There are, and will be, many struggles ahead for every child suffering with dyslexia. However, did you know that they are in good company. The extensive list of famous people with dyslexia is surprising and should inspire your child to realise their potential – whatever it might be.
Find a list of famous people with dysgraphia here.
With so much bad and sad news being shared every day, it’s good to look at the positives and in this case, we’re going to look at all the famous people with dyslexia that have not been held back on gone on to do frankly amazing things
This list can only start with one person…
Albert Einstein: Who would have thought it! The genius who discovered the theory of relativity and the world’s most famous equation (E=mc2) excelled in visual imagination and spatial reasoning. Two positive ‘side-effects’ of his dyslexia which paved the way to greatness.
Pablo Picasso: Picasso’s paintings portrayed what he saw, and without doubt his greatly influenced his famous artwork. His failed to keep up at school and was often sent out of the room for beinf a ‘bad student’ but it was during these times of solitude that he pulled out his artist pads and drew.
Leonardo da Vinci: Researchers believe that da Vinci’s struggles with dyslexia actually fueled his greatness as an artist. His notes are often written in reverse (commonly found with left-handed dyslexics) and his spellings are questionable; but as with Picasso, he turned his learning difficulty into a gift, producing some of the most important artwork and inventions of all time!
Steve Jobs: Perhaps one of the most famous CEO’s in the world, Steve Jobs was a man who never let his learning difference stop him being what he wanted to be. He believed his experience at school paved the way for his future at Apple. He truly believed in himself and his own ability.
Richard Branson: A school dropout age 15 as his dyslexia was never discovered nor supported, he went on to become a world-famous billionaire investor, author and philanthropist.
Stephen Spielberg: learned to read two years later than his classmates, who bullied him so much that he dreaded going to school. However he never felt like a victim and used his experience to do great things. Seeing the ‘whole picture’ has helped him greatly in his career. He went back to university in his 50’s to finish his degree. You’re never too old!
Walt Disney: Responsible for much loved characters throughout the generations, Walt Disney never let his struggle hold him back! Imagine a world with no Mickey Mouse!!
Other famous people with dyslexia include:
- John Lennon
- Muhammad Ali
- Magic Johnson
- Agatha Christie
- Anthony Hopkins
- Tom Cruise
- Keanu Reeves
- Orlando Bloom
- Jim Carrey
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Keira Knightley
- Jennifer Aniston
- Jamie Oliver
- Holly Willoughby
Remember, you can do anything at all if you put your mind to it! Don’t let a learning difficulty hold you back. Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses and believe in yourself! Click here for a detailed list focusing on the strengths of dyslexia.
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop
– Confucius
Help your child on their road to success by downloading this dyslexia font here and find out how schools can become dyslexia aware here.
I’m 47 found out at 35 I was dyslexic, yet finding out this at this age gave me understanding, in my child hood difficulties, love learning thanks to the military however I still struggle to read, green overlays work, yet reading send me to sleep, yet I want and listening and read g at the same time, I need to want to look forward to reading instead of seeing it as a slow slow process
Thanks so much for your comment Darren… I can only imagine the struggle you had growing up without knowing you were dyslexic! This is why dyslexia awareness is so important. Have you tried audiobooks? There are also apps now which will read out text on devices for you – so it won’t be so much of a struggle. I know when I ask my daughter to try and explain what she sees when she reads words on a page, she describes them as ‘dancing’. She loses her place easily and it’s exhausting for her. I’m trying to introduce different apps and programs to help her understand that there are other ways. By removing the pressure of reading, perhaps you’ll be able to finally enjoy it. You’ve clearly achieved so much already…
Do contact me at any time if you want to talk anything through.
Rachel
Thank you for the information.So helpful,so as to understand dyslexic people.
Thanks for your posts about dyslexia and dysgraphia. I am a dyslexia teacher and have been looking for a poster with photos of famous dyslexic people. Have you seen anything like that? Thanks!
Hi there….
Thanks for your comment!
I haven’t come across one I’m afraid.
I would be happy to send you my original file but I’m not sure that it would be poster quality.
Hi, my name is mila im dyslexic im 12 i found out when i was 7 i want to be an actor when i grow up and to tell the truth when i saw that all these famous people could make a good career…… its just really moving and it made me cry.
Hi Mila, My daughter is also 12 and also loves acting. It’s really important that you have the confidence in yourself to realise you can be anything you want to be. I’m glad you saw this list of famous people – hopefully it will inspire you 🙂
ALso, check out my blog on the strengths of dyslexia here: https://princessescanwearkickers.com/dyslexia-strengths/
You will probably find you share many of them and hopefully they will motivate you and help you overcome whatever hurdles dyslexia throws at you 🙂
I’ve been dyslexic all my life on top of that English is my second language. I excell in reading but I mostly struggle with spelling and writing my ideas from my brain to the paper. Despite dyslexia challenges,I’m a graduate master’s in public administration student. Had my days of tears of frustration but am disciplined and focused which helps me to overcome struggles of dyslexia.
Congratulations on your success… you’re proof of how the struggles can be overcome!!
Thank you so much for your article , and all the comments above. It brought tears to me. I have found so much similarities from these comments. I’m 37 and had learnt about my dyslexia a few years ago. Reading and writing had always been the most difficult chores from school, let alone readings for leisure. My parents did nothing to help, and because of the confined space we lived in, they always watched TV very loudly next to me when I tried to do my homework. English is my third language, and I had also completed a Master degree in health science and technology. By learning about this condition, and started using audio books to help with reading text, it enlightened me that I could use methods to enjoy reading for pleasure as well.
Wow – what achievements! You’re another inspiration for all those kids who struggle! Congratulations…