Most of us are well aware Merseyside holds a massive catalogue of successful and talented people whose stories are often inspiring.
From bands who have graced the stage, to business owners who have come up with intuitive ideas, to actors on the film screen, several might not be from Liverpool but they all have a connection to Merseyside.
The list below isn't intended to be comprehensive - we've selected people from a range of fields and we know there are a lot more.
But if there is someone you feel we should have included, please let us know in the comments section.
46. Jodie Comer
One of Liverpool's sweethearts and queen of accents, Jodie Comer is an actress who hit the big time portraying psychopath assassin, Villanelle in BBC America drama, Killing Eve.
Gracing from Childwall, the 26-year-old attended St Julie's Catholic School in Woolton and has starred in BBC Three's Thirteen and Channel 4's, My Mad Fat Diary.
45. Clive Barker
The award-winning novelist, playwright, director and visual artist, Clive Barker is famous as one of the leading horror writers in the world.
The author came to prominence in in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories, the Books of Blood, which established him as a leading horror writer.
He attended Dovedale Primary School, Quarry Bank High School in Mossley Hill and the University of Liverpool, where he studied English and Philosophy.
He has since written many novels and other works, and his fiction has been adapted into films, notably the Hellraiser and Candyman series
44. Sir Ian Botham
Born in Heswall, Wirral Sir Ian received a knighthood in the Queen’s birthday honours in recognition of his charity work as much as services to cricket.
“Beefy” has raised around £10mn for leukaemia research and the Teenage Cancer Trust through 11 long-distance sponsored walks, and on the field was regarded as English cricket’s greatest all-rounder.
43. Taron Egerton
Starring as Elton John in Rocketman, film fans may be surprised to learn that the Empire Award-winning actor is from Birkenhead .
At just 29, he has already carved out a significant career for himself with movies such as Kingsman, Legend and Eddie the Eagle.
He is also a talented voice actor, voicing Johnny in animation Sing and El-Ahrairah in adult action Watership Down shown on Netflix.
42. Paul Hollywood
Famous for his baking and his handshakes, Paul Hollywood is best known as one of the judges in the Great British Bake Off.
Born in Wallasey, Wirral he was the son of bakery proprietor John F. Hollywood and Gillian M. Harman and a pupil at The Mosslands School in Wallasey Village.
41. Emma Watkinson
Entrepreneur, Emma Watkinson, from Sefton setup SilkFred a fashion website selling unique women's clothing with her co-founders Stephen Jackson and Kate Jackson.
Her parents were also entrepreneurs — her mother ran her own fashion boutiques, while her father started on a market stall and later owned pubs and nightclubs in Liverpool.
She attended Merchant Taylors' Girls' School in Crosby and graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in English.
Emma began her career working part-time on the shop floor at Whistles in 2005 whilst studying at university and then went on to work on buying and merchandising teams for various retailers
40. Anne Robinson
Anne Robinson is a TV presenter and former ECHO journalist, famous for her stern face on quiz show The Weakest Link.
Anne, from Blundellsands, was dubbed the “Queen of Mean” in reference to her withering asides while sparring with contestants as host on the The Weakest Link, a long-running general knowledge quiz show.
39. Stephen Graham
Best known for his role as Andrew "combo" Gascoigne in This is England and its television sequels and as Al Capone in Boardwalk Empire, Stephen Graham has a catalogue of critically acclaimed films and TV shows under his belt.
Raised in Kirkby, Stephen has been in Hollywood films such as Gangs of New York, Pirates of the Caribbean and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
He has also took on roles in television series, playing Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly in Little Boy Blue, as well as starring in Line of Duty and The Virtues.
38. Kim Cattrall
Sex and the City Star, Kim Cattrall, 63, was born in Mossley Hill, but emigrated to Canada when she was just three months old with her family.
Kim at aged 11, returned to Liverpool when her grandmother became sick, but later moved to the US to pursue her acting career at 16.
37. Miles Kane
The Wirral-born indie singer and co-frontman of the Last Shadow Puppets often goes home to visit his parents in Meols.
His maternal cousins are James and Ian Skelly, two founding members of The Coral and become a Liverpool FC fan in his mid-20s.
36. Fiona Bruce
The presenter of Question Time, Crimewatch and the Antiques Roadshow was born in Singapore but moved to Heswall with her family as a child.
Her father John worked for Unilever at Port Sunlight and the family moved from Wirral when he was promoted to a job at Lever’s Kingston-upon-Thames head office, eventually becoming company chairman.
After a university education at Hertford College, Oxford, she went into advertising, later writing to the editor of Panorama to beg for a researcher’s job.
