Editing Coventry (section)

==Notable people associated with Coventry==
{{Main|List of people from Coventry}}

===History and politics===
[[File:Godiva Statue Coventry 1.JPG|thumb|upright|Statue of [[Lady Godiva]]]]Coventry is well known for the mythical 11th century exploits of [[Lady Godiva]] who, according to legend, rode through the city naked on horseback in protest at high taxes being levied on the city folk by her husband [[Leofric, Earl of Mercia]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The City of Coventry: The legend of Lady Godiva {{!}} British History Online |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol8/pp242-247 |access-date=5 September 2024 |website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> Contemporary historians do not dispute that lady Godiva was a real figure, as she was the first woman to be mentioned in the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' (1086), however her ride is considered mythical.<ref>{{cite web|title=Did Lady Godiva ride naked in Coventry?|url=https://www.historyextra.com/period/anglo-saxon/who-lady-godiva-did-she-ride-naked-through-coventry-streets/|access-date=16 January 2022|website=HistoryExtra}}</ref> The residents of the city were commanded to look away as she rode, but one man did not and was allegedly struck blind. He became known as [[Voyeurism|Peeping Tom]] thus originating a new idiom, or metonym, in English. There is a Grade II* [[listed building|listed]] statue<ref>{{NHLE |num=1031589 |desc=Bronze statue of Lady Godiva – Grade II* |access-date=12 March 2009}}</ref> of her in the city centre, which for 18 years had been underneath a Cathedral Lanes shopping centre canopy, removed in October 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/7697036.stm|title=Godiva statue canopy comes down|work=BBC News Online|publisher=BBC|date=29 October 2008|access-date=30 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101132321/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/7697036.stm|archive-date=1 November 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> There is also a bust of Peeping Tom looking out across Hertford Street shopping precinct, and overlooking Broadgate and the statue of Godiva is a clock where, at every hour, Lady Godiva appears on her horse while being watched by Peeping Tom.

[[Julins Palmer]], the English Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake in 1556 during the reign of [[Mary I of England|Mary I]], was a native of Coventry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Colvile |first=Frederick Leigh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e99UAAAAcAAJ&q=palmer |title=The Worthies of Warwickshire who Lived Between 1500 and 1800 |date=1870 |publisher=H.T. Cooke and son |pages=561 |language=en}}</ref> [[Christopher Davenport]] the 17th century [[Catholic Church in England and Wales|Catholic]] theologian, religious controversialist, and royal [[chaplain]] was born in Coventry.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last=Chambers |first=A. P. |title=Davenport, Christopher [name in religion Franciscus à Sancta Clara] (c. 1595–1680), Franciscan friar and religious controversialist |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-7199 |access-date=2024-10-14 |date=2004 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/7199}}</ref>

The statesman and founder of modern Australia, [[Sir Henry Parkes]], was born in [[Canley]] in 1815.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1896-05-09 |title=Burial of Sir Henry Parkes AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY. |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/71245263 |access-date=2024-10-14 |work=Australian Town and Country Journal}}</ref> Other international politicians from Coventry include [[Brian Mitchell (politician)|Brian Mitchell]], the [[Australian Labor Party]] member for [[Division of Lyons|Lyons]] in the [[Australian House of Representatives]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brian Mitchell – Labor for Lyons |url=https://www.alp.org.au/brian_mitchell |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=www.alp.org.au |language=en}}</ref> and the Canadian parliamentarian [[Jocelyn Burgener]], who was a Member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]] from 1993 to 2001.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cOSIAAAAMAAJ&q=%22BURGENER,+Mary+Jocelyn%22 |title=The Canadian Parliamentary Guide |date=1997 |publisher=P. G. Normandin |isbn=978-1-896413-43-3 |language=fr}}</ref> [[Evelyn Evans]], a British librarian who founded libraries in [[Ghana]], was also from Coventry.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sturges |first=Paul |date=2001-03-01 |title=The Poverty of Librarianship: An Historical Critique of Public Librarianship in Anglophone Africa |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/LIBR.2001.38/html |journal=Libri |language=en |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=38–48 |doi=10.1515/LIBR.2001.38}}</ref>

