Famous People Who Had or Have Schizophrenia
Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2017/11/10 - Updated: 2025/05/22
Publication Type: Awareness, Appreciation
Topic: Famous Disabled People - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This article presents an extensive list of well-known individuals from various fields who have experienced schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders, highlighting both historical and contemporary figures. The information is compiled by an experienced writer and disability advocate, adding credibility and authority to the content, and is particularly useful for illustrating the diverse ways schizophrenia can affect people regardless of their achievements or backgrounds. The article is helpful for people with disabilities, seniors, and the general public by reducing stigma and providing real-world examples, such as Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash, artist Agnes Martin, musician Brian Wilson, and law professor Elyn Saks, who have all made significant contributions despite their diagnoses. By showcasing artists, musicians, writers, and public figures, the article underscores that schizophrenia is not a barrier to creativity or accomplishment, and it may offer reassurance and perspective to those living with similar conditions or supporting someone who is - Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
What is Schizophrenia?
It is important to note that schizophrenia is an illness that varies with severity. It is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental illness characterized by impairments in the perception or expression of reality, most commonly manifesting as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions or disorganized speech and thinking in the context of significant social or occupational dysfunction. Men and women are equally likely to get schizophrenia brain disorder, but males tend to get it slightly earlier. On average, men are diagnosed in their late teens to early 20s. Whereas women tend to get diagnosed in their late 20s to early 30s. People rarely develop schizophrenia before they're 12 or after they're 40.
Main Content
Studies suggest that genetics, early environment, neurobiology and psychological and social processes are important contributory factors. A person experiencing schizophrenia may demonstrate symptoms such as disorganized thinking, auditory hallucinations, and delusions.
Diagnosis is based on the self-reported experiences of the person as well as abnormalities in behavior reported by family members, friends or co-workers, followed by secondary signs observed by a psychiatrist, social worker, clinical psychologist or other clinician in a clinical assessment.
Management of symptoms and improving function is thought to be more achievable than a cure. Treatment was revolutionized in the mid 1950s with the development and introduction of chlorpromazine.
List of Famous People Who Had or Have Schizophrenia
- Aby Warburg - German art historian and cultural theorist, diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
- Adolf Wölfli - Swiss painter.
- Adèle Hugo - Daughter of French writer Victor Hugo; her story is told in the film The Story of Adele H.
- Agnes Martin - Canadian American abstract painter.
- Aloïse Corbaz - Swiss painter.
- Antonin Artaud - French dramatist, poet, essayist, actor, and theatre director, creator of Theatre of Cruelty.
- Arthur Bispo do Rosário - Brazilian outsider artist.
- Audrey Munson - American artist's model and film actress, "America's First Supermodel".
- August Natterer - German painter.
- Bettie Page - American pin-up model.
- Brian Wilson - American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys (schizoaffective disorder).
- Bud Powell - American jazz pianist.
- Buddy Bolden - American pioneering jazz musician.
- Butch Warren - American jazz double bassist.
- Camille Claudel - French sculptor of the 19th century.
- Cesare Cremonini - Italian singer-songwriter, member of Lùnapop.
- Charles Manson - American criminal, cult leader and folk rock musician.
- Charles Meryon - French artist.
- Clara Bow - American Hollywood flapper actress and "It Girl" of the 1920s.
- Daniel Johnston - American artist and musician.
- Daniel Paul Schreber - German judge, writer, and notable patient of Freud.
- Darrell Hammond - American comedian, actor on Saturday Night Live.
- Darren Rainey - American prisoner who died at Dade Correctional Institution.
- David Helfgott - Australian concert pianist (schizoaffective disorder).
- Donny Hathaway - American soul singer and songwriter.
- Ed Gein - American killer and body snatcher.
- Eduard Einstein - Son of German physicist Albert Einstein.
- Edward Charles Allaway - American murderer; committed California State University, Fullerton massacre in 1976.
- Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler - German avantgarde-painter.
- Elyn Saks - American law professor and schizophrenia writer/researcher.
- Estelle Bennett - American musician, member of The Ronettes.
- Eugène Gabritschevsky - Russian painter and microbiologist.
- Frances Farmer - American Hollywood actress, varyingly diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar psychosis, split personality and depression.
- Gene Tierney - American actress.
- H.R. - American musician, singer of Bad Brains.
- Hamad al-Hajji - Saudi Arabian poet.
- Hannah Weiner - American 'clairvoyant' poet.
- Haroon Rashid Aswat - British follower of extremist Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri.
- Herb Baumeister - American alleged serial killer.
- Ingo Schwichtenberg - German drummer of power metal band Helloween.
- Jake Lloyd - retired American actor who played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
- Jakob Lenz - German writer of the Sturm und Drang movement of the 18th century.
