8 Famous Stutterers

Stuttering is a fluency disorder that’s affects a person ability to speak smoothly. It is characterised by repetitions, blocks, tension of facial muscles. Stuttering is a problem commonly seen in childhood. But for some people, it can last a lifetime. It is a frustrating problem as conversations after often prolonged and communication can become embarrassing.

Most cases of stuttering start between the ages of 2 and 6 as children’s vocabulary begins to develop. It usually stops by the time they enter school. Fewer than 1% of stuttering cases are in adults.

So, what do these people have in common: Isaac Newton, Marylin Monroe, Bruce Willis, Tiger Woods, Hrithik Roshan, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Neill and E. M. S. Namboodiripad?

Yes! They're all people who have stuttered at some point in their lives.

Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton was a Member of Parliament for the University of Cambridge to the Convention Parliament of 1689, and again in 1701. His work with gravity and mechanics, is renowned. Sir Isaac was so self-conscious about his stuttering, that he asked the windows of the Parliament building be closed so people on the street wouldn't hear him stammer.

Marylin Monroe

Marilyn Monroe needs no introduction to movie buffs. But a lesser known fact is that she started stuttering at 7 years of age due to traumatic events. Stuttering plagued her periodically throughout her life. Her breathy voice that was to become an iconic trademark was a result of her speech therapist teaching her to deliberately breathe prior to speaking in order to counter her stutter. With hard work and diligence, Marylin Monroe was eventually able to overcome it enough that most people knew she ever had a problem at all. Years later, during an interview she mentioned how her stutter would still surface on occasion when she became nervous or flustered.

Bruce Willis

“Your stutter does not define who you are. It has nothing to do with your intellectual competence, decency or character. When you persevere in the face of struggle, you discover strength you didn’t know you had and, I guarantee, you will need someday.” Famous words from Actor Bruce Willis who has starred in more than 60 movies. Willis has had stuttering problems throughout his youth A-List actor Bruce Willis revealed in his 2001 Biography that he had struggled with stuttering throughout his life. He revealed that he had speech Therapy while attending Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey. He was honored with an American Institute for Stuttering in 2016 and said during his speech: “The hardest thing I remember was being a kid stuttering. My advice to the people in this room is to never let anyone make you feel like an outcast, because you will never be an outcast.”

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is a professional golfer whose achievements rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. During a 60 Minutes interview he revealed that he struggled with stuttering throughout his life. “A simple question was the most frightening thing you could possibly have happen if you can’t speak. I could certainly think it, and it was there, but the connection – the words got lost somewhere between the brain and the mouth, and it was very difficult. But I fought through it. I went to school to try and get over that, and I would just work my tail off.” Said Woods. Tiger Woods had stuttering problems in childhood, but he got past it through hard work and practice. He admitted doing everything possible to conquer his speech impediment including talking to his dog until he would fall asleep.

Hrithik Roshan

The heartthrob of Hollywood has opening spoken of his stuttering. When Hrithik decided that he had to overcome his stammering, he joined speech therapy classes. An article reveals that he used to repeat all the alphabets in different manners so as to have a strong grip on pronunciation thereby boosting his confidence levels. He used to practice in front of a mirror for long hours to improve his speech skills. A role model for his fans, Hrithik still practices preventing relapses. The article concludes that, Hrithik, a true inspiration has shown that one can overcome anything in life with just a strong will power.

Samuel L. Jackson

"It’s okay to make people wait to hear what you have to say, because what you have to say, is important.” and that “everything you do makes you stronger, you’re going to be stronger than those people out there that don’t stutter, believe me.” Words spoken by Samuel L. Jackson at the 2013 American Institute of Stuttering Gala. A highest grossing actor of all time, Samuel L Jackson has struggled with stuttering throughout his life. Encouraged by his speech therapist to pursue a career as an actor, He found that acting was a good way to force himself to work on his speech problem.

Sam Neill

Sam Niell had a difficult childhood because of his as a child. Most famous for his leading role in Jurassic Park (1993) as Dr. Grant, and with more recent credits including an appearance in the 2017 reboot Thor, he was so self-conscious about his fluency disorder, he seldom made eye contact and was painfully shy most of the time for the fear of speaking During an interview, the actor added, “I kind of outgrew it. I can still….you can detect me as a stammerer.”.

E. M. S. Namboodiripad

Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad, popularly EMS, was an Indian communist politician and theorist, who literally stammered his way to power, forming the first-ever Communist government in the world to be voted to office, in Kerala. EMS served as the first Chief Minister of Kerala state in 1957–59 and then again in 1967–69. As a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI), he became the first non-Indian National Congress chief minister in the Indian republic. “The fact is, he never saw it as a personal infirmity. In his early days, some of his diehard well-wishers would be moved to tears, seeing his struggle to deliver at public meetings,” reminisced his daughter E. Radha. When asked if he stammered always, he famously replied, “No, only when I speak.”

Well, here’s to show that stuttering need not hold you back. Let’s move forward.

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