The terms «famous» and «left-hander» are both subjective judgments. For this page, «famous» means that someone steeped in American culture will recognize most of these names, and «left-handed» is a loose common classification meaning to write with and/or use the left hand for manual tasks. A few of the people listed here might be better described as «ambidexterous». I would like to expand this list to include «famous left-handers» of many cultures and activities. YOU CAN HELP by nominating «famous left-handers» that are not included on this page: Click here to submit a new name! This page is posted for entertainment purposes. Information pertaining to my research, my on-line Hand Preference Questionnaire, my Curriculum vitae, or my Internet Underground article, "The World of Sinistral Subterfuge", may be found at other sites. The top menu for these pages is: http://www.indiana.edu/index.html   gauche! Left-Handers in Society... Left-Handers speak to parents, educators, employers, physicians, manufacturers, et al. about problems associated with being a left-hander in a right-handed society. Add your comments! -- M.K. Holder, Ph.D.

International Left-Handers Day 13 August

Left-Handed U.S. Presidents
James A. Garfield  (1831-1881) 20th
Herbert Hoover  (1874-1964) 31st
Harry S. Truman  (1884-1972) 33rd
Gerald Ford  (1913-    ) 38th
Ronald Reagan  (1911 -    ) 40th
George H.W. Bush  (1924-    ) 41st
Bill Clinton  (1946-    ) 42nd
Barack Obama  (1961-    ) 44th

Left-Handed U.S. Politicos
Senator Bill Bradley, Rhodes scholar, basketball star
McGeorge Bundy, presidential advisor
Benjamin Franklin, statesman/publisher/scientist
Steve Forbes, businessman/publisher
Jean-Marc Froidevaux ?, Swiss politician
Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Supreme Court Justice
Senator Daniel Inouye
Anthony Kennedy, Supreme Court Justice
Alan Keyes, US Senator, US Ambasador
Brigadier Gen. Lee Hsien Loon, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
John McCain, US SenatorB
Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense
Col. Oliver North, White House aid
H. Ross Perot, businessman
William Perry, Secretary of Defense
Nelson Rockefeller, Vice President
Senator Hugh Scott
Robert Wagner, New York mayor
Henry Wallace, Vice President
[Senator Bob Dole - switched to left due to injury]

Miscellaneous Left-Handers
Joan of Arc (?), French heroine
Lloque Yapanqui (?), Inca monarch
Ramses II (?), Egyptian pharaoh
Tiberius (?), Roman emperor
Alexander the Great
Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor
Julius Caesar, Roman general
Napoléon Bonaparte (?), French emperor
Josephine de Beauharnais
King Louis XVI of France
Queen Victoria of England
King George II of England
King George VI of England
Prince Charles of England
Prince William of England
Fidel Castro, Cuban leader
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime-minister
Ehud Olmert, Israeli prime-minister
Nicole d'Oresme, mathematician
Henry Ford, automobile manufacturer
David Rockefeller, banker
Dwight F. Davis, founder of the Davis Cup in tennis
Helen Keller, advocate for the blind
Dr. Albert Schweitzer, physician/missionary
August Piccard, inventor of stratosphere, bathosphere
Edwin Buzz Aldrin, astronaut
Wally Schirra, astronaut
Dr. Mark Silver, surgeon
Paul Prudhomme, chef
Cecil Beaton, photographer/costume designer
Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts (ambidexterous)
Dave Barry, journalist
David Broder, journalist
Edward R. Murrow, correspondent
Ted Koppel, journalist
Forrest Sawyer, journalist
Ray Suarez, journalist
John F. Kennedy, Jr., lawyer/publisher
Caroline Kennedy, lawyer/author
Ron Reagan, son of Ronald Reagan
Vin Scully, sports broadcaster
David Letterman (?), host
Jay Leno, host
Lenny Bruce, comedian
Allen Ludden, host
Joel Hodgson, host of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Wink Martindale, game show host
Uri Geller, psychokinetic performer
Richard Simmons, exercise guru
Euell Gibbons, naturalist
Marie Dionne, one of the Dionne quintuplets
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Clarence Darrow, lawyer
F. Lee Bailey, lawyer
Melvin Belli, lawyer
Marcia Clark, lawyer
Alan Funt, television producer
Milt Caniff, cartoonist
Bill Mauldin, cartoonist
Cathy Guisevite, cartoonist
Matt Groening, cartoonist
Jean Plantureux (Plantu), political cartoonist
Pat Oliphand, political cartoonist Ronald Searle, cartoonist
Pat Robertson, evangelist/politician
N.B. Forrest, Confederate general
John Dillinger, criminal/bank robber
Boston Strangler (Albert Henry DeSalvo), serial killer
Jack-the-Ripper, serial killer
John Wesley Hardin, Western gunslinger
Bart Simpson, cartoon character
[King Edward III of England, due to stroke]

