# List of stutterers

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. The exact etiology of stuttering is unknown; both genetics and neurophysiology are thought to contribute. 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.
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, 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. 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. 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. This training and its results are the focus of the 2010 film The King's Speech. 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. Mel Tillis stutters when talking but not when singing. Many people had their speech impairment only during childhood.

## Actors

Actors with stutters :
| Name | Lifetime | Comments |
| Rowan Atkinson | 1955–present | English comedian, screenwriter, and actor who incorporates his stuttering into his work by using over-articulation |
| Emily Blunt | 1983–present | English actress who won a Golden Globe Award in 2007 |
| Peter Bonerz | 1938–present | American actor and producer who played Jerry the orthodontist on The Bob Newhart Show |
| Wayne Brady | 1972–present | American actor, comedian, TV host, and singer |
| Nicholas Brendon | 1971–present | American actor |
| Jaik Campbell | 1973–present | British comedian who won British Stammering Association Writing Award in 2006 |
| Hugh Grant | 1960–present | English actor who won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe Award in 1995 |
| Steve Harvey | 1957–present | American television and radio presenter, actor, author, businessman, and former stand-up comedian. |
| 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 |
| James Earl Jones | 1931–2024 | American actor noted for his powerful voice |
| Samuel L. Jackson | 1948–present | American actor who has appeared in over 100 films; active in Civil Rights Movement |
| Javivi | 1961–present | Spanish actor who has appeared in films and TV series, usually in comical roles |
| Bruno Kastner | 1890–1932 | German film actor and producer; died by suicide with the advent of sound films |
| Harvey Keitel | 1939–present | American stage and movie actor |
| Nicole Kidman | 1967–present | Australian actress and film producer |
| Daniel Kitson | 1977–present | English comedian winner of the Perrier Comedy Award in 2002 |
| Peggy Lipton | 1946–2019 | American actress who played "Julie Barnes" on The Mod Squad |
| Drew Lynch | 1991–present | American comedian; brother of Stephen Lynch and Season 10 runner-up on America's Got Talent |
| John Melendez | 1965–present | American radio personality known as "Stuttering John" |
| Ezra Miller | 1992–present | American actor |
| Marilyn Monroe | 1926–1962 | American actress, singer, model, and sex symbol; Golden Globe Award nominee in 1956 |
| Sam Neill | 1947–present | New Zealand actor |
| Austin Pendleton | 1940–present | American actor, playwright, theatrical director, and instructor |
| Rosie Perez | 1964–present | Puerto Rican-American actress |
| Anthony Quinn | 1915–2001 | Mexican-American actor, painter, and writer |
| Hrithik Roshan | 1974–present | Indian Bollywood actor who won numerous Best Actor awards |
| Eric Roberts | 1956–present | American actor, Golden Globe Award nominee in 1978; brother of actress Julia Roberts |
| Julia Roberts | 1967–present | One of the highest paid American actresses in terms of box office receipts; sister of actor Eric Roberts |
| Tom Sizemore | 1961–2023 | American actor and producer |
| Cole Sprouse | 1992–present | American actor, twin of Dylan Sprouse |
| James Stewart | 1908–1997 | American film and stage actor whose stutter was a signature trait of his work |
| Bruce Willis | 1955–present | American actor, producer, and musician |
| Claude Rains | 1889–1967 | British actor whose career spanned nearly 7 decades, Tony Award winning actor |
| Bob Newhart | 1929–2024 | American actor and comedian, known for his stammer |
| Jeanne Little | 1938–2020 | Australian entertainer, comedienne and television personality |
| Joe Dougherty | 1898–1978 | American actor, provided the original voice of Porky Pig |
| David Tomlinson | 1917–2000 | English actor and comedian |
| Frankie Howerd | 1917–1992 | English actor and comedian |
| Louis Jouvet | 1887–1951 | French actor, theatre director and filmmaker |
| Nicholas Parsons | 1923–2020 | English actor, and radio and television presenter |
| Thane Bettany | 1929–2015 | English actor and dancer |
| Boris Karloff | 1887–1969 | English actor, voice of Grinch |
| Philip Lowrie | 1936–present | English actor |
| Kenneth Colley | 1937–present | English actor |
| Don Fellows | 1922–2007 | American actor in British theater and television |