[[Pearl Hyde]] was a Labour councillor, the head of the Coventry [[Women's Voluntary Service]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]], and became the first female [[Lord Mayor of Coventry]] in 1957.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pearl Hyde (1904–1963) Long Biography |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/research/projects/coventry_lives/biographies/pearl_hyde/long_biography/ |access-date=6 June 2024 |website=warwick.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite ODNB |title=Hyde, Pearl Marguerite (1904–1963), leader of women's voluntary work and politician |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-73538 |access-date=6 June 2024 |date=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/73538 |last1=Hinton |first1=James |isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 }}</ref>

[[Dave Nellist]], a [[Militant tendency]] politician in the Labour Party, Member of Parliament who gave away half of his salary and the National Chair of the [[Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition]] (TUSC) is from Coventry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Socialist and ex-Coventry MP Dave Nellist on why he and others applied to rejoin Labour |url=https://www.coventryobserver.co.uk/news/socialist-and-ex-coventry-mp-dave-nellist-on-why-he-and-others-applied-to-rejoin-labour/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Observer |language=en}}</ref> Trade union organiser [[Tom Mann]] and [[Nazism|National Socialist Movement]] leader [[Colin Jordan]] also came from Coventry.

[[Tony Whittaker]], the solicitor and politician, was from Coventry. He was a co-founder and the first leader of [[PEOPLE]], the forerunner of the Ecology Party and [[Green Party (UK)|Green Party UK]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vidal |first=John |date=2016-04-27 |title=Tony Whittaker obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/27/tony-whittaker-obituary |access-date=2024-10-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In 1995, [[Animal rights activism|animal rights activist]] [[Death of Jill Phipps|Jill Phipps]] died during a protest to stop the air export of live calves for veal from Coventry Airport.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pearce |first=Vanessa |date=2021-07-17 |title=Coventry City of Culture: The women who helped shape a 'city of justice' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-57555779 |access-date=2024-10-14 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Her passing drew international attention and for many years, animal rights protests have been held around the anniversary date of Phipps' death.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-02-05 |title=March to honour animal campaigner |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/coventry_warwickshire/4239087.stm |access-date=2024-10-14 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Griffin |first=Mary |date=2015-01-31 |title=Coventry campaigner Jill Phipps remembered 20 years after her death |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/jill-phipps-remembered-20-years-8551338 |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref>

Labour Party politician [[Mo Mowlam]], who oversaw the talks which led to the 1998 [[Good Friday Agreement]] in her role as [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland secretary]], was educated in Coventry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/business/citys-mo-speak-confidence-3164474|title=City's Mo to speak on confidence|date=18 May 2003|work=Coventry Telegraph|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218142128/http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/business/citys-mo-speak-confidence-3164474|archive-date=18 December 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Another Labour politician, [[Bob Ainsworth]] was the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Coventry North East (UK Parliament constituency)|Coventry North East]] and was the [[Secretary of State for Defence]] from 2009 to 2010.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Waller |first1=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=amqVCts7MMUC&dq=bob+ainsworth+coventry+Jaguar+MSF&pg=PA190 |title=The Almanac of British Politics |last2=Criddle |first2=Byron |date=1999 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-18541-7 |pages=190 |language=en}}</ref>

===Science, technology and business===
{{see also|Category:Businesspeople from Coventry}}Coventry has been the home to several pioneers in science and engineering.

