George Alagiah, journalist and newsreader
George, who was one of the BBC’s longest standing and most respected news anchors, lived on Summerlee Avenue, East Finchley, and retained a close connection to St Mary’s Church, N2, even after he’d left the area.
Justin Bieber, singer
Canadian pop artist Justin Bieber briefly lived in East Finchley when he rented a house on The Bishops Avenue as a London base for his autum 2016 arena tour.
Emma Bunton, singer
Better known as Baby Spice of 90’s girl group The Spice Girls, Emma lived in Finchley but attended Bishop Douglass School in East Finchley.
Reeta Chakrabarti, journalist and newsreader
BBC news anchor and political correspondent Reeta lives with her family in East Finchley.
Michelle Collins, actor
Probably best known as Cindy Beale in EastEnders, Michelle has also starred in Two Thousand Acres of Sky, Real Women and Coronation Street. She lives with her husband in Baronsmere Road and is a regular guest at the annual East Finchley Festival.
Charles Dance, actor
Early in his career, actor Charles Dance lived in Cherry Tree Road.
Ray & Dave Davies, musicians
The Kinks have a long association with Muswell Hill, despite having grown up and performed their first gigs in East Finchley. The Davies brothers were born on Huntingdon Road and the family moved soon afterwards to 6 Denmark Terrace, N2. The Clissold Arms, on Fortis Green N2 – which was opposite the family home – became their regular abode and still has a Kinks room to this day. Dave later lived off East End Road N2, where his collection of vintage Citroens, many of them beyond repair, could be seen cluttering up the streets behind the Five Bells pub.
Gracie Fields, music hall star
Dame Gracie lived with her husband in The Tower on The Bishops Avenue. Her former home and another building in its grounds were later used as a maternity hospital. Full story here.
Sam Fox, model and entertainer
Glamour model turned TV personality Samantha lived in Lankaster Gardens
Rhod Gilbert, comedian and presenter
Welsh comedian Rhod lives with his family near Cherry Tree Wood.
Salma Hayek, actor and producer
Salma and her husband Francois-Henri Pinault, the chair and CEO of Kering, which owns several fashion houses including Gucci, Alexander McQueen and YSL, moved into a 15-bedroom property on The Bishops Avenue, originally built by William Park Lyle, in 2017.
Mick Jagger, singer
The Rolling Stones frontman lived above Bancroft Garage on the corner of the High Road and Huntingdon Road in the 1960s.
Hugo Lloris, footballer
French professional footballer Hugo lived in East Finchley throughout his 11-year stint as goalkeeper for Spurs.
Steve McFadden, actor
Better known as Phil Mitchell, EastEnders star Steve originally lived with his family near Cherry Tree Wood, but is still walking distance away in Highgate. His daughter attended the nearby Archer Academy School.
Daniel Mays, actor
Known for his roles in Line of Duty, Franklin, Code 404 and cult classic Funland, Daniel lives with his wife and family on Manor Park Road.
George Michael, singer
Born Georgious Kyriacos Panayiotou June 25, 1963, the son of a Greek father and an English mother. George’s father owned a restaurant on Church Lane and the family initially lived in the flat above, before moving to Edgware.
Sangita Myska, journalist and reporter
Sangita is a respected journalist, former BBC and LBC presenter and winner of Presenter of the Year 2023 in the Asian Media Awards. She lives in East Finchley.
Steve Pemberton, actor and writer
Actor and creator of The League of Gentlemen and Inside No 9, Steve admits that conversations overheard in The Bald Faced Stag and All Aboard Charity Shop near his East Finchley home have provided inspiration for sketches.
Carolyn Pickles, actor
Seasoned actor Carolyn, who has appeared in Broadchurch, The Bill and Coronation Street amongst many other titles, lives with her husband, artist Tark Butler, on Bedford Road.
Peter Sellers, actor
The Goons star lived with his mother at 211b The High Road, opposite East Finchley library. It is perhaps no co-incidence that his character, Bluebottle, was known as the “East Finchley Boy Scout”.
Feargal Sharkey, singer and environmental campaigner
The ex-Undertones lead singer turned environmental campaigner lived in Cromwell Close, East Finchley for many years.
Reece Shearsmith, actor and writer
Actor and creator of The League of Gentlemen and Inside No 9, along with fellow East Finchley resident Steve Pemberton, Reece also has numerous acting credits across stage, screen and TV, including Peter Kay’s Car Share.
Jerry Springer, chat show host
Jerry’s parents lived in Belvedere Court on Lyttelton Road and consequently Jerry was born in Highgate Station, which was being used as an air raid shelter (East Finchley station is above ground so was not suitable for this purpose). The family later moved to Chandos Road, before emigrating to the US.
Rod Stewart, singer
Rod lived with his family at 507 Archway Road, on the corner of Bakers Lane, where his father ran a newsagents (the property was subsequently demolished when Bakers Lane was widened). One of his first jobs was at Sudbury-Jones picture framers in Huntingdon Works, 156b High Road, N2.
Sophie Thompson, actor
Film, TV and theatre actor Sophie, who is known for her roles in Into The Woods (for which she won an Olivier Award), Wildest Dreams, Four Weddings And A Funeral and EastEnders, is also incidentally the younger sister of actor Emma Thompson. Sophie lived with her husband and sons in East Finchley and delighted children in the Storytelling Tent at the East Finchley Festival with her stories.
Susan Tully, actor and director
Susan, who many will remember as Suzanne in Grange Hill and Michelle Fowler in EastEnders, is now usually found on the other side of the camera, with a string of credits to her name as producer and director. She lives in Durham Road.
Amy Winehouse, singer
In the early-mid 2000s, Amy lived in a flat on Fortis Green. She performed at East Finchley Festival with the band Buzz Junkies just before the release of her single Stronger Than Me, from her first album, Frank.