Who is Dyslexic

Inspiring stories of success: Dyslexia and Famous People

Unlocking the potential of dyslexia: Famous People with Dyslexia.

Nelson Rockefeller - As a lad of nine, he did not know the letters of the alphabet. He was thought of as dull and backward. He entered Davidson College, but his grades were mediocre.

Cher - one famous dyslexic woman - This famous entertainer has achieved success in two major fields of entertainment. But, because of a math learning disability, she has a challenge with remembering phone numbers and balancing a checkbook.

Thomas Edison - His teacher thought him to be mentally ill. His mother withdrew the child from school and taught him herself.

F.W. Woolworth - As a child he was labeled as slow.

George Patton - When he was twelve years old, he could not read yet, and he remained deficient in reading all his life. However, he could memorize entire lectures, which was how he got through school.

Walt Disney - He was fired from the Kansas City newspaper for not being creative; he was also labeled as slow as a child.

Winston Churchill - This statesman could be called academically disadvantaged. He failed grade eight, did terribly in math, and generally hated school.

Woodrow Wilson - He had great difficulty in reading; in fact, throughout his life, he was unable to read well. Despite this, he was extremely successful in politics.

Albert Einstein—He could not talk until the age of four and did not learn to read until he was nine. His teachers considered him slow, unsociable, and a dreamer. He failed the college entrance examinations but finally passed them after an additional year of preparation. He lost three teaching positions and then became a patent clerk.

Hans Christian Anderson - Had difficulty in reading and writing, but for years, people have cherished his wonderful stories.

Tom Cruise - Despite being a success in his chosen field, this entertainer can learn lines only by listening to a tape.

Agatha Christie - Had a learning disability called dysgraphia, which prevented an understood or legible written work. As a result, all material had to be dictated to a typist/transcriptionist.

16-year-old boy's writing

"We set out early with Intent to Run round the sd. Land but being taken in a Rain &it Increasing very fast obliged us to return. It clearning about one o'Clock & our time being too Precious to Loose we a second time ventured out & Worked hard till Night & then returned to pEnningtons we got our Suppoers & was Lighted in to a Room & I not being so good a Woodsman as the rest of my Company striped my slef very orderly & went in to the Bed as they call'd it when to my Surprize I found it to be northing but a Little Straw-matted together without Sheets or any thing else but only on Thread Bear blanket with double its Weight of Vermin such as Lice Feas & c. Had we not have been very Tired, Ia, sure we should not have slep'd much that night. I made a Promise not to Sleep so from that time forward chusing rather to sleep in the open Air before a fire as will Appear hereafter."

It is interesting to note that this is an example from the writing of the first president of the United States, George Washington, who professionals believe was dyslexic.

Famous Actors & Entertainers with learning disability & dyslexia:

Harry Andersen, actor, comedian, and magician.Fred Astaire, dancer, actor, and musician.Harry Belafonte, singer and actor.George Burns, comedian and actor.Enrico Caruso, Italian operatic.Tom Cruise, actor and producer.Dave Foley, actor and comedian.Harrison Ford, actor.Danny Glover, actor and producer.Tracey Gold, actor.Whoopi Goldberg, actor and comedian.Susan Hampshire, actor., Jay Leno, comedian and tv host.River Phoenix, actor and musician.Edward James Olmos, actor.Jill Pages, trapeze artist.Oliver Reed, actor.Tom Smothers, comedian and actor.Cher, singer and actor. Jewel, singer. Henry Winkler, actor and director.Loretta Young, actor.

Artists, Designers, & Architects with a learning disability:

Ansel Adams, photographer.David Bailey, photographer and director.Leonardo da Vinci, painter and sculptor.Ignacio Gomez, artisit.Pablo Picasso, painter and sculptor.Robert Rauschenberg, American painter and graphic artist.Auguste Rodin, French sculptor.Bennett Strahan, visual artist and architect.Robert Toth, painter. Jørn Utzon arthitect.Andy Warhol, artist and film director.

Athletes with learning disability:

Muhammad Ali, World Heavyweight Champion Boxer.Ann Bancroft, Arctic Explorer.Duncan Goodhew, Olympic Swimmer.Bruce Jenner, Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist.Magic Johnson, basketball player.Greg Louganis, Olympic diver.Bob May, golfer.Diamond Dallas Page, World Wrestling Champion.Steve Redgrave, Olympic Gold Medalist (rowing).Nolan Ryan, Baseball Pitcher for the Texas Rangers.Jackie Stewart, race car driver.

Entrepreneurs & Business Leaders with learning disability:

Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Enterprises.John T Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems.Henry Ford.William Hewlett, Co-Founder, Hewlett-Packard.Craig McCaw, Telecommunications Visionary.Paul J. Orfalea, founder of Kinko's.Charles Schwab, Investor.Ted Turner, President, Turner Broadcasting Systems. F.W. Woolworth.

Filmmakers with learning disability:

Nicole Betancourt, Emmy-winning filmmaker. Walt Disney, animator, producer, and entrepreneur.Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, Danish film director.

Inventors & Scientists with learning disability:

Alexander Graham Bell, inventor, scientist and engineer.Thomas Edison, inventor.Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist..Michael Faraday, scientist.Dr. James Lovelock, scientist.John R. Horner, Paleontologist.John Robert Skoyles, brain Researcher.Werner Von Braun, aerospace engineer.

Law & Justice with learning disability:

David Boies, attorney.Erin Brockovich, investigator.Jeffrey H. Gallet, judge.

Military Heroes with learning disability:

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, General.George Patton, General.

Physicians & Surgeons with learning disability

Harvey Cushing, Surgeon.Fred Epstein, Neurosurgeon.

Political Leaders with learning disability:

Winston Churchill, statesman, soldier and writer.King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, King of Sweden.Michael Heseltine, Bristish politican. Andrew Jackson, lawyer and General.Thomas Jefferson, statesman, architect, and lawyer.John F. Kennedy, politician and US President.Nelson Rockefeller, politician.Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator, Woodrow Wilson, politician and US President.George Washington military officer and US President.

Writers with learning disability:

Hans Christian Andersen, author.Avi, author.Jeanne Betancourt, Author of "My Name is Brain Brian".Steven Cannell, television writer & novelist.Agatha Christie, author.Fannie Flagg, Author of "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe".Gustave Flaubert, novelist.Patricia Polacco, Children's Author and Illustrator.Elizabeth Daniels Squire(author of mystery novels).Victor Villaseñor, author.W.B. Yeats, poet and writer.Girard Sagmiller, Author of Dyslexia My Life .

"Dyslexia is not a disease to have and to be cured of, but a way of thinking and learning. Often it's a gifted mind waiting to be found and taught. " - DML