15 Famous, Inspiring People in History Who Had Schizophrenia

NETHERLANDS - JANUARY 01: Vincent Van Gogh. Self-portrait. Oil on canvas (1889). 65 x 54,5 cm. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) [Vincent Van Gogh, Selbstportrait. Gemaelde. 1889]

Although there continues to be stigma around mental illness, in recent years, more and more people have shared their stories through social media. Celebrities have been more transparent with their mental struggles, oftentimes discussing depression and anxiety disorders out in the open.

But one disorder that isn’t talked about as frequently is schizophrenia, and that may be for two reasons: One, less than one percent of the U.S. population has been diagnosed with this chronic brain disorder. And secondly, the troubling symptoms can be more difficult to talk about. Signs of schizophrenia can include hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, and an altered perception of reality.

Several celebrities and historical figures have dealt with the disorder, some diagnosed during their lifetimes and others posthumously.

If you or someone you know has schizophrenia, it might help you feel less alone knowing that these 10 movers and shakers struggled with the same disorder and were able to accomplish amazing things in their lives.

Related: 20 Things Not to Say to Someone with Schizophrenia

Famous People With Schizophrenia

Zelda Fitzgerald

As the wife of The Great Gatsby writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and a talented writer and artist in her own right, Zelda Fitzgerald is best-known for her flamboyant, glitzy lifestyle as a flapper in the 1920s, and equally for her volatile marriage. Although she was considered an “it girl” back in the day, Zelda privately suffered several mental breakdowns, and at the age of 30, was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia. She spent nearly two decades of her life in psychiatric hospitals before her death at 47.

Related: Meet the Man that May Have Inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald to Write The Great Gatsby

John Nash

Many of us don’t expect our mental health difficulties to be depicted on the silver screen, but that is the case for John Nash, the brilliant mathematician and Nobel Prize winner. Russell Crowe captured his struggles with schizophrenia in A Beautiful Mind. Nash was thankful for his disorder, saying that it helped spark his mathematical discoveries.

Related: The Best Movies Ever Made About Mental Health

Bettie Page

Famous for her scandalous 1950s pin-up photos, Bettie Page is considered by many to be a trailblazer. Even though she appeared vivacious and carefree in her photos, she reportedly heard voices, and in the 1970s, the symptoms of her eventually diagnosed schizophrenia became more apparent. She even had a violent altercation with her landlady in 1982 that led to her being sentenced to a psychiatric hospital for 10 years.

Vincent van Gogh

Between his reported hallucinations and hearing voices, many historians agree that the brilliant artist Vincent van Gogh had schizophrenia. He was prone to psychotic episodes, especially within the last two years of his life, but even with all his personal difficulties, he managed to produce 2,100 stunningly beautiful works of art, including the world-famous painting The Starry Night.

Related: Willem Dafoe Is an Unforgettable Vincent van Gogh in At Eternity's Gate

Veronica Lake

As a 1940s bombshell known for her film noir roles in "The Blue Dahlia" and "Saigon" and her signature blonde, wavy hair, Veronica Lake dealt with demons behind the scenes. Diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child, Lake continued to make movies into the 1960s and 70s before her death in 1973. She continues to be a revered Hollywood icon.

Donny Hathaway

Soul legend Donny Hathaway—who Justin Timberlake has dubbed the best singer of all time—was famous for his infectious Maude theme song, as well timeless hits like "This Christmas" and his collaborations with Roberta Flack (including "You've Got a Friend," "Where Is the Love," "The Closer I Get to You" and a cover of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"). He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the height of his career. At one point, Hathaway reportedly was prescribed 14 different medications to manage his condition—and he did show some improvement to his mental health when he stuck to his regimen.

Unfortunately, Hathaway stopped taking his medication altogether, leading to estrangement from his family and a decline in his career. He was hospitalized several times between 1973 and 1977, his family recalled in Unsung, and he died by suicide in January 1979.

Related: How Much Do You Really Know About Schizophrenia?

Jack Kerouac

Jack Kerouac, the “Beat Generation” novelist and author of On the Road, was diagnosed with “dementia praecox,” an older term for schizophrenia, before he entered the Navy. He was deemed unfit for military service, and instead, just a couple years later in 1947, he went on the epic road trip that became the inspiration for his celebrated novel.

