Wikiwand AI

List of stutterers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stuttering (alalia syllabaris), also known as stammering (alalia literalis or anarthria literalis), is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks during which the person who stutters is unable to produce sounds.[1] The exact etiology of stuttering is unknown; both genetics and neurophysiology are thought to contribute.[2] There are many treatments and speech-language pathology techniques available that may help increase fluency in some people who stutter to the point where an untrained ear cannot perceive stuttering; however, there is essentially no cure for the disorder at present.[3][4]

Man in robes with long brown hair against a background of waves reaching the shore
Greek orator Demosthenes practicing oratory at the beach with pebbles in his mouth

People who stutter include British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, orator Demosthenes, King George VI, actor James Earl Jones, US President Joe Biden, and country singer Mel Tillis. Churchill, whose stutter was particularly apparent to 1920s writers,[5] was one of the 30% of people who stutter who have an associated speech disorder—a lisp in his case—and led his nation through World War II.[6][7] Demosthenes stammered and was inarticulate as a youth, and, through dedicated practice using methods such as placing pebbles in his mouth, became a great orator of Ancient Greece.[8] King George VI hired speech therapist Lionel Logue to enable him to speak more easily to his Empire, and Logue effectively helped him accomplish this goal.[9] This training and its results are the focus of the 2010 film The King's Speech.[10] James Earl Jones has stated he was mute for many years of his youth, and he became an actor noted for the power of his voice.[11][12] Mel Tillis stutters when talking but not when singing.[13] Many people had their speech impairment only during childhood.[14]

Actors

Man looking at the camera
Actor James Earl Jones in 2013
Emily at the premiere of Edge of Tomorrow
Emily Blunt in 2014
Man in suit with left hand in pocket facing left
German silent film actor Bruno Kastner c. 1920
Woman in hot pink dress dancing and singing with both arms raised
Actress Marilyn Monroe in 1953's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
More information Name, Lifetime ...
Actors with stutters
Name Lifetime Comments Ref.
Rowan Atkinson 1955–present English comedian, screenwriter, and actor who incorporates his stuttering into his work by using over-articulation [15][16]
Thane Bettany 1929–2015 English actor and dancer [17]
Emily Blunt 1983–present English actress who won a Golden Globe Award in 2007 [18]
Peter Bonerz 1938–present American actor and producer who played Jerry the orthodontist on The Bob Newhart Show [19]
Wayne Brady 1972–present American actor, comedian, TV host, and singer [20]
Nicholas Brendon 1971–2026 American actor [21]
Jaik Campbell 1973–present British comedian who won British Stammering Association Writing Award in 2006 [22][23]
Kenneth Colley 1937–present English actor [24]
Joe Dougherty 1898–1978 American actor, provided the original voice of Porky Pig [25][26]
Don Fellows 1922–2007 American actor in British theater and television [27]
Hugh Grant 1960–present English actor who won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe Award in 1995 [28]
Steve Harvey 1957–present American television and radio presenter, actor, author, businessman, and former stand-up comedian. [29]
Dieter Thomas Heck 1937–2018 German actor and TV producer; started stuttering after being trapped under a staircase after a bombing raid in World War II [30][31]
Frankie Howerd 1917–1992 English actor and comedian [32][33]
Samuel L. Jackson 1948–present American actor who has appeared in over 100 films; active in Civil Rights Movement [28]
Javivi 1961–present Spanish actor who has appeared in films and TV series, usually in comical roles [34]
James Earl Jones 1931–2024 American actor noted for his powerful voice [11][28][35]
Louis Jouvet 1887–1951 French actor, theatre director and filmmaker [36]
Boris Karloff 1887–1969 English actor, voice of Grinch [37]
Bruno Kastner 1890–1932 German film actor and producer; died by suicide with the advent of sound films [38]
Harvey Keitel 1939–present American stage and movie actor [39]
Nicole Kidman 1967–present Australian actress and film producer [40]
Daniel Kitson 1977–present English comedian winner of the Perrier Comedy Award in 2002 [28][41]
Peggy Lipton 1946–2019 American actress who played "Julie Barnes" on The Mod Squad [39]
Jeanne Little 1938–2020 Australian entertainer, comedienne and television personality [42]
Philip Lowrie 1936–2025 English actor [43]
Drew Lynch 1991–present American stand-up comedian (known as "the Stuttering Comedian") and actor; season 10 runner-up on America's Got Talent [44]
John Melendez 1965–present American radio personality known as "Stuttering John" [45]
Ezra Miller 1992–present American actor [46]
Marilyn Monroe 1926–1962 American actress, singer, model, and sex symbol; Golden Globe Award nominee in 1956 [28][35]
Sam Neill 1947–2026 New Zealand actor [47]
Bob Newhart 1929–2024 American actor and comedian, known for his stammer [48]
Austin Pendleton 1940–present American actor, playwright, theatrical director, and instructor [19]
Rosie Perez 1964–present Puerto Rican-American actress [49]
Anthony Quinn 1915–2001 Mexican-American actor, painter, and writer [39]
Nicholas Parsons 1923–2020 English actor, and radio and television presenter [50]
Claude Rains 1889–1967 British actor whose career spanned nearly 7 decades, Tony Award winning actor [51]
Eric Roberts 1956–present American actor, Golden Globe Award nominee in 1978; brother of actress Julia Roberts [39]
Julia Roberts 1967–present One of the highest paid American actresses in terms of box office receipts; sister of actor Eric Roberts [39][52]
Hrithik Roshan 1974–present Indian Bollywood actor who won numerous Best Actor awards [39][53]
Tom Sizemore 1961–2023 American actor and producer [39]
Cole Sprouse 1992–present American actor, twin of Dylan Sprouse [39][54]
James Stewart 1908–1997 American film and stage actor whose stutter was a signature trait of his work [55][56][57][58]
David Tomlinson 1917–2000 English actor and comedian [59][60]
Bruce Willis 1955–present American actor, producer, and musician [28]
Close

