The 5 Most Famous People to Come From Glasgow

• April 30, 2014
• •
• Posted in : Glasgow

Glasgow is the UK’s 3rd largest city by population, so on that basis it should be no surprise that it has produced so many prominent figures. However, size alone doesn’t explain why being from Glasgow seems to be a strong influencing factor in whether somebody turns out to be a top class football manager or comedian! The abilities of the world’s most prominent and significant Glaswegians aren’t limited to those two areas though, something you’ll discover as we guide you through our list of… the 5 most famous people to come from Glasgow!

Billy Connolly

The ‘Big Yin’ displays two classic Glaswegian tendencies – a great sense of humour and a history of claiming not to be a fan of either of the Old Firm football teams. Billy Connolly was a ‘fan’ of Clyde FC for years before apparently deciding that his success levels were such that they wouldn’t be unduly affected by confessing a leaning for the green-and-white side of the city’s footballing divide. Connolly came through that classic learning ground for Glasgow ‘patter’, the shipyards of the Clyde, then progressed from playing the folk music scene to gradually doing less singing and more talking when onstage.

These days, he’s still touring and entertaining audiences across the globe. We should put in our apologies to Frankie Boyle, Kevin Bridges and Glasgow-born, now US chat-show host, Craig Ferguson who were all narrowly edged out for a place on the list.

Sir Alex Ferguson

We’re keen to make sure we get our facts right when talking about Sir Alex, lest we end up having a football boot bouncing off our face, a la David Beckham. Brought up in Govan, Ferguson ended up playing for local giants Rangers, having worked his way up via clubs including Glasgow’s historic amateur side, Queen’s Park. Though Ferguson himself is quick to point out that he enjoyed a goal-packed career as a striker, it’s as a manager that he’s best known.

He lifted two European trophies while in charge of the most successful Aberdeen side in the club’s history, before going on to match and then surpass the achievements of the legendary Sir Matt Busby at Manchester United. 13 Premier League and 2 Champions League titles were among the mighty haul of trophies plundered by Sir Alex during his spell in charge at Old Trafford. As well as that, he was also instrumental in bringing through the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers. Time will tell whether his chosen successor (and fellow Glaswegian), David Moyes, can go on to enjoy similar highs.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

The debate over who is or was Scotland’s most famous architect probably centres around two Glaswegians, Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. As Mackintosh’s art nouveau design skills branched out from just architecture to earn him eminence in areas such as furniture design too, he’s just edged out Thomson to make our list of famous Glaswegians. Actually, although Thomson died when Mackintosh was only 7, there is a link between the two. In 1890, Mackintosh won the Alexander Thomson Travelling Studentship, set up for the “furtherance of the study of ancient classic architecture, with special reference to the principles illustrated in Mr Thomson’s works.”

As with so many greats, Mackintosh’s work wasn’t fully appreciated in his home city until after his death though. One of his most famous architectural designs, House for an Art Lover (which can be visited in Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park), was created by Mackintosh in 1901…but work on building it didn’t begin until 1989!

Mark Millar

The name Mark Millar may have a few people scratching their heads, but if we were to mention that the comic book writer is the creator of Kick-Ass then recognition will (hopefully!) start to dawn. We’re also aware that the people of the Lanarkshire town of Coatbridge may not be too happy about us ‘appropriating’ Millar for Glasgow, but he does live in the city these days. As well as Kick-Ass and Kick-Ass 2, he’s also responsible for Wanted, the comic book series that inspired the movie. A movie which featured the acting talents of James McAvoy, who of course comes from… Glasgow!

Peter Capaldi

James McAvoy’s Hollywood career should really have earned him a place on our list, but we just can’t bring ourselves to leave out Peter Capaldi. He first came to prominence in 1992 with the release of the critically acclaimed British movie, Soft Top, Hard Shoulder…but it was a role he first took on in 2005 that has really elevated him to national treasure status. We’d love to bring you some of the finest and most memorable quotes from the character of political spin-doctor, Malcolm Tucker, played with such aplomb by Capaldi in The Thick of It. We’d love to…but we’d have to slap an 18+ warning on the entire website if we did! Rarely has the line between poetry and swearing been so blurred. Following on from that success, Capaldi can now be seen on our screens as the deliciously Machiavellian Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers and as the latest incarnation of The Doctor in Doctor Who.

Ready to make the move?

We hope that reading through this auspicious list of names has whetted the appetites of some aspiring football managers, comedians, actors, architects or comic book writers looking for the perfect setting to inspire and nurture your talents. If so, then don’t worry. We know that moving house can be a daunting and stressful prospect but your storage needs in Glasgow will be in safe hands with us.

Thinking about making Glasgow your home city? These 6 excellent reasons for why you should move to Glasgow might convince you.

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