## Athletes

Athletes with stutters :
| Name | Lifetime | Comments |
| Kelly Brown | 1982–present | Scottish rugby union player |
| Rubin Carter | 1937–2014 | American boxer known as "The Hurricane" |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 1936–1999 | American basketball player, holds numerous official NBA all-time records |
| Johnny Damon | 1973–present | American baseball outfielder |
| Sophie Gustafson | 1973–present | Swedish golfer |
| Ron Harper | 1964–present | American basketball player |
| Lester Hayes | 1955–present | American football cornerback |
| Ben Johnson | 1961–present | Canadian sprinter |
| Bo Jackson | 1962–present | American baseball and football player, 1985 Heisman Trophy winner |
| Tommy John | 1943–present | American baseball pitcher |
| Ivo Karlović | 1979–present | Croatian tennis player |
| Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | 1993–present | American basketball player |
| Ellis Lankster | 1987–present | American football cornerback |
| Greg Louganis | 1960–present | American diver |
| Bob Love | 1942–2024 | American basketball player |
| Mason Massey | 1997–present | American racing driver |
| Junior Ortiz | 1959–present | Puerto Rican baseball player |
| Kenyon Martin | 1977–present | American basketball player |
| Kenndal McArdle | 1987–present | Canadian hockey player |
| Adrian N. Peterson | 1979–present | American football running back |
| Wilfredo Rivera | 1969–present | Puerto Rican boxer |
| Michael Spinks | 1956–present | American boxer who was a world champion in the light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions (1981–1988) |
| George Springer | 1989–present | American baseball outfielder |
| Darren Sproles | 1983–present | American football running back |
| Jake Steinfeld | 1958–present | American actor and fitness personality who had a fitness line "Body by Jake" and TV show called Body by Jake |
| Duane Thomas | 1947–2024 | American football running back |
| Dave Taylor | 1955–present | American ice hockey player |
| Ken Venturi | 1931–2013 | American golfer and golf broadcaster |
| Bill Walton | 1952–2024 | American Basketball Hall of Famer |
| Tiger Woods | 1975–present | American golfer, formerly ranked World No. 1 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) |
| James Rodríguez | 1991–present | Colombian soccer player |
| Robert DiPierdomenico | 1958–present | Australian rules footballer |
| Jumbo Elliott | 1915–1981 | American track and field coach |
| Josh Hines-Allen | 1997–present | American football linebacker |
| Al Hostak | 1916–2006 | American boxer |

## Politicians

Politicians with stutters :
| Name | Lifetime | Comments |
| Ed Balls | 1967–present | British Labour politician; former Member of Parliament (2005–2015) |
| Antonio Bassolino | 1947–present | Mayor of Naples (1994–1998); President of Campania (2000–2010); member of Italian Communist Party |
| François Bayrou | 1951–present | French politician; Prime Minister of France since December 2024 |
| 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) |
| Winston Churchill | 1874–1965 | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1940–1945, 1951–1955); Nobel Prize in Literature recipient in 1953 |
| Claudius | 10 BC – 54 AD | Emperor of Rome (41–54), exaggerated his ailment in youth amid fratricidal dynastic conflicts |
| Demosthenes | 384 – 322 BC | Ancient Greek orator and politician |
| Proinsias De Rossa | 1940–present | Irish Labour Party politician; Member of the European Parliament (1989–1992, 1999–) |
| Eduardo de Pedro | 1976–present | Argentine Peronist politician; Minister of the Interior (2019–) |
| Thomas Kean | 1935–present | American politician, 48th Governor of New Jersey (1982–1990) |
| Joacine Katar Moreira | 1982–present | Portuguese politician, Member of the Assembly of the Republic (2019–) |
| E. M. S. Namboodiripad | 1909–1998 | Indian communist politician; Chief Minister of Kerala (1957–1959, 1967–1969) |
| Matti Vanhanen | 1955–present | Prime Minister of Finland (2003–2010) |
| John Wilson Croker | 1780–1857 | Anglo-Irish Member of Parliament |
| Nicolae Ceaușescu | 1918–1989 | Romanian communist leader |
| William Dennison | 1905–1981 | Canadian politician and City of Toronto mayor |
| Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná | 1801–1856 | Brazilian politician, diplomat, judge, and monarchist |
| John Ponsonby, 4th Earl of Bessborough | 1781–1847 | British Whig politician |

