Once upon a time, it was thought that you needed to be born in the south of England or have perfect Received Pronunciation (RP) to make it big as an actor. It was certainly favoured by the likes of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the BBC. But times have moved on. Just as there are many Scottish, Irish, and Welsh actors making headlines, the northeast of England has produced some of the best working actors and entertainers. Whether you have roots in Newcastle upon Tyne, County Durham, or Tees Valley, here are 14 performers who paved the way for you.
1. Rowan Atkinson
The actor, comedian, and writer has never specified where he’s from, exactly, but he was born in either Consett, County Durham, or Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. Best known for creating the character Mr. Bean and starring as the lead in Blackadder alongside Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 and has been the recipient of many awards throughout his career.
2. Anne Reid
The famous soap actor hails from Newcastle upon Tyne. She may be best known for her role as Valerie Barlow on Coronation Street, but her career spans the stage and the silver screen too. She has been nominated for several BAFTAs, and not only was she appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2010, but also Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2025 for her services in drama.
3. Tim Healy
The Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Benidorm star was also born in Newcastle upon Tyne and grew up in County Durham. He had a brief stint in Hollywood, where he was featured alongside Mel Gibson in the 1990 action-comedy Bird on a Wire, before coming back to the United Kingdom and focusing on long-form television.
4. Cheryl
The popstar and member of noughties group Girls Aloud is another proud Geordie. Born in Newcastle and raised on various council estates in its suburbs, she rose to fame on the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals, where Girls Aloud was formed. Since then, she’s worked steadily as a panelist on similar TV talent contests and has also branched into acting. Her big West End break came playing Jenny in Danny Robins’ thriller play 2:22 A Ghost Story in 2023, following in the footsteps of Lily Allen and Constance Wu.
5. Ant & Dec
The presenting duo were both born in Newcastle. Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly met as child actors on Byker Grove and have gone on to establish one of the longest and most successful double acts of the 21st century. In addition to being popular television presenters, the pair also act, often playing themselves on screen and in advertisements.
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6. Janet McTeer
The multi-award-winning actor was born in Wallsend, but her youth was spent in York. She is an exquisitely eclectic performer with a career that has spanned film, television, and stage. Her many accolades include an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for her portrayal of Nora in the 1997 production of A Doll’s House that ran on both the West End and Broadway. She also won a Golden Globe for the dramedy Tumbleweeds in 2000 and has received multiple nominations for Academy Awards and Emmys.
7. Charlie Hunnam
Newcastle upon Tyne–born Hunnam was famously discovered as a teenager by a production manager for children’s TV show Byker Grove while he was Christmas shopping. His first big role came a year later, in 1998, when he was cast in Queer as Folk, and he moved to the States when the series ended. But his real breakthrough came a decade on when he landed the main role in the biker show Sons of Anarchy.
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8. Imogen Stubbs
Stubbs was born in Rothbury, Northumberland, and moved around quite a bit in her youth. She’s enjoyed a varied career onstage and onscreen, including major parts with the Royal Shakespeare Company and a featured role as Lucy Steele in the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility, which starred Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant.
9. Jimmy Nail
Another Geordie icon, Nail has his fingers in many pies. Once a rebellious child who was kicked out of secondary school, he grew up to become a celebrated singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer. He starred in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (alongside Tim Healy) and portrayed Agustín Magaldi in the 1996 film Evita with Madonna.
10. Lesley Dunlop
Dunlop is another soap star to hail from the northeast. Born in Newcastle, she was a child actor in the 1970s before enjoying a steady stage and television career. She joined the cast of Where the Heart Is in 2000 and stayed with the series until its completion. Dunlop portrayed the beloved character of Brenda Walker in Emmerdale from 2008 to 2025, when ITV announced the departure of many long-standing characters.
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11. Joe McElderry
A South Shields native, McElderry is another talented Geordie. After winning The X Factor in 2009, he has released five albums since then, all of which have ranked in the Top 20 charts in the United Kingdom. He also led the 2017–18 touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
12. Sarah Millican
It’s not only the acting industry that needs to tip its hat to the northeast, but the comedy scene is also full of Geordie stars. Millican, a South Shields–born and –raised comic, won the comedy award for best newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and subsequently starred on Britain’s most famous comedy panel shows, including Have I Got News for You and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. She’s hosted on BBC radio and gone on tour with her own stand-up comedy shows, establishing herself as a well-rounded and chatty entertainer.
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13. Kevin Whately
Born in Brampton, Cumberland, Whately is best known as Inspector Morse’s sidekick, Detective Sergeant Robbie Lewis, on the detective drama Inspector Morse. Like Tim Healy and Jimmy Nail, he also had a starring role in the 1980s comedy-drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and went on to portray many roles onstage and onscreen.
14. Jill Halfpenny
Another Geordie with a vibrant career in television and theatre, Halfpenny’s star started to rise when she was cast as nurse Rebecca Hopkins on Coronation Street in 1999. After a two-year run on the soap opera, the actor jumped ship and landed a role on EastEnders in 2002. An appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004 revived her stage ambitions. What began with a stunt-casting role as Roxie Hart in the West End production of Chicago led to an Olivier Award for Legally Blonde a handful of years later.