A number of famous people came from Bournemouth.
Tony Hancock  lived for most of his early life in hotels in Bournemouth run by his parents.

A number of TV actors came from Bournemouth, including , Juliette Kaplan  from the BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine, Ray Lonnen  from the series The Sandbaggers (1978–80), Alison Newman, actress who played Hazel Bailey  in Footballers' Wives and DI Samantha Keeble  in EastEnders.
Jack Donnelly (born 1985) actor, played the role of Jason  in the BBC series Atlantis and Sophie Rundle (born 1988) actress, portrayed Ada Shelby  in the BBC One series Peaky Blinders and Ben Hardy (born 1991) actor, played Peter Beale  in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Authors Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943)  poet and author, who wrote The Well of Loneliness a groundbreaking work in lesbian literature came from Bournemouth and Dilys Powell CBE (1901–1995)  journalist, film critic of The Sunday Times for over fifty years went to school there.
Patrick Ensor (1946–2007)  editor of Guardian Weekly from 1993 to 2007 also came from Bournemouth.

Bournemouth has been home to a number of musicians, including Max Bygraves OBE (1922–2012)  comedian, singer, actor and variety performer.
The composer Sir Hubert Parry (1848-1918) was born in Bournemouth.
One of Britain's most prolific composers of choral music he is probably best known for his setting to William Blake's words of Jerusalem.
The rock band King Crimson included many musicians from Bournemouth  including brothers Michael Giles (drums) and Peter Giles (bass).

Bournemouth has been the home of sporting world champions: Freddie Mills (1919–1965), who won the World Light Heavyweight title in 1948.
Another famous sportsman, the athlete Charles Bennett (1870–1948), lived in the town after he retired.
Bennett, was the first British track and field athlete to become Olympic Champion, winning two gold medals and a silver at the Paris Games in 1900.
The tennis player and Wimbledon Championships winner Virginia Wade OBE was born in Bournemouth.

Three recipients of the Victoria Cross came from Bournemouth.
Frederick Charles Riggs VC MM (1888–1918), Cecil Noble VC (1891–1915), and Lieutenant Colonel Derek Anthony Seagrim VC (1903–1943), Three flying aces came from Bournemouth too, Captain Keith Muspratt MC (1897–1918), Captain Robert A. Birkbeck DFC (1898–1938), and Flight Lieutenant Charles John Sims DFC (1899–1929).

And a distinguished resident of Bournemouth was Sir Donald Coleman Bailey, OBE (1901–1985) a civil engineer who invented the Bailey bridge.
Bailey was knighted in 1946 for his bridge design when he was living quietly in Southbourne in Bournemouth.
A number of famous people came from Bournemouth. Tony Hancock  lived for most of his early life in hotels in Bournemouth run by his parents.
A number of TV actors came from Bournemouth, including , Juliette Kaplan  from the BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine, Ray Lonnen  from the series The Sandbaggers (1978–80), Alison Newman, actress who played Hazel Bailey  in Footballers' Wives and DI Samantha Keeble  in EastEnders. Jack Donnelly (born 1985) actor, played the role of Jason  in the BBC series Atlantis and Sophie Rundle (born 1988) actress, portrayed Ada Shelby  in the BBC One series Peaky Blinders and Ben Hardy (born 1991) actor, played Peter Beale  in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
Authors Radclyffe Hall (1880–1943)  poet and author, who wrote The Well of Loneliness a groundbreaking work in lesbian literature came from Bournemouth and Dilys Powell CBE (1901–1995)  journalist, film critic of The Sunday Times for over fifty years went to school there. Patrick Ensor (1946–2007)  editor of Guardian Weekly from 1993 to 2007 also came from Bournemouth.
Bournemouth has been home to a number of musicians, including Max Bygraves OBE (1922–2012)  comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. The composer Sir Hubert Parry (1848-1918) was born in Bournemouth. One of Britain's most prolific composers of choral music he is probably best known for his setting to William Blake's words of Jerusalem. The rock band King Crimson included many musicians from Bournemouth  including brothers Michael Giles (drums) and Peter Giles (bass).
Bournemouth has been the home of sporting world champions: Freddie Mills (1919–1965), who won the World Light Heavyweight title in 1948. Another famous sportsman, the athlete Charles Bennett (1870–1948), lived in the town after he retired. Bennett, was the first British track and field athlete to become Olympic Champion, winning two gold medals and a silver at the Paris Games in 1900. The tennis player and Wimbledon Championships winner Virginia Wade OBE was born in Bournemouth.
Three recipients of the Victoria Cross came from Bournemouth. Frederick Charles Riggs VC MM (1888–1918), Cecil Noble VC (1891–1915), and Lieutenant Colonel Derek Anthony Seagrim VC (1903–1943), Three flying aces came from Bournemouth too, Captain Keith Muspratt MC (1897–1918), Captain Robert A. Birkbeck DFC (1898–1938), and Flight Lieutenant Charles John Sims DFC (1899–1929).
And a distinguished resident of Bournemouth was Sir Donald Coleman Bailey, OBE (1901–1985) a civil engineer who invented the Bailey bridge. Bailey was knighted in 1946 for his bridge design when he was living quietly in Southbourne in Bournemouth.
Bournemouth