Athletes

Man in a Harlem Globetrotters uniform is on one knee and holding a basketball.
Basketball player Wilt Chamberlain in 1959 while a Harlem Globetrotter
Woman in peak cap and sunglasses is wearing a red T-shirt.
Golfer Sophie Gustafson in 2008
Man in a baseball uniform.
Tommy John in 1981 while a New York Yankee
More information Name, Lifetime ...
Athletes with stutters
Name Lifetime Comments Ref.
Kelly Brown 1982–present Scottish rugby union player [61]
Leo Carlsson 2004–present Swedish ice hockey player [62]
Rubin Carter 1937–2014 American boxer known as "The Hurricane" [19]
Wilt Chamberlain 1936–1999 American basketball player, holds numerous official NBA all-time records [63]
Johnny Damon 1973–present American baseball outfielder [64]
Robert DiPierdomenico 1958–present Australian rules footballer [65]
Jumbo Elliott 1915–1981 American track and field coach [66]
Sophie Gustafson 1973–present Swedish golfer [19]
Ron Harper 1964–present American basketball player [19]
Lester Hayes 1955–present American football cornerback [67]
Al Hostak 1916–2006 American boxer [68]
Ben Johnson 1961–present Canadian sprinter [19]
Bo Jackson 1962–present American baseball and football player, 1985 Heisman Trophy winner [69]
Tommy John 1943–2026 American baseball pitcher [19]
Ivo Karlović 1979–present Croatian tennis player [70]
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 1993–present American basketball player [71]
Josh Hines-Allen 1997–present American football linebacker [72]
Ellis Lankster 1987–present American football cornerback [73]
Greg Louganis 1960–present American diver [19]
Bob Love 1942–2024 American basketball player [74]
Mason Massey 1997–present American racing driver [75][76]
Junior Ortiz 1959–present Puerto Rican baseball player [77][78]
Kenyon Martin 1977–present American basketball player [19]
Kenndal McArdle 1987–present Canadian hockey player [19]
Adrian N. Peterson 1979–present American football running back [19]
Wilfredo Rivera 1969–present Puerto Rican boxer [19]
James Rodríguez 1991–present Colombian soccer player [79]
Michael Spinks 1956–present American boxer who was a world champion in the light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions (1981–1988) [19]
George Springer 1989–present American baseball outfielder [80]
Darren Sproles 1983–present American football running back [81]
Jake Steinfeld 1958–present American actor and fitness personality who had a fitness line "Body by Jake" and TV show called Body by Jake [82]
Duane Thomas 1947–2024 American football running back [19]
Dave Taylor 1955–present American ice hockey player [19]
Ken Venturi 1931–2013 American golfer and golf broadcaster [83]
Bill Walton 1952–2024 American Basketball Hall of Famer [84]
Tiger Woods 1975–present American golfer, formerly ranked World No. 1 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) [85]
Close

