Les (given Name)

Les is a given name, usually short for Lester or Leslie. Also, a

romanization In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and tra ...

of Ukrainian name Лесь �lɛsʲ Les may refer to: People: *

Les Aspin Leslie Aspin Jr. (July 21, 1938 – May 21, 1995) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician and economist who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 1st co ...

(1938–1995), American politician *

Les AuCoin Walter Leslie AuCoin ( ; born October 21, 1942) is an American politician. In 1974 he became the first person from the Democratic Party to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from , since it was formed in 1892. The seat has been he ...

(born 1942), American politician *

Les Baxter Leslie Thompson Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, and musician. After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands, he developed his own style of easy listening music, known as exotica and s ...

(1922–1996), American musician and composer *

Les Besser Les Besser (born 1936) is an American electronics engineer, an expert in microwave technology. He is the founder (1973) of Compact Software, the first commercially successful microwave computer-aided design (CAD) company, which commercialize his ...

(born 1936), American electronics engineer *

Les Binks James Leslie Binks (8 August 1951 – 15 March 2025) was a Northern Irish Heavy metal music, heavy metal drummer. He is best-known for being the drummer for Judas Priest, where he was a member from 1977 to 1979. Life and career Early years Pre ...

(1951–2025), Northern Irish heavy metal drummer *

Les Blank Les Blank (November 27, 1935 – April 7, 2013) was an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians. Life and career Leslie Harrod Blank Jr. was born November 27, 1935, in Tampa, Florida. He atten ...

(1935–2013), American documentary filmmaker *

Les Brown (bandleader) Lester Raymond Brown (March 14, 1912 – January 4, 2001) was an American jazz musician who for over six decades (1938-2000) led his big band, later called Les Brown and His Band of Renown. Biography Brown was born in Reinerton-Orwin-Muir, Pen ...

(1912–2001), American jazz musician and bandleader * Les Brown (speaker) (born 1945), American motivational speaker and politician *

Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American rock music, rock musician. He is the founder, lead singer, bassist, and primary songwriter of the band Primus (band), Primus. Listed as one of the greatest bassists of all time by ...

(born 1963), American rock bassist and founding member of Primus *

Les Costello Fr. Leslie John Thomas Costello (February 16, 1928 – December 10, 2002) was a Canadian ice hockey player and Catholic priest. He was born in South Porcupine, Ontario, a neighbourhood of Timmins, and played hockey as a teenager, eventually joi ...

(1928–2002), Canadian ice hockey player and Catholic priest *

Les Crane Les Crane (born Lesley Stein; December 3, 1933 – July 13, 2008) was an American radio announcer, television host, and actor. A pioneer in interactive broadcasting, he is also known for his 1971 spoken-word recording of the poem ''Desiderata'' ...

(1933–2008), American broadcaster and talk show host *

Les Darcy James Leslie Darcy (28 October 189524 May 1917) was an Australian boxer. He was a middleweight, but held the Australian Heavyweight Championship title at the same time. Les Darcy was the 2003 Inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall ...

(1895–1917), Australian boxer *

Les Dawson Leslie Dawson (2 February 1931 – 10 June 1993) was an English comedian, actor, writer, presenter, and pianist. He was known for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona, musical routines, and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife. Early li ...

(1931–1993), English comedian *

Les Dennis Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor and comedian. He presented '' Family Fortunes'' from 1987 to 2002. Early life Dennis was born as Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liv ...

(born 1953), English television presenter *

Les Dodd Les Dodd (born 11 February 1954) is an English former professional snooker player. He was runner-up in the 1987 English Professional Championship. Career Dodd was born on 11 February 1954 in Southport, and turned professional in 1982. In hi ...

(born 1954), English snooker player * Les Eaves (born c. 1967), American businessman and state legislator *

Les Edwards Les Edwards (born 7 September 1949) is a British illustrator known for his work in the horror, science fiction and fantasy genres, and has provided numerous illustrations for book jackets, posters, magazines, record covers and games during his ...

(born 1949), British illustrator *

Les Elgart Lester Elliott Elgart (August 3, 1917 – July 29, 1995) was an American swing jazz bandleader and trumpeter. Early years Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Elgart grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey with his brother Larry. They were exposed ...

(1917–1995), American jazz trumpeter and bandleader *

Les Ferdinand Leslie Ferdinand (born 8 December 1966) is an English football coach, former professional footballer and television pundit. A striker, his playing career included notable spells in the Premier League with Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United, ...

(born 1966), English football coach and former player *

Les Fradkin Les Fradkin (born 1951) is an American MIDI guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He is best known for being a member of the original cast of the hit Broadway show ''Beatlemania''. In addition to playing MIDI guitar, ...

(born 1951), American guitarist and composer * Les Gleadell (1921–2009), Falkland Islands civil servant * Les Goble (1932–2019), American National Football League player *

Les Gold Leslie "Les" Gold (born June 20, 1950) is an American pawnbroker, reality television star, author, and media personality. He is known for his role on cable and satellite television truTV's reality series, ''Hardcore Pawn''. Early life and career ...

(born 1950), American pawnbroker and media personality *

Les Gray Thomas Leslie Gray (9 April 1946 – 21 February 2004) was an English musician best known for his work with glam rock pop band Mud (band), Mud. Gray was also known for his distinctive vocal impersonator, impersonation of Elvis Presley, as well ...

(1946–2004), English singer and songwriter * Les Green (1941–2012), English footballer and manager * Les Greenberg (born 1945), Canadian psychologist *

Les Guthman Les Guthman is an American director, writer, editor and production executive, who has the distinction of both having produced three of the ''20 Top Adventure Films of All Time'', according to ''Men's Journal'' magazine, and having won the National ...

, American filmmaker * Les Hull (born 1935), Canadian politician * Les Humphries (born 1940), Founder of the

Les Humphries Singers The Les Humphries Singers was a Pop music, pop vocal group formed in Hamburg, West Germany by English singer Les Humphries. Active from 1969 until 1980, the group had several chart hits in Germany and in other European countries. The group, who ...

* Les Kaufman, evolutionary ecologist, Professor of Biology at Boston University *

Les Kurbas Oleksandr-Zenon Stepanovych Kurbas (; 24 February 1887 – 30 November 1937), was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian movie and theater director. He is considered by many to be the most important Ukrainian theater director of the 20th century. He formed, ...

(1887–1937), Ukrainian movie and theater director. Considered to be one of the lead figures of the

Executed Renaissance The Executed Renaissance (), or Red Renaissance (), was a generation of Ukrainian language poets, writers, and artists of the 1920s and early 1930s who lived in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and wеre kille ...

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (September 23, 1935 – December 29, 2023) was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He is known for his innovations in soul jazz and his Swiss Movement, 1969 recording of the protest song "Compared to What". His music ha ...

(1935–2023), American soul jazz and R&B pianist and vocalist *

Les McKeown Leslie Richard McKeown (12 November 195520 April 2021) was a Scottish singer. He was the lead vocalist of the pop rock band Bay City Rollers during their most successful period in the 1970s. Early life Leslie Richard McKeown was born in Broomho ...

(1955–2021), Scottish pop singer, lead singer of the Bay City Rollers *

Les Mills Leslie Roy Mills (born 1 November 1934) is a New Zealand retired track and field athlete, businessman, and politician. He represented New Zealand at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games over two decades, competing in the shot put and discu ...

(born 1934), New Zealand shot putter, discus thrower and politician *

Les Munro Squadron Leader John Leslie Munro, (5 April 1919 – 4 August 2015) was a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot during World War II and the last surviving pilot of the Dambusters Raid of May 1943. Early life Born on 5 April 1919 near Gisborne o ...

(1919–2015), New Zealand Air Force pilot * Les Owen (speedway rider) (1939–2004), English international speedway rider * Les Palmer (American football) (1923–2006), American National Football League player *

Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz guitarist, jazz, country guitarist, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid body ...

, stage name of American jazz guitarist and inventor Lester William Polsfuss (1915–2009) *

Les Podervianskyi Oleksandr "Les" Serhiiovych Podervianskyi (, ; born November 3, 1952) is a Ukrainian painter, poet, playwright and performer. He is most famous for his absurd, highly satirical, and at times obscene short plays. Their average duration is five to ...

(born 1952), Ukrainian painter, poet, playwright and performer * Les Reed (disambiguation), multiple people *

Les Sealey Leslie Jesse Sealey (29 September 1957 – 19 August 2001) was an English professional football player and coach. He played as a goalkeeper, most notably in the top flight for Coventry City, Luton Town, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and ...

(1957–2001), English footballer * Les Serdyuk (1940–2010), Soviet and Ukrainian theater and film actor *

Les Shannon Leslie Shannon (12 March 1926 – 2 December 2007) was an English football player and manager. As a forward, he scored 40 goals in 274 league games in the Football League, playing for Liverpool between November 1944 and November 1949 and the ...

(1926–2007), English football player and manager *

Les Stroud Les Stroud (born 20 October 1961) is a Canadian survival expert, filmmaker and musician best known as the creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series '' Survivorman''. Stroud was named Chief Scout by Sco ...

(born 1961), Canadian filmmaker and survival expert, creator, writer, producer, director, cameraman and host of the television series ''Survivorman'' * Les Tanyuk (1938–2016), Ukrainian theater and film director, dissident and politician *

Les Tremayne Lester Tremayne (16 April 1913 – 19 December 2003) was a British-born American actor who performed in Vaudeville, film, theatre, radio and television. Early life Tremayne was born in Balham, London. He moved with his family at the age o ...

(1913–2003), British radio, film, and television actor Fictional characters: *

Les Battersby Les Battersby (also Battersby-Brown) is a fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', who appeared from 1997 to 2007, played by Bruce Jones (actor), Bruce Jones. T ...

, a fictional character in ''Coronation Street'' *

Les Nessman Lester "Les" Nessman Jr. is a fictional character on the television situation comedy ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–82) played by Richard Sanders. He reprised his role in the sequel series, ''The New WKRP in Cincinnati''. Background and appear ...

, a fictional character in ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' * Les, a fictional character in the '' Bring It On'' film series * Les, a fictional character in ''

Newsies ''Newsies'' is a 1992 American historical musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by choreographer Kenny Ortega (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White, it is loosely based on the ...

'' * Les, a fictional character in '' The Search for One-eye Jimmy'' * Lifesaver Les, a fictional character in ''

Pizza (TV series) ''Fat Pizza'' (simply known as ''Pizza'', titled ''Fat Pizza: Back in Business'' from season six onwards) is an Australian comedy television series created by Paul Fenech. The series premiered on SBS on 24 April 2000 where it aired for its fi ...

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