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British actor Clive Owen is one of a handful of stars who, though he is best known for his art house films, can handle more mainstream films with equal measures of grace and skill. Owen is typically cast as characters whose primary traits are a balance of physical strength, intellect, conflicting soul but forceful will. He is best known to film audiences for his work in Children of Men (2006), Closer (2004) and his breakout part in Croupier (1998).

Born in Coventry, in England's West Midlands county, on 3 October 1964, Owen is the fourth of five brothers. He is the son of Pamela (Cotton) and Jess Owen, a country and western singer. His father abandoned the family when he was three years old, and Owen was subsequently raised by his mother and stepfather. He attended Binley Park Comprehensive School and joined the youth theater at 13 after playing the scene-stealing role of the Artful Dodger in a production of "Oliver!"

Acting was not his first choice as a profession, but he changed his mind and went on to graduate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1987. Owen proceeded to join the Young Vic Theatre Company, where he honed his craft while performing in a number of Shakespearean productions.

Clive made his film debut in the British-made Vroom (1990) co-starring with David Thewlis as two fellows who restore a classic American car and take off on the road. Within two years, Clive became a full-fledged TV star playing devilish rogue Stephen Crane in Chancer (1990). However, the now-sought-after Clive abandoned the star-making part at the height of the show's popularity because of unwanted invasion of privacy and his fear of typecasting. His next project raised more than a few eyebrows when he filmed Close My Eyes (1991) in which he played a brother who acts on his incestuous desires for his older sister. Clive's reputation as a lovable shyster was completely shattered and he lost profitable commercial endorsements following the film's release. Offers fell off for the next two years as a result. But the persistent Clive carried on with stage work, including the role of a bisexual in a production of Noël Coward's "Design For Living." He returned to TV at that time as well and played a number of roles in both mini-movies and series.

In 1997, Clive had a huge hit on the London stage with "Closer," a cynical, contemporary ensemble piece about relationships. Controversy surrounded him again in the film role of Max in Bent (1997) playing a brash, reckless homosexual lothario in decadent pre-war Germany who finds unconditional love while interned in a Nazi war camp. His biggest film break, however, was in Mike Hodges' Croupier (1998), as a struggling writer-turned-casino employee who gets in over his head with a femme fatale scam artist. English audiences stayed away in droves but the U.S. embraced the film and Hollywood took notice of Clive, who was virtually unknown outside of England. Despite playing detective Ross Tanner in a series of successful "Second Sight" mini-movies and finding critical acclaim on stage with "The Day in the Death of Joe Egg" in 2001, Clive has focused primarily on film, including the offbeat Brit romantic comedy Greenfingers (2000), the classy and popular Robert Altman period piece Gosford Park (2001), the Matt Damon star-vehicle The Bourne Identity (2002), and the title role in King Arthur (2004). He has since reached the top rungs of the Hollywood ladder with the film version of his stage smash Closer (2004), in which he received an Academy Award nomination and won both the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for "Supporting Actor." He also had noteworthy roles opposite Denzel Washington in Inside Man (2006); and Julianne Moore and Michael Caine in Children of Men (2006), as well as handling a few biopics, playing Sir Walter Raleigh opposite Cate Blanchett's Elizabeth I in the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) and Ernest Hemingway (Emmy nomination) in Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012) also starring Nicole Kidman.

More recent films include starring roles in The International (2009), Duplicity (2009), The Boys Are Back (2009), Trust (2010), Intruders (2011), Blood Ties (2013), Last Knights (2015), The Confirmation (2016) and Anon (2018). He also played Claudius in a retelling of "Hamlet" per Ophelia's perspective in Ophelia (2018); and played in support to Will Smith in the sci-fi thriller Gemini Man (2019).

Owen is married to former actress Sarah-Jane Fenton, who played Juliet to his Romeo at the Young Vic in 1998. The couple has two daughters.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest stage and screen actors both in his native UK and internationally, the unparalleled Nigel Hawthorne was born in Coventry, England on 5 April 1929, raised in South Africa and returned to the UK in the 1950s with his extensive work as a great gentleman of acting following during the decade as well as in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. His portrayal of 'Sir Humphrey Appleby' in the BBC comedy Yes Minister (1980) won him international acclaim in the 1980s. In 1992, he was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for his sublime interpretation of 'George III' in Alan Bennett's hit stage play, "The Madness of King George III" and he was also nominated for an Academy Award of Best Actor in a Leading Role in its brilliant film adaptation The Madness of King George (1994), both of them exquisitely directed by Nicholas Hytner.

