Peter Sellers
Tony Hancock
Aldous Huxley
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Einstein
Dali
Andy Warhol
Chaplin

Art Buchwald
Drew Carey
Charles Dickens
Patty Duke
John Keats
Margot Kidder
Vivien Leigh
Michelangelo
Isaac Newton
Eugene O'Neil
Theodore Roosevelt
Mike Wallace
Tennessee Williams
Tracy Ullman

Honestly, pretty much every person I admire has had mental illness of some kind. They are/were beautiful, creative people:

Sylvia Plath
Virginia Woolf
John Keats
Charles Dickens
Michelangelo
Johnny Cash
Kurt Cobain
Tennessee Williams
Edgar Allan Poe
Jack Kerouac
Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd)
Richey James Edwards (Manic Street Preachers)
Ian Curtis (Joy Division)
Hans Christian Andersen
Lord Byron
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William Faulkner
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Stephen Fry
Robert Louis Stevenson
Sting
Mark Twain
Kurt Vonnegut
Jimi Hendrix
Spike Milligan
Edvard Munch
Florence Nightingale

This list could go on forever - maybe it would be shorter listing those who don't - are there any?

Miranda - thats what I mean! nearly all of the people who have enriched my life, I mean, actually made a difference to me (my Dad included), have had mental illness of some kind. its kind of, I don't know, not exactly comforting..that there are amazing things that can come out of 'mental illness'. i don't really know how to phrase that, it probably came out weird, sorry

Don't know if I am repeating anyone ...
George Frederick Handel, composer
Margot Kidder, actor
Gustav Mahier, composer
Jimmy Piersall, baseball
Rod Steiger, actor
William Styron, writer
Ted Turner, Businessman
Sol Wachtler, former N.Y. State Chief Judge
Jane Pauley, news broadcaster
Linda Hamilton, actress
Shawn Colvin, winner of 2 Grammys
Judy Collins, singer & songwriter
Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison - professor of psychiatrity at Johns Hopkins
Maurice Bernard, actor
Hans Christian Anderson
Thomas Edison
Betty Ford
King George III
Martin Luther
Florence Nightingale
King Saul
Marc Summers, TV host
Dr. Samuel Johnson, British poet
Howard Hughes (1905 - 1976)
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, basketball
Mozart
49% of former U.S. Presidents
William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet
Diane Arbus, photographer
Daniel Boorstein, former presidential advisor
Art Buchward, colominist
Drew Carey, actor
Jimmy Piersall
Charles Dickens
Tom Harrell, jazz musician
John Nash, Math Nobel prize winner
Eduard Einstein, Albert Einstein's son
Andy Goram, soccer player
Lionel Aldridge, superbowl winner
Peter Green, guitarist
Honore de Balzac, writer
Gaetano Donizetti, singer
Tony Dow, actor
Kitty Dukakis, wife of polotition
Thomas Eagleton, Vice Presidential canidate 1972
Johann Goethe, writer
Alan Alda's mother
Dr. James Watson's son
Alexander Spence and Bob Mosley
Roger Kynard Erickson
Joe Meek, British producer
Jim Gordon, drummer
Charles Bolden, jazz
Antoin Artaud, artist
Jack Kerouac, author
Lionel Aldridge
Gaetano Donizetti
Robert Schumann
Leo Tolstoy
Vaslov Nijinsky
John Keats
Mary Todd Lincoln
Antonin Artaud (1896-1948_ French poet and actor
David Bowie
Karen Carpenter
John Clare (1793-1864) English poet
Kurt Cobain (1967-1990 singer
Carrie Fisher, actor
Ruth Graham, daughter of Ruth and Billy Graham
Brooke Shields, actor
Bette Midler, actor
Charles Schultz, cartoonist
Dick Clark, entertainer
Rosemary Clooney, singer
Burgess Meredith, actor
Peter Tchaikovsky, composer
Charlie Pride, singer
Janet Jackson, singer
Roseanne Barr, comedian
Marlon Brando, actor
Maurice Bernard, actor
Buzz Aldrin, astronout
Margot Kidder, actress
Jonathan Winters, commedian
Pat Conroy, author
Maybe being crazy is a requirement for those who go in the entertainment and artistic fields?

