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Famous People of Cheltenham
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As a fashionable regency spa town, Cheltenham has hosted
a number of famous visitors. The royal visit in 1788 made Cheltenham the
destination of the rich and famous and notable guests such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, C. S. Lewis, Alfred Tennyson and Lord Byron visited the town. Even today with its wide range of
festivals, Cheltenham is the centre for art and culture.
Cheltenham also boasts to be the birthplace of many world
known personalities. Among the most famous belongs the composer Gustav
Holst, explorer Edward Willson and Rolling Stone Brian
Jones.
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Wilson was born in Cheltenham in 1872.
Scientist, medical doctor, zoologist, accomplished artist, in 1901 he
was asked to join the expedition of Capt. Robert Falcon Scott, when they
travelled nearer to the South Pole than any previous explorers.
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Eddie the Eagle, Britain's only ski jumper, was born in Cheltenham in 1963.
Totally self-funded, he took part in the 1988 Olympics in Calgary and although finishing the last he became the best loved ski jumper in the world.
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Holst was born in Cheltenham in 1874.
A composer, music teacher, accomplished pianist, violinist and trombone player, he became known as the author of The Planets Suite, the most-performed composition by an English composer.
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Brian Jones was born in Cheltenham in 1942. The founding member of the Rolling Stones, a rock'n'roll star and talented musician, who could play the piano, clarinet, saxophone and guitar is remembered as one of Cheltenham's most famous sons.
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Born in Cheltenham in 1902, Richardson began his acting career at the age of 18.
Classical Shakespearean actor, he continued to enthrall audiences with his extraordinary acting skills well into old age. Among his many films are Richard III and Long Day's Journey into Night.
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Richard O'Brien was born in Cheltenham in 1942. He is best known for writing the musical The Rocky Horror Show and appearing in its film adaptation as the character Rif Raf. He is also very well known in the UK for presenting the popular The Crystal Maze.
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Born in Cheltenham in 1857, Fred Archer was a horse racing legend in his lifetime, and has been ever since. He won 2748 races between 1869 and 1886, he rode 21 Classic winners, including five Derbys, and he had been Champion Jockey 13 times.
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Arthur Harris, commonly known as "Bomber" Harris by the press, and often within the RAF as "Butcher" Harris, was born in Cheltenham in 1892. He was commander of RAF Bomber Command and later a Marshal of the Royal Air Force during the latter half of World War II.
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Born in Cheltenham in 1941, Martin Jarvis's distinguished acting career includes the title role on Broadway in By Jeeves, appearing in the Oscar-winning Titanic, starring roles in many international television series and in London’s West End and National Theatre.
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The English soprano, Dame Felicity Lott, was born and educated in Cheltenham. She has appeared at all the great opera houses of the world, including Vienna, Milan, Paris, Brussels, Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Berlin, New York and Chicago.
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