Left-Handed Authors
James Baldwin, novelist
Bet Bowen, horror novelist
Peter Benchley, novelist
Lewis Carroll
Richard Condon, novelist
Jean Genet
Marshall McLuhan
Diane Paul
Helen Hooven Santmyer, novelist
Viktoria Stefanov
Samuel C. Warner (?), poet
H.G. Wells
Jessamyn West
Eudora Welty, see One Writer's Beginnings (1983:27)
[Thomas Carlyle - switched to left due to injury]

Left-Handed Musicians
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, composer
David Byrne (Talking Heads)
Glen Campbell
Vicki Carr
Natale Cole
Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
Phil Collins (Genesis)
Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)
Dick Dale (guitarist)
Don Everly (The Everly Brothers)
Phil Everly (The Everly Brothers)
Bela Fleck, jazz musician
Glenn Frey (the Eagles)
Eric Gale, guitarist
Noel Gallagher (Oasis) (?)
Errol Garner, jazz pianist
Judy Garland
Crysal Gayle
Kevin Griffin, guitarist & lead singer (Better than Ezra)
Thomas Hedley, vocalist/musician
Jimi Hendrix
Isaac Hayes
Tony Iommi, guitarist (Black Sabbath)
Albert King, guitarist
Melissa Manchester
Chuck Mangione, trumpet
Martina McBride ?, country music singer
Paul McCartney (the Beatles; Wings)
Christie Marie Melonson (opera)
George Michael (Wham!)
Peter Nero, conductor
Joe Perry ? (Aerosmith)
Robert Plant (Led Zepplin)
Cole Porter, song-writer
Sergei Rachmaninoff ?, composer
Maurice Ravel ?, composer
Lou Rawls
John Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols / Public Image Ltd.)
Rich Szabo, trumpeter
Seal
Ringo Starr (?) (the Beatles)
Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel)
Tiny Tim
Rudy Valee
Lenny White, drummer
Paul Williams, song-writer

Left-Handed Artists
Albrecht Dürer
M.C. Escher
Hans Holbein
Paul Klee
Michelangelo
LeRoy Neiman
Raphael
Leonardo da Vinci (RH paralyzed?)

Left-Handed Actors
Don Adams
Dan Aykroyd
Eddie Albert
Tim Allen
June Allyson
Harry Anderson
Amitabh Bachchan, Indian actor
Herschel Bernardi
Robert Blake
Matthew Broderick
Bruce Boxleitner
Carol Burnett
George Burns, comedian
Ruth Buzzi, comedienne
Keith Carradine
Khaled Chahrour, Egyptian actor
Charlie Chaplin
George Gobel, comedian
Chuck Conners
Hans Conreid
James Cromwell
Tom Cruise
Quinn Cummings
Daniel Davis
Bruce Davison
Matt Dillon
Marty Engles, comedian
Olivia de Havilland
Robert DeNiro
Michael Dorn
Fran Drescher, comedian
Richard Dreyfuss
W.C. Fields
Larry Fine ? (of the Three Stooges)
Peter Fonda
Greta Garbo
Terri Garr
Paul Michael Glaser
Whoopie Goldberg
Betty Grable
Cary Grant
Peter Graves
Mark Hamill
Rex Harrison
Goldie Hawn
Joey Heatherton
Tippi Hedren
Jim Henson, puppetteer
Kermit the Frog
Rock Hudson
Angelina Jolie
Shirley Jones ?
Gabe Kaplan
Danny Kaye
Diane Keaton
George Kennedy
Nicole Kidman
Lisa Kudrow
Michael Landon
Hope Lange
Joey Lawrence
Peter Lawford
Cloris Leachman
Hal Linden
Cleavon Little
Shirley MacLaine
Andrew McCarthy
Kristy McNichol
Steve McQueen
Howie Mandel, comedian
Marcel Marceau, mime
Harpo Marx
Marsha Mason
Mary Stuart Masterson
Anne Meara, comedian
Sasha Mitchell
Marilyn Monroe
Robert Morse
Anthony Newley
Kim Novak
Ryan O'Neal
Sarah Jessica Parker
Estelle Parsons
Anthony Perkins
Ron Perlman
Luke Perry
Bronson Pinchot
Joe Piscopo, comedian
Robert Preston
Michael J. Pollard
Richard Pryor, comedian
Robert Redford
Keanu Reeves
Don Rickles, comedian
Julia Roberts
Mickey Rourke
Eva Marie Saint
Telly Savalas
Jean Seberg
Jerry Seinfeld, comedian
Christian Slater
Dick Smothers, comedian
Brent Spiner
Slyvester Stallone ?
Terence Stamp
Jessica Steen
Rod Steiger
Alan Thicke
Terry Thomas, comedian
Emma Thompson
Rip Torn
Peter Ustinov
Brenda Vaccaro
Karen Valentine
Rudy Vallee
Dick Van Dyke
Graham Walker a.k.a. Grumbleweeds, English comedian
Wil Wheaton
James Whitmore
Treat Williams
Bruce Willis
William Windom
Oprah Winfrey
Mare Winningham
Joanne Woodward
Keenan Wynn
Stephanie Zimbalist

