Famous People with Dyslexia

Famous people who are reported in the media to have/had dyslexia.

Chapter 19 from the book Dyslexia AN EXPLANATION

We often hear of famous people who have coped with dyslexia and been successful in life. We are encouraged to tell our children about these people but who are/were they?

The following is a list of famous people, current and from the past, who, according to press reports, have/had dyslexia or have/had symptoms of dyslexia or related reading, spelling and writing difficulties. Some people from history who exhibited classic signs of dyslexia e.g. Leonardo da Vinci is also included. There are many other famous names that can be sourced on the Internet.

Actors/Entertainers
  • Tom Cruise
  • Harrison Ford
  • Danny Glover
  • Jack Nicholson
  • Whoppi Goldberg
  • Susan Hampshire
  • Dustin Hoffman
  • Oliver Reed
  • Ben Elton
  • Billy Bob Thornton
  • Robin Williams
  • Anthony Hopkins
  • Bob Hoskins
  • Steve McQueen
  • George Burns
  • Jeremy Irons
  • Eddie Izzard
  • Felicity Kendall
  • Marlon Brando
  • Sarah Miles
Entrepreneurs
  • Richard Branson (Virgin)
  • Anita Roddick (Body Shop)
  • Alan Sugar (Amstrad)
  • Henry Ford (Ford)
  • Paul Orfalea (Kinkos)
  • Charles Schwab (Investor)
  • Ted Turner (Turner Broadcasting Systems)
  • F.W. Woolworth (Woolworths)
  • Lord McAlpine
Architects
  • Lord Richard Rogers (Lloyd’s Building, Pompidou Centre)
  • Jorn Utzon (Sydney Opera House)
Artists/Sculptors
  • Leonardo da Vinci
  • Pablo Picasso
  • Auguste Rodin
  • Andy Warhol
  • Peter Scott
Computers
  • Steve Jobs (Apple) Computers
  • William Hewlett (Hewlett Packard)
  • Mike Norris (Computacenter)
  • John Chambers (Cisco)
Music
  • John Lennon
  • Mozart
  • Beethoven
  • Liam Gallagher
  • Enrico Caruso
  • Nigel Kennedy
Sports People
  • Dennis Bergkamp (Footballer)
  • Paul Merson (Footballer)
  • Duncan Goodhew (Swimmer)
  • Johnny Herbert (Motor racing)
  • Jackie Stewart (Motor racing)
  • Sandy Lyle (Golfer)
  • Steven Redgrave (Rowing)
  • Muhammad Ali (Boxing)
  • Magic Johnson (Basketball)
  • Diamond Dallas Page (Wrestling)
  • Chris Boardman (Cyclist)
  • Carl Lewis (Athlete)
Fashion
  • Tommy Hilfiger
  • Jodie Kidd
Leaders
  • Winston Churchill
  • George Washington
  • Michael Heseltine
  • John F. Kennedy
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • Nelson Rockerfeller
  • Woodrow Wilson
Film Makers/Photographers
  • Steven Speilberg
  • Walt Disney
  • David Bailey
  • Ansel Adams
Scientists and Inventors
  • Albert Einstein
  • Thomas Edison
  • Michael Faraday
  • Alexander Graham Bell
  • Charles Darwin
  • Werner Von Braun
  • Wright Brothers
  • Louis Pasteur
Military
  • General George S. Patton
  • Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson