They Overcame So Much
Neurodiversity is part of everyday life, so it is no surprise that many of the world’s most successful celebrities have brains that work differently to the average or “neurotypical” person.
Here are 19 inspiring celebrities who have flourished while living with conditions such as ADHD and dyslexia.
1. Richard Branson
The Virgin founder overcame his dyslexia to set up one of the most successful businesses in the world.
He struggled with other people’s attitudes when he was younger and dropped out of school because of it.
Branson said his dyslexia was “treated as a handicap: my teachers thought I was lazy and dumb, and I could not keep up or fit in”.
He says dyslexia is “not a disadvantage” but “a different way of thinking”.
2. Adam Levine
The Maroon 5 frontman has spoken openly about being diagnosed with ADHD in his early teens.
He said: “My doctor diagnosed me with ADHD in my early teens. What was really helpful to me was learning that this was a real medical condition – I had ADHD.
“The diagnosis helped explain the challenges I was having in school, including my difficulty focusing, sitting down and getting my school work done.”
He went on to become a hugely successful music artist.
3. Steven Spielberg
The Jurassic Park director is dyslexic and, like Albert Einstein, struggled with school and eventually dropped out of college.
Despite learning to read two years after his classmates, Spielberg says working in Hollywood helped him overcome his difficulties.
“I never felt like a victim,” he said. “Movies kind of saved me from shame – from putting it on myself, from making it my burden when it was not.”
4. Steve Jobs
The late Apple founder spoke openly about his struggles with dyslexia and dropping out of college. He often talked about being frustrated with the academic system from a young age.
“You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards,” he said in a famous speech.
“You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. This approach has never let me down.”
5. Robin Williams
The late Mrs Doubtfire star spoke openly about living with ADHD, depression and bipolar disorder.
Throughout his career, right up until his death in 2014, Williams tried to break down the stigma around mental illness.
He lives on in the hearts and minds of fans who loved him.
6. Anthony Hopkins
The Silence of the Lambs star has said he thinks his dyslexia made him more interesting as an actor.
He said: “I was pathetic at school in Port Talbot. I do not know if it was dyslexia or attention deficit disorder, or just me being a problem child, but I sat in the back of the classroom and did not know what any of the teachers were talking about – I was bottom of the class at everything. And I was made to suffer.
“But in a way that was a great gift that life gave me, because in the end I was so angry and enraged that I made a certain choice in life. I thought: ‘I will get my revenge, I will become rich and famous and that will show them.’”
7. Elvis Presley
Elvis is believed to have had ADHD, although the diagnosis was not made during his life.
The “Jailhouse Rock” star became one of the most successful musicians of all time, despite showing symptoms that are now associated with ADHD.
Although ADHD was first mentioned in the early 1900s, it was not recognised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders until 1968.
8. Jim Carrey
The actor has been open about being treated for ADHD since he was a child.
He has also spoken openly about dealing with major depression and has called for stigma around mental illness to be tackled.
The Dumb and Dumber star has also spoken about being prescribed antidepressants.
9. Albert Einstein
Because of some details of his life, legendary theoretical physicist Albert Einstein is now widely considered to have been dyslexic.
He did not talk until the age of four and, according to some accounts, did not learn to read until he was nine years old.
Einstein lost several teaching positions and took multiple attempts to be admitted to college, but went on to become one of the greatest scientific minds in history.
10. Joan Rivers
The late TV host, comedian and entrepreneur did not pull any punches when it came to critiquing others.
But she also opened up about her own experiences, including living with ADHD.
She did not let her diagnosis stop her from becoming wildly successful as a stand up comic and host of Fashion Police.
11. John Lennon
The late Beatles star is believed to have had ADHD and was diagnosed with dyslexia in school.
He went on to find massive fame as a musician despite struggling at school with spelling and memorising information.
Lennon overcame these challenges to help create some of the most well known music in history.
12. Avril Lavigne
The “Complicated” singer has spoken about being diagnosed with ADHD as a child and the struggles she and her family had living with it.
She released her hit album Let Go at the age of 17 and has gone from strength to strength since.
Despite struggling with ADHD in her younger years, Lavigne continues to be one of the most successful recording artists of the 21st century.
13. Cher
14. Keanu Reeves
The Matrix star dropped out of school before he finished after struggling with dyslexia.
He credits his acting career with helping him cope at school, where he sometimes pretended to understand things he did not.
Reeves says he thinks he was “coping with the fact that I did not really fit in”.
To this day, the actor reads and recites Shakespeare to calm himself.
15. Emma Watson
The Harry Potter star, best known for portraying Hermione Granger on the big screen, was diagnosed with ADHD as a child.
As well as starring in one of the most successful film franchises in history, Watson has achieved an English degree from Brown University.
She also went on to become a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.
16. Michael Jordan
The famed basketball star did not let ADHD stop him from becoming one of the most successful athletes of his time, both on and off the court.
Jordan appeared on the big screen playing himself in 1996 comedy film Space Jam and is also a wildly successful businessman, having made millions from merchandise and other investments.
17. Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder did not let an ADHD diagnosis slow down his dreams of becoming a musician.
The “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” singer went on to become one of the most successful and recognisable figures in the music industry.
Wonder was signed to a record label at age eleven and was often considered a child prodigy when it came to playing instruments.
18. Jack Nicholson
Despite being diagnosed with ADHD, Nicholson has gone on to appear in some of the most recognisable roles in Hollywood.
He did not let ADHD slow him down, appearing in Batman, as well as other titles like A Few Good Men and The Shining.
19. Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is one of the most well known faces in the world and has overcome a late dyslexia diagnosis to help explain some of the struggles she faced at school.
The Sister Act star says she was labelled “dumb” in school, but was later diagnosed with dyslexia in adult life.
She has likened misunderstandings about dyslexia to the way people once dismissed menstrual cramps in young people, before they were properly recognised and taken seriously.
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