## Musicians

Singers and musicians with stutters :
| Name | Lifetime | Comments |
| Marc Almond | 1957–present | English singer and songwriter |
| Hugo Cole | 1917–1995 | English composer, cellist and music critic |
| Sean Dunphy | 1937–2011 | Irish singer, who represented Ireland at the 1967 Eurovision song contest |
| Noel Gallagher | 1967–present | English singer, guitarist, and vocalist |
| Gareth Gates | 1984–present | English singer and songwriter |
| John Lee Hooker | 1912–2001 | American blues guitarist |
| Scatman John | 1942–1999 | American scat singer |
| Jim Kerr | 1959–present | Scottish singer and songwriter |
| Alvin Lucier | 1931–2021 | American music professor and composer of experimental music |
| Chris Martin | 1977–present | English singer, songwriter, and pianist |
| Kylie Minogue | 1968–present | Australian singer, songwriter, and actress |
| Peter Murphy | 1957–present | English singer, songwriter, and actor |
| Notker the Stammerer | c. 840 – 912 | Frankish composer, poet and scholar |
| Ozzy Osbourne | 1948–present | English singer, songwriter and television personality |
| Elvis Presley | 1935–1977 | American rock and roll singer |
| 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 |
| Rory Storm | 1938–1972 | English musician and vocalist |
| Mel Tillis | 1932–2017 | American country singer, spokesman and honorary chairman of the Stuttering Foundation of America in 1998 |
| Chris Trapper | 1971–present | American musician |
| Bill Withers | 1938–2020 | American singer, songwriter, and musician |
| Megan Washington | 1986–present | Australian singer, songwriter and musician |
| Andraé Crouch | 1942–2015 | American gospel singer, songwriter, record producer and pastor |
| Adil Omar | 1991–present | Pakistani rapper, songwriter, record producer and filmmaker |
| Robert Merrill | 1917–2001 | American operatic baritone and actor |
| Chris Rainbow | 1946–2015 | Scottish pop rock singer and musician |
| Dave Barker | 1947–present | Reggae and rocksteady singer |
| Maxine Feldman | 1945–2007 | American folk singer-songwriter, comedian |
| Victoria Hanna | present | Israeli multi-disciplinary artist, singer and musician |
| Harrison Craig | 1994–present | Australian singer who won the second series of The Voice |
| Ann Wilson | 1950–present | American singer and songwriter, lead singer of Heart (band) |

## Writers

Writers with stutters :
| Name | Lifetime | Comments |
| Arnold Bennett | 1867–1931 | English journalist and novelist |
| Michael Bentine | 1922–1996 | British comedian, script-writer, and reader of children's books |
| Elizabeth Bowen | 1899–1973 | Irish novelist and short story writer |
| Lewis Carroll | 1832–1898 | English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer |
| Jim Davis | 1945–present | American cartoonist |
| Machado de Assis | 1838–1908 | Brazilian novelist, short story writer, poet, and literary critic |
| Margaret Drabble | 1939–present | English novelist, biographer, and literary critic |
| Han, FeiHan Fei | 280 BC – 233 BC | Chinese philosopher and writer |
| Edward Hoagland | 1932–present | American nature and travel writer |
| Henry James | 1843–1916 | American-born writer and critic who spent most of his life in England |
| Dylan Jones | 1960–present | British journalist and editor |
| Somerset Maugham | 1874–1965 | English novelist, playwright, and short story writer |
| Michael McCurdy | 1942–2016 | American illustrator, author, and publisher |
| David Mitchell | 1969–present | English novelist |
| John Montague | 1929–2016 | Irish poet |
| Budd Schulberg | 1914–2009 | American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer |
| David Seidler | 1937–present | British screenwriter; BAFTA and Academy Award-winning writer of The King's Speech |
| David Shields | 1956–present | American writer of fiction and nonfiction |
| Nevil Shute | 1899–1960 | British novelist and aeronautical engineer |
| Peter Straub | 1943–2022 | American author and poet |
| Kenneth Tynan | 1927–1980 | English theater critic and writer |
| John Updike | 1932–2009 | American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic |
| Katharine Preston | present | British writer and public speaker |
| Jordan Scott | 1978- | Canadian poet |
| Armin Steigenberger | 1965–present | German poet, novelist, writer, literary editor, and musician |
| Audre Lorde | 1934–1992 | American author, poet, professor, activist |
| Paul Brickhill | 1916–1991 | Australian author, screenwriter, and fighter pilot |
| Nicholas Mosley | 1923–1917 | English author |
| Robert Hugh Benson | 1871–1914 | English Catholic priest and writer, popular preacher |
| Machado de Assis | 1839–1908 | Brazilian novelist, poet, playwright |
| David G. Compton | 1930–2023 | British author, mostly science fiction, but including a nonfiction book about stuttering |
| Desmond Bagley | 1923–1983 | English journalist and thriller novelist whose stutter initially exempted him from military conscription |
| Marcus Buckingham | 1966–present | English author |
| Charles Lamb | 1775–1834 | English essayist and poet |
| Homer W. Smith | 1895–1962 | American physiologist and science writer |
| Jimmy McGovern | 1949–present | English screenwriter and producer |
| Sonia Sanchez | 1934–present | American poet, writer, and professor |

