2. Winston Churchill (Nov. 30, 1874 – Jan. 24, 1965) – The great British politician and statesman admitted that he constantly struggled to control his stutter. He must have been successful at it since he became one of the best orators ever, who inspired his countrymen to resist the German attacks on their homeland in World War Two.

3. Claudius (Aug. 1, 10 BC –Oct. 13, 54 AD) – As a child, Claudius’ stutter was already obvious so his family did not have plans for him to hold public office. But he became a consul of his nephew, Caligula, as a young adult. When Claudius spoke, he stammered usually when stressed, making his speech difficult to understand. But he was a competent administrator and was named the fourth Roman emperor from AD 41 until he died in AD 54.

4. Demosthenes (384–322 BC) – The Greek orator and statesman had a speech impediment as a boy, but that didn’t stop him from making a speech to the Greek public when he was of the right age. He had by then controlled his stutter, but his oratory left a lot to be desired and he was duly mocked by his listeners. An old man by the name of Eunomus comforted and encouraged Demosthenes by telling him that his diction was similar to that of the general and orator Pericles. Demosthenes then took steps to improve his oration by talking with pebbles in his mouth and reciting verses while running. He also tried to speak above the sound of the waves on the seashore. Soon enough he became known as one of the greatest orators in Greece, whom Cicero described as “the perfect orator.”

5. Anthony Hopkins (Dec. 31, 1937 - ) – The great Welsh actor admits that “I used to stammer and lisp and dribble at the mouth.” Not only did he have this speech impediment, he also suffered from dyslexia. In effect Hopkins disliked school and would rather draw, paint, play the piano. Hopkins’ fellow Welshman, the actor Richard Burton, encouraged him to become an actor and so he did starting at age 15. His acting on stage, television and on the big screen soon earned him raves. His most famous film role is that of the psychopath Dr.Hannibal Lecter in the movie Silence of the Lambs for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1992.

6. James Earl Jones (Jan. 17, 1931) – When he was five years old, Jones acquired a stutter. It was so severe that when he enrolled for the first time in grade school, he stopped talking until high school. But one of his high-school teachers encouraged him to talk in public after finding out Jones’ talent for writing poetry. His teacher forced Jones to read a poem in class every school day until he got over his embarrassment and learned to control his stutter. Jones is famous for being the voice of the Star Wars’ films villain Darth Vader and that of Mufasa in The Lion King. Jones also acted on stage and TV.

7. William Somerset Maugham (Jan. 25, 1874 – Dec. 16, 1965) – The cause of Maugham’s stammer might have been the early death of his mother when he was only eight and that of his father when he was 10. His paternal uncle took care of him but he was emotionally cold and cruel. Maugham was ridiculed for his stammer but he developed a skill for insult on those who rubbed him the wrong way, a talent that is also found in his writing. Maugham became one of the most popular writers of his generation and was said to be the highest-paid English writer in the 1930s.

8. Moses (1391–1271) – Some experts interpret Bible passages that they say indicate Moses had a stutter – that placing a burning coal in his mouth made him “slow and hesitant of speech” (Exodus 4, verse.10). Moses must have overcome his speech impediment since he became the inspirational leader of the Jews on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.

9. Scatman John (March 13, 1942 – Dec. 3, 1999) – The jazz musician and poet, whose real name is John Paul Larkin, had a traumatic childhood because of his stammer. At age 12 he learned to play the piano and this helped him in the process of “turning my biggest problem into my biggest asset.”He later developed a way of scatting that made him popular in the music scene. His first single was Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop), which he meant to inspire children who had speech impediments. The song sold six million copies all over the world.

10. Bruce Willis (March 19, 1955 – ) – When Willis was a teenager, his parents divorced. The emotional trauma must have caused his stutter. He was teased in school and called Buck-Buck for his stammer. But he found out that when he acted on stage, his stutter disappeared. He joined the drama club and became student council president. Willis is now one of Hollywood’s highest paid actors, commanding at least million per picture.