Left-Handed Athletes
 SOCCER
Jans van Breukelen (soccer)
Dan Burbott (?) (soccer)
Johan Cruyff (soccer)
Willem van Hanegem (soccer)
Hernan Medford (soccer)
Pelé -Edson Arantes do Nascimento (soccer)
Diego Armando Maradona (soccer)
Romario (soccer)
Hugo Sanchez (soccer)
Richard Witschge (soccer)
 CRICKET
Alan Border (cricket)
Alistair Campbell (cricket)
Denis Compton (cricket)
Saurav Ganguly (cricket)
David Gower (cricket)
Gary Sobers (cricket)
 OLYMPIC SPORTS
Francis X. Gorman (diving)
Greg Louganis (diving)
Mark Spitz (swimming)
Bruce Jenner (decathlon)
Nikita Kohloff (wrestling)
Dorothy Hamill (skating)
 GOLF
Bonny Bryant (golf)
Bob Charles (golf)
Russ Cochran (golf)
Connie Decker (golf)
NOT Ben Hogan (golf), who is included on many published lists
 FENCING
Cécile Argiolas (fencing)
Laura Flessel-Colovic (fencing)
Fabrice Gazin (fencing)
Matthieu Gourdain (fencing)
Fabrice Jeannet (fencing)
Giuseppe Mangiarotti (fencing)
Hugues Obry (fencing)
Anne-Lise Touya (fencing)
Adeline Wuilleme (fencing)
 CYCLING
Thomas Voeckler (French), cyclist
 HOCKEY
Tom Barrasso
Phil Esposito
Cam Neely
Terry Sawchuk
Roman Turek
 BOWLING
Bill Allen (bowling)
Patrick Allen (bowling)
Earl Anthony (bowling)
Mike Aulby (bowling)
Steve Cook (bowling)
Patty Costello (bowling)
Dave Davis (bowling)
Cara Honeychurch (bowling)
Tish Johnson (bowling)
Johnny Petraglia (bowling)
Andy Varipapa (bowling)
 BILLARDS
Steve Mizerak, Jr. (billiards)
Kun-Fang Lee (billiards)
Bonnie Arnold (billiards)
Reynaldo Grandee (billiards)
 BADMINTON
Erik Poul Hoejer (badminton)
Peter Rasmussen (badminton)
Donna Stacey (netball)
 BOXERS
Carmen Basilio (boxing)
James "Gentleman Jim" Corbett (boxing)
Marvin Hagler (boxing)
Oscar de la Hoya (boxing)
Reggie Johnson (boxing)
Rafael "Bazooka" Limon (boxing)
Freddie Miller (boxing)
Jacker Patterson (boxing)
Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker (boxing)
 DRIVERS
Johnny Herbert (Formula 1 driver)
Terry Labonte (NASCAR race car driver)
Ayrton Senna (Formula 1 driver)
Karl Wendlinger (Formula 1 driver)
Valentino Rossi (motorcycle racer)
 AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Frankie Albert (Am.football)
Terry Baker (Am.football)
Mark Brunell (quarterback)
Bobby Douglass (Am.football)
Norman "Boomer" Esiason (Am.football)
Jim Del Gaizon (Am.football)
David Humm (Am.football)
Paul McDonald (Am.football)
Scott Mitchell (Am.football)
Gayle Sayers (Am.football)
Allie Sherman (Am.football, coach)
Kenny Stabler (Am.football)
Steve Young (Am.football)
Jim Zorn (Am.football)
 BASKETBALL
Nate Archibald (basketball)
Walter Berry (basketball)
Larry Bird (basketball)
Adrian Branch (basketball)
Calbert Cheaney (basketball)
Dave Cowens (basketball)
Adrian Dantley (basketball)
Charles "Lefty" Driesell (basketball)
Mark Eaton (basketball)
Nick Van Exel (basketball)
Gail Goodrich (basketball)
Ron Kellogg (basketball)
Toni Kukoc (basketball)
Bob Lanier (basketball)
Brad Lohaus (basketball)
Harold Minor? (basketball)
Dick Motta (basketball)
Chris Mullen (basketball)
Sam Perkins (basketball)
Digger Phelps (basketball)
Willis Reed (basketball)
Guy Rodgers (basketball)
