Famous People with Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities can be difficult to manage, but they don’t necessarily impact a person’s chances of success. Many celebrities and famous figures from history struggled with learning disabilities, but the disabilities may have been instrumental in shaping their perspectives and helping them find the willpower to achieve their goals. Here’s a full list of famous people with learning disabilities, including a description of their disabilities and their claims to fame. They can be a source of inspiration.

Alexander Graham Bell – Bell invented the telephone, but struggled with traditional schooling. It’s believed that he had some form of learning disability, possibly dyslexia

Napoleon Bonaparte – Napoleon’s hypersensitivity to touch and his military strategic genius are two of the many symptoms that have led some modern scholars to suggest that he was a high-functioning autistic.

Cher – Cher is one of the most iconic performers, singers and actresses in the world. She has a form of dyslexia that makes it difficult to remember numbers or to perform basic mathematics

Tom Cruise – Cruise is among the most recognizable actors in the world. He has dyslexia and has spoken publicly about his disability

Walt Disney – While no hard evidence exists, many scholars believe that Disney suffered from dyslexia or a related disorder due to his difficulties in school. Disney eventually dropped out of high school and pursued a career as an artist.

Albert Einstein – Einstein’s parents once thought that he was mentally retarded due to his odd habits and difficulties in school. If he were born today, Einstein would probably be diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism.

John F. Kennedy – President Kennedy may have had a form of dyslexia, but it didn’t keep him from pursuing a successful education. He graduated from Harvard and won the presidency of the United States in 1961.

Bill Gates – Some autism experts have suggested that the head of Microsoft has Asperger’s, although testing has never been performed.

Whoopi Goldberg – The actress and humanitarian suffers from dyslexia and frequently comments about her learning disability.

John Lennon – Lennon was probably dyslexic, as he frequently mentioned in interviews that he was “never a speller” and had serious problems in school. He later showed his musical and lyrical genius through his work with The Beatles, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest pop songwriters of all time.

Sylvester Stallone – Stallone is one of the highest paid actors of all time. He suffers from dyslexia, but has developed an outstanding talent for screenwriting. His writing credits include “Rocky” and “Over the Top”, both of which he starred in.

Robin Williams – Williams is a comedian and actor, famous for his roles in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Good Will Hunting” and dozens of other films. He has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which affected his education and his ability to memorize scripts.