- Janet Frame - New Zealand author.
- Jared Lee Loughner - perpetrator of the 2011 Tucson shooting.
- Jean "Binta" Breeze (1956-2021), Jamaican dub poet, theatre director, and performer.
- Jeffrey Arenburg - Canadian shooter of hockey player Brian Smith.
- Jeremy Oxley - Australian musician and member of the Sunnyboys.
- Jim Gordon - American drummer, member of Derek and the Dominos; killed his mother.
- Joey Ramone - lead vocalist of American band Ramones.
- John Hinckley Jr. - American failed assassin.
- John Nash - American economist, mathematician and Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences.
- John Ogdon - English pianist and composer.
- John du Pont - American millionaire and wrestling coach who murdered wrestler Dave Schultz.
- Karl Maria Wiligut - Austrian SS-general and an occultist.
- Kat Bjelland - American musician, member of Babes in Toyland (schizoaffective disorder).
- Katherine Routledge - British archaeologist.
- Kelly Thomas - American citizen who was beaten to death by police without punishment.
- Konstantin Batyushkov - Russian poet of the 19th century.
- Lauri Viita - Finnish poet and author.
- Louis Wain - British artist.
- Luke Helder - The Midwest Pipe Bomber. - schizoaffective disorder.
- Marij Kogoj - Slovenian composer.
- Mark Vonnegut - American memoirist, pediatrician, son of author Kurt Vonnegut.
- Michael Hawkins - American actor; diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
- Michael Laudor - American Yale Law School graduate, subject of a planned Ron Howard movie; later killed his fiancée.
- Michael O'Hare - American actor, suffered from paranoid delusions and hallucinations.
- Nancy Spungen - American Punk icon and girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious.
- Nathaniel Ayers - American musician.
- Nick Blinko - British painter and punk musician: singer, lyricist and guitarist of Rudimentary Peni (schizoaffective disorder).
- Ol' Dirty Bastard - American rapper, one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan.
- Paul Gösch - German artist and architect.
- Pavel Fedotov - Russian painter of the 19th century.
- Princess Deokhye - Last princess of the Korean Empire.
- Richard Brautigan - American novelist, poet, and short story writer.
- Robert M. Pirsig - American writer and philosopher.
- Robert Walser - Swiss author, diagnosed with a catatonic schizophrenia.
- Roky Erickson - American rock musician, founder of The 13th Floor Elevators.
- Ronald Kray - English gangster prominent during the 1950s and 1960s.
- Rufus May - British clinical psychologist.
- Sasha Lane - American actress (schizoaffective disorder).
- Sigrid Hjertén - Swedish painter.
- Stefan Wilmont - Polish criminal who assassinated the mayor of Gdańsk in 2019.
- Syd Barrett - British musician, founding member of Pink Floyd.
- Talal - King of Jordan.
- Ted Gärdestad - Swedish musician.
- Terry A. Davis - American computer programmer and vlogger.
- Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka - Hungarian painter.
- Tom Harrell - American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and arranger.
- Unica Zürn - German artist.
- Uuno Kailas - Finnish poet.
- Valerie Solanas - American radical feminist who attempted to murder artist Andy Warhol.
- Vashishtha Narayan Singh - Indian academic.
- Vaslav Nijinsky - Russian ballet dancer, choreographer.
- Veronica Lake - American Hollywood actress of the 1940s.
- Wesley Willis - American musician and artist.
- Wild Man Fischer - American musician, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
- Will Elliott - Australian writer.
- William Chester Minor - American killer and a contributor to Oxford English dictionary.
- Zelda Fitzgerald - American wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald; writer, dancer and artist.
- Émile Nelligan - French Canadian poet.
NOTE: If you notice any inaccuracies in this list, please reach out to us so we can correct it. Additionally, if you believe someone should be added to this list, please provide us with their name and any information to verify their disability. We value your help, and you can contact us here.
You can also view our other lists of famous and well-known people with various disabilities and conditions, including actors, politicians, and writers who contributed to society.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: By highlighting the personal and professional achievements of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, this article challenges outdated stereotypes and underscores the importance of compassion and support in mental health discourse. It serves as a reminder that with understanding and appropriate care, people living with schizophrenia can lead meaningful and impactful lives. This information not only challenges stereotypes but also serves as a reminder that mental illness can touch anyone, regardless of status or talent. By recognizing the achievements and struggles of these individuals, society can foster greater understanding, compassion, and support for those living with schizophrenia, encouraging more inclusive conversations about mental health and disability - Disabled World (DW).
Author Credentials: Ian is an Australian-born writer, editor, and advocate who currently resides in Montreal, Canada. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.