Despite its debilitating effects, many sufferers of Parkinson's disease have enjoyed considerable achievement in a wide variety of fields. They include champion athletes, award-winning actors and actresses, acclaimed singers and musicians, respected authors and artists and prominent heads of state.
Athletes
The most famous athlete to suffer from Parkinson's disease is Muhammad Ali, the American boxing champion. But athletes with Parkinson's have excelled in many different sports, like Basil D'Oliveira, a South African cricket player, and Eugenio Monti, a world champion bobsledder, with 10 championship victories. There have also been famous sports announcers, including Lindsay Nelson, an American baseball broadcaster famous for his coverage of the New York Mets.
Actors
Among actors with Parkinson's, the most prominent is undoubtedly Michael J. Fox, the American actor who starred in the "Back to the Future" movies. Another famous American actor and voice-over artist, Vincent Price, also had the disease. Actors outside of the United States include British actress Anna Neagle, acclaimed for her work on both stage and screen, and James Doohan, the Canadian character actor best known for his portrayal of "Scotty" on the original Star Trek.
Musicians
The best-known musician to have suffered from Parkinson's is Johnny Cash, the American singer/songwriter who enjoyed a late-career resurgence despite his illness. Close behind is Maurice White, the American singer from popular band Earth, Wind & Fire; he enjoyed a successful solo career after his departure from the band. In classical music, British violinist Albert Sammons, of the London Orchestra, is one of the best-known musicians to have had Parkinson's.
Writers and academics
Arthur Koestler, British anti-Communist author and academic, famously ended his own life after suffering from Parkinson's for many years. Other prominent European intellectuals include Giulio Natta, Italian Nobel laureate for chemistry. More recently, Billy Graham, the American evangelist pastor, for many years continued to act as pastor to a number of U.S. presidents despite the illness. And in 2002, Michael Kinsley, American journalist and political pundit, and co-host of CNN's "Crossfire," announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's.
Politicians and heads of state
Adolf Hitler, the infamous Nazi Germany head of state, has been alleged by biographer Ian Kershaw to have been afflicted with Parkinson's. More certain is the diagnosis of Mao Zedong, founder and first leader of the Chinese Communist Party. George Patton IV, American army general and son of the former General George Patton, suffered from the illness, as did George Wallace, the American pro-segregation politician who ran for president multiple times. Recently, Lane Evans, former representative to the United States House, retired from his post due to the disease.
Artists
Charles Schulz, cartoonist and creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip, suffered from Parkinson's disease, as did Ralph McQuarrie, futurist and set designer of "E.T." and "Star Wars". In classic art, surrealist Salvadore Dali was believed to have suffered from the illness based on a number of symptoms. More certain were the diagnoses of Bernard Buffet, the French expressionist painter, and José Bernal, Cuban painter.
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