## Others

Other people with stutters :
| Name | Lifetime | Comments |
| Deng Ai | 197–264 | Three Kingdoms period general, Grand Commandant |
| Prince Albert II | 1958–present | Prince of Monaco |
| Terry Allen | 1888–1969 | United States Army Major General during World War II |
| Walter Annenberg | 1908–2002 | Publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat |
| Aristotle | 384 BC – 322 BC | Greek philosopher and writer |
| 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 |
| Howard Bingham | 1939–2016 | American photographer and biographer of Muhammad Ali |
| Arthur Blank | 1942–present | American businessman, co-founder of The Home Depot and owner of the National Football League's Atlanta Falcons |
| Charles Sidney Bluemel | 1884–1960 | British-American psychiatrist; researcher on stuttering |
| Patrick Campbell | 1913–1980 | 3rd Baron Glenavy, Irish-born British journalist, humorist and television personality |
| Lord Carver | 1915–2001 | British Field Marshal, tank commander in World War II; Chief of the Defence Staff |
| Lord David Cecil | 1902–1986 | British biographer, historian and professor |
| King Charles I | 1600–1649 | King of England (1625–1649) |
| Charles Darwin | 1809–1882 | English naturalist |
| Harley Earl | 1893–1969 | American car designer, first vice president of design at General Motors |
| Jake Eberts | 1941–2012 | Canadian movie producer, director, and financier |
| King Francis I | 1494–1547 | King of France (1515–1547) |
| Malcolm Fraser | 1903–1994 | American philanthropist and businessman |
| Philip French | 1933–2015 | Film critic and BBC radio producer |
| King George VI | 1895–1952 | King of the United Kingdom (1936–1952) |
| Annie Glenn | 1920–2020 | Wife of astronaut and United States Senator John Glenn; She was inducted into the National Stuttering Association Hall of Fame. |
| David Goggins | 1975–present | Navy SEAL, athlete, and motivational speaker |
| Sidney Gottlieb | 1918–1999 | American chemist who worked with the Central Intelligence Agency |
| Vernon Hill | 1945–present | American banker |
| King James II | 1633–1701 | King of England (1685–1688) |
| Wendell Johnson | 1906–1965 | American psychologist, stutter research |
| King Louis the Stammerer | 846–879 | King of Aquitaine and West Francia |
| Emperor Michael II | 770–829 | Byzantine emperor, founder of the Amorian (Phrygian) dynasty |
| Adam Michnik | 1946–present | Polish editor, historian, essayist, and political commentator |
| Isaac Newton | 1642–1727 | English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian |
| Bruce Oldfield | 1950–present | British fashion designer |
| Jerzy Owsiak | 1953–present | Polish journalist, social campaigner |
| King Peter I | 1320–1367 | King of Portugal (1357–1367) |
| Alan Rabinowitz | 1953–2018 | American zoologist, conservationist, field biologist, and President and CEO of Panthera |
| Alfred Rehder | 1863–1949 | German-American botanist, Harvard professor |
| John Stossel | 1947–present | American consumer reporter, investigative journalist, author, and libertarian columnist |
| Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia | 1499–1557 | Italian mathematician, engineer, and surveyor |
| Alan Turing | 1912–1954 | British mathematician |
| Charles Van Riper | 1905–1994 | American speech pathologist |
| Jack Welch | 1935–2020 | American chemical engineer, businessman, and author |
| Ludwig Wittgenstein | 1889–1951 | Austrian philosopher |
| Charles Kingsley | 1819–1875 | Priest, historian, novelist, poet |
| Gertrude Tompkins Silver | 1911–1944 | American Women Airforce Service Pilots member, disappeared during World War II |
| John William MacKay | 1831–1902 | Irish-American industrialist |
| Harold Ridley | 1906–2001 | English ophthalmologist who invented the introcular lens |
| Keith Lindsay Stewart | 1896–1972 | Professional soldier in New Zealand Military Forces |
| José Antonio Urquiza | 1904-1938 | Mexican integrist |
| Eduards Volters | 1856–1941 | German linguist, ethnographer, and archeologist |
| Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf | 1933–present | British barrister and judge |
| Charlotte, Princess Royal | 1766–1828 | Queen of Württemberg |
| Dekanawida | 12th or 15th Century | Founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as Great Peacemaker |
| Alison Marjorie Ashby | 1901–1987 | Australian botanical artist |
| William R. Travers | 1819–1887 | American lawyer and socialite. Called "the most popular man of New York" |