Several of the world’s most influential celebrities and thinkers live, or have lived, with Autism. They have found success and become household names while living with Autism. These individuals have succeeded in the world by embracing their ASD and giving people the world over the gift of science, art, activism, and entrepreneurship. Without their contributions, our society would look much different than it does today.
Daryl Hannah is a 52-year-old actress who was diagnosed with Autism as a young child. She has acted in several popular movies, including Wall Street, Blade Runner, and the Kill Bill movies. Hannah is now very engaged in environmental activism, and she has participated in several protests and created a blog called DHLoveLife about sustainability.
Albert Einstein did not receive any formal diagnoses during his lifetime, though many believe he showed signs of Autism and ADHD. During his career, Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize for his identification of the photoelectric effect, and he was also widely celebrated for his theory of relativity. He also explored atomic theory and atomic energy, though he played no direct role in the creation of the atomic bomb.
Susan Boyle is a Scottish singer who rose to fame after appearing on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009. She was misdiagnosed as a child and only received a proper Asperger’s (now Autism Spectrum Disorder) diagnosis at age 51 in 2012. Boyle has had a very successful career as the first British female artist to have a number one album in both the UK and US at the same time. Her first album, I Dreamed a Dream, became the fastest-selling global debut album after selling two million copies in the week after its 2009 release.
Temple Grandin, an animal scientist and consultant to the livestock industry, has played an important role in improving the ethics of the meat industry and spreading Autism awareness. She was diagnosed with Autism as an adult long after being misdiagnosed as a child. Grandin says she feels connected to livestock animals because she understands their anxiety from feeling threatened by their surroundings. She invented new tools and methods for handling livestock to alleviate the animals’ anxiety.
Elon Musk hosted Saturday Night Live in May 2021 and shared in his opening monologue that he was “the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL”. Musk is the entrepreneur behind successful companies such as Tesla and SpaceX and is deeply involved with Dogecoin, a digital currency. Time magazine featured him as their 2021 person of the year and named him one of the most influential people in the world. He has also appeared on Forbes’ billionaires list.
Greta Thunberg is a 19-year-old environmental activist from Sweden who is diagnosed with OCD and Autism Spectrum Disorder, which she says is her superpower. In 2018, she individually began a school climate strike movement to demand the Swedish Parliament reduce carbon emissions. It became a global movement called Fridays for Future that people participate in around the world. Thunberg, Time’s 2019 person of the year, is also known for her activism on social media. She has also given TED Talks and speeches at UN conferences and the World Economic Forum.