Bill Russell (basketball)
Wayman Tisdale (basketball)
Bill Walton (basketball)
Lenny Wilkins (basketball)
Manuel Zuleta (basketball)
 TENNIS
Kenneth Carlsen (tennis)
Jimmy Connors (tennis)
Norman Brookes (tennis)
Courtney De Mone (tennis)
Guy Forget (tennis)
Andres Gomez (Santos) (tennis)
Goran Ivanesivic (tennis)
Rod Laver (tennis)
Henri LeConte (tennis)
John McEnroe (tennis)
Thomas Muster (tennis)
Martina Navratilova (tennis) - ambidexterous
Manuel Orantes (tennis)
Niki Pilic (tennis)
Renee Richards (tennis)
Marcello Chino Rios (tennis)
Monica Seles (tennis)
Roscoe Tanner (tennis)
Guillermo Vilas (tennis)
Mark Woodforde (tennis)
 BASEBALL
Steve Carlton ? (pitcher)
Whitey Ford (pitcher)
Paul Gibson (pitcher)
Lefty Grove (pitcher)
Ron Guidry (pitcher)
Al Habrosky (pitcher)
Steve Howe (pitcher)
Bruce Hurst (pitcher)
Carl Hubbell (pitcher)
Randy Johnson (pitcher)
Tommy John (pitcher)
Bob Kipper (pitcher)
Joe Magrane (pitcher)
Greg Swindell (pitcher)
Brady Anderson (baseball)
Steve Avery (baseball)
Harold Baines (baseball)
Barry Bonds (baseball)
Wade Boggs ? (baseball)
Lou Brock (baseball)
Brett Butler (baseball)
Will Clark (baseball)
Ty Cobb (baseball)
Adrian Dantley (basketball)
Lenny Dykstra (baseball)
John Franco (baseball)
Tom Glavine (baseball)
Lefty Gomez (baseball)
Leon "Goose" Goslin (baseball)
Ken Griffey, Jr. (baseball)
Tony Gwynn (baseball)
Rickey Henderson (baseball)
Kent Hrbek (baseball)
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson (baseball)
Reggie Jackson (baseball)
David Justice (baseball)
Wally Joyner (baseball)
Sandy Koufax (baseball)
John Kruk (baseball)
Kenny Lofton (baseball)
Fred Lynn? (baseball)
Kevin Maas (baseball)
John McGras (baseball)
Fred McGriff (baseball)
Heinie Manush (baseball)
Dave Martinez (baseball)
Don Mattingly (baseball)
Jackie Mitchell (baseball)
Stan Musial (baseball)
Troy O'Leary (baseball)
Paul O'Neil (baseball)
John Olerud (baseball)
Mel Ott (baseball)
Rafael Palmeiro (baseball)
Dan Pasqua (baseball)
Babe Ruth (baseball)
"Neon" Deion Sanders (baseball/Am.football)
Warren Spahn (baseball)
Casey Stengel (baseball)
Darryl Strawberry (baseball)
Lou Whitaker (baseball)
Ted Williams (baseball)
Fernando Valenzuela (baseball)
Tommy Lasorda (baseball manager)

DISCLAIMER Much of the information contained herein is comprised of common knowledge; other information has been verified by historical references. While absolute accuracy of this information cannot be guaranteed, a good faith effort has been made to ensure validity. Again, the terms famous and left-hander are both subjective judgments. If you find errors, please report them to me via e-mail.      contact information More information about handedness may be found on my other web pages. I do not have time to reply to individual e-mails about homework or science projects; instead, see my online Research Guide. For those of you concerned that the icon is of a right hand, it is not. If you ink a left palm, and press the hand onto paper, the result is the LEFT HAND PRINT image you see used as an icon on this page.

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