Various famous people have been speculated to have had an Autistic Spectrum Disorder by journalists, academics and autism professionals.  In many cases, this has not been confirmed although they have displayed some autistic traits.  Read about some of these people below. 

 

Science & Mathematics

Alan Turing, mathematician, computer scientist and cryptographer

Albert Einstein,  theoretical physicist

Alexander Graham Bell, inventor

Bertrand Russell, logician, mathematician and historian

Charles Darwin, naturalist and geologist

Henry Cavendish, scientist

Isaac Newton, mathematician and physicist

 John Forbes Nash, mathematician

Leonardo Da Vinci, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, painter, sculptor, architect, musician and writer.

Ludwig Wittgenstein, logician and philosopher writer

Marie Curie, chemist and physicist

Nikola Tesla, scientist, engineer, inventor

Oliver Heaviside, physicist and mathematician

Thomas Edison, inventor

Temple Grandin, animal scientist and author

 

Art, Poetry & Literature

Andy Warhol, artist

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, architect and designer

Charles Schulz, cartoonist

Emily Dickinson,  poet

Franz Kafka, writer

Garrison Keillor, writer, humorist

George Bernard Shaw, playwright

H P Lovecraft, writer

Henry Thoreau, writer

J.R.R. Tolkien, writer

Jane Austen, writer

L S Lowry, painter

Mark Twain, humorist

Michaelangelo, artist

Oliver Sacks, neurologist, author

Vincent Van Gogh, painter

Wasily Kandinsky, painter

Tim Page, Pulitzer Prize winning author and critic

John Elder Robison, author

WB Yeats, poet and dramatist

 

 

 

 

Film & Television

Alfred Hitchcock, director

Andy Kaufman, comedian

Crispin Glover, actor

Jim Henson, puppeteer, writer, producer, director, composer

Keanu Reeves, actor

Michael Palin, comedian and presenter

Stephen Spielberg, Director

Woody Allen, comedian, actor, writer, director, producer

Heather Kuzmich, contestant on America's Next Top Model

Tim Burton, director, producer and writer

Dan Ackroyd, actor

 

Music

Anton Bruckner, composer

Béla Bartók, composer

Bob Dylan, singer-songwriter

David Helfgott, pianist

Craig Nicholls, singer (The Vines)

Gary Numan, Singer

Glenn Gould, pianist

Gustav Mahler, composer

James Taylor, singer/songwriter

John Denver, musician

Ludwig van Beethoven, composer

Richard Strauss, composer

Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, composer

Peter Tork, musician (The Monkees) and actor

Philippa (Pip) Brown, musician (Ladyhawke)

Courtney Love, musician (Hole) and actress

 

Politics & Business

Al Gore, former US Vice President and presidential candidate

Bill Gates, global monopolist

Henry Ford, industrialist

Howard Hughes, billionaire

Jeff Greenfield, political analyst/speechwriter

Ludwig II, King of Bavaria

Thomas Jefferson, politician

Tony Benn, politician

Satoshi Tajiri, creator and designer of Pokémon

Éamon de Valera (born George de Valero), Irish revolutionary and politician

 

Sport

Bobby Fischer, chess champion

John Motson, sports commentator

Keith Olbermann, sportscaster

Jason McElwain, basketball team manager & player

Joni Talavera, figure skater

Nathan Glarvey, long distance runner

Lynn Hamel, cyclist

Frank Trigg, martial artist and wrestler

Lisa Llorens, athlete

Moe Norman, golfer

Anthony Crudale, long distance runner

Matthew Ross, golfer

Kendall Bailey, swimmer

CJ Moore, martial artist

 

Psychology & Philosophy

Carl Jung, psychoanalyst

Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher

Socrates, philosopher

Alfred Ayer, philosopher

Immanuel Kant, philosopher

Baruch Spinoza, philosopher

Simone Weil, philosopher