[[Thomas Stevens (weaver)|Thomas Stevens]] was born in Coventry and became famous for his invention of a method of using the programmable loom to weave colourful pictures from silk, which he called [[Stevengraph]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stevengraphs - The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum |url=https://www.theherbert.org/collections/social-and-industrial-history/18/stevengraphs |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=www.theherbert.org}}</ref> Stevens employed another Coventry native called [[Joseph Gutteridge]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-27 |title=The Ribbon Trade - Exploring Eliot |url=https://exploringeliot.org/discover-george-eliot/finding-middlemarch/the-ribbon-trade/ |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=exploringeliot.org |language=en-GB}}</ref> a silk weaver who became a pioneer of [[Brocade|brocades]] in five colours and later a [[Microscopy|microscopist]].<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last=Chancellor |first=V. E. |title=Gutteridge, Joseph (1816–1899), silk weaver and naturalist |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-54368 |access-date=2024-10-21 |date=2004 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/54368}}</ref> Samuel Courtauld and Co Ltd's director H. G. Tetley chose [[Foleshill]] in Coventry in 1904 as the site of the world's first man-made fibre factory which produced an "artificial silk" later known as [[viscose]] [[rayon]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Richards|first1=J. M.|last2=Cox|first2= Alan|encyclopedia=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|title=Gibberd, Sir Frederick Ernest (1908–1984)|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31144|access-date=22 May 2008|edition=Online|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/31144 }}</ref>
[[File:starley 14g06.JPG|thumb|upright|Statue commemorating [[James Starley]]]]

[[Frank Whittle|Sir Frank Whittle]], the inventor of the [[jet engine]], was from the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.midlandairmuseum.co.uk/jet.php|title=Midland Air Museum – The Jet Engine|work=midlandairmuseum.co.uk|access-date=18 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315165707/http://www.midlandairmuseum.co.uk/jet.php|archive-date=15 March 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The inventor [[James Starley]] founded the ''Coventry Sewing Machine Company'' in 1857<ref>{{cite ODNB |last=Donnelly |first=Tom |title=Starley, James (1831–1881), bicycle manufacturer |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-26320 |access-date=15 September 2024 |date=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/26320}}</ref> and was  instrumental in the development of the bicycle. His nephew, [[John Kemp Starley|J. K. Starley]], worked alongside his uncle and went on to found the car company [[Rover Company|Rover]]. Sir [[Alfred Herbert]] was an industrialist who set up the tool manufacturer [[Alfred Herbert Limited]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Donnelly |first=Tom |title=Herbert, Sir Alfred Edward (1866–1957), machine tool manufacturer |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-48619 |access-date=15 September 2024 |website=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography }}</ref> and was benefactor to the city, whose legacy lives on in the [[Herbert Art Gallery]].<ref name="CT64">{{cite web |title=64 famous people Coventry and Warwickshire have given the world |date=2 May 2020 |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/64-famous-people-coventry-warwickshire-18175578 |work=Coventry Telegraph |access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref> Cyborg scientist [[Kevin Warwick]] is also a Coventrian. [[John Egan (industrialist)|Sir John Egan]], industrialist and former Chief Executive of [[Jaguar Cars]] attended [[Bablake School]] in the city.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

[[Frederick Gibberd|Sir Frederick Gibberd]], architect and designer, was born in Coventry, and amongst the buildings for which he is best known are [[Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral]] and [[Didcot Power Station]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Richards|first1=J. M.|last2=Cox|first2= Alan|encyclopedia=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|title=Gibberd, Sir Frederick Ernest (1908–1984)|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/31144|access-date=22 May 2008|edition=Online|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/31144 }}</ref>

[[Ann Rollason]] was a printer and bookseller who published the ''Coventry Mercury'' newspaper from 1813 to 1846.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last=Wiskin |first=Christine |title=Rollason [née Oven], Ann (bap. 1767, d. 1846), printer and bookseller |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-70353 |access-date=2024-10-14 |date=2004 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/70353|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8 }}</ref> [[Donald Trelford]], journalist and academic, was born in Coventry and attended [[Bablake School]]. He was editor of ''[[The Observer]]'' newspaper from 1975 to 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-27 |title=Donald Trelford obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/donald-trelford-former-observer-editor-dies-at-85-n85zlgcwf |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=[[The Times]] |language=en}}</ref> Born in Coventry, former [[King Henry VIII School, Coventry|King Henry VIII Grammar School]] pupil [[Paul Connew]] became editor of the ''[[Sunday Mirror]]'' and deputy editor of the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' and ''News of The World'' – later he became Director of Communications at the children's charity ''Sparks''.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

