When I researched Ongig’s articles on famous people with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, I found these 25 famous people with 3 things I’d never heard of: dyscalculia, dysgraphia and dyspraxia. They are actors, writers, scientists, musicians, and more. I felt inspired to list these famous people with dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and dyspraxia in one place!
Disclaimers: This list includes famous celebrities with dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and dysgraphia who have been diagnosed and those who have been reported to be affected. I do my best to list resources for any questionable ones and welcome feedback, additions, and edits! I am not an expert on how many people have dysgraphia, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia.
Before we get to the list…
Dyspraxia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia all sound similar — but they are different. Here’s a quick summary of each:
What is the meaning of dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia research shows about 4-6% population in the U.S is impacted. Dyscalculia affects a person’s ability to acquire mathematical skills. According to intechopen.com, people with autism spectrum disorder have higher for other conditions like dyscalculia.
What is the meaning of dysgraphia?
In the history of dysgraphia, it’s often seen in people with ADHD. What is dysgraphia? According to AdditudeMag:
“Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing ability and fine motor skills. It interferes with spelling, word spacing, and the general ability to put thoughts on paper, and makes the process of writing laboriously slow.”
Dysgraphia affects children and adults.
Is dyspraxia a learning disability?
Dyspraxia causes poor balance, poor motor skills, and clumsiness. Symptoms of dyspraxia and dyslexia often overlap so many people say it’s a learning disability. According to the Dyspraxia Foundation:
“research suggests that 52% of children with dyslexia have features of dyspraxia”
Now, on to my list:
Famous People with Dyscalculia
I found these famous people with dyscalculia (diagnosed or reported) during my research on famous people with disabilities:
- Hans Christian Andersen — writer best remebered for his fairy tales (source: NumberDyslexia)
- Cher — singer, actress and TV personality known as the “Goddess of Pop” (IMSE Journal)
- Thomas Edison — known as the world’s greatest inventor (NumberDyslexia)
- Albert Einstein — one of the greatest physicists of all time (Dyscalculia Awareness)
- Benjamin Franklin — writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher (NumberDyslexia)
- Luis Armand Garcia — actor best known as Max Lopez on the sitcom George Lopez (Dr. Linda’s Blog)
- Bill Gates — software developer, investor, author, philanthropist, and the co-founder of Microsoft (Dr. Linda’s Blog)
- Mick Hucknall — singer and songwriter of soul pop band Simply Red (NumberDyslexia)
- Mary Tyler Moore — TV personality best know for The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Dyscalculia Awareness)
- Sarah Barrable-Tishauer — actress best known for her role as Liberty Van Zandt in Degrassi: The Next Generation (Dr. Linda’s Blog)
- Henry Winkler — actor and director best known for his role as “The Fonz” on Happy Days (NumberDyslexia)
Famous People with Dyspraxia
I found this list of famous people with dyspraxia (diagnosed or rumored) during my research on famous people with dyslexia:
- David Bailey — fashion and portrait photographer (source: Dyspraxia Kids)
- Emma Lewell-Buck — Labour Party politician (Disability News Service)
- G K Chesterton — writer referred to as the “prince of paradox” (Dyspraxia Kids)
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge — poet and founder of the Romantic Movement in England (Dyspraxia Kids)
- Cara Delevingne — English super model, actress, and singer (Dyspraxia Kids)
- Albert Einstein — one of the greatest physicists of all time (Dyspraxia Kids)
- Jack Kerouac — writer best known for the novel ‘On the Road,’ pioneering the Beat Generation in the 50s (Dyspraxia Kids)
- Jamie Oliver — celebrity TV chef, cookbook author, and restauranteur (Dyspraxia Kids)
- Daniel Radcliffe — actor and star of the Harry Potter movies (Dyspraxia Kids)
- Florence Welch — singer and songwriter for Florence and the Machine (Dyspraxia Kids)
- Marco Pierre White — TV personality and restaraunteur known as the first celebrity chef (Dyspraxia Kids)
Famous People with Dysgraphia
Here is a list of dysgraphia famous people (diagnosed or reported) I found while researching famous people with ADHD:
- Cher — singer, actress and TV personality known as the “Goddess of Pop” (source: Princesses Can Wear Knickers)
- Agatha Christie — author best known for her detective novels and short stories (Health Research Funding – HRF)
- Thomas Edison — known as the world’s greatest inventor (HRF)
- Albert Einstein — one of the greatest physicists of all time (Princesses Can Wear Kinickers)
- Louis Pasteur — chemist most known for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization (Princesses Can Wear Kinickers)
- George Patton — military general who held Corps- and Army-level commands during World War II (HRF)
- Daniel Radcliffe — actor and star of the Harry Potter movies (Princesses Can Wear Kinickers)
- George Washington — first President of the United States (Princesses Can Wear Kinickers)
- Henry Winkler — actor and director best known for his role as “The Fonz” on Happy Days (HRF)
Why I wrote this?
Ongig’s mission is to eliminate boring and biased job descriptions. As part of this, we try to share best practices on everything diversity — and Ongig’s Text Analyzer helps you avoid words that are exclusionary to neurodiverse people including dyspraxia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia.
Shout-Outs
- Devon Frye’s article on What Is Dysgraphia?
- Dr. Linda’s blog on Famous People with Dyscalculia
- 12 Famous People Who Struggled With Dyslexia Before Changing The World (by IMSE Journal)
- 7 Famous People With Dyscalculia (by Manpreet Singh)
- Famous People who have (or were thought to of had) Dyscalculia (by Jo Resner)
- Famous people with dysgraphia (by Princesses Can Wear Kickers)
- Dyspraxia Foundation’s article on What is the overlap between dyspraxia and dyslexia?
- Dyspraxia Kid’s article on Famous People with Dyspraxia
- Famous People with Dysgraphia (by Health Research Funding)
- Dyspraxia (by Ability Magazine)
- MP speaks of pride at being dyspraxic at launch of Neurodivergent Labour (by Disability News Service)
