Famous People With ADD?

[Anonymous]

Who are some famous people with ADD? I tried googling a few, and all I got were some really lame ones (Beyonce’s little sister! Oh wow!), a slideshow that seems designed to bore the average ADDer to death before they can get past Beyonce’s little sister again, and something that seemed really unreliable, seeing as it both listed people I would have known about and a few were even listed twice.

And here’s a second thing- what famous people have you suspected have/had ADD? Here are a few of my picks:

Merian C. Cooper (director of the original King Kong) The documentary on him described him as being EXTREMELY adventurous (as in joining Poland’s war against the invading Russians as a fighter pilot, then breaking out of a POW camp, even though he was American and in no way obligated to go). It also said that he was very childlike in his mannerisms and always forgetting things. He’s my top pick. Watch the docu on the King Kong DVD for more details.

One of the two guys who created South Park- Can’t remember if it’s Stone or Parker, but he said in an interview that he gets bored while pumping gas and will drive off after only buying a half a tank, just because he doesn’t want to stand around anymore.

Randall Munroe (Author of the webcomic XKCD)- He’s made quite a few comics about being socially awkward and zoning out, chief among them this one: http://xkcd.com/602/

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[Anonymous]

One more thing: Make sure you denote if the famous person you’re talking about is someone that you’re sure has ADD or if it’s a “candidate” that you think is likely to have/had ADD.

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[Anonymous]

Hi!

Does anyone know if Albert Einstin had ADHD ? If so can you direct me to some source material that I can study I need to do a paper on him. Thank you.

K

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[Anonymous]

I love this list!!!! This is from

http://www.adhdtexas.com/famouspeople.htm

Below is the page copy and pasted:

Famous People with ADHD

Notice that these are all people who think “outside the box”. There are also a lot of very creative people. Sometimes being a little “different” or not fitting into the norm, can work to your advantage. We hope this encourages you.

Actors

Bill Cosby Jim Carey Harry Belafonte

Cher Kirk Douglas Ann Bancroft

Dustin Hoffman Robin Williams Suzanne Somers

George Burns Steve McQueen Tracey Gold

George C. Scott Sylvester Stallone Whoopi Goldberg

Henry Winkler Will Smith Lindsay Wagner

James Stewart Tom Smothers Danny Glover

Artists

Pablo Picasso Vincent Van Gogh Ansel Adams

Athletes

Bruce Jenner Pete Rose Magic Johnson

Jackie Stewart Babe Ruth Micael Jordan

Nolan Ryan Jason Kidd Greg Louganis

Inventors

Leonardo Da Vinci Orville & Wilber Wright Benjamin Franklin

Thomas Edison William Wrigley Alexander Graham Bell

Scholars

Sir Issac Newton Galileo Albert Einstein

Statesmen

Anwar Sadat Abraham Lincoln John F. Kennedy

Winston Churchill Prince Charles Dwight Eisenhauer

Robert F. Kennedy Woodrow Wilson Nelson Rockafeller

Entrepreneurs

Walt Disney FW Woolworth Andrew Carnegie

Henry Ford Malcolm Forbes William Randolph Hearst

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[Anonymous]

I’ve seen that exact list of famous people on a lot of sites whenever I key in the search “famous people with ADD/ADHD”. My problem with that list is that – other than on that list – I haven’t found any other mention of them with respect to ADD, so I’m kinda skeptical about it.

Here are some famous people (or well accomplished people, if you will) with confirmed ADD/ADHD. By confirmed I mean that they have actually been recently quoted saying they have it or have discusses it publicly:

– Howie Mandel (famous comedian)

– Michael Phelps (famous Olympic winning swimmer)

– Greg LeMond (famous cyclist who won the Tour De France several times)

– Charles Schwaab (famous entrepreneur in personal finance)

– Ty Pennington (famous tv host of extreme makeover – home edition)

– David Neeleman (famous airline entrepreneur and founder of Jet Blue airlines)

– Bob Lobel (famous sports radio host in Boston)

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[nellie]

Yes I’ve read about Neeleman just recently. Supposedly he “invented” the e-ticket to help people like himself who don’t like to stand in line and lost stuff all the time. I’m racking my brain in which book it was though.

Then there’s the Virgin Airlines guy – sorry blanking on his name too. But I think it’s pretty well documented & have seen and heard it discussed a few times. Can’t believe I can’t remember his name since I read one of his books not to long ago!

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[Anonymous]

I blanked on the name. I saw an interview with him. His name is Richard Branson.

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[Anonymous]

For more information on airlines like airports, history, destinations, baggage information, check in and ailrines phone number as well as call center numbers visit “AltiusDirectory.com”.

http://www.altiusdirectory.com/Travel/airlines-of-the-world.html

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[Anonymous]

Here is an opinion, and we all know what they are worth, but here goes…….folks with raging successful (financially anyway) ADD lives probably don’t look to websites for support, they are by definition “successful”. Those folks don’t often (I would guess) question their brain processing either, or, why their behavior seems eccentric by comparison. Likely nobody around them (employees or otherwise) comments negatively about their bouts of absent mindedness, or the fact that they get to the office whenever it is that do. They, at this point determine the normative environment, not some average bound Linear………

So….having said that, it would appear that we (folks within the community that visit here) may, or may not, even be the norm for ADD folk…..who knows???? The fact that many folks come or visit here for support tells a tale of sorts….yes???? There may well be folks from all walks of life with all different brain processing and personality styles that find difficulty on their journey, and as such it is nice that they have way to support each other.