===The arts===
{{see also|Category:Artists from Coventry|Category:Musicians from Coventry|Category:Writers from Coventry|Category:Mass media people from Coventry}}

The Shakespearean actor [[Dame Ellen Terry]] was born in Coventry in 1847.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Howland |first=David |date=2001 |title=Ellen Terry |url=https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/text/howland-ellen-terry |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=The Camelot Project, [[University of Rochester]]}}</ref> Other Coventrians in the arts include comedy film directors [[Debbie Isitt]],<ref name=":0" /> [[Alice Lowe]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mushfi |date=2024-05-23 |title=Alice Lowe: A Shapeshifting Talent Redefining Comedy - Birmingham Journal |url=https://birminghamjournal.co.uk/alice-lowe/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[Sharon Maguire]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quinn |first=Anthony |date=2012-04-10 |title=Smart Shazzer - the boss in control |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/smart-shazzer-the-boss-in-control-6331571.html |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref> comedians [[Reg Dixon (comedian)|Reg Dixon]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chambers |first=Pete |date=2014-07-31 |title=Backbeat: Coventry kid who found fame as a comedian, but never forgot his roots |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/backbeat-coventry-kid-reg-dixon-7543643 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Emma Fryer]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=McMullen |first=Marion |date=2009-09-13 |title=Coventry kid Emma Fryer returns to her roots for new TV comedy |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-kid-emma-fryer-returns-3076577 |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> and [[Guz Khan]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lobb |first=Adrian |date=2020-01-26 |title=Guz Khan: 'We wanted to dispel myths around foodbanks' |url=https://www.bigissue.com/culture/tv/guz-khan-we-wanted-to-dispel-myths-around-foodbanks/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=Big Issue |language=en-US}}</ref> actors [[Jassa Ahluwalia]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barcroft |first=Damian Michael |date=2013-11-25 |title=Exclusive Interview with Jassa Ahluwalia previewing tonight's RIPPER STREET {{!}} Damian Michael Barcroft |url=http://dmbarcroft.com/exclusive-interview-with-jassa-ahluwalia-previewing-tonights-ripper-street/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Jordan Bolger]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaur |first=Jaspreet |date=2024-03-22 |title=Coventry star of BBC's This Town says the city 'shaped who he is' |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-star-bbcs-town-opens-28863161 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Nitin Ganatra]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodger |first=James |date=2016-11-09 |title=Coventry's Nitin Ganatra reveals REAL reason he left EastEnders |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-eastenders-star-nitin-ganatra-12148825 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Nigel Hawthorne]],<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Nick |date=2022-01-02 |title=25 famous people from Coventry and Warwickshire |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/25-famous-people-coventry-warwickshire-22536539 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Harold Innocent]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Times (15/Sep/1993) - Obituary: Harold Innocent |url=https://www.hitchcockwiki.com/wiki/The_Times_(15/Sep/1993)_-_Obituary:_Harold_Innocent |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=The Alfred Hitchcock Wiki}}</ref> [[Charles Kay]], [[Clive Owen]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lambert |first=Tim |date=2021-03-14 |title=A History of Keresley |url=https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-keresley/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=Local Histories |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Brendan Price]] and [[Robin Parkinson]];<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-11 |title='Allo! 'Allo! star Robin Parkinson has died aged 92 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/robin-parkinson-death-allo-age-b2076343.html |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> actresses [[Gillian Barber]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-12-19 |title=Gillian Barber - Capilano University |url=https://www.capilanou.ca/theatre/bios/Gillian-Barber/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219031949/https://www.capilanou.ca/theatre/bios/Gillian-Barber/ |archive-date=19 December 2013 }}</ref> [[Lisa Dillon]],<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last1=Bentley |first1=David |last2=Rodger |first2=James |date=2017-07-14 |title=30 celebrities you probably didn't know were from Coventry |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/celebrities-famous-people-from-coventry-6799668 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Tamla Kari]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=McMullen |first=Marion |date=2011-08-18 |title=Coventry girl's dream role in The Inbetweeners movie |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-girls-dream-role-inbetweeners-3039339 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Sinead Matthews]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sinead Matthews {{!}} Actress |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1561651/ |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Bharti Patel]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC One - Doctors - Bharti Patel Interview |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5Gs8F9bC6BhTTsWfLdS0cqn/bharti-patel-interview |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Carmen Silvera]]''',''' [[Melissa Walton]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=McMullen |first=Marion |date=2010-11-18 |title=Melissa Walton's thrilled to be back in panto |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/theatre-news/melissa-waltons-thrilled-back-panto-3054062 |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> and [[Billie Whitelaw]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-12-21 |title=Billie Whitelaw, star of stage and screen, dies aged 82 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30571601 |access-date=2024-10-14 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> musicals star Dave Whillets; theatre producer Dominic Madden,{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} and ventriloquist [[Dennis Spicer]].

