Five Famous People with Learning Disabilities

Though not specifically confirmed, it is widely believed that Albert Einstein had dyslexia. It is reported that his teachers thought that nothing would become of him because he struggled so much with writing and language. Clearly, that was not the case as he is now the most famous physicist to have ever lived.

Cher, the “Goddess of Pop”, has both dyslexia and dyscalculia. In school she had trouble with reading and numbers, which made it difficult for her to learn. She mentioned in an interview that “almost everything [she] learned, [she] had to learn by listening” and that her “report cards always said that [she] was not living up to [her] potential.”

Richard Branson, the billionaire businessman and founder of the Virgin Group, struggled with dyslexia as a child. He stated, “Out in the real world, my dyslexia became my massive advantage: it helped me to think creatively and laterally, and see solutions where others saw problems.” Branson believes it is time the world destigmatizes dyslexia, and begins to see it for the unique way of thinking it is.

Jennifer Aniston of Friends learned she had dyslexia in her twenties. She often goofed off in class because of how hard it was for her to read and said her diagnosis helped explain her childhood. An adult diagnosis of dyslexia can help put past difficulties in perspective as most adults have already developed coping mechanisms without realizing why.

Keira Knightley, a famous Academy-Award winning British actress, was ridiculed as a child in school and was later diagnosed with dyslexia. She later said, “It’s amazing what a child calling you stupid would do to make you read pretty quickly.” She even said that reading Emma Thompson’s Sense and Sensibility screenplay helped her overcome her insecurity.

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Five Famous People with Learning Disabilities

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