Politicians

Churchill is wearing his trademark overcoat and top hat.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1942
Biden standing with US flags behind him
President Joe Biden in 2021
More information Name, Lifetime ...
Politicians with stutters
Name Lifetime Comments Ref.
Ed Balls 1967–present British Labour politician; former Member of Parliament (2005–2015) [86]
Antonio Bassolino 1947–present Mayor of Naples (1994–1998); President of Campania (2000–2010); member of Italian Communist Party [19]
François Bayrou 1951–present French politician; Prime Minister of France (2024-2025) [87]
Joe Biden 1942–present United States Senator from Delaware (1973–2009), 47th Vice President of the United States (2009–2017), 46th President of the United States (2021–2025) [19][88][89]
Nicolae Ceaușescu 1918–1989 Romanian communist leader [90]
Winston Churchill 1874–1965 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1940–1945, 1951–1955); Nobel Prize in Literature recipient in 1953 [28][35]
Claudius 10 BC – 54 AD Emperor of Rome (41–54), exaggerated his ailment in youth amid fratricidal dynastic conflicts [91][92]
John Wilson Croker 1780–1857 Anglo-Irish Member of Parliament [93]
Demosthenes 384 – 322 BC Ancient Greek orator and politician [8]
William Dennison 1905–1981 Canadian politician and City of Toronto mayor [94]
Proinsias De Rossa 1940–present Irish Labour Party politician; Member of the European Parliament (1989–1992, 1999–) [95]
Eduardo de Pedro 1976–present Argentine Peronist politician; Minister of the Interior (2019–) [96]
Thomas Kean 1935–present American politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey (1982–1990) [97]
Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão 1801–1856 Brazilian politician, diplomat, judge, and monarchist [98]
Joacine Katar Moreira 1982–present Portuguese politician, Member of the Assembly of the Republic (2019–) [99]
E. M. S. Namboodiripad 1909–1998 Indian communist politician; Chief Minister of Kerala (1957–1959, 1967–1969) [100]
John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough 1781–1847 British Whig politician [101]
Matti Vanhanen 1955–present Prime Minister of Finland (2003–2010) [102]
Close

Musicians

Black man singing
Blues guitarist John Lee Hooker
Man in white slacks and black jacket standing singing on stage
Country singer Mel Tillis in 2007 at the Grand Ole Opry
More information Name, Lifetime ...
Singers and musicians with stutters
Name Lifetime Comments Ref.
Marc Almond 1957–present English singer and songwriter [103]
Dave Barker 1947–present Reggae and rocksteady singer [104]
Hugo Cole 1917–1995 English composer, cellist and music critic [105]
Harrison Craig 1994–present Australian singer who won the second series of The Voice [106]
Andraé Crouch 1942–2015 American gospel singer, songwriter, record producer and pastor [107]
Sean Dunphy 1937–2011 Irish singer, who represented Ireland at the 1967 Eurovision song contest [108]
Maxine Feldman 1945–2007 American folk singer-songwriter, comedian [109]
Noel Gallagher 1967–present English singer, guitarist, and vocalist [110]
Gareth Gates 1984–present English singer and songwriter [111]
Victoria Hanna present Israeli multi-disciplinary artist, singer and musician [112]
Eric Harrison 1918–1970 English pianist [113]
John Lee Hooker 1912–2001 American blues guitarist [114]
Cui Jian 1984–present Chinese singer, songwriter, and musician [115]
Scatman John 1942–1999 American scat singer [116]
Jim Kerr 1959–present Scottish singer and songwriter [28]
Alvin Lucier 1931–2021 American music professor and composer of experimental music [19]
Chris Martin 1977–present English singer, songwriter, and pianist [28]
Robert Merrill 1917–2001 American operatic baritone and actor [117]
Kylie Minogue 1968–present Australian singer, songwriter, and actress [28]
Peter Murphy 1957–present English singer, songwriter, and actor [118]
Notker the Stammerer c. 840 – 912 Frankish composer, poet and scholar [119]
Adil Omar 1991–present Pakistani rapper, songwriter, record producer and filmmaker [120]
Ozzy Osbourne 1948–2025 English singer, songwriter and television personality [121]
Elvis Presley 1935–1977 American rock and roll singer [35]
Chris Rainbow 1946–2015 Scottish pop rock singer and musician [122]
Carly Simon 1945–present American singer, songwriter, musician, and children's author; recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award; member of Grammy Hall of Fame [19][123]
Rory Storm 1938–1972 English musician and vocalist [124]
Mel Tillis 1932–2017 American country singer, spokesman and honorary chairman of the Stuttering Foundation of America in 1998 [13][125]
Chris Trapper 1971–present American musician [19]
Megan Washington 1986–present Australian singer, songwriter and musician [126]
Ann Wilson 1950–present American singer and songwriter, lead singer of Heart (band) [127]
Bill Withers 1938–2020 American singer, songwriter, and musician [19][128][129]
Close

