Famous Britons by Origin Trivia Quiz

Answer: Scotland

Actor James McAvoy was born in Glasgow in 1979. He appeared in the acclaimed television series 'State of Play' in 2003 alongside David Morrissey, John Simm and Bill Nighy. On the big screen, he appeared as Mr Tumnus in the film adaptation of 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' (2005), 'The Last King of Scotland' (2006) and 'Atonement' (2007).

He then played Charles Xavier in several of the 'X-Men' films.

Answer: Scotland

If you think Doddie is an odd name, you'd be right. His real name was George and he played rugby union for Scotland, his place of birth. He played as a lock, one of the two players who form the second row in a scrum. They are usually the tallest players too, competing for the ball in line outs.

He played for Scotland on 61 occasions. Sadly, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2016, made the news public the following year and set up a foundation to fund research into the disease. He died in 2022 at the too young age of 52.

Answer: Scotland

Gerald Rafferty was born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1947 the middle son of three boys. His family had Irish roots and he heard folk songs from both Scotland and Ireland while growing up. Rafferty joined a group named The Humblebums, which also featured Billy Connolly, later to make his mark as a comedian. He then moved on to a partnership with Joe Egan, performing as Stealers Wheel. Their best known song is 'Stuck in the Middle with You' from 1972.

In his solo career, Rafferty wrote and recorded many iconic songs with 'Baker Street', helped by the magnificent saxophone playing of Raphael Ravenscroft, becoming a huge hit in 1978. Other songs by Gerry include 'The Ark' and 'Night Owl'. He also provided the vocals for 'That's the Way it Always Starts', written by Mark Knopfler for the 1983 film, 'Local Hero'.

Answer: Wales

Born in Cardiff, the Welsh capital, in 1967, Colin Jackson represented his country and Great Britain & Northern Ireland as an athlete. His main event was the 110 m hurdles in which he won gold medals at World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games meets.

His best finish at the Olympics was a silver medal in Seoul, in 1988. After retiring, Colin moved into broadcasting and also took part in the 2005 series of 'Strictly Come Dancing' finishing as runner up to another sportsman, Darren Gough.

Answer: Wales

Andy Fairweather Low has a name which doesn't sound particularly Welsh, but he was born in Ystrad Mynach in the Welsh valleys. His first success came as the lead singer of the band Amen Corner, who got together in Cardiff and had success with a cover version of 'Bend Me, Shape Me' in 1968.

Fairweather Low left the band for a solo career in 1971 and had success with 'Wide-Eyed and Legless' in 1975. He has remained a constant, if low profile, performer ever since working as a session musician for numerous well known singers and bands. They include Eric Clapton, Roger Waters and George Harrison. You'll find his name listed as a supporting artist on many album covers.

Answer: Wales

Rob was born in a village close to Port Talbot, which is an industrial area on Swansea Bay, in 1965. He has made his name as a comedian, television presenter and actor, with small roles in films but mainly appearing on television shows. Rob can also do impressions and often lends his voice to animated shows.

For many of us, he is best known for his portrayal of Uncle Bryn in 'Gavin and Stacey' written by, and starring, Ruth Jones and James Corden. Rob began presenting the comedy television panel show called 'Would I Lie to You?' in 2009 to mention just one of the many shows in which he can be, or has been, seen.

Answer: England

Sheeran was born in West Yorkshire, in the north of England, in 1991 but was only four years old when the family moved much further south, to Suffolk. Both are undeniably in England, though. He took an interest in music from an early age, with his first album, '+', released in 2011.

Other albums simply showing mathematical symbols followed. He has been successful around the world, hitting the highest reaches of the charts regularly - 'Shape of You' was a particular success in 2017 reaching number one in both the UK and USA as well as many other countries.

Answer: England

Idris, full name Idrissa Akuna Elba, is a Londoner, born in Hackney in 1972. He became interested in acting while still at school and soon began picking up roles in various British television dramas. Two big roles established him as an actor to be admired, one in the USA and the other in his home country.

In America, he played Stringer Bell in the first three seasons of 'The Wire' between 2002 and 2004. In Britain, he starred in 'Luther' portraying a Detective Chief Inspector, so on the right side of the law this time. The series ran from 2010 to 2019 over five series. Idris also appeared in 'Luther: the Fallen Sun', a film based on the character in 2023.

Answer: England

Andrew Flintoff, better known as 'Freddie', was a regular in the English test cricket team between 1998 and 2009. He played as an 'all-rounder', i.e. displaying skills as both a batsman and bowler, and had a successful career as a sportsman.

After retiring, he turned to a media career appearing on Sky's comedy sport related panel game called 'A League of their Own'. In 2018 Flintoff became one of the presenters on the BBC motoring show 'Top Gear', but this came to a dramatic when he was badly injured in a high speed car crash in 2022. He recovered enough to return to television subsequently, although in rather safer pursuits. 'Top Gear' has been discontinued, possibly permanently.

Answer: Northern Ireland

George Ivan Morrison, to give him his full name, was born in Belfast in 1945 and first came to public attention as the lead singer of the band Them. The group had several hits in the 1960s, including 'Please Don't Go' and 'Here Comes the Night'. He went solo in 1967, with 'Brown Eyed Girl' becoming his signature song.

He has released numerous albums and is recognised for his innovation. Morrison was knighted in 2016, receiving his award from the then Prince Charles.

Answer: Northern Ireland

Neeson was born in Ballymena, about 25 miles (40 km), to the north of Belfast in 1952. He worked in a variety of casual jobs before joining Belfast's Lyric Theatre and finding that acting was his vocation.

Liam moved to London and began picking up roles in various films, but made a major breakthrough when he was cast as Oskar Schindler in 'Schindler's List' in 1993. From there his career blossomed with appearances on stage and the big screen. Neeson played one of the characters in 'Love Actually' (2003) and gave Aslan his voice in the film adaptations of 'The Chronicles of Narnia' books, to mention just a couple.

Answer: Northern Ireland

George Best, born in Belfast in 1946, was a football (soccer) player who became as well known off the sports field as on it. He established a playboy lifestyle which meant the tabloid newspapers were constantly writing about him. He died too early, due to liver problems associated with his lifestyle. On the football pitch, he was mercurial.

He spent several years with Manchester United, helping the club to win the league. They also became the first English club to win the European Championship with Best recognised as the European Footballer of the Year in 1968.