We’ve talked about famous autistic people throughout history in this article, but what about famous people with ADHD?
People with ADHD can struggle with a variety of challenges on a daily basis. Yet, that didn’t stop these 7 famous people with ADHD from going on to leave their mark on this world. From scientists, to writers, to athletes, ONE Intervention has compiled this list of famous people with ADHD as an inspiration for all of us to keep striving.
Excited to learn more? Fantastic, let’s get straight into it!
Simone Biles
Simone Biles is arguably the most famous American gymnast in history, having won a stunning 11 Olympic medals in her career as an athlete. She’s an outspoken advocate for ADHD and mental health in general, and doesn’t shy away from telling us about the impact ADHD has in her life.
In 2016, when confidential records of her ADHD medicine prescription was leaked, Simone Biles’ response was as fearless as it was graceful. She said, “I have ADHD and have taken medication for it since I was a child… having ADHD, and taking medication for it is nothing to be ashamed of nothing that I’m afraid to let people know.” Thanks to her, ADHD is more normalised in the general public.
Did we mention? Of those 11 Olympic medals, 7 are gold. Also, Simone Biles has also been awarded 30 World Championship medals – making her the most decorated gymnast in history, ever. Good for her!
Emma Watson
Best known for her role as the child-genius Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, Emma Watson more than deserves a spot on this list of famous people with ADHD. The star actress has been featured in countless blockbuster and indie films, including The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and Beauty And The Beast. Beyond that, Emma Watson has also received several accolades, including a Young Artist Award and not one, not two, but three MTV movie awards!
Plus, Emma Watson isn’t just known for her brilliance in the acting sphere. She’s graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the prestigious Brown University. She’s also been appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and is a strong advocate for gender equality.
Though she prefers to not discuss her condition in public, Alux has confirmed that she has been diagnosed for ADHD and is currently medicated for it.
Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig is an American actress, screenwriter and director. In fact, she’s the director behind the iconic Barbie movie released in 2023, as well as the classic Little Women movie that was launched in 2019. Both have garnered Oscar nominations for Best Picture.
According to this article in The Guardian, Gerta Gerwig claimed to have “had a ton of energy”, to which her family responded by saying, “Let’s sign her up for every activity. Let’s tire her out.” Gerta believes that she always had “a tremendous amount of enthusiasm.” and was “just interested in, like, everything.” Quoting her interview, Gerta said, “I had a really active imagination. I had a lot of really deep feelings. I was emotional.”
All this is typical of a person with ADHD, since one of the symptoms include difficulty with emotional regulation, as well as hyperactivity (for people with the predominantly hyperactive presentation.) Yet, despite all this, Greta Gerwig has still gone on to excel in the cinematic world.
Dav Pilkey
Dav Pilkey is a comic book writer and illustrator – in fact, you’ve probably read at least one of his works before: Captain Underpants, and its spin-off children’s graphic novel, Dog Man. Both are extremely popular, to say the least, and have been adapted to films starring the titular characters.
As a child, Dav Pilkey was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. He often got into trouble in class and, as punishment, had to sit at a desk in the hallway. This was where he dreamed up of his comical, loveable childhood hero – Captain Underpants.
His success in the world of children’s fiction can be partially attributed to his ADHD diagnosis.
According to this article by Understood, Dav Pilkey believes that his ADHD and dyslexia are his superpowers. His ADHD helped him “write stories that are not boring,” while his dyslexia helped him “choose his words very, very carefully.”
Mozart
Pretty much everyone has heard of this brilliant musician. One of the most famous musicians in all of history, Mozart was said to have a few eccentricities. While the terminology and research that we now have to diagnose ADHD wasn’t yet in use in Mozart’s time, there are a few instances of Mozart’s queer behaviour that lead experts to believe that he might have had ADHD.
According to this article by The Mozart Project, as a child, Mozart was known for his impulsivity and distractibility, and he frequently got into fights with other children. And as an adult, he was said to have drastic mood swings and fairly erratic behaviour. This included one instance where, while playing the melody to the bassline of Karoline von Greiner Pichler (an Austrian novelist his former student), Mozart suddenly leapt up, jumped over tables and chairs and began to “miaow like a cat, and turn somersaults like an unruly boy.”
We can’t say that Mozart definitively had ADHD, but we do think that he might have had some form of neurodivergence at the least!
Albert Einstein
Many speculate the greatest physicist of all time to have had ADHD, or some type of neurodivergence. Among his many contributions to the scientific field, Albert Einstein discovered the law of the photoelectric effect, which won him the Nobel Prize in 1921.
He’s best known for, arguably, the world’s most famous equation – e = mc^2, which arises from special relativity. Hailed a real-life genius, Einstein’s revolutionised physics as we know it today.
He was said to have ADHD because ‘he was as disorganised and forgetful as he was insightful and intelligent,’ in this article by Exceptional Individuals. Moreover, Albert Einstein was said to be frequently disciplined in school for ‘drifting off’, which is a symptom of predominantly inattentive ADHD. His bouts of hyperfocusing which allowed him to conduct highly complex thought experiments also lead some to speculate that he might have had ADHD.
Virginia Woolf
Similar to Mozart, we can’t definitively tell if Virginia Woolf had ADHD or not, because in her time there was insufficient knowledge about the condition to make a diagnosis. However, some experts speculate that Virginia Woolf did have ADHD, or was neurodivergent in some form.
Regardless, Virginia Woolf is considered one of the most famous writers in the world today, more than earning her a spot on this list of famous people with ADHD. Her best known novels include To The Lighthouse and Orlando, and her work has been lauded for its creative, stream-of-thought style. In fact, this style is said to have been inspired by the way people with ADHD think – disjointed, yet fluid, with a tendency to jump between many ideas and associations.
Today, Virginia Woolf is celebrated as one of history’s best known feminist writers, having advocated for many social causes with pride. Her queer writing style and colourful subject matter has been celebrated as a lasting influence in the literary world.
And there we have it: Bet You Didn’t Know These 7 Famous People With ADHD! Do you have any people in mind who we might have missed out? Or perhaps you have your own stories about the people listed above? Whatever it is, we’d be happy to hear about it from you – drop us a comment below 💬👇