ME

oh wait...i'm not famous. lol

i think i did read somewhere that they think there's a connection with creative people and depression.

That's truly wonderful and amazing. Thank you all for
writing all these people. Bless all there hearts. Peter
Sellars was a genius, and made me laugh.

Mr. Lincoln was Bi-polar I thought.
Niceguy

Hmm. Einstein had mental illness. What did he have?

I don't know if it will paste but I was shocked how many
people, people also in out time that have some form of
mental illness.


Please note that this is a "work-in-progress" and that not all references are currently listed (though they can be provided upon request). Please note also that all references to "depression" are for clinical depression.


Eddy Elmer
(E. & O.E.)



Paula Abdul singer bulimia nervosa
John Quincy Adams former US president clinical depression
Alvin Ailey American dancer and choreographer bipolar disorder (aka "manic depression")
Lionel Aldridge former defensive end, Green Bay Packers schizophrenia (paranoid-type)
Buzz Aldrin astronaut, second man to walk on moon clinical depression
Harry Andersen actor, "Night Court" learning disability
Diane Arbus American photographer clinical depression
Syd Barrett musician, member Pink Floyd schizophrenia
Drew Barrymore actress, director clinical depression; alcoholism;
substance abuse
Kim Basinger actress, 9 1/2 Weeks, Batman, L.A. Confidential panic disorder
Justine Bateman actress, "Family Ties" eating disorders
Ned Beatty actor bipolar disorder
Ludwig van Beethoven German composer bipolar disorder
Alexander Graham Bell inventor dyslexia
Irving Berlin musician, White Christmas clinical depression
Leonard Bernstein American conductor; composer of musical comedies, West Side Story clinical depression
Steve Blass former baseball player, Pittsburgh Pirates social phobia
David Boies high-profile litigator: 2000 US presidential election, Microsoft antitrust, Napster copyright dyslexia
Robert Boorstin special assistant to former US president Bill Clinton bipolar disorder
Clara Bow American silent films actress of 1920's, Mantrap, It clinical depression
Art Buchwald American humourist, writer bipolar disorder
Earl Campbell NFL running back panic disorder
Robert Campeau Canadian real estate magnate, American department store investor (Federated, Macy's, Bloomingdales) bipolar disorder
Jose Canseco Major League Baseball player clinical depression
Drew Carey comedian, actor clinical depression
Emily Carr Canadian landscape painter, member `Group of Seven' various speculations:
neurasthenia; hypochondriasis; clinical depression; conversion disorder; schizophrenia
Jim Carrey comedian, actor clinical depression
Karen Carpenter singer, 1970's & early 80's, The Carpenters anorexia nervosa
Dick Cavett television talk show host, ABC & PBS clinical depression
John Chambers CEO Cisco Systems dyslexia
Ray Charles musician, singer clinical depression
Lawton Chiles former Florida governor, Democrat clinical depression
Winston Churchill former British prime minister bipolar disorder; dyslexia
Eric Clapton musician, singer clinical depression
Dick Clark television host, "The American Bandstand", gameshows clinical depression
Kurt Cobain musician, member Nirvana clinical depression
Leonard Cohen Canadian poet/musician clinical depression
Natalie Cole singer, daughter of Nat "King" Cole clinical depression
Calvin Coolidge former US president clinical depression (speculated)
Francis Ford Coppola director, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now bipolar disorder
Patricia Cornwell mystery/thriller writer, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Postmortem, Body of Evidence bipolar disorder;
anorexia nervosa;
anorexia bulimia
Shayne Corson Toronto Maples Leafs forward panic attacks
Hart Crane American poet, The Bridge clinical depression; alcoholism
Sheryl Crow singer, musician clinical depression
Tom Cruise actor, Top Gun, Rain Man, A Few Good Men dyslexia
John Daly professional golfer bipolar disorder; alcoholism;
gambling addiction
Rodney Dangerfield comedian, actor clinical depression
