11 celebrities you didn't know were educated in Perth and Kinross

The Courier

26-04-2025

Perth and Kinross has played a key formative role for several celebrities over the years.
Actors, footballers, musicians and more – the area has reared some high-achieving individuals.
Famously, Perth and Kinross was the breeding ground of two of the country's best-known actors.
Ewan McGregor, of Star Wars and Trainspotting fame, is from Crieff.
And Alan Cumming, known for playing the MC in Cabaret in film and on stage, is from Aberfeldy.
However, several other high-flying figures have educational links to Perth and Kinross that are less known.
Mother to Scottish tennis stars Andy and Jamie, Judy Murray and family are most often connected to Stirlingshire.
However, she actually attended school in Perthshire.
As there was no high school in Dunblane at the time, Murray went to Morrison's Academy in Crieff.
Known for its excellent sports programme, Murray credits the school for strengthening her love of tennis.
Before finding fame with Arsenal FC, Balbeggie's Lisa Evans played for her local youth team, St Johnstone.
Since then, the former St Columba's High School pupil has performed as a winger and full-back for the big names such as Bayern Munich and West Ham United before returning to her first-signed team, Glasgow City.
Evans was in the Arsenal squad that won the 2018 FA Women's League Cup.
That June, she scored the winner for Scotland to seal a 3-2 comeback against Poland in a World Cup qualifier.
While he may be known for acting in the original Star Wars trilogy, Denis Lawson was not born in a galaxy far, far away.
In fact, he hails from Glasgow.
Although, when he was three, his family relocated to Crieff, where he later attended the local primary school.
Lawson went to Morrison's Academy and attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama en route to a successful acting career.
World-famous golfer Colin Montgomerie was born in Scotland but raised in Yorkshire.
However, he returned north of the border when he enrolled at Strathallan School in Forgandenny.
Montgomerie's first amateur titles were all earned in Scotland.
Professionally, he won 31 European titles, the most of any British player.
Overall, the 2010 Ryder Cup captain amassed 42 tournament victories, but a major title proved elusive, finishing second on five occasions.
The comedian and BBC Scotland presenter was born in Perth and was educated in the city.
Fred MacAulay attended primary schools in Killin and Rattray before moving to Blairgowrie High School and Perth Academy.
He is famous for running the 18-year-long BBC Scotland radio programme MacAulay and Co.
Before she generated enough star power to be in season 10 of ITV's I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Gillian McKeith lived in Perth.
She was born in Perth to a shipyard worker father and office worker mother.
Host of Channel 4's You Are What You Eat and regular guest on E4's Supersize v Superskinny, McKeith credits her US boyfriend for encouraging the healthy eating habits that made her famous.
Scottish rugby legend Dougie Hall was born in Dingwall but moved to Methven for school.
He was scouted while playing for the school team at Glenalmond College.
Hall went on to play more than 140 games with the Glasgow Warriors and collected 42 caps for Scotland.
Crispin Bonham-Carter is an English actor best known for playing Mr Bingley in the 1995 version of the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice.
Before he became Colin Firth's co-star, Bonham-Carter went to school in Perthshire.
The actor was educated at Glenalmond College before studying at the University of St Andrews.
TV historian Tessa Dunlop was born and educated in Perthshire.
She attended Pitlochry High School before switching to Strathallan School.
Dunlop moved to England to complete her studies at St Hilda's College in Oxford.
She worked on the LBC radio station and BBC London before presenting historical television shows.
She has since written several oral history books focusing on women, war and the royal family.
Diamond emigrated to Canada in 2009 after living in London and the Lake District for several years.
However, before that, he was born and raised in Arbroath, later receiving a scholarship to attend 'the lovely posh' Strathallan School.
Diamond is well known for hosting 90s TV phenomenon Gamemaster.
He later moved on to various radio projects for the BBC and Channel 5.
He still hosts several radio shows and is a monthly columnist for The Guardian.
The Taggart and River City actor may play Glasgow-based characters, but Colin McCredie actually grew up in Perth.
Born in Dumbarton, he arrived at a young age and attended St John's Primary School and Perth High School.
The St Johnstone fan also sharpened his acting skills at Perth Theatre.
McCreadie featured in more than 75 episodes of Taggart between 1995 and 2010.
He later played Nick Morrison in River City.