Success and Dyslexia: 10 Influential People who forged the way.

Here at Brockway Gatehouse and Bookworm Writing Academy, we know everyone has strengths.

People with learning difficulties such as Dyslexia or who are neurodivergent often feel reluctant to chase careers in the publishing industry.  

But I’m here to say don’t let your differences hold you back; instead, see them as unique keys that unlock your creativity.

Don’t believe me?

There are many aspects of life where Dyslexia is recognised to be an advantage; I have compiled a list of 10 Great Dyslexics.

Photo Collage of 10 influential people with dyslexia

1.   Agatha Christie

black and white photograph of Agatha Christie. The quoted text reads, "I. myself, was always recognized...as the "slow one" in the family. It was quite true and I knew it and accepted it. Writing and spelling were always terribly difficult for me. My letters were without originality. I was...and extraordinary bad speller and have remained so until this day."

Of course, I had o start my list with one of the most successful writers EVER!

It is remarkable to learn that such a famous writer had Dyslexia and continues to be the world’s best-selling author. Born in the South West of England, Agatha wrote over 60 detective novels and The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the world.

Even 30 years after her death, her books are still being reprinted and adapted into films and TV series.

2.   Albert Einstein

This is not a joke.

The most famous scientist to ever walk this planet used to get bad grades at school. He won numerous prestigious prizes, including the Nobel Prize for Physics. You’ve probably heard of the equation E=mc squared, even if you don’t know what it means.

Black and white photograph of Albert Einstein. The quoted text reads, "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

3.   Cher

Photo of Cher. The quoted text reads, "I never read in school. I got really bad grades-Ds and Fs and Cs in some classes, and As and Bs in other classes. In the second week of the 11th Grade, I just quit. When I was in school it was really difficult. Almost everything I learned, I had to learn by listening. My report cards always said that I was not living up to my potential."

The Grammy-winning singer and Academy Award-winning actress struggled at school with her then-unknown learning difficulties. She couldn’t finish her homework quickly, and maths became a foreign language! So, she started to learn by listening. Subsequently, her weakness became a strength, and she used sound to become a superstar.

4.   Jamie Oliver M.B.E.

World-famous chef Jamie Oliver has built a food empire selling books and TV shows together with opening successful restaurants. He has Dyslexia, and despite writing his own books, he apparently never finished reading an entire book until he was 38.

Often, it’s been found that people with Dyslexia find learning by listening more accessible like Cher has. Maybe Jamie learns through his sense of taste and smell.

Photo of Jamie Oliver. The quoted text reads, "School was a struggle for me, people thought I was thick, I really needed someone to help understand my strengths."

5.   Keira Knightley O.B.E.

Photo of Keira Knightley. The quoted text reads, "My spelling makes people laugh but I was lucky to have a teacher who focused on what I was writing, not how I was spelling it. That let me explore my creativity."

Keira was diagnosed with Dyslexia when she was 6 years old. She is still a slow reader and can’t read out loud, but she is an award-winning actress who has made Dyslexia her own. The English starlet has held some of the most recognisable roles in 21st-century cinema, starring alongside Jonny Depp and fellow dyslexic Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean. She has appeared in many films, including Star Wars, Bend It Like Beckham, and Pride and Prejudice. In October 2020, she backed Made By Dyslexia, a global campaign to help teachers address “dyslexic strengths”.

6.   Maggie Aderin-Pocock M.B.E.

Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin-Pocock is a British space scientist, science communicator and educator. She believes having a dream is essential for focusing the mind and encouraging hard work. Maggie still dreams of travelling to space and hopes that this may become a reality in the future. She was also determined to break down the stereotypes surrounding science and make children see that anyone could be a scientist. In 2009, she was honoured by the Queen as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, making her Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE.

Photo of Maggie Aderin-Pocock. The quoted text reads, "My dyslexic thinking means "I don't just think outside the box...I think outside the planet!"

7.   Richard Branson

Photo of Richard Branson. The quoted text reads, "Being Dyslexic can actually help in the outside world. I see some things clearer than other people do because I have to simplify things to hep me and that has helped others."

The entrepreneur and businessman have metaphorically and literally had a meteoric rise through his life, establishing the world-famous Virgin brand. You have probably used his companies somewhere, travelling trains, planes or automobiles. Richard Branson has grabbed hold of his ability to see the bigger picture; sometime soon, we will all see it in space travel.

8.   Steven Spielberg

The director and producer have sculpted modern cinema. It was not always easy for him as learning to read took him two years longer than his classmates. In recent years he has spoken about his Dyslexia and returned to college in his fifties to complete a degree.

Photo of Steven Spielberg. The quoted text reads, "Being diagnosed with Dyslexia at age 60 was "like the last puzzle part in a tremendous mystery that I've kept to myself all these years."

9.   Whoopi Goldberg

Photo of Whoopi Goldberg. The quoted text reads, "The advantage is that my brain sees and puts information in my head differently, more interestingly than if I saw like everyone else." Whoopi Goldberg on her Dyslexia

Her real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson. The dyslexic actress has won virtually every award going. Despite the difficulty of learning her lines, she became the second African American woman to win an Oscar. She was made famous for her performance in ‘The Colour Purple’, which hit the screens in 1985. Since then, she has flourished, even attaining an Open University degree, which she often studied between takes on film sets.

10.  Winston Churchill

When we talk about ‘inspirational,’ there are few better than the former two-time Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. He famously led the country through The Second World War and was a historian and writer. If becoming Prime Minister wasn’t enough, he also wrote many books, eventually winning a Nobel Prize in Literature for his life’s work.

I’ll finish with film director, Steven Spielberg’s words of advice and a quote from actor, Orlando Bloom:

“You are not alone, and while you will have Dyslexia for the rest of your life, you can dart between the raindrops to get where you want to go.

It will not hold you back.”

Steven Spielberg
Photo of Orlando Bloom. The quoted text reads, "The challenge of dyslexia--the challenge of climbing that mountain--is something that you can make your own and make it a reason to be a winner in life."

Don’t forget to wave your dyslexia flag especially throughout Dyslexia Awareness Week organised by the British Dyslexia Association.

If you have been diagnosed with dyslexia or any other neurodivergence that makes writing a challenge and want to publish a book. Get in touch.

About Kim

I'm Who Am I? I'm a woman of many talents and interests!! Of course, who isn't?! I've just had my 50th birthday, I live in England with one husband and two daughters. I own my own editing business (Brockway Gatehouse) while still working part-time as a Teaching Assistant at a local primary school.​ I love reading (obviously), listening to audiobooks, watching documentaries about the natural world and ancient history plus films of many genres.
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