Writers from Coventry include the poets [[Connie Frazer]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frazer, Connie (1925-2002) |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/people/1477494?c=people |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=trove.nla.gov.au}}</ref> [[Cathy Galvin]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cathy Galvin |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/alumni/alumni-news/news/cathy_galvin |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=warwick.ac.uk}}</ref> and [[Philip Larkin]];<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last=Thwaite |first=Anthony |title=Larkin, Philip Arthur (1922–1985), poet, writer, and librarian |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-31333 |access-date=2024-10-14 |date=2004 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/31333}}</ref> and authors Aaron Ashmore,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rowlands |first=Robert |date=2024-03-09 |title=Cov man explores our city's past and gives 1,000 books to schools |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/coventry-man-explores-citys-fascinating-28772463 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Mark Barrowcliffe]], [[Cathy Cassidy]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=An Interview With Cathy Cassidy |url=https://www.letterpressproject.co.uk/inspiring-young-readers/2016-08-06/an-interview-with-cathy-cassidy |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=The Letterpress Project |language=en}}</ref> [[Lee Child]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glass |first=Ben |date=2 December 2008 |title=If you don't know Lee Child, you don't know Jack |url=https://www.itsallaboutcoventry.co.uk/newsstory_leechild.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201102351/http://www.itsallaboutcoventry.co.uk/newsstory_leechild.shtml |archive-date=1 December 2011 |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=It's All About Coventry.}}</ref> [[Cyril Connolly]], Wren James,<ref>{{cite web |title=WREN / LAUREN JAMES |url=https://laurenejames.co.uk/ |access-date=7 June 2024 |website=WREN / LAUREN JAMES }}</ref> and [[Graham Joyce]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Steve |date=2014-09-12 |title=Tributes to Coventry fantasy author Graham Joyce who has died at the age of 59 |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/tributes-coventry-fantasy-author-graham-7753773 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> Coventarian painters include [[Sydney John Bunney]],<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Mallalieu |first=Huon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rvkiAQAAIAAJ |title=The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists Up to 1920: A-L |date=2002 |publisher=Antique Collectors' Club |isbn=978-1-85149-426-2 |language=en}}</ref> Herbert Edward Cox,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Herbert Edward Cox – Artist {{!}} Leamington History Group |url=https://leamingtonhistory.co.uk/herbert-edward-cox-artist-1870-1941/ |access-date=2024-10-30 |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[John Eyre (painter)|John Eyre]],<ref>{{Citation |last=Rienits |first=Rex |title=John Eyre (1771–?) |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/eyre-john-2034 |access-date=2024-11-09 |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en}}</ref> [[David Gee (artist)|David Gee]],<ref name=":4" /> and [[Rhoda Holmes Nicholls]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Motter |first=H. L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yl5kAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA809 |title=The International Who's who: Who's who in the World : a Biographical Dictionary of the World's Notable Living Men and Women |date=1911 |publisher=International Who's Who Publishing Company |pages=809 |language=en}}</ref> 