Charles Darwin naturalist, author of theory of human evolution, The Origin of Species severe panic disorder
Dorothy Day writer, social reformer, co-founder Catholic Worker Movement clinical depression
Sandra Dee actress, 1950's & 60's, Gidget, Tommy Tell Me True, A Summer Place anorexia nervosa
Princess Diana Princess of Wales bulimia nervosa
Charles Dickens British writer, The Pickwick Papers, David Copperfield clinical depression; bipolar disorder (suspected)
Walt Disney film producer, animator dyslexia
Benjamin Disraeli former British prime minister clinical depression
Scott Donie diver, Olympic silver medallist clinical depression
Gaetano Donizetti Italian opera composer, Lucia di Lammermoor bipolar disorder
Theodore Dreiser American writer, editor, Sister Carrie, An American Tragedy clinical depression
Richard Dreyfuss comedian, actor, Jaws, Down and Out in Beverly Hills clinical depression
Kitty Dukakis public speaker and activist, wife of Michael Dukakis: former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential candidate bipolar disorder;
alcoholism; substance abuse
Patty Duke actress, The Amityville Horror, Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker bipolar disorder
Thomas Eagleton initial running-mate for 1972 US Democratic presidential candidate George S. McGovern clinical depression
Thomas Alva Edison inventor of the lightbulb dyslexia
Albert Einstein physicist, developed special theory of relativity dyslexia (speculated)
George Eliot (Marian Evans) 19th century British realist novelist, Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Middlemarch clinical depression
Jack Farrell champion skeet shooter clinical depression
Jules Feiffer American cartoonist, playwright, script-writer, Carnal Knowledge clinical depression
Doug Ferrari stand-up comedian borderline personality disorder
Carrie Fisher actress, Princess Leia in Star Wars; writer bipolar disorder;
substance abuse
F. Scott Fitzgerald writer, The Great Gatsby clinical depression
Larry Flynt magazine publisher, Hustler bipolar disorder
Doug Flutie, Jr. son of Buffalo Bills quarterback autism
Jane Fonda actress, A Walk on the Wild Side, Klute, Coming Home; fitness instructor bulimia nervosa
Harrison Ford actor, Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, The Fugitive clinical depression
James Forrestal former undersecretary and secretary of US Navy; former US Secretary of Defence clinical depression
Vincent Foster deputy White House counsel under Clinton administration clinical depression (speculated)
Connie Francis singer, "Stupid Cupid", "Everybody's Somebody's Fool"; actress, Where the Boys Are, Looking for Love, When the Boys Meet the Girls clinical depression
Sigmund Freud physician, psychoanalyst clinical depression
Peter Gabriel musician, singer, member Genesis clinical depression
John Kenneth Galbraith economist clinical depression
Judy Garland actress, singer, "Dorothy" in The Wizard of Oz clinical depression;
substance abuse
James Garner actor, comedian, The Rockford Files, Maverick clinical depression
Paul Gascoigne footballer, Middlesbrough & England clinical depression
John Gibson leading classical pianist, Ireland bipolar disorder
Kendall Gill basketball player, New Jersey Nets clinical depression
Danny Glover comedian, actor, The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon, Lonesome Dove learning disability
Tracey Gold actress, "Growing Pains" anorexia nervosa;
attention deficit disorder
Whoopi Goldberg comedian, actress, Ghost, Sister Act dyslexia
Dwight Gooden baseball player, Cleveland Indians clinical depression
Tipper Gore former US Second Lady clinical depression
Peter Greene guitarist, Fleetwood Mac schizophrenia
Shecky Greene lounge entertainer, stand-up comedian bipolar disorder, with severe panic attacks
Linda Hamilton actress, "Beauty and the Beast", Dante's Peak, Point Last Seen, Terminator, Terminator II bipolar disorder
Pete Harnisch baseball player, Cincinnati Reds clinical depression
Elizabeth Hartman actress, A Patch of Blue, You're a Big Boy Now, Walking Tall clinical depression (speculated)
