Portsmouth Hall of Fame, Kipling to Owen.
Rudyard Kipling
Kipling was the first Englishman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature (1907). His most popular works include The Jungle Book (1894) and the Just So Stories (1902), both children's classics though they have attracted adult audiences also.
Rudyard Kipling was born on December 30, 1865, in Bombay, India, where his father was an arts and crafts teacher at the Jeejeebhoy School of Art.
His mother was a sister-in-law of the painter Edward Burne-Jones. At the age of six he was taken to England by his parents and left for five years at a foster home at Southsea, Lived in Lorne Lodge, 4 Campbell Road.
Soon after Kipling had received the Nobel Prize, his output of fiction and poems began to decline. His son was killed in the World War I, and in 1923 Kipling published The Irish Guards In The Great War , a history of his son's regiment. Kipling died on January 18, 1936 in London, and was buried in Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey. His autobiography, Something Of Myself, appeared posthumously in 1937.
Amanda Lamb
TV presenter Amanda Lamb was born in Portsmouth on the 19th July 1972.
In 1994 she took over the role of the Scottish Widow in the long running insurance company TV advertisment.
She has been the main presenter of Channel 4's A Place In the Sun since 2001 and also regularly appears in Market Kitchen and on the Wright Stuff.
Michelle Magorian
Born November 6th 1947, Portsmouth, Michelles father was in the Royal Navy, therefore due to postings she spent many of her early years living in Singapore
and Australia.
Until the age of 18 she lived in Portsmouth, at 19 Michelle attended the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in London, studying drama.
As an author she has produced both fiction and poetry mainly for young people, these include Goodnight Mister Tom (which was made into a film for TV), Back Home, Not a Swan, and A Spoonful of Jam.
Olivia Manning
Born March 2nd 1911 in Portsmouth, Olivia was a journalist and novelist.
The daughter of a naval officer, produced her first novel, The Wind Changes in 1937 but is best known for her series of novels The Balkan Trilogy and The Levant Trilogy.
She is said to have constantly worried about her ability as a novelist and her literary reputation and is reported to have said that she wished she could be famous like the actor comedian Peter Sellers, also born in Portsmouth.
Ironically she died on July 23rd 1980, the same day as Peter Sellers, reports of his death somewhat overshadowed her own and took up more column space in the papers.
Peter Orton
Peter grew up in the Tangier Road area and after leaving Portsmouth Technical School worked as a salesman selling shoes.
In 1966 he joined Television International Enterprises, a programme sales business. Peter was responsible for the imternational sales of Sesame Street, becoming close friends with Jim Henson.
He worked with Henson and helped set up Henson International Television.
When Henson sold his TV business to Disney, Orton decided to found Hit Entertainment the best known and one of the most successful children's TV production, licensing and merchandising companies in the world, introducing characters such as Postman Pat, Alvin & the Chipmunks and Bob the Builder..
Peter Orton died December 5th 2007 after battling cancer for some time.
Allison Owen
Film producer Allison Owen was born in Portsmouth in 1961, to Peter and Mary Owen, her mother Mary worked Portsmouth Dockyard.
Allison attended the Northern Grammar School for Girls.
Her film credits include Moonlight and Valentino (1995), Elizabeth (1998), Sylvia (2003), Shaun of the Dead (2004), Proof (2005), The Other Boleyn Girl (2007) and Brick Lane (2007).
Allison is mother to the singer Lily Allen from her previous marriage to the actor / comedian Keith Allen. She is currently married to the art director Aaron Batterham.