Writers

Man with moustache standing in suit
Writer W. Somerset Maugham in 1934
Man with moustache standing in suit and facing right
Writer Machado de Assis c. 1896
Black woman with head covering, close up, smiling and looking to the right
Sonia Sanchez in 1998
More information Name, Lifetime ...
Writers with stutters
Name Lifetime Comments Ref.
Desmond Bagley 1923–1983 English journalist and thriller novelist whose stutter initially exempted him from military conscription [130]
Arnold Bennett 1867–1931 English journalist and novelist [19]
Robert Hugh Benson 1871–1914 English Catholic priest and writer, popular preacher [131]
Michael Bentine 1922–1996 British comedian, script-writer, and reader of children's books [19]
Elizabeth Bowen 1899–1973 Irish novelist and short story writer [19]
Paul Brickhill 1916–1991 Australian author, screenwriter, and fighter pilot [132]
Marcus Buckingham 1966–present English author [133]
Lewis Carroll 1832–1898 English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer [28][35]
David G. Compton 1930–2023 British author, mostly science fiction, but including a nonfiction book about stuttering [134]
Jim Davis 1945–present American cartoonist [135]
Machado de Assis 1838–1908 Brazilian novelist, short story writer, poet, and literary critic [136]
Margaret Drabble 1939–present English novelist, biographer, and literary critic [137]
Han, FeiHan Fei 280 BC – 233 BC Chinese philosopher and writer [19]
Edward Hoagland 1932–2026 American nature and travel writer [138]
Henry James 1843–1916 American-born writer and critic who spent most of his life in England [19]
Dylan Jones 1960–present British journalist and editor [139][140]
Charles Lamb 1775–1834 English essayist and poet [141]
Audre Lorde 1934–1992 American author, poet, professor, activist [142]
Somerset Maugham 1874–1965 English novelist, playwright, and short story writer [28][35]
Michael McCurdy 1942–2016 American illustrator, author, and publisher [19]
Jimmy McGovern 1949–present English screenwriter and producer [143]
David Mitchell 1969–present English novelist [144]
John Montague 1929–2016 Irish poet [19]
Nicholas Mosley 1923–1917 English author [145][146]
Katharine Preston present British writer and public speaker [147]
Sonia Sanchez 1934–present American poet, writer, and professor [148][149][150]
Budd Schulberg 1914–2009 American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer [19]
Jordan Scott 1978- Canadian poet [151]
David Seidler 1937–present British screenwriter; BAFTA and Academy Award-winning writer of The King's Speech [152]
David Shields 1956–present American writer of fiction and nonfiction [19]
Nevil Shute 1899–1960 British novelist and aeronautical engineer [19]
Homer W. Smith 1895–1962 American physiologist and science writer [153]
Armin Steigenberger 1965–present German poet, novelist, writer, literary editor, and musician [154]
Peter Straub 1943–2022 American author and poet [19]
Kenneth Tynan 1927–1980 English theater critic and writer [19]
John Updike 1932–2009 American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic [28]
Close