35. John Conteh
Kirkby boxing legend John Conteh is one of the most celebrated talents of the town.
Gold medallist, British, European and World champion, Conteh reigned as WBC light-heavyweight champion from 1974 to 1978 and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s greatest boxers.
In 2017, he was also made an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
34. Katarina Johnson - Thompson
Katarina is a world-champion heptathlon athlete winning gold at the 2019 World Championships and breaking the British record with a score of 6,981 points.
She trained at Liverpool Harriers and went on to win gold at the 2015 European Indoor Championships.
At 25 years old, she boasts a Commonwealth gold medal, a podium place at the European Championships and a spot in the World all-time Top 25.
The Woolton-born athlete has competed at two Olympic Games, finishing sixth in the heptathlon in Rio where she also set a new British high jump record.
33. Steve Rotheram
Steve Rotheram was elected the first Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region in 2017 and leads the Combined Authority.
Born and raised in Kirkby, he ran his own building company after doing a bricklaying apprenticeship and leaving school with few formal qualifications.
In 2002, he began his political career and was elected to represent Fazakerley on Liverpool City Council.
32. Andy Grant
Andy, who comes from Bootle and now lives in Orrell Park, was injured in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Afghanistan in February 2009 and had his right leg amputated in November 2010.
Today, the 31-year-old makes a living providing keynote speeches to various companies, schools and charities.
31. Matt Dawson
The former Wasps and Northampton rugby scrum half was born in Oxton, and his dad Ronnie played for Old Rockferrians
His family later moved from Merseyside to Wycombe and he attended the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe.
Despite excelling at rugby, his football team of choice remains Everton. He told the ECHO: “My family are a typical Mersey mix of Reds and Blues, and my dad is Tranmere Rovers but it’s always been the Toffees for me.”
Since retiring he has starred on the BBC’s A Question of Sport.
30. Sam Quek
Wirral-born Sam Quek struck gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics when the Team GB hockey team beat the Netherlands on penalties.
As well as her Olympic triumph, Sam is also the proud owner of a silver medal from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
She has since become prominent in the media, featuring in the sixteenth series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! as well as making numerous other TV appearances.
29. Sir Simon Rattle
The tousle-haired South Liverpudlian is arguably the most famous contemporary conductor in the world.
He was taught to bang on a drum by older sister Susan when he was two, and before becoming a conductor he was a percussionist, getting special permission to join Merseyside Youth Orchestra when he was 10.
His first conducting role was aged 13 when the Liverpool College student led the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra.
He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–98). Rattle was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 to 2018.
It was announced in March 2015 that Rattle would become Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra from September 2017.
28. Tony Bellew
Tony 'The Bomber' Bellew is one of Liverpool's most successful and storied boxers.
A product of the "Home of Champions", Liverpool's Rotunda ABC, the lifelong Everton FC fan enters the ring to Blues anthem Z Cars.
He won 40 bouts from 47 in his amateur career and was three times national ABA heavyweight champion.
He made his professional debut in October 2007, won the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles and twice fell short in bids for the world title.
But after moving up to cruiserweight Tony won the WBO's International belt and then, on a famous Merseyside sporting night at Goodison Park, captured the WBC world title when he got back up off the floor to flatten Ilunga Makubu.
He successfully defended his crown and then moved up to heavyweight to shock the experts by twice stopping former world heavyweight champion David Haye.
27. Jason Isaacs
Childwall-born Jason is probably most famous for his role as Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter.
He and attended King David school and moved to London with his parents Sheila and Eric and three brothers when he was 11.
He openly discussed how he adopted a mock-cockney accent, later switching to a posh English accent at university.
Daniel Craig (technically)
If you were asked for the name of a famous person from Wirral, his would be the name on most people’s lips.
The James Bond star was born in Chester but his family later settled in Hoylake, and he attended Hilbre High School.
He spent much of his youth with the Everyman Theatre and trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
His other film credits include Layer Cake, The Mother, Sylvia, Enduring Love and Steven Spielberg’s Munich and Road to Perdition.
26. Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman, who grew up in Anfield, is probably most famous - in today's youth - for her role in BBC's Gavin and Stacey, as Gavin's mum.
She was educated at Childwall Valley High School for Girls and the youngest of three sisters.
25. Andy Burnham
From Old Roan, Aintree, Andy Burnham is currently the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
He served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 2008 to 2009 and Secretary of State for Health from 2009 to 2010.
Burnham served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Leigh from 2001 to 2017.
24. Nisha Katona
Former barrister and self-confessed "curry evangelist" Nisha, from Ormskirk, stepped away from the bar to open her restaurant Mowgli on Bold Street in 2014.
She now has Mowgli restaurants in Manchester, Birmingham, Oxford and Nottingham.
Nisha is also a food writer whose work has featured in national newspapers and she has published books including Pimp My Rice and The Spice Tree.
23. John Bishop
Comedian, John was born in Liverpool’s Mill Road maternity hospital and lived in Mill Road itself until his parents, who come from Huyton, moved to Winsford in Cheshire when he was 18 months old.
22. Sharon Maughan
Playing Tricia Williams in Holby City and appearing in the Nestle Gold Coffee Blend TV commercial are but a few things that have been part of Sharon Maughan's successful career.
Growing up in Kirkby, the actress and producer attended St Gregory's, an all-girls Catholic comprehensive, which later became All Saints Catholic High School.
At age 18, Sharon went on to pursue her acting ambition and attended RADA - and she never looked back
21. Tom Morris
Home Bargains, formerly Home and Bargain (but let's not get into that) was founded in 1976 by Old Swan's own Tom Morris.
It's the primary business of TJ Morris and still has its headquarters in Liverpool.
Little is known about Liverpool-born Morris and his family, despite them running one of the country's most successful chains.
20. Mike Myers
Austin Powers star, Mike Myers was born in Canada after his parents Eric and Alice Myers emigrated from Old Swan in 1956.
His father’s ashes were scattered on the Mersey by Mike and his brother Paul after his death in 1991.
19. Ramsey Campbell
The Wallasey horror writer was born in Liverpool, but he’s made his name as an author during his years in Wirral.
One of the most celebrated horror writers of his generation, the policeman’s son has received more awards for his work than any other author in the horror genre.
The Oxford Companion to English Literature has described him as ‘Britain’s most respected living horror writer’ and his novels have been praised by Stephen King and James Herbert.
18. Kym Marsh
Hear'Say star Kym Marsh, from Whiston, found fame as an actress, playing Michelle Connor in Coronation Street.
In 2007, Kym was named Best Newcomer at the 2007 British Soap Awards and the 2007 National Television Awards and received the award for Best Female Dramatic Performance at the 2017 British Soap Awards.
Kym announced on February 24 2019, that she would be leaving the soap after 13 years.
17. Mel C
The Whiston-born star shot to fame in the 90s as Sporty Spice alongside her four other bandmates but found the pressures of fame hard to deal with.
Since, Mel C, real name Melanie Chisholm, has enjoyed working as a solo artist and actress.
16. Shirley Ballas
Leasowe’s most famous export, Shirley has been a star of the dance world for years – and she’s now known to millions of TV viewers as the new head judge on Strictly Come Dancing.
A ballroom and Latin dancer, she is one of the most decorated professional dancers in the world.
After retiring from competitive dancing in 1996, she became an acclaimed and respected international coach to many top professional and amateur dancers, as well as a sought-after judge for ballroom and Latin American competitions around the world.
Her son Mark Ballas is a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, the USA’s answer to Strictly.
15. Sir Brian Leveson
Sir Brian Henry Leveson PC is a retired English judge who served as the President of the Queen's Bench Division and Head of Criminal Justice.
The former pupil of Liverpool College, Mossley Hill chaired the public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press, prompted by the News of the World phone hacking affair.
14. John Parrott
The Liverpool-born former professional snooker player remained within the top 16 of the world rankings for fourteen consecutive seasons.
In 1996, John was honoured with an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, for charitable services in Merseyside.
13. David Morrissey
Kensington-born actor David Morrissey is famous for his role as the Governor in the Walking Dead and has appeared in TV dramas such as The Missing and State of Play, as well as big Hollywood productions like Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Edge Hill University in July 2016.
12. The Coral
The Hoylake indie kings were formed in 1996 by lead singer James Skelly and his five school friends.
The band originally consisted of Skelly, his younger brother Ian Skelly, Nick Power, Lee Southall, Paul Duffy and Bill Ryder-Jones, who left in 2008.
Their debut, self-titled album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize the day after it was released and a record company was created around them.
The Coral’s successful music journey started when they met with Liverpool music champion, Alan Wills, who saw them perform and was impressed enough to start his own record label, Deltasonic, and base it around the band.
11. Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick MacManus is better known for his stage name, Elvis Costello.
The music icon music icon grew up in Birkenhead and the keen LFC fan, was awarded an OBE for services to music after a career spanning more than 40 years.
It was while living in Wirral that he formed his first band, a folk duo called Rusty, going on to become one of the music world’s most iconic performers and songwriters.
10. Kate Robbins
An actress, singer and impersonator, the former Wirral Grammar School pupil Kate is best known for her vocal talents on Spitting Image and Eurotrash - but she also reached the charts as a soloist and with group Prima Donna.
