Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, actor and film score producer. He is best known as the lead singer of the British pop group Take That. Barlow also served as head judge on The X Factor UK in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and Let It Shine in 2017. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters, having written fourteen number one singles and twenty-four top 10 hits.