Our birthday honours list of 150 people who have had a positive influence on Norfolk life concludes with 25 stars of the arts and entertainment
Wilbert Awdry. The priest and train enthusiast wrote some of the Thomas the Tank Engine books while rector of Emneth.
Peter Bellamy. The internationally-known folk singer grew up in Warham, near Wells. The founding member of 1960s folk band Young Tradition, his first solo album was called Mainly Norfolk. His ballad-opera The Transports told the story of the Norfolk prisoner who was the first to step ashore in Australia.
Malcolm Bradbury. The novelist and academic co-founded the first creative writing masters course at the University of East Anglia in 1970. It is now one of the most prestigious literary programmes in the world and has launched the careers of international bestselling writers and Booker and Nobel prize winners.
Benjamin Britten. Some of the best known works of the 20th century composer, who went to school at Gresham’s in Holt, are the opera Peter Grimes, War Requiem and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Jack Cardiff. The pioneering cinematographer, born in Great Yarmouth in 1914, was one of the first film-makers in the world to experiment with colour. He worked with Hitchcock and was nominated for an Oscar as a director.
Olivia Colman. Born and brought up in Norfolk, the actress went on to star in numerous television comedies and dramas including Peep Show, Rev, Fleabag and Broadchurch, and played the Queen in series three and four of The Crown. She won a Golden Globe best actress award for The Crown and an Oscar for playing Queen Annne in The Favourite.
Cathy Dennis. The Norwich-born musician and singer wrote hits for stars including Kylie Minogue, Will Young, Britney Spears and Katy Perry.
Ruth, Lady Fermoy. She founded the King’s Lynn Festival in 1951.
Stephen Fry. The actor, comedian, writer and presenter, was brought up in Norfolk, married in Dereham and is a keen Canaries fan.
John Hurt. The star of films including The Elephant Man, 1984, Alien and the Indiana Jones and Harry Potter series, spent his final years in Norfolk, becoming the first chancellor of Norwich University of the Arts and getting involved with the Holt Festival, which awards an art prize in his memory, and Norwich’s Cinema City where the charitable Sir John Hurt Film Trust is based.
Stash Kirkbride. Founder of the Hostry Festival.
Myleene Klaas. The singer, pianist and television presenter and model, who shot to fame as a member of Hear’Say was born in Yarmouth.
Karl Minns. Performer and writer for the Nimmo Twins making witty word-play and sketches normal for Norfolk since 1996. Karl has also written for national television shows and personalities including Have I Got News for You and Charlie Brooker.
Walter Nugent Monck. Theatre director who founded the Guild of Norwich Players in 1911 and the Maddermarket Theatre in 1921. By 1933 it had become the first theatre in the world to have performed all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays under the same producer.
Andrew Motion. The poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009 was a professor of creative writing at the University of East Anglia.
Anna Mudeka. The north Norfolk musician and performer founded the Norfolk World Music Festival and the African Choir of Norfolk and runs workshops and projects for young people, as well as a charity providing food and education for Zimbabwean orphans.
Alfred Munnings. 1878-1959. Famous for his horse paintings, the artist’s first job was as an apprentice to a Norwich printer, where he drew advertising posters while studying at the Norwich School of Art.
Nick Rayns. As University of East Anglia entertainments manager for more than 30 years Nick booked more than 2,000 bands and helped make Norwich a music destination. Highlights included Robbie Williams’ first solo show and The Jam and Madness on consecutive nights at the peak of their careers.
Edmund Dawson Rogers. The first editor of the Eastern Daily Press also established the National Press Agency in London and became fascinated by spiritualism, founding the British National Association of Spiritualists and the Society for Psychical Research.
Robert and Lisa Sainsbury. The supermarket heirs set up the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts for their art collection.
Edward Seago. The early 20th century impressionist artist who lived in Ludham is renowned for his paintings of the Broads.
Keith Skipper. The journalist, broadcaster and author is a champion of the Norfolk dialect and in 1999 helped set up the Friends of Norfolk Dialect (Fond.)
Allan Smethhurst. The singing postman grew up in Sheringham and is best known for Hev Yew Gotta Loight, Boy? which won an Ivor Novello Award in 1966.
Kieron Williamson. The child prodigy artist was just six years old when his astonishingly accomplished paintings began attracting worldwide attention. His first exhibitions sold out in minutes and Kieron, now 20, continues to live and paint in north Norfolk.
Luke Wright. The performance poet and poetry curator, who has lived in Norwich, regularly debuts his tour-de-force one-man shows at the Norwich Arts Centre,
Our 150 names of iconic Norfolk people of the past 150 years runs through this EDP 150th anniversary week with categories including sports, arts, science and nature, good causes, business leaders and great lives.
Who have we missed? Let us know who you think should be included in a list of Norfolk people who should be celebrated for making life in the county better over the past 150 years. Email edpletters@archant.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here