Clara Bow

Silent film star Clara Bow was widely admired in the 1920s for her fashionable look and glittering lifestyle as a flapper. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia, the same disorder her mother struggled with, and unlike other fellow actors, she successfully made the transition to “talkies” and enjoyed a successful career.

Related: Clara Bow's Family Speaks Out on Taylor Swift Song About Her

Ol' Dirty Bastard

Rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard was a member of the highly influential hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan and enjoyed solo success as well, with hits including "Got Your Money," "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" and the game-changing "Fantasy" remix by Mariah Carey.

Known for his eccentric and at times erratic behavior (like storming the stage 11 years before Kanye West could ever dream it up, interrupting singer Shawn Colvin's 1998 Grammys acceptance speech to announce that Wu-Tang is "for the children"), he was also a hero in many respects, like when he organized a group of onlookers to help him lift a car after an accident in which a child was trapped underneath. (He reportedly visited the child in the hospital under an assumed name several times after the incident.)

In between stints on the charts, ODB also had stints in jail, often for drug-related offenses, and he was diagnosed with schizophrenia after a three-month hospitalization in 2003. Sadly, he died in 2004 of complications stemming from a crack cocaine addiction.

Related: Study Reveals What May Be the Most Important Tool for Mental Health

Joey Ramone

Born Jeffrey Ross Hyman, Ramones frontman and founder and punk rock legend Joey Ramone was diagnosed with schizophrenia and obsessive compulsive disorder when he turned 18. While psychiatry certainly helped Hyman, those who knew him said music was what helped him the most with his mental health, and he said himself that "rock and roll was [his] salvation."

Related: 100 Best Rock Bands of All Time

Mary Todd Lincoln

Though Mary Todd Lincoln, American first lady and wife to Abraham Lincoln, was not diagnosed with schizophrenia during her lifetime, historians surmise that this could have been the root cause behind her sudden and unexpected mood shifts and emotional flare-ups. She lived a difficult life, between losing children and then losing her husband, but she was well-known for being driven, passionate, and continually supportive of her husband’s political career.

Related: 115 of Abraham Lincoln's Most Memorable Quotes in Honor of Presidents Day

Jake Lloyd

Jake Lloyd starred as the young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. He retired from acting two years after the blockbuster release, citing bullying from the press and public about the movie. In 2008, after suffering auditory and visual hallucinations of being followed, he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

In June 2015, Lloyd was arrested for reckless driving and resisting arrest after refusing to stop at a red light and spawning a high-speed police chase in South Carolina. His mother later told TMZ that at the time of his arrest, police refused to administer Lloyd's psychiatric medication.

Lloyd's mother later revealed that the former actor's mental health suffered even more after his sister's death in 2018. In May 2023, Lloyd reportedly had a "psychotic break" and turned off his mother's car in the middle of a busy freeway. He was hospitalized and sent for inpatient treatment for 18 months, which his mother has said made a significant improvement on his mental health.

Related: 100+ Star Wars Trivia Questions and Answers

Aaron Carter

Another child star who struggled, Aaron Carter revealed in 2019 that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, multiple personality disorder (also called dissociative identity disorder) and schizophrenia.

Carter became a platinum-selling pop star when he was just nine years old with hits like "How I Beat Shaq" and made headlines in the early 2000s with his love triangle with Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff. Frequently in the shadow of his older brother, Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter, and from an unstable family with a history of addiction, Aaron struggled with substance abuse and mental illness in adulthood.

Carter died in November 2022 at age 34.

Sir Isaac Newton

By studying his letters, experts agree that Sir Isaac Newton, the man who discovered gravity, had schizophrenia. In the late 1600s, the scientist struggled with abrupt mood changes, delusions, and psychotic episodes. In addition to his gravity discovery, Newton is also credited with inventing calculus and building telescopes.

Related: Free Mental Health Resources

Lionel Aldridge

It can be easy to imagine that Lionel Aldridge, a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers in the late 1960s and early 70s, seemed on top of the world as a two-time Super Bowl champion. But privately, he dealt with schizophrenia that led to him becoming homeless later in his life. Before his death at 56, Aldridge had become an inspirational speaker, detailing his experiences with schizophrenia.

Next, 10 Ways to Help a Loved One With Schizophrenia