Amy Heckerling writer, director, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless, Look Who's Talking eating disorders;
obsessive-compulsive disorder
Ernest Hemingway writer, For Whom the Bell Tolls, A Farewell to Arms clinical depression
Margaux Hemingway actress, 1970's supermodel dyslexia; alcoholism; clinical depression (speculated)
Audrey Hepburn actress, 1950's & 60's, Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady clinical depression;
eating disorders
Hermann Hesse Swiss writer, Siddhartha, Steppenwolf clinical depression
William Hewlett co-founder, Hewlett-Packard dyslexia
Abbie Hoffman American political activist, "Yippie"--member Youth International Party bipolar disorder (speculated)
Sir Anthony Hopkins British actor, Nixon, The Silence of the Lambs clinical depression
Howard Hughes American aviator, film producer, manufacturer; founder Hughes Aircraft Corporation; 1935 broke airplane speed record; 1938 set record on flying around world clinical depression and psychosis (both speculated)
Jack Irons musician, drummer, member Pearl Jam bipolar disorder
Janet Jackson singer, dancer clinical depression
Richey James guitarist, lyricist, British band Manic Street Preachers clinical depression;
anorexia nervosa;
alcoholism
Billy Joel musician clinical depression
Sir Elton John musician, singer bulimia nervosa;
alcoholism;
substance abuse
Daniel Johns musician, lead singer Australian group Silverchairs clinical depression;
anxiety disorder;
eating disorder
Karen Kain ballet dancer, principal dancer Canadian National Ballet clinical depression
Patrick Kennedy Democratic representative, U.S. Congress, Rhode Island clinical depression
Jack Kerouac Beat Generation writer, On the Road, Desolation Angels clinical depression;
severe alcoholism;
substance abuse
Margot Kidder actress, "Lois Lane" in Superman bipolar disorder
Larry King talk show host, Larry King Live clinical depression
Joey Kramer drummer, Aerosmith clinical depression
Kris Kristopherson actor, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea clinical depression;
substance abuse
Julie Krone Hall of Fame horse jockey post-traumatic stress disorder; clinical depression
Pat Lafontaine former hockey player, New York Rangers clinical depression
Veronica Lake actress, 1940's-60's, I Married a Witch, The Blue Dahlia, The Glass Key schizophrenia; alcoholism
Jessica Lange actress, Tootsie, Frances, Music Box, Blue Sky clinical depression
Yves Saint Laurent fashion designer, succeeded Christian Dior clinical depression
Frances Lear editor, publisher; ex-wife of TV producer Norman Lear ("All in the Family", "The Jeffersons"); inspiration for lead character in his "Maude" bipolar disorder;
substance abuse
Vivien Leigh British actress, 1950's & 60's, Gone with the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire bipolar disorder
Bill Lichtenstein journalist; TV news producer, ABC's "20/20", "Nightline", "World News Tonight", "This Week With David Brinkley", NPR bipolar disorder
Abraham Lincoln former US president severe clinical depression
Joshua Logan American theatre/movie director, Mister Roberts, South Pacific, Picnic, Camelot; playwright bipolar disorder
Courtney Love musician clinical depression
Robert Lowell American confessional poet, Life Studies, The Dolphin bipolar disorder
John Madden football sportscaster specific phobia (flying)
Norman Mailer American writer, The Naked and the Dead, The Executioner's Song clinical depression
Howie Mandel comedian; actor, "St. Elsewhere" obsessive-compulsive disorder
Ann-Margret actress, singer, dancer clinical depression; alcoholism
Craig McCaw telecommunications entrepreneur dyslexia
Herb McCauley professional horse jockey bulimia nervosa
Robert McFarlane national security advisor to former US president Ronald Reagan clinical depression
Sarah McLachlan singer, musician clinical depression
Kristy McNichol actress, "Family", "Empty Nest" bipolar disorder
Edward McVaney president and CEO, JD Edwards dyslexia
Burgess Meredith actor, Winterset, Playboy of the Western World, Major Barbara; director, The Main in the Eiffel Tower bipolar disorder