Many notable musicians originated in Coventry, including electronic composer [[Delia Derbyshire]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hodgson |first=Brian |date=2001-07-07 |title=Delia Derbyshire |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/jul/07/guardianobituaries1 |access-date=2024-10-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> members of the Specials [[Jerry Dammers]], [[Terry Hall (singer)|Terry Hall]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-12-19 |title=Terry Hall of The Specials dies aged 63 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64029430 |access-date=2024-10-14 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[Roddy Radiation]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-02-09 |title=Introducing rebel Roddy Radiation |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/coventry/low/people_and_places/music/newsid_8498000/8498785.stm |access-date=2024-10-15 |language=en-GB}}</ref> and [[Neville Staple]], member of the Selector [[Neol Davies]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chambers |first=Pete |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5UVgAbXXR8C&q=neol+davies+born&pg=PT20 |title=The 2-Tone Trail |date=2005 |publisher=Tencton Planet Publications |isbn=978-0-9544125-3-1 |pages=8 |language=en}}</ref> drummer [[Martin Atkins]],<ref name=":5" /> heavy metal musician [[Lee Dorrian]],<ref>Binns, Rebecca (6 September 2022). "[https://www.museumofyouthculture.com/beyond-the-ghost-town/ Coventry as a site of youth culture from boomtown to the ghost town and beyond]" ''Museum of Youth Culture''. Retrieved 14 October 2024.</ref> [[Melissa Graham]] of [[Solid HarmoniE]],<ref name=":5" /> [[Vince Hill]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodger |first=James |date=2019-05-22 |title=Coventry singer Vince Hill heads home for farewell charity concert |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/whats-on-news/vince-hill-coventry-16306011 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> yodeller [[Frank Ifield]], rapper [[Jay1|JAY1]],<ref name=":7" /> [[Charlotte (singer)|Charlotte Kelly]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blind chart-topper Charlotte has the last laugh over cruel schoolchildren. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Blind+chart-topper+Charlotte+has+the+last+laugh+over+cruel...-a060199452 |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com}}</ref> VJ [[Paul King (musician, VJ)|Paul King]],{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} DJ [[Lisa Lashes]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Metason |title=Lisa Lashes |url=https://music.metason.net/artistinfo?name=Lisa%20Lashes |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=ArtistInfo |language=EN}}</ref> drummer [[Jen Ledger]] of [[Skillet (band)|Skillet]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waddington |first=Jenny |date=2008-05-20 |title=Coventry teen Jennifer Ledger rocks all over America |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-teen-jennifer-ledger-rocks-3097980 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> composers [[Daniel Fardon]] and [[Clint Mansell]],<ref name=":5" /> singer [[Hazel O'Connor]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bourke |first=Fionnuala |date=2014-12-21 |title=Band Aid memories for Coventry singer Hazel O'Connor |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/band-aid-memories-coventry-singer-8326088 |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=Birmingham Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Julianne Regan]] of [[All About Eve (band)|All About Eve]],<ref name=":5" /> lead singer of the band Stereo Nation [[Taz (singer)|Taz]],<ref name="CT64" /> [[Panjabi MC]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chambers |first=Pete |date=2013-03-07 |title=Backbeat: The bhangra song with a life of its own |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/lifestyle/nostalgia/backbeat-bhangra-song-life-3013340 |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> and pianist [[Hilda Woodward]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lieutenant Pigeon pianist Hilda honoured on new Coventry and Warwickshire compilation album |url=https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/lifestyle/lieutenant-pigeon-pianist-hilda-honoured-on-new-coventry-and-warwickshire-compilation-album-10648/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Stratford Observer |language=en}}</ref> [[Arthur Wills (musician)|Arthur Wills]], composer, organist and Director of Music at [[Ely Cathedral]] (1958–1990), was also born in Coventry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wills, Arthur Wills |url=https://composers-classical-music.com/w/WillsArthur.htm |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=composers-classical-music.com}}</ref> Record producer [[Pete Waterman]] is from the city,<ref name="CT64" /> and was president of rugby team the [[Coventry Bears]], now the Midlands Hurricanes.

