Girls (2012), Doctors (2000) and Olympic Games (1936). He has been married to Alison Joy Briggs since 1990.

20. Jessica Ennis-Hill

Actress | The Missing Crown Jewels

Jessica Ennis-Hill was born on January 28, 1986 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Missing Crown Jewels (2017), Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973) and British Olympic Dreams (2010). She has been married to Andy Hill since May 18, 2013. They have two children.

21. Nick Faldo

Self | PGA Tour Golf on CBS

Nick Faldo was born on July 18, 1957 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK. He was previously married to Valerie Bercher, Gill Bennett and Melanie Rockall.

22. Mo Farah

The London Marathon

Mo Farah was born on March 23, 1983 in Mogadishu, Somalia. He is an actor, known for The London Marathon (1981), W1A (2014) and The Leadership League (2019). He has been married to Tania Farah since April 2010. They have four children.

23. Chris Froome

Self | Froome: Back in Africa

Chris Froome was born on May 20, 1985 in Nairobi, Kenya. He has been married to Michelle Cound since November 2014. They have one child.

24. W.G. Grace

Self | Cambridge University v. London Cricket Club

W.G. Grace was born on July 18, 1848 in Downend, Bristol, England, UK. He was married to Agness Nicholls Day. He died on October 23, 1915 in Mottingham, Kent, England, UK.

25. Katherine Grainger

Self | The Boat Race

Katherine Grainger was born on November 12, 1975 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

26. Tanni Grey-Thompson

Actress | Twenty Twelve

Tanni Grey-Thompson was born on July 26, 1969 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. She is an actress, known for Twenty Twelve (2011), Absolutely Fabulous (1992) and Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women's Sport (2023). She has been married to Ian Thompson since 1999. They have one child.

27. Lewis Hamilton

Actor | Cars 2

Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton is a British racing driver competing in Formula One for Mercedes AMG Pretronas Formula One Team. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Michael Schumacher), and holds the records for the most wins (103), ...

28. Wally Hammond

Self | The Ashes

Wally Hammond was born on June 19, 1903 in Buckland, Dover, Kent, England, UK. He died on July 1, 1965 in Kloof, Natal, South Africa.

29. Ellery Hanley

Self | Gladiators

30. Stephen Hendry

Actor | Adam

Stephen Hendry was born on January 13, 1969 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He is an actor, known for Adam (2013), The Rothmans Grand Prix (1984) and Gods of Snooker (2021).

31. Jack Hobbs

Self | The Ashes

Jack Hobbs was born on December 16, 1882 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK. He died on December 21, 1963 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

32. Chris Hoy

Self | Wimbledon

Chris Hoy was born on March 23, 1976 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He has been married to Sarra Kemp since April 17, 2010.

33. Len Hutton

Self | The Final Test

Len Hutton was born on June 23, 1916 in Fulneck, Yorkshire, England, UK. He was married to Dorothy Dennis. He died on September 6, 1990 in Kingston-upon-Thames, England, UK.

34. Martin Johnson

Actor | Men in Black Safety Defenders

Martin Johnson was born on March 9, 1970 in Solihull, West Midlands, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Men in Black Safety Defenders (2015), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and Building Jerusalem (2015).

35. Anthony Joshua

Actor | Turnt

Anthony Joshua is a British professional boxer. He is a two-time unified heavyweight champion, having held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles since December 2019 and previously between 2016 and June 2019. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2014 to...

36. Jason Kenny

Self | Commonwealth Games

Jason Kenny was born on March 23, 1988 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK. He has been married to Laura Kenny since September 24, 2016. They have one child.

37. Laura Kenny

Granada Reports

Laura Kenny was born on April 24, 1992 in Harlow, Essex, England, UK. She is known for Granada Reports (1992), A Question of Sport (1970) and South at Six (1974). She has been married to Jason Kenny since September 24, 2016. They have one child.

38. Lennox Lewis

Actor | Johnny Was

After a long amateur career that included a gold medal winning performance in the 1988 Seoul Olympics that came in the form of a KO of 'Riddick Bowe' (who also went on to win the world heavyweight crown), former undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis turned professional in 1989. ...

39. Ellen MacArthur

Self | South at Six

Ellen MacArthur was born on July 8, 1976 in Derbyshire, England, UK.

40. Stanley Matthews

Self | V FIFA World Cup 1954

Stanley Matthews was an English footballer. Regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing football, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association ...

41. Tony McCoy

Self | Tommy Bowe's the End Game

Tony McCoy was born in 1974 in England. He has been married to Chanelle McCoy since September 2006. They have two children.

42. Bobby Moore

Actor | Victory

Bobby Moore was one of the most famous English football players. From 1958 to 1971 he played for West Ham United football club. He played 108 times for the English national team, of which he was captain from 1964 to 1973. He won the World Cup with England in 1966 and was awarded an O.B.E. (Officer ...