Kate Millett American feminist leader, writer, Sexual Politics bipolar disorder
Spike Milligan British comedian, writer, Opportunity Knocks, Puckoon, Adolph Hitler: My Part in His Downfall bipolar disorder
Carmen Miranda actress, Streets in Paris, That Night in Rio, The Gang's All Here clinical depression
Marilyn Monroe actress clinical depression
J.P. Morgan American financier bipolar disorder
Alanis Morissette singer, musician clinical depression
(S.P.) Morrissey musician clinical depression
John Mulheren American financier bipolar disorder
Robert Munsch Canadian children's writer, Love You Forever, Paper Boy Princess bipolar disorder
David Murdock American financier, real estate developer, chairman Castle & Cooke, Dole Plantation in Hawaii dyslexia
John Forbes Nash mathematician, author of game theory of economics, winner of 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics schizophrenia (paranoid-type)
Isaac Newton English mathematician and scientist; formulated theory of gravitation bipolar disorder (suspected)
Vaslav Nijinsky Russian ballet dancer, principal dancer Ballets Russes, choreographer, The Rites of Spring schizophrenia
Barbara Niven actress, "Pensacola: Wings of Gold", The Rat Pack bulimia nervosa
Georgia O'Keeffe American modernist painter clinical depression
Eugene O'Neill American playwright, Long Day's Journey into Night, Ah, Wilderness clinical depression
Donny Osmond singer, musician clinical depression; social phobia
Marie Osmond singer, musician clinical depression, post-partum
Dolly Parton country singer, actress clinical depression
Jaco Pastorius musician, electric bass bipolar disorder; alcoholism; substance abuse
George S. Patton US general, WWII military leader clinical depression; dyslexia
Pierre Pladeau Canadian publisher; CEO Quebecor Inc, second-largest commercial publishing, printing, and pulp & paper conglomerate in North America bipolar disorder
Charley Pell former University of Florida (Gators!) football coach clinical depression
Walker Percy American writer, The Moviegoer, The Message in the Bottle; physician, pathologist clinical depression
Murray Pezim "The Pez," Canadian financier, mining promoter bipolar disorder
Pablo Picasso Spanish Cubist artist, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Guernica clinical depression
Jimmy Piersall former baseball player, Boston Red Sox; sportscaster bipolar disorder
Sylvia Plath American confessional poet, Colossus, Ariel; novelist, The Bell Jar clinical depression
Edgar Allan Poe American writer, "The Raven", "The Fall of the House of Usher" clinical depression (speculated); alcoholism
Jackson Pollock American Abstract- expressionist painter, drip painting technique clinical depression; substance abuse
Cole Porter American lyricist, composer of Broadway scores (Anything Goes, Can-Can), "Night and Day", "Begin the Beguine" clinical depression; alcoholism; paranoid delusions; obsessive-compulsive disorder (speculated)
Alma Powell wife of Colin Powell, retired general and current US Secretary of State clinical depression
Susan Powter motivational speaker clinical depression
Lewis Preston banker, former CEO J.P. Morgan, former president World Bank dyslexia
Charley Pride country music singer bipolar disorder; alcoholism
Adam Rickett British actor, "Coronation Street" bulimia nervosa
Joan Rivers comedian, actress clinical depression; bulimia nervosa
Nelson Rockefeller former US vice president dyslexia
Axl Rose singer, musician, member Guns n' Roses bipolar disorder
Roseanne comedian, actress dissociative identity disorder (aka "multiple personality disorder"); obsessive-compulsive disorder; clinical depression; agoraphobia
Mark Rothko artist, modern colour-block painting clinical depression
Winona Ryder actress, The Age of Innocence, Reality Bites, Little Women, The Crucible clinical depression; anxiety
Steve Sax former baseball player, Los Angeles Dodgers social phobia
Charles Schulz cartoonist, creator Peanuts clinical depression
Charles Schwab financier, founder Schwab discount brokerage dyslexia
Anne Sexton American poet, Live or Die, The Death Notebooks clinical depression