Billie was born in Coventry but taken to Bradford as a child and raised there and later joined the theatre school at the Civic Playhouse. She first played little boy parts on radio at BBC Manchester before moving into plays on television, On stage she appeared at the National Theatre but is mainly remembered for her 25 years association with the Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. in films she was twice cast with Albert Finney in Charlie Bubbles(1969) and Gumshoe (1995)

Born in 1986 in Coventry, England as Ghulam Dustgir Khan he is a British comedian, impressionist, and actor, best known for his comedy-drama series Man Like Mobeen (2017). He is of Pakistani descent and grew up in Coventry; he has two older sisters. After graduation from Coventry University he worked as a teacher. His career in comedy took off when he started publishing YouTube videos in 2014 and the following year he performed his stand-up for the first time. In the same year, a video of Khan performing as his character Mobeen and feigning an outrage at a scene from Jurassic World (2015) went viral and he gained popularity and recognition, prompting Khan to quit his job as a teacher and focus on his comedy career full-time. In 2017, Man Like Mobeen debuted on BBC iPlayer to much critical acclaim. Since then, he's appeared on game shows such as Taskmaster (2015), Would I Lie to You? (2007) and QI (2003), scripted shows such as Four Weddings and a Funeral (2019) and Our Flag Means Death (2022) and movies such as Army of Thieves (2021) and The Bubble (2022). He lives in the West Midlands with his wife and their four children.

Chris Jury is an award-winning actor and director. Born in Coventry in the English Midlands, Chris studied Drama/English at Hull University and began working as an actor in the theatre with such names as Mike Bradwell, Danny Boyle and Anthony Minghella; And with companies as diverse as Hull Truck, The Bush and Stratford East. He also worked extensively in film and TV appearing most notably as Eric Catchpole in over 50 episodes of the BBC's long running series, Lovejoy.

He has directed for many of the major UK long-running series including Eastenders and Coronation Street.

Graeme Hawley was born in 1973 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Phantom of the Open (2021), Kappatoo (1990) and Coronation Street (1960). He has been married to Elianne Byrne since 2008. They have two children.

Harold Innocent was born on 18 April 1933 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Brazil (1985) and Henry V (1989). He died on 12 September 1993 in London, England, UK.

Jennifer Veal attended prestigious London performing arts schools Italia Conti at the age of 9 and Sylvia Young Theatre School 12-17 alongside stars such as Amy Winehouse, The Spice Girls and more. The stage then certainly took a shine to Jennifer leading to her West End debut in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" at The London Palladium, she performed for the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance and then went on to join casts such as the original cast of "Billy Elliot" working alongside stars such as Elton John.

Television called next. Jennifer joined the Disney family at 14 and has worked on a variety of shows ever since from the UK's first original series "As The Bell Rings". After graduating from Sylvia Youngs Jennifer was accepted a year early into The Central School of Speech and Drama. Her next role lead her to Los Angeles with a recurring role in the worldwide hit series "Jessie" where she play not only one but two characters, opposing twins Agatha and Angela. The popularity of her characters on "Jessie" continued her success in children's television and she joined the Nickelodeon Network and the cast of Victorious.

She soon met her current co star and creative partner "Lucas Cruikshank". The duo became an Internet sensation in 6 months and with their combined channels and the "Lucas And Jenny" channel reached millions of subscribers and billions of views all thanks to fun skits, their perfect pairing, personal vlogs and crazy shenanigans.

As well as working onscreen Jennifer has quite the reputation in the world of voice over worldwide lending her voice to shows such as channel 5's hit animation Hanas Helpine, ads such as "Google Chrome" and popular video games including "The Rekkoning, Guildwars" and many more.

Jennifer has grown her career worldwide and continues to do so.

Kiran is a comedian who starred on the NBC/Hulu comedy Sunnyside, in addition to other shows like How to Get Away with Murder and Modern Family. She's a co-host on Crooked Media's Hysteria podcast and a touring stand-up comedian who headlined the NY Comedy Festival, the Kennedy Center, and more. As a writer/director, Kiran has made films for HBO and Sundance, been nominated for an Emmy, and shortlisted for an Academy Award. She loves naps and ice cream.

Rowena Wallace was born on 23 August 1947 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Rovers (1969), You Can't See 'round Corners (1969) and Division 4 (1969). She was previously married to George Assang.

