Famous People to Come From Newcastle

From world-renowned musicians to Soviet spies, Newcastle has been home to numerous figures of international renown. One of the most famous of these is international singing sensation Sting.

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, or Sting as he is more commonly known, was born in Wallsend in Newcastle upon Tyne. Prior to his solo career he played the role of lead singer, bassist and songwriter for popular band, The Police. Combining the two careers, Sting has sold more than 100million records, making him one of the most successful people to come from Newcastle.

Sting is also famous for his political activism having sung alongside Bob Geldof in the Feed the World project as well as Do They Know It’s Christmas? More recently, Sting composed the album Songs for Tibet in an effort to support Tibet and the current Dalai Lama.

Although he may not share the same celebrity appeal as Sting, George Stephenson is another of the many celebrities to come from Newcastle. Born in Wylam about nine miles outside Newcastle, Stephenson is famously known as The Father of Railways.

Born to a poor family, Stephenson did not receive a formal education and because of this he was often looked down upon by his peers. In spite of this, Stephenson continued his own studies, designing his first locomotive in 1814 and then in 1825 opening the world’s first public steam locomotive railway.

One of the more unusual characters to come from Newcastle is Vilyam Genrikhovich Fisher or Rudolf Abel as he called himself. Born in 1903, Abel is a highly regarded Soviet spy who was eventually captured by the FBI as a result of his intelligence work in the United States.

Abel began his work as a spy after entering the OGPU – the Soviet Government as it was then known – in 1927. In 1947 he entered the United States as a spy. Abel’s main role was to supervise the work of other spies and report the information back to headquarters. In 1957, Abel was arrested and sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment.

Another notable person to be born in Newcastle and find prestige outside of the UK is Abhisit Vejjajiva, the current prime minister of Thailand. Having been the leader of the Democrat Patry since 2005, Vejjajiva was elected as the 27th prime minister of Thailand at the end of 2008.

During his role in politics, Vejjajiva has faced much criticism, particularly his attempts to control new media. Under Vejjajiva’s leadership, the Democrat Party made it a criminal offence to create any websites that spoke ill of the Thai Monarchy.

Although currently based in Thailand, Abhisit Vejjajiva continues to hold strong ties with Newcastle and is a lifelong fan of the city’s football team.

Newcastle has produced many figures of recognition, giving it a unique fame that attracts thousands of visitors every year. This combined with a huge number of flights to Newcastle and unique attractions throughout the city make it a high priority when exploring the cities of the United Kingdom.