Prima Donna represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 with Love Enough For Two and took bronze behind Johnny Logan’s first contest gold for Ireland.
Her daughter Emily Atack has followed her mum into showbusiness, starred in the Inbetweeners and winning over new fans in I'm a Celebrity.
9. David Yates
Film-director was born in St Helens and grew up in Rainhill, he tragically lost his parents at a young age.
He directed the final four Harry Potter films and the two Fantastic Beasts films.
8. Jonathan Harvey
Jonathan Harvey is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter.
He is a regular writer on Coronation Street where he has penned some of the most controversial episodes in the soap, including the David Platt male rape story line and the tragic storyline in which Aidan Connor took his own life.
On stage, he is perhaps best known for writing the play Beautiful Things, a tender and optimistic play about two damaged boys and the love that heals them, first performed in 1993.
A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 Films, with a revised screenplay also by Jonathan.
Jonathan is also the author of a number of books, including The History of Us, based on the Wavertree street where he grew up.
7. Sue Johnston
Royle Family and Brookside star Sue launched her acting career when she was 38, with a small role on Coronation Street in 1982.
Her best-known role, as Barbara Royle in the BBC series The Royle Family, made her a household name throughout the UK.
Before her acting days, Sue worked in Brian Epstein’s record shop, taking the chance to follow her dreams of acting once The Beatles, and Epstein, relocated to London.
Sue has rarely stopped working since her time on Brookside, and the much-loved actress was made an honorary fellow by Liverpool John Moores University in 2004.
6. Craig Charles
The actor, presenter and DJ lived on the old Cantril Farm estate, which is now known as Stockbridge Village.
He played Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf and played Lloyd Mullaney in Coronation Street.
5. John Bowe
A familiar face to TV viewers, Tranmere Rovers supporter John was born and brought up in Greasby.
He enjoyed success on the stage before finding fame in the first series of Prime Suspect. He is also known for roles as Duggie ‘Crusher’ Ferguson in Coronation Street and Lawrence White in Emmerdale.
The former pupil of Calday Grange Grammar School once told the ECHO two Wirral teachers helped him to become an actor.
4. Amy Jackson
Bollywood star Amy Jackson launched her modelling career at the age of 16, and went on to win Miss Teen World in 2009 before being propelled to fame in India.
The international performer grew up in Woolton, and was even crowned Miss Liverpool in 2010 - and now she’s a major movie and TV actor around the world.
As one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, Amy is never in one place to long, but she’s a Liverpool girl at heart and is set to return to the city for the Randox Health Grand National 2019, as the Ladies Day Ambassador.
4. Lorraine McCulloch
Liverpool-born Lorraine McCulloch is one of the best known and respected fashion stylists in the country.
With decades of experience under her belt, her work includes collaborations with some of the top women in the industry.
You’re unlikely to see a red carpet or high profile event without a celebrity that has been styled by Lorraine.
Most recently she has dressed former and current Coronation Street stars including Michelle Keegan, Brooke Vincent, Helen Flanagan and Catherine Tyldesley, as well as reality TV stars such as Amber Davies and Billie Faiers.
3. Marnie Millard
Vimto is one of the North's biggest and best exports - and as chief executive of Vimto-maker Nichols plc, Marnie Millard is its champion.
While Vimto might be a brand most commonly associated with the North West, it's sold across the world - and is massively popular in the Middle East.
While Marnie jokes that the company is on a mission to "turn the world purple", Vimto has been behind a major milestone for gender equality in Saudi Arabia.
The country’s infamous ban on female drivers was lifted this year and the ban on cinemas has also ended.
Marnie is passionate about the way Vimto is playing its part in those social changes. She is proud of the fact that this year, for the first time, Saudi women have started working at the Vimto factory in the country.
2. Glenda Jackson
The daughter of a Birkenhead bricklayer, Glenda Jackson left school at 15 and worked in Boots before winning a place at RADA.
She embarked on an acting career that included Women in Love and a memorable appearance with Morecambe and Wise.
In 1992 she was elected as Labour MP for Hampstead and Highgate, standing down in 2015.
Last year she returned to the stage for the first time in 25 years, playing the title role in Shakespeare’s King Lear at the Old Vic Theatre.
1. Andrew Schofield
Kirkby-born actor Andrew Schofield has had a long career both on screen and on stage and has appeared in many Liverpool productions.
The first narrator when Blood Brothers first opened at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1983, Andrew is also known for starring in biopic Sid and Nancy, playing John Lennon in Bob Eaton's Lennon and Smigger in Lost Soul at the Royal Court, Liverpool.
