Famous and Celebrity Aston Villa Fans: The Future King To Tom Hanks

Although clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have enjoyed more success than Aston Villa, the other thing that those clubs share with the Midlands club that the vast majority don’t is a European Cup. The Villans won theirs in the 1980s in a famous moment for British football, which will have helped them to win over a whole new group of supporters that the club’s lack of success in the modern day has undoubtedly struggled to do. Even so, there are some well-known names that follow the club through thick and thin, including both a best-selling author, a member of the Royal Family and a beloved actor.

It is fair to say that this list isn’t exhaustive, but it will help to give you a sense of the kinds of people that spend their time keeping an eye out for the Aston Villa scores, even whilst also doing something more attention-grabbing:

The Prince of Wales

It is obviously quite hard to imagine members of the Royal Family standing on the Holte End and shouting abuse at the referee, nor are there many Villa fans with names even remotely close to William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten Windsor, but that doesn’t mean that the Prince of Wales isn’t a fan of the Villans.

When he was at school, Prince William decided to move away from supporting the likes of Manchester United or Chelsea, instead developing a love of the Villa. He often attends matches, especially if the club makes it to Wembley for some reason, even heading to the Europa League match against Salzburg in 2026.

Lee Child

Born James Grant, Lee Child went on to become a best-selling author thanks to the Jack Reacher novels, but he’s never forgotten his roots. Considering himself a ‘Birmingham boy’ in spite of the fact that he hasn’t lived in the city for more than 50 years, he often inserts the names of Villa players into his novels.

From Paul McGrath to Savo Milošević, Julian Joachim and Jlloyd Samuel, many a Reacher fan has been given a chuckle after they’ve noticed the use of someone with a connection to the Villans in a book penned by Child. He has attended countless matches and even written as a guest editor for the match day programme.

David Cameron

Sometimes, supporters would probably rather someone didn’t follow their club, which might well be the case with David Cameron and Aston Villa. The former Prime Minister, who is largely held responsible for the UK’s disastrous decision to leave the European Union, claims to have been a Villan since the 1980s.

Although he said that his uncle was involved in the club, many questioned whether he was a real supporter when, in 2015, he made a huge blunder and briefly declared himself to be a West Ham fan. He later said that that was a ‘brain fade’, but it very much played into the idea of politicians choosing clubs for political gain more than love.

David Bradley

You might not immediately recognise the name of David Bradley, but there is a very good chance that you will recognise his face. That is owing to the fact that he has appeared in everything from Harry Potter to Game of Thrones, amongst countless other films and TV shows, as well as winning an Olivier Award for playing King Lear.

Although he was born in York, Bradley describes Villa Park as ‘majestic’ and adores the ‘theatrical nature’ of the stadium. When the club defeated Leeds United in the League Cup final in 1996, the actor had a banner that said, “Stratford Upon Avon Supporters’ Club”, also once being the neighbour of Villa legend Dion Dublin.

Brendan & Domhnall Gleeson

There is another Harry Potter connection in the next names on our list, with Brendan Gleeson having played Mad-Eye Moody in the series and Domhnall making a name for himself as Bill Weasley. Gleeson senior took his son to the FA Cup semi-final match against Liverpool at Wembley in 2015, which Domhnall later described as ‘special’.

Between them, the pair have appeared in the likes of About Time, Braveheart and In Bruges, as well as the Potter films, but that day at Wembley might be the appearance that Domhnall will remember most; or not, depending on how far things went when the pair ‘had a drink or two’ in the wake of the final whistle.

Adil Ray

Actor, comedian, television presenter and creator of the comedy series Citizen Khan, Adil Ray was born in Birmingham in 1974. He mixes his time supporting the Villa with following his local cricket team, Warwickshire, as well as getting behind the national team of Pakistan whenever they play.

Serving as an ambassador for the Aston Villa Foundation, Ray hosted the End of Season Awards for the Villans in 2022 and has supported the club since childhood. This isn’t just a fad for Ray either, often posting on social media when he heads along to Villa Park to watch a match or two.

Nigel Kennedy

Although significantly less likely to be known by young people nowadays than he was in the 1980s and 1990s, world-renowned violinist Nigel Kennedy attended his first Aston Villa match when he was an eight-year-old and has been heading along to Villa Park to support the club ever since.

When he performed at the Przystanek Woodstock Festival in 2010, Kennedy wore a Villa shirt on stage and will often try to find ways to get references to the club into his performances. Known to have had a Jaguar car that he got painted in Villa’s claret and blue colours, he even kept up with the Villa when he lived in Poland.

Mark Williams

There are some that might say that you need to have a sense of humour if you’re going to follow Aston Villa, which is where Mark Williams’s experience in the likes of The Fast Show and Red Dwarf stands him in good stead. Born in Bromsgrove, Williams has even narrated a documentary about the club he loves.

Williams can occasionally be seen attending matches at Villa Park, although his move to Brighton meant that he also developed a soft spot for Brighton & Hove Albion. Not to be confused with the snooker player of the same name, Williams grew up in the village of Sidemoor, not far from Birmingham.

Kris Marshall

In 2008, actor Kris Marshall suffered a head injury after being involved in a car accident. Cruel people might suggest that the head injury is part of the reason why he started supporting Aston Villa, but in actual fact it was because he received a letter from then Villa manager Martin O’Neill and the team wishing him well in his recovery.

Marshall’s dad was actually a Nottingham Forest fan, but the actor liked the Villa kit and so decided to ‘go with them’ instead. That was partly because of the fact that the family lived near Birmingham when he was growing up, with Marshall having to perfect a Birmingham accent when he was cast in Citizen Khan with fellow Villa fan Adil Ray.

Jacqui Smith

Being similar to David Cameron in the sense that no one really wants a politician to support their football club, Jacqui Smith at least genuinely seems to love Aston Villa. A one-time Member of Parliament for Redditch, Smith is a Villa Park season ticket holder and has often attended matches both home and away.

The one-time Home Secretary also managed to indoctrinate her sons, James and Michael, into following the club. A school teacher before she became a politician, Smith began following the Villans in the 1960s and enjoyed the club’s First Division win in 1981 that was followed up with a European Cup win a year later.

Tom Hanks

From the voice of Woody in Toy Story to the man who made us all feel deep emotions for a volleyball named Wilson in Cast Away, Tom Hanks has been on the big screen for decades. The actor even had a ‘Proud History, Bright Future’ Villa scarf when he attended the premiere of Charlie Wilson’s War in 2008.

Although the star of Philadelphia and Forrest Gump might not be heading along to every match the club has played, this is no passing fad. Instead, Hanks first admitted his love of the Villa back in 2001 during an interview with the Disney Channel. He chose the club because he thought it sounded like ‘a lovely vacation destination’.