YORK is home to a lot of famous faces.
From Skyfall’s Judi Dench to Game of Thrones’ Mark Addy, the city has produced a lot of big names.
While you might have been well aware of the celebrities come from the town region- do you know which schools they attended?
Plenty of celebrities were educated right on our doorstep and may have even found their love for music or acting behind the school gates.
Here are some celebrities who were educated in York:
The Mount School
(Dominic Lipinski/PA)
Dame Judi Dench
Not only was Dame Judi Dench born in Heyworth, she carried her education on in the city too.
She attended The Mount School which is a Quaker independent day and boarding school.
Judi attended the school between 1945-1953.
However, her educational link to the city doesn’t end there as she also attended Clifton School and Nursery (as it was then known).
In an interview with a national paper, she said studying Shakespeare there nearly put her off his works for life.
She said: "I remember having to read in a class and them saying you have to read six lines each. Six lines each of the ghastly Merchant of Venice, regardless of who was saying them.
“It made it a complete nonsense. I never liked the play and I should never have played Portia – there, I’ve said it. It ruined the play for me, completely ruined the play.”
Millthorpe School/Nunthorpe
Steve McClaren
If you are a football fan, you might recognise Steve McClaren.
He is a professional football manager and former player. He was appointed the manager of the England national team in 2006, a role he kept for a year.
McClaren was both born and educated in York, attending Millthorpe School (then recognised as Nunthorpe School) between 1972-1977.
Lawrie Hill taught McClaren and said he was a boy who “always had an understanding of football”.
Vince Cable
(Instagram/vincecablemp)
Another notable member of the Millthorpe alumni is Vince Cable.
He is a former member of parliament and was leader of the Liberal Democrats between 2017-2019.
At the school, he took part in the school production of Macbeth, telling a national newspaper that this experience really boosted his confidence and made him a better public speaker.
Before Millthorpe, Vince also attended Poppleton Road Primary School and interviewed for Bootham School but didn’t get accepted.
Bootham School
Brian Rix
Brian was born in Cottingham in the East of Yorkshire- but he was educated at Bootham School in York.
He was best know for his stage and TV performances, specialising in a series of post-war ‘Whitehall farce’ comedies.
Women aren’t angels, Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something and The Night We Got The Bird are just some productions he starred in.
He was also president of the learning disability charity, Mencap.
Sadly, he passed away in 2016.
Archbishop Holgate school
Ben Godfrey
Footballing star, Ben Godfrey, plays for Everton and the England national under-21 team.
However, did you know that the York-born lad attended Archbishop Holgate School?
St Peter’s School
Guy Fawkes
As one of the oldest schools in York, you would expect St Peter’s to have produced some historic names- and it certainly has.
According to the school website, Guy Fawkes, one of the masterminds behind the failed gunpower plot, attended this school.
John Barry
A more up-to-date alumni is John Barry, a famous composer known for producing 11 James Bond Scores.
He also produced other iconic music scores, such as Born Free, and Dances with Wolves.
Before St Peter’s he attended Bar Convent School.
Jonny Bairstow
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Heading to <a href="https://twitter.com/HomeOfCricket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HomeOfCricket</a> on Sunday to check out the <a href="https://twitter.com/SpartanSportsAU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpartanSportsAU</a> stash at the new <a href="https://twitter.com/RomidaCricket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RomidaCricket</a> shop. Come down and say hi! 👋 <a href="https://t.co/d0q6krmC1J">pic.twitter.com/d0q6krmC1J</a></p>— Jonny Bairstow (@jbairstow21) <a href="https://twitter.com/jbairstow21/status/1045714272913887233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
(Twitter/ @jbairstow21)
Baristow is a cricketer who plays for both the Yorkshire team and England National team.
He was even part of the national team when they won the World Cup in 2019.
While at school, he mastered many othe sports- including rugby union.
Queen Anne’s Grammar School
Janet McTeer
Janet was born in Tyne and Wear- but was educated at this York Grammar School which closed in the early 2000s.
McTeer was awarded an OBE for her contributions to the world of film and television.
She has starred in many notable movies, such as Me Before You and Disney’s Maleficent.
Significantly, she also starred alongside Jason Bateman in the hit show Ozark.
Joseph Rowntree School
Mark Addy
Game of Thrones Star, Mark Addy, attended Joseph Rowntree comprehensive school.
It was here that he discovered his love of drama and theatre.
While at the school, Addy secured some work experience at the York Theatre Workshop and he got to work backstage.
Did you go to the same school as any of these celebrities?
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