[[2 Tone (music genre)|2 Tone]] music developed in and around Coventry in the 1970s and two of the genre's most notable bands, [[The Specials]] and [[The Selecter]], are both from the city.<ref name="Petridis"/> The movement is celebrated at the [[Coventry Music Museum]]. Other Coventry bands include [[Bolt Thrower]], [[Coventry Automatics]], [[Lieutenant Pigeon]], [[The Primitives]], [[Adorable (band)|Adorable]], [[Fun Boy Three]], [[The Colourfield]], [[King (new wave band)|King]], [[Jigsaw (British band)|Jigsaw]], [[Napalm Death]], [[The Sorrows]], [[The Enemy (UK rock band)|The Enemy]] and [[The Ripps]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=BBC |title=Ripping up the music scene |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/content/articles/2009/04/21/botm_the_ripps_feature.shtml |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref>

The former glamour model [[Debee Ashby]] and international fashion model [[Neelam Gill]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-01-15 |title=Neelam Johal's crazy modelling story |url=https://www.vogue.in/content/neelam-johals-crazy-modelling-story |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=Vogue India |language=en-IN}}</ref> are from Coventry. Coventry broadcasters include [[Gillian Joseph]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pellegrino |first=Silvia |date=2023-05-03 |title=Who are Sky News presenters? Everything you need to know |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/broadcast/sky-news-presenters-who/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[Jackie Kabler]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jackie Kabler {{!}} Journalist {{!}} Presenter {{!}} Writer |url=https://www.jackiekabler.com/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Former [[BBC Radio 2]] broadcaster [[Brian Matthew]] was a Coventrian,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-04-08 |title=Brian Matthew: BBC Radio 2 broadcaster dies at 88 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39541162 |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> as is former [[Sky Sports]] broadcaster [[Richard Keys]] who attended Whitley Abbey School.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Larner |first=Tony |date=2017-02-20 |title=Richards Keys' wife reveals tell-tale sign he was 'cheating' |url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/wife-richards-keys-reveals-tell-12628098 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Birmingham Live |language=en}}</ref>