Talented musician and actress, Hazel O'Connor's career has been a rollercoaster one. Her breakthrough came in the film Breaking Glass (1980), in which she played a singer struggling to cope within the music industry. Sadly, this was to be the case in her music career as she battled over copyrights and clauses for a number of years. However, her determination persevered and she now happily records and tours with her friend, Carmac De Barra.

Declan Bennett was born on 20 March 1981 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), EastEnders (1985) and Top of the Pops (1964).

Brendan Price was born on 24 June 1947 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Chinese Puzzle (1974), Doctor Who (1963) and Emmerdale Farm (1972).

Louis Hilyer was born in 1964 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), Modigliani (2004) and Downton Abbey (2010). He is married to Matilda Ziegler.

Pete Waterman was born in England and became one of Europe's biggest pop music producers when he teamed up with Mike Stock and Matt Aitken.

Together, Stock Aitken Waterman produced songs for the biggest pop artists, including Samantha Fox, Rick Astley, Mel & Kim, Sinitta, Mandy Smith, Bananarama, Hazel Dean, Dead Or Alive, and Steps.

Legendary Broadway star of both dramas and musicals, he created the role of Francois Villon in Rudolf Friml's "The Vagabond King" in 1925, in which he also made his sound film debut opposite Jeanette MacDonald, Lillian Roth, and Warner Oland five years later. Primarily a stage actor, he only made a few more films, most notably The Devil's Brother (1933) and Between Two Worlds (1944), and was very active on early TV.

Legendary British stage actress who made a few silent film appearances. The daughter of strolling players, she was born in Coventry into an almost exclusively theatrical family. Her grandparents were actors, as were all six of her siblings. But only her son, Edward Gordon Craig, would in any way approach her fame in the theatre, albeit as a designer rather than as an actor. She made her debut in 1856 at the age of 8 before an audience which included Queen Victoria. By age 11, she had played a dozen roles including Puck. At 16, after showing early brilliance, she played "An American Cousin" (a year before the famed American production clouded by Lincoln's assassination) and then retired. After six years, still only 22, she returned to the stage and in 1875 played a landmark Portia in "The Merchant of Venice." For the next three decades, she played every major Shakespearean role opposite the greatest British tragedians, in England and in America. Her long association with theatrical giant Henry Irving ended with his death, but a year later, in 1906, she began a long professional and personal relationship with George Bernard Shaw. After more than half a century onstage, she undertook a tour of England, America, and Australia, lecturing on the theatre and on Shakespeare. She was coaxed into a film appearance in 1916 and played in a handful of additional pictures through 1922. Created a Dame by George V in 1925, she was the recipient of virtually every honor available to a figure of the English-speaking stage. After a long illness, she died at 81 from a combination of stroke and heart attack at her home in Smallhythe Place, Tenterdon, Kent, England. Her long estranged husband, James Carew, survived her.

Patti Dalton was born on 12 March 1933 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Public Eye (1965), Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973) and The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963). She died in 1997 in Surrey, England, UK.

Brian Hawksley was born on 8 April 1920 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Witches (1990), A Bridge Too Far (1977) and Doctor Who (1963). He died on 28 September 2001 in Haverfordwest, Pembrokshire, Wales, UK.

Kenton Moore was born on 31 March 1932 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Watch All Night (1980), The Big Spender (1965) and Doctor Who (1963). He was previously married to Annette Hunt.

Kevin Warwick was born on 9 February 1954 in Keresley, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He is known for The Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd (2023), The Sci-Fi Files (1997) and Three Tales (2002).

Frank Ifield was born on 30 November 1937 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Up Jumped a Swagman (1965), The Year My Voice Broke (1987) and The End of the F***ing World (2017). He was married to Carole Wood and Gillian Bowden. He died on 18 May 2024 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

A popular radio comedian in the 1940s and 50s in Britain, Reg Dixon's signature tune was 'Confidentially' which he wrote himself. A burly figure he wore a trilby hat his catchphrase was 'I'm not well, I'm proper poorly.'

In the 1950s he took over from the film comedian George Formby in the stage musical 'Zip Goes A Million' at London's Palace Theatre. He made several minor films and many television guest appearances later in his career.

Barney Dorman was born in 1932 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Fawlty Towers (1975), Z Cars (1962) and Striker (1975).

Peter Evans was born on 29 June 1910 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Big Spender (1965), K.I.L. 1 (1962) and Seven Deadly Sins (1966). He was married to Ann Martin. He died on 11 May 1973 in Bromley, London, England, UK.