The most famous people to come from Newport

If the city had its own wall of fame, these actors, musicians, Youtubers and sporting stars would definitely top the list:

Aimee-Ffion Edwards

Actress Aimee-Ffion Edwards is well known for her role as the obsessive Welsh girl, Sketch, in the hit coming of age series Skins. 

Edwards attended Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd, in Llanwern, before joining the National Youth Theatre of Wales, and is a fluent speaker in both Welsh and English.

One of Edwards' best known roles is as Esme Shelby in the popular BBC drama Peaky Blinders.

Michael Sheen

Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore (Wikimedia Commons)

Another well known actor from Newport is the great Michael Sheen who was born in Newport in 1969. 

Sheen is famous for his roles in a variety of major films such as the Twilight Saga, Blood Diamond, and The Damned United.

After moving to Port Talbot at an early age Sheen considers this to be his home town, and is known for publicly championing the Welsh culture and people.

Christian Malcolm

Christian Malcolm - Image couresty of Jim Thurston (Wikimedia Commons)

Christian Malcolm attended Hartridge High School and is one of Wales' most prominent 200 metre runners.

After winning two gold medals at the 1998 Junior World Championships in the 100m and 200m, Malcolm went on to receive a number of senior honours with the Welsh and British teams.

Malcolm won a silver medal at the Commonwealth games in Kuala Lumpur, as well as a World Championship silver medal in 2010. He retired from running in 2014, before taking a coaching role with the Australian athletics team in 2019.

Josie d'Arby

Josie d'Arcy - Source - Intheknowjoe Wikimedia Commons 

Television presenter Josie d'Arby presented a number of high profile shows in the 90's and early 2000's, including her own Channel 5 talk show Josie, and popular children's art show Smart.

She has also made appearances on BBC comedy Miranda, Mersey Beat, and still regularly presents Proms in the Park and Songs of Praise.

Feeder

 Grant Nicholas - Image: Marcus Bowen at the English Wikipedia

The indie rock band Feeder were formed in Newport in 1994 by lead singer Grant Nicholas.

Nicholas was born in Newport but grew up in Shirenewton, near Chepstow. He was educated at Monmouth School. 

The bands third album Echo Park was released in 2001, with its lead single Buck Rogers becoming a top five single, and gaining them a cult following across the UK and Japan.

At their peak of commercial success, Feeder won two Kerrang! Awards in 2001 and 2003 and were inducted into their Hall of Fame in August 2019.

Desmond Llewelyn

Actor Desmond Llewelyn played the iconic role of Q, the MI6 quartermaster in a total of 17 James Bond films.

Llewelyn made his first appearance in the Bond franchise in the 1963 classic, From Russia with Love, and worked with a number of actors who played the famous 007, including Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan.

When the second world war broke out in 1939 Llewelyn paused his acting career to join up with the Welsh Fusiliers, fighting in France where he was later captured by the German Army, spending five years as a prisoner of war.

Chris Gunter

Chris Gunter (Nick Potts/PA)

Professional footballer Chris Gunter joined Cardiff City's youth system and was signed by Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur for £4 million in January 2008.

Now Gunter plays as a defender for Championship team Reading, and has made 96 appearances for the Welsh national team.

He attended St Julian's High School as a teenager and was part of the successful Welsh campaign in the Euro 2016 tournament.

The attacking full back is known for his ability to play on both sides of the pitch and is currently the most capped Welsh footballer ever, after surpassing former goalkeeper Neville Southhall in 2018.

Goldie Lookin Chain

Best known for their hit single Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do, the Welsh comedy hip-hop group Goldie Lookin Chain put Newport on the map when they shot to fame in 2004 with their Greatest Hits album.

The iconic group are one of the best known musical acts to come from the city with their humorous representation of culture in Newport and south Wales.

The band have been known to follow Newport County football team closely, and have even dedicated a song, You're Not From Newport, to their home city.

Bobby Windsor

Nicknamed The Duke, Welsh rugby legend Bobby Windsor played the majority of his career whilst working as a steel worker in south Wales.

Widely regarded as one of the best hookers ever, Windsor was part of the famous Pontypool front row, playing alongside Graham Price and Charlie Faulkner.

Windsor played his club rugby for Cross-Keys and Pontypool, and earned 28 caps for Wales as well as taking part in two British Lions tours of South Africa and New Zealand.