Garbage singer Shirley Manson grew up in Stockbridge but later bought a home in Joppa, just to the east of Portobello, where she can often be spotted out on walks along the sea front. (Photo: Third Party)
If you’ve ever wondered where Trainspotting actor Ewen Bremner went to school, or where Garbage singer Shirley Manson owns a stunning home with sea views, we’ve got the answers for you.
How many of the celebrities in our picture gallery did you know went to Portobello High School or have lived in the area – and did any of them go to school there at the same as you?
Former Portobello High School pupil John Robertson is currently the sporting director of Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He is best known for his two spells at Heart of Midlothian, totalling about 18 years, where he is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. Robertson earned the moniker “The Hammer of Hibs” as he scored a record 27 goals in Edinburgh derbies v Hibernian. (Photo: Third Party)
Edinburgh-born actor Ewen Bremner went to Portobello High School. His roles have inluded playing Daniel “Spud” Murphy in Trainspotting and its 2017 sequel T2 Trainspotting as well as parts in blockbusters such as Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down. (Photo: Third Party)
Ex-Celtic captain Jackie McNamara went to Portobello High School. He won 33 international caps playing for Scotland, and was a member of the squad that played at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. (Photo: Third Party)
Shauna Macdonald is known for roles in The Descent, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Dangermouse, Filth, Spooks, The Cry, Shetland, and more recently Outlander. The BAFTA winning actor is also co-director of Edinburgh Youth Theatre based in Portobello, where she lives. (Photo: Third Party)
Pictured to the right of Alex Kapranos, former Portobello High School pupil Paul Thomson played for Scottish indie heroes Franz Ferdinand from their formation in 2002 until October 2021.
The former Portobello High School pupil famously helped shift over a million copies of lads bible FHM after they projected her naked image onto the Houses of Parliament. TV presenter Gail grew up in Joppa. (Photo: Third Party)
Portobello resident Ken Buchanan MBE was considered by many to be the greatest boxer ever to emerge from the UK. Last summer, a statue of the former undisputed world lightweight champion was unveiled at a public ceremony on Little King Street, bringing together hundreds of Capital residents to celebrate the occasion. Sadly, Ken passed away in April this year. (Photo: Third Party)
Former Porotbello High School pupil Phil Cunningham is one of Scottish traditional music’s finest exponents. He was awarded the MBE in 2002, was voted Composer of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards 2007. (Photo: Third Party)
Portobello resident Jenni Fagan was selected as one of the Granta’s Best Young British Novelists in 2013 after the publication of her astonishing debut novel, The Panopticon. Also a gifted poet, The New York Times declared her ‘the patron saint of literary street urchins.’ (Photo: Third Party)