Ally Sheedy actress, Bad Boys, St. Elmo's Fire, The Breakfast Club bulimia nervosa; substance abuse
Richard Simmons fitness and nutrition guru (Sweatin' to the Oldies video series), motivational speaker, writer, actor anorexia nervosa;
bulimia nervosa
Carly Simon singer social phobia
Neil Simon American playwright, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite clinical depression
Paul Simon American musician and composer, partner with Art Garfunkel clinical depression
Joey Slinger Canadian journalist, humourist, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star clinical depression
Phil Spector American record producer. Crystals, Ben E. King, Righteous Brothers; songwriter; creator `wall of sound' clinical depression
Alonzo Spellman NFL football player bipolar disorder
Rick Springfield singer; 80's soap opera star: Dr. Noah Drake, "General Hospital"; actor, "High Tides" clinical depression
Rod Steiger actor, Al Capone, Dr. Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, American Gothic clinical depression
Sting (Gordon Sumner) musician, singer, member The Police clinical depression
Darryl Strawberry baseball player, New York Yankees clinical depression
Barbra Streisand singer social phobia
Howard Stern radio talk show host obsessive-compulsive disorder
William Styron American writer, Sophie's Choice clinical depression
Marc Summers television game show host, "Double Dare", "What Would You Do?" obsessive-compulsive disorder
Alfred Taubman real estate developer, auction house owner, art collector dyslexia
James Taylor musician, singer clinical depression
Tracy Thompson journalist, Washington Post clinical depression
Tiberius Emperor of Rome, A.D. 14-37 clinical depression (speculated)
Leo Tolstoy writer, War and Peace clinical depression; hypochondriasis; alcoholism; substance abuse
Spencer Tracy actor, Captains Courageous, Boys Town; starred opposite Katharine Hepburn in Woman of the Year, State of the Union clinical depression; alcoholism
Margaret Trudeau Kemper former wife of former Canadian prime minister, Pierre Trudeau bipolar disorder
Ted Turner founder of CNN, vice chairman of Time-Warner bipolar disorder
Hunter Tylo actress, soap "The Bold & the Beautiful" clinical depression
Dimitrius Underwood NFL defensive bipolar disorder
Jean-Claude Van Damme actor, martial artist bipolar disorder
Vincent van Gogh Dutch Post- impressionist painter, The Potato Eaters, Starry Night clinical depression; bipolar disorder (speculated)
Ben Vereen entertainer, Chicken George in Roots, Broadway musical Pippin clinical depression
Queen Victoria Queen of Great Britain and Ireland (1837-1901) and Empress of India (1876-1901) clinical depression
Kurt Vonnegut American writer, Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse Five clinical depression
Mike Wallace journalist, CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes" clinical depression
George Washington former US president learning disability
Damon Wayans comedian, actor, "In Living Color" clinical depression
Ricky Williams New Orleans Saints running back social phobia
Robin Williams comedian, actor, Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society clinical depression;
learning disability
Tennessee Williams American playwright, The Glass Menagerie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof clinical depression
Brian Wilson musician, member The Beach Boys bipolar disorder
Woodrow Wilson former US president dyslexia
Henry Winkler actor, "The Fonz" in "Happy Days" learning disability
Frank Lloyd Wright American modernist architect, Johnson Wax Co. Building in Racine WI, Guggenheim Museum in New York City clinical depression
Tammy Wynette country singer, songwriter, "Stand by Your Man", Honky Tonk Angels clinical depression;
substance abuse
Bert Yancey professional golfer bipolar disorder
Boris Yeltsin former Russian president clinical depression
Robert Young movie actor, 1940's & 50's, Baby Makes Three; TV actor, "Father Knows Best", "Marcus Welby, M.D." clinical depression; alcoholism

It dates back to Bible times also. alot with depression