43. Andy Murray

Self | Queen's

Andy Murray is a British professional tennis player from Scotland.

Murray represents Great Britain in his sporting activities and is a three-time Grand Slam tournament winner, two-time Olympic champion, Davis Cup champion, winner of the 2016 ATP World Tour Finals, and former world No. 1.

Murray ...

44. Ronnie O'Sullivan

Self | Ronnie's Snooker Hotshots

Professional Snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan was born on December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands, England. At a young age, he showed talent as a Snooker player, a cue sport played on a table with balls and pockets. In 1992, he turned professional and competed at the world level. Nicknamed "The...

45. Steve Ovett

Explicit Biscuit

Steve Ovett was born on October 9, 1955 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK. He is known for Explicit Biscuit (2018), The Krypton Factor (1977) and Grandstand (1958).

46. Adam Peaty

Self | Commonwealth Games

Adam Peaty was born on December 28, 1994 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England, UK.

47. Victoria Pendleton

Actress | Emmerdale Farm

Victoria Pendleton was born on September 24, 1980 in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Emmerdale Farm (1972), A Question of Sport (1970) and A League of Their Own (2010).

48. Fred Perry

Actor | Le plombier amoureux

Fred Perry was born on May 18, 1909 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Le plombier amoureux (1932), Sports Quiz (1944) and Athletic Stars (1948). He was married to Barbara Riese, Lorraine Walsh, Sandra Breaux and Helen Vinson. He died on February 2, 1995 in Melbourne, ...

49. Lester Piggott

Self | The Year of Sir Ivor

Lester Piggott was born in Wantage to a family that could trace its roots as jockeys and trainers back to the 18th century. The Piggotts were a Cheshire farming family who in the 1870s ran the Crown Inn in Nantwich for at least 40 years. Lester's grandfather Ernest (Ernie) Piggott (1878-1967) owned...

50. Matthew Pinsent

Self | The Boat Race

Matthew Pinsent was born on October 10, 1970 in Holt, Norfolk, England, UK. He has been married to Demetra Koutsoukos since October 2002.

51. Paula Radcliffe

Self | Brighton Marathon

Paula Radcliffe was born on December 12, 1973 in Northwich, Cheshire, England, UK. She has been married to Gary Lough since 2000. They have two children.

52. Steve Redgrave

Actor | Midsomer Murders

Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave is a retired British rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships golds. He is regarded as one of Britain's greatest-ever Olympians, the most ...

53. Jackie Stewart

Actor | Charlie's Angels

Sir John Young Stewart OBE is a British former Formula One racing driver from Scotland. Nicknamed the "Flying Scot", he competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships and twice finishing as runner-up over those nine seasons. Outside of Formula One, he ...

54. Phil Taylor

Actor | Coronation Street

Phil Taylor was born on August 13, 1960 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), Die Promi-Darts-WM (2017) and PDC World Darts Championship (1993). He was previously married to Yvonne.

55. Geraint Thomas

Self | A Question of Sport

Geraint Thomas was born on May 25, 1986 in Cardiff, Wales, UK.

56. Daley Thompson

Self | Daley

Daley Thompson was born on July 30, 1958 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Daley, Daley's Decathlon (1982) and Stopwatch (1978).

57. Jayne Torvill

Target Stars on Ice

Jayne Torvill was born on October 7, 1957 in Nottingham, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Target Stars on Ice (2002), Target Stars on Ice (2001) and Fire & Ice (1986). She has been married to Phil Christensen since September 1990. They have two children.

58. Fred Trueman

Actor | Fred Trueman Bowls You Over

Fred Trueman was born on February 6, 1931 in Stainton, South Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Fred Trueman Bowls You Over (1994), Dad's Army (1968) and Stars on Sunday (1969). He was married to Veronica Lundy and Enid E. Chapman. He died on July 1, 2006 in Steeton, ...

59. Bradley Wiggins

Self | Commonwealth Games

Bradley Wiggins was born on April 28, 1980 in Ghent, Belgium.

60. Jimmy Wilde

Actor | A Pit-boy's Romance

Jimmy Wilde was born on May 15, 1892 in Tylorstown, Glamorganshire, Wales, UK. He was an actor, known for A Pit-boy's Romance (1917) and Excuse My Glove (1936). He died on March 10, 1969 in Cardiff, Wales, UK.

61. Jonny Wilkinson

Self | Inside England Rugby: Sweet Chariot

Jonny Wilkinson's rise to glory has been very quick. In the space of only 4 years he has become one of the leading International rugby players in the world. He was discovered by his teacher Steve Bates and played cricket and tennis for Hampshire Schools. He first played for Newcastle Falcons and ...