Others

Charles Darwin
Man standing in royal regalia
King George VI of the United Kingdom c. 1940–1946
Man in beige shirt standing and talking, with finger pointed
Zoologist Alan Rabinowitz
Woodcut of man facing left with cloth hat and robe
Mathematician Niccolò Tartaglia later in life
Alan Turing at age 16
More information Name, Lifetime ...
Other people with stutters
Name Lifetime Comments Ref.
Deng Ai 197–264 Three Kingdoms period general, Grand Commandant [155]
Prince Albert II 1958–present Prince of Monaco [19][88]
Terry Allen 1888–1969 United States Army Major General during World War II [156]
Walter Annenberg 1908–2002 Publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat [157]
Aristotle 384 BC – 322 BC Greek philosopher and writer [28][35]
Alison Marjorie Ashby 1901–1987 Australian botanical artist [158]
Homer Bigart 1907–1991 American newspaper reporter who won two Pulitzer Prizes for combat reporting—one each during World War II and the Korean War [159]
Howard Bingham 1939–2016 American photographer and biographer of Muhammad Ali [19]
Arthur Blank 1942–present American businessman, co-founder of The Home Depot and owner of the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons [19]
Charles Sidney Bluemel 1884–1960 British-American psychiatrist; researcher on stuttering [160]
Einer Boberg 1935–1995 Canadian professor and speech pathologist [161]
Patrick Campbell 1913–1980 3rd Baron Glenavy, Irish-born British journalist, humorist and television personality [19]
Lord Carver 1915–2001 British Field Marshal, tank commander in World War II; Chief of the Defence Staff [162]
Lord David Cecil 1902–1986 British biographer, historian and professor [19]
King Charles I 1600–1649 King of England (1625–1649) [163]
Charlotte, Princess Royal 1766–1828 Queen of Württemberg  [164]
Charles Darwin 1809–1882 English naturalist [39]
Dekanawida 12th or 15th Century Founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as Great Peacemaker [165]
Harley Earl 1893–1969 American car designer, first vice president of design at General Motors [19]
Jake Eberts 1941–2012 Canadian movie producer, director, and financier [166]
King Francis I 1494–1547 King of France (1515–1547) [167]
Malcolm Fraser 1903–1994 American philanthropist and businessman [168][169]
Philip French 1933–2015 Film critic and BBC radio producer [170]
King George VI 1895–1952 King of the United Kingdom (1936–1952) [28]
Annie Glenn 1920–2020 Wife of astronaut and United States Senator John Glenn; She was inducted into the National Stuttering Association Hall of Fame. [171][172]
David Goggins 1975–present Navy SEAL, athlete, and motivational speaker [173]
Sidney Gottlieb 1918–1999 American chemist who worked with the Central Intelligence Agency [19]
Vernon Hill 1945–present American banker [19]
King James II 1633–1701 King of England (1685–1688) [174]
Wendell Johnson 1906–1965 American psychologist, stutter research [175]
Juh 1825–1883 Warrior and a leader of the Nednhi band of the Chiricahua Apache [176]
Charles Kingsley 1819–1875 Priest, historian, novelist, poet [177]
King Louis the Stammerer 846–879 King of Aquitaine and West Francia [178]
John William MacKay 1831–1902 Irish-American industrialist [179]
Ezekiel Merritt 1812–1886 American fur trapper and explorer known as the leader "Ezekiel 'Stuttering Zeke' Merritt" [180]
Emperor Michael II 770–829 Byzantine emperor, founder of the Amorian (Phrygian) dynasty [181]
Adam Michnik 1946–present Polish editor, historian, essayist, and political commentator [19]
Isaac Newton 1642–1727 English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian [28]
Bruce Oldfield 1950–present British fashion designer [19]
Jerzy Owsiak 1953–present Polish journalist, social campaigner [182]
King Peter I 1320–1367 King of Portugal (1357–1367) [183]
Alan Rabinowitz 1953–2018 American zoologist, conservationist, field biologist, and President and CEO of Panthera [19][184]
Alfred Rehder 1863–1949 German-American botanist, Harvard professor [28]
Harold Ridley 1906–2001 English ophthalmologist who invented the introcular lens [185]
Gertrude Tompkins Silver 1911–1944 American Women Airforce Service Pilots member, disappeared during World War II [186]
Keith Lindsay Stewart 1896–1972 Professional soldier in New Zealand Military Forces [187]
John Stossel 1947–present American consumer reporter, investigative journalist, author, and libertarian columnist [188]
Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia 1499–1557 Italian mathematician, engineer, and surveyor [19]
William R. Travers 1819–1887 American lawyer and socialite. Called "the most popular man of New York" [189]
Alan Turing 1912–1954 British mathematician and computer scientist [190]
José Antonio Urquiza 1904-1938 Mexican integrist [191]
Charles Van Riper 1905–1994 American speech pathologist [175]
Eduards Volters 1856–1941 German linguist, ethnographer, and archeologist [192]
Jack Welch 1935–2020 American chemical engineer, businessman, and author [19]
Ludwig Wittgenstein 1889–1951 Austrian philosopher [28]
Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf 1933–present British barrister and judge [193]
Close

Fictional characters

Main category: Fictional stutterers

Some notable fictional characters do stutter.

Literature

  • Bill Denbrough – the main protagonist of Stephen King's 1986 novel It. Bill has a stutter, due to being hit by a car at the age of three, which leads to him being outcast. He outgrows his stutter as an adult; however, it comes back when he learns of It's return and returns to Derry.

Film

Animation

  • Porky Pig – cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Porky's most distinctive trait is a severe stutter, for which he sometimes compensates by replacing his words; for example, "What's going on?" might become "What's guh-guh-guh-guh— ... what's happening?" Porky shared his stutter with the voice actor who originally played him, Joe Dougherty, who was actually a person who stuttered. Because Dougherty could not control his stutter, however, production costs became too high as his recording sessions took hours, and Porky's additional lines were done by Count Cutelli.[196] Mel Blanc replaced Dougherty in 1937. Blanc continued the stutter; however, it was harnessed for a more precise comedic effect (such as stumbling over a simple word only to substitute a longer word without difficulty, or vice versa).[197]

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks