Riding motorcycles is already pretty cool – right? But it’s even cooler when you think of some of the celebrities who’ve become famous for riding bikes over recent history. 

We all know about Steve McQueen doing (some of) his own stunts in the iconic WW2 movie ’The Great Escape’. Some of us may also be familiar with the likes of Marlon Brando using his own Matchless in the ‘50s biker flick ‘The Wild One’. While it’s also lesser known that one of the biggest rock and pop celebrities of all time, Elvis Presley, not only was also into bikes (usually Harleys) but also rode a Triumph in the 1968 comedy ‘Stay Away Joe’. 

Sadly, however, all of those famous bikers are now long gone – which raises the question: which current film, music or sport celebrities are also motorcycle fans? We decided to find out and, below, is out current Top 10 pick (in no particular order) of the biggest and best – and you may be surprised to see who’s on the list! 

Former pop star ‘Marky Mark’ has gone on to become one of the biggest grossing blockbuster film stars of the 21st century, with hits including Planet of the Apes, The Italian Job, Transformers and many more. Surprisingly, though, it was the comedy flick Daddy’s Home he shared with Will Ferrell in 2015 which first showcased his interest in bikes.

A brand ambassador for US marque Indian, Wahlberg was featured riding a big twin cruiser, earlier attended Indian’s unveiling of its all-new Scout model and continues to ride bikes to this day. 

Another biking pop star – although this time British – with a motorcycling passion and connection you may not have been aware of. The bassist of British band McFly has been genuinely into bikes for a number of years, has been mostly associated with Triumphs during this time, is pictured when he recently took part in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride charity run and has since managed to encourage bandmates Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones to take to two wheels as well! 

Here’s a biking superstar you may have been expecting – but perhaps not in terms of the bikes he prefers to ride. Scottish movie A-lister McGregor is best known for hit films which include Trainspotting, Star Wars and Moulin Rouge but since 2004 he’s also become famous for his televised biking travelogues with buddy Charley Boorman – originally The Long Way Round then 2008’s Long Way Down aboard BMW GSs, followed by Long Way Up on Harley Livewires and, most recently, Long Way Home.

This latest episode reveals that his true biking love, however, is Moto Guzzi with whom he’s had a long association including acting as brand ambassador. 

Here’s one you might not have been expecting, particularly as it concerns a Frenchman living in England with a Japanese bike! Fred Sirieix sprang to TV fame as affable Maître D in Chanel 4 TV’s ’First Dates’.

In recent years, however, he’s also taken up biking, has begun an association with Yamaha UK and, most recently, took proud delivery of the Japanese brand’s latest Y-AMT/automatic transmission-equipped MT-09! 

There are few more famous current British actors than Tom Hardy. The now 47-year-old, known mostly for ‘hard man’ roles in film and TV, broke out in 2001’s Blackhawk Down, then Layer Cake and Inception before becoming a genuine A-lister in The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road and most recently Venom.

In the latter his character rode a Ducati Scrambler inspiring Hardy to get his licence. Since then, however, he’s been associated mostly with Triumphs and most recently being seen aboard a Street Triple in TV’s Mob Land. 

Let’s step away from movie stars and Triumphs for a moment. In the world of motorsport and particularly F1 there are now more bike ‘nuts’, seemingly, than ever before. Now retired ex-champ Damon Hill started out on bikes; Sebastian Vettel has a passion for classic machines and Mark Webber has visited the TT.

But the biggest F1 ‘bike buff’ of all is probably seven times champ Lewis Hamilton who still regularly rides to grand prix rounds and had a long term association with Italian legends MV Agusta who even produced special models in his honour. 

Another long-established movie star who’s massively into bikes – but this time so much so he’s even founded his own motorcycle brand! Keanu Reeves may have sprung to prominence in 1991’s goofy ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, but he’s since become established as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars through films such as Speed, The Matrix and the John Wick series.

Throughout it all he’s been a big bike buff with a preference for classic Nortons but in 2011, with friend Gard Hollinger, he also founded the ARCH Motorcycle Company which, to this day, builds bespoke V-twin power cruisers. 

Brit Richard Hammond is best known as being on the three presenters of the hugely successful Top Gear TV series between 2002 and 2015. Since then, he also co-presented The Grand Tour and subsequent solo shows such as Richard Hammond’s Workshop.

Less well known is that his motoring life began on motorcycles at the age of 16 and he’s remained a passionate rider, collector and fan ever since, to the extent of riding bikes in some episodes of Top Gear and other shows and writing a book about his biking life. 

When it comes to sporting stars, especially British ones, who are also big time into bikes they don’t come any bigger than footballing superstar and former England soccer captain David Beckham. Although banned from bikes during his playing career, the now all-round celebrity has more than made up for it since, has owned a variety of mainly custom, bespoke Triumphs and also repeatedly embarked on motorcycling TV travelogues, most famously in his 2014 BBC documentary: ‘David Beckham – Into the Unknown’ where he and some friends journeyed through the Amazon rainforest on customized Triumph Bonnevilles.  

But yes, you guessed it, the most famous – and prolific – biking celebrity of all surely has to be huge motorcycling buff and possibly the current biggest movie star of all – Tom Cruise. Even since his breakout hit in 1986, Top Gun, in which he memorably repeatedly rode a Kawasaki GPz900R, he’s been synonymous with both riding bikes in his movies – and his private life.

Star turns include most of his Mission: Impossible series, where he also often does his own stunts, but also Knight and Day, Edge of Tomorrow and, most recently, aboard a Kawasaki Ninja H2, his Top Gun sequel, Maverick – and he shows no signs of slowing down just yet!