Born:
March 03, 1968
in
Chadderton, Lancashire
Best Known For:
Making physics sexy.
Early-life:
Brian Edward Cox was born in Chadderton, Lancashire, on March 3, 1968. Both his parents were in banking - but later revealed he only got a grade D in his maths A level. He attended the fee-charging Hulme Grammar School in Oldham from 1979 to 1986. He studied physics at the University of Manchester where he joined D:Ream, a group which had several hits in the UK charts, including the number one, "Things Can Only Get Better" - later used as a New Labour election anthem.
Career:
Cox obtained first class and MPhil degrees in physics from the University of Manchester. After D:Ream disbanded in 1997, Cox was awarded his PhD in high energy particle physics at Manchester University. As professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester, he became involved in working on the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, and during media interviews, proved himself a natural in front of the camera. He was quickly snapped up by the BBC and has since become a huge star, presenting Wonders of the Universe and Wonders of the Solar System, among numerous other documentaries.
Quote:
"People say things like: 'He's quite good looking for a scientist'. But it's a very low bar. There's basically me and Patrick Moore."
Trivia:
He is a highly respected physician and has also written and co-authored several books on physics.