===Sports===
{{see also|Category:Sportspeople from Coventry}}{{More citations needed|date=November 2024}}
Notable Coventrians in sports include [[Motorcycle speedway|speedway]] rider [[Tom Farndon]];<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jacobs |first1=Norman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DapWQwAACAAJ&q=tom+farndon |title=Tom Farndon: The Greatest Speedway Rider of Them All |last2=Chaplin |first2=John |date=2010 |publisher=History Press Limited |isbn=978-0-7524-5140-4 |language=en}}</ref> [[Davis Cup]] tennis player [[Tony Mottram]]; footballers [[Graham Alexander]], [[Bobby Gould]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gould |first=Bobby |date=2013-06-13 |title=Solid Gould: Meet the family who made me the man I am |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/bobby-gould-meet-family-who-4310681 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Reg Matthews]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Live |first=Coventry |date=2001-10-15 |title=Last tributes to hero Matthews |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/last-tributes-to-hero-matthews-3175885 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> [[Gary McSheffrey]], [[James Maddison]], [[Peter Thomas (footballer, born 1944)|Peter Thomas]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peter Thomas, League of Ireland's 'best ever goalkeeper,' dies |url=https://www.irishecho.com/2023/1/peter-thomas-league-of-ireland-s-best-ever-goalie-dies |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=Irish Echo Newspaper |language=en}}</ref> and [[Callum Wilson (English footballer)|Callum Wilson]]; soccer player [[Patricia O'Connor (soccer)|Patricia O'Connor]];<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-02-04 |title=Pat O'Connor {{!}} Football Australia |url=https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/pat-oconnor |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=www.footballaustralia.com.au |language=en}}</ref> cricketers [[Tom Cartwright]] and [[Ian Bell]];<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Daniel |date=2014-05-21 |title=Coventry and Warwickshire sportsmen who played for England |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/football/football-news/gallery/-7152370 |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> rugby union players [[Andy Goode]],<ref name=":7" /> [[Ivor Preece]], [[Keith Fairbrother]], [[David Duckham]], [[Neil Back]],<ref name=":8" /> [[Danny Grewcock]],<ref name=":8" /> [[Geoff Evans (rugby union born 1950)|Geoff Evans]], and [[Tom Wood (rugby union)|Tom Wood]];<ref name=":8" /> squash and tennis player [[Sally Jones (journalist)|Sally Jones]];<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-07-27 |title=Squash-Tennis: Warwickshire duo win inaugural national championships |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/other-sport/squash-tennis-warwickshire-duo-win-inaugural-3022734 |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> bantamweight boxer [[Les Tarrant]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Olympedia – Les Tarrant |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/3504 |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=www.olympedia.org}}</ref> judokas [[Chelsie Giles]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-07-25 |title=Tokyo Olympics: Chelsie Giles wins Team GB's first medal with judo bronze |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/57960295 |access-date=2024-10-15 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref> and [[Yasmin Javadian]];<ref>Jennings, Will (2 August 2022). "[https://www.birminghamworld.uk/sport/other-sport/commonwealth-games-birmingham-2022-3791319 Northern Ireland judoka Yasmin Javadian on how 'home' Coventry crowd fired her to Commonwealth medal]" ''Birmingham World''. Retrieved 15 October 2024.</ref> gymnasts [[Jade Faulkner]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Olympedia – Jade Faulkner |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/126302 |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=www.olympedia.org}}</ref> and [[Rachel Smith (gymnast)|Rachel Smith]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rachel Smith {{!}} Team GB |url=https://www.teamgb.com/athlete/rachel-smith/1M4GLEiMnKfuHQghauBdCv |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=www.teamgb.com |language=en-gb}}</ref> [[MotoGP]] rider [[Cal Crutchlow]];<ref name="CT64" /> golfer [[Laura Davies|Dame Laura Davies]];<ref name=":1" /> sprinters [[Marlon Devonish]]<ref name="CT64" /> and [[Yasmin Liverpool]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yasmin LIVERPOOL {{!}} Profile {{!}} World Athletics |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/great-britain-ni/yasmin-liverpool-14709407 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=worldathletics.org}}</ref> distance runners [[Sheila Carey]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sheila CAREY - Fourth in the 800m at the 1968 Olympic Games. - Great Britain |url=https://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics/great-britain/sheila-carey-1446/fourth-in-the-800m-at-the-1968-olympic-games_a07628/ |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Sporting Heroes}}</ref> [[Brian Kilby]] and [[David Moorcroft]];<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-11-04 |title=Warwickshire statues celebrate sporting heroes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-63502329 |access-date=2024-10-15 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> wrestler [[Millie McKenzie]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Broggi |first=Fabio "Fantomius" |title=Emilia McKenzie: Profile, Career Stats, Face/Heel Turns, Titles Won & Gimmicks {{!}} Pro Wrestlers Database |url=https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/wrestlers/millie-mckenzie |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=The SmackDown Hotel |language=en-gb}}</ref> swimmers [[Graham Sykes]]<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2008-08-20 |title=Parade honour for former Coventry Olympians |url=https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/parade-honour-former-coventry-olympians-3093860 |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=Coventry Live |language=en}}</ref> and [[Daphne Wilkinson]];<ref name=":6" /> darts player [[Steve Beaton]]; and snooker player [[Dominic Dale]]. Boxer [[Errol Christie]] also grew up in Coventry.