I don’t have an issue AT ALL being an ADD process person….I visit because I enjoy talking with folks here. I like to share when I can……and I enjoy hearing how others are doing. I find us an interesting lot……

I know those who suffer might get a little tired of my “gifty” approach……..but what the hell, it’s mine. If I can share what works for me…..and even one person gets a little success from that sharing cool….!!!

I myself feel believe there are an awful lot of us out there……..driving change all over the map, and moving the globe forward…I can’t prove it, and don’t care to try…I’m just sayin’……..

Toofat

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[Anonymous]

Toofat

I agree with what you said about successful people with ADHD. In many cases the combination of their own motivation and will to succeed have overcome any problems they may have in daily life.

There is also an element of being in the right place at the right time. Depending on their experience and the environment they grew up, it may provided the support and conditions to succeed in their field.

The benefit of this website (and others) is that it may lead to a diagnosis, treatment or other form of support that will help put some people on a path to success. At the very least there is a forum for information exchange.

Ps I don’t agree with some of your opinions but your comments do make me think

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[shutterbug55]

weird. I saw a very similar list of “Famous people who have Dyslexia”. Many of the same names are on it. I question these lists. They seem to be compiled by people who are trying to make me feel better about my “gift”. (Like Wolverine said : “Gifts can be returned”)

I don’t give a flying (*$&%^T) if a million famous people have the same condition I do. All I want is to be happy. Just to see what that feels like. I just want to be happy.

Happiness to me is not being rich or famous. It is not having to constantly second guess myself, review my actions, run through list after endless list of piddly little details, so I don’t screw something else up.

My wife is always telling me I’m a Renaissance Man. So I am looking into jobs I can do by day to make money, and by night I look for something I like doing. Maybe if I find the right night job, I can quit my day job. It could happen.

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[Wgreen]

Let’s clear something up. I don’t think anybody runs to a clinician because ADD renders his/her thinking more “diversionary” than “linear.” In fact, if that were all ADD is about, I would think most people would consider it a gift. (Mind you, I suspect there are plenty of non-ADDers who are able to think about things in interesting ways, too.)

People seek help because ADD can have other consequences: a propensity to “zone out” while driving, for example, or the inability to finish necessary tasks, or a tendency towards impulsive behaviors that make life extremely difficult—even dangerous—for ourselves, for those we love, and even occasionally for complete strangers.

I don’t doubt for a second that the world is full of successful ADDers. All it takes is a little luck and somebody to help you stay on task and do the things you’re not good at—like perhaps managing your money. But how much does that matter if you’re lying in the middle of the road with serious injuries, or in some motel room because your spouse can’t deal with your erratic behavior anymore?

Like many others here, I love dancing with ideas. I’ve even managed off and on to make good money with them. But I would gladly trade all that “success” to have a serene mind and healthy soul. (And if you could poll every motorist I’ll pass today on the freeway, I bet they’d “second that emotion.”)

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[Anonymous]

Perhaps we should have a NON Famous list of people with ADD!

I shall start as im sure you guys are way to shy :p

Peter : Logistics Manager Uk

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[ceit]

Russell Peters – Hilarious Comedian

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[Patte Rosebank]

Based on his behaviour, I’m certain that Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford, is the poster boy for the terrible toll that undiagnosed, untreated, severe ADHD can have on a person’s life.

Unfortunately for him, his charisma got him elected to a very prominent, very public position, as Mayor of Canada’s largest city.  This put him very much in the spotlight (which he loves, when it involves doing something he loves, like giving speeches or coaching football).

However, when ADDers are under pressure to perform (especially being under scrutiny), and we’re out of our depth (like in the slow, procedural, co-operative, day-to-day work of running a city), our performance gets even worse.  Hence Ford’s repeated very public, very “WTF???”-calibre screw-ups.

Add in the blurting; the angrily reacting without all the facts; the uncontrolled anger; the inability to think things through; the morbid obesity; the very public launch (and very private petering-out-in-failure) of his weight-loss campaign; the “black & white” thinking; the terrible judgement; the distraction that resulted in his walking into a TV camera and then swearing and blaming the cameraman for being in the way; the firmly believing that if he just avoids dealing with an issue for long enough, it’ll go away; the (alleged) drinking problem; the (alleged) drug-use…

I feel sorry for him, because he’s determined to do this job that is so very wrong for him, and wrong for the way he works.  As he lurches from disaster to disaster, he seems so “Lazy, Stupid, and Crazy” that he’s become a joke.

If he were to get tested, diagnosed, and treated, he could be an absolutely amazing football coach—which is what he really loves, and what he’s really good at.  Unfortunately, he lost that volunteer coaching job, due to his behaviour and some very inappropriate public statements he made.

And yet, he continues to blame everyone but himself, and refuses to listen to anyone who is trying to get him to get help.

Sad.

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[Author]

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