This list of famous left handed people includes everyone from ancient Greek philosophers, to modern day musicians, movie stars and entrepreneurs.
Settle in and grab your coffee, because it’s going to be a long one!
Something I quickly noticed when researching this article is that there is a lot of false information out there on the topic. It’s very easy to do a quick google image search to find out whether someone is left handed or not. It would seem that a lot of other lists of left handed people have not been properly fact checked, or just copy-pasted from other lists, wrongly assuming that they are correct.
Since assuming anything on the internet is a dangerous game, I have made sure to check each of the celebrities below to make sure that they are actually left handed people. To do this I located images of them clearly using their left hand when signing autographs or writing.
At the end of this article you’ll also find a list of famous left handed celebrities who regularly appear in left handed lists, but who aren’t actually southpaws themselves – imposters!
Famous Left Handed People
I have arranged this list by first name, so apologies if you would have preferred it by surname.
Let’s dive in to this gold mine of left handedness!
Adam Levine
Adam Levine is an American musician, best recognised as being the lead singer in pop-rock band Maroon 5. He is also known for being a long-serving coach on reality talent show The Voice.
Furthermore, he has also dabbled in acting, having appeared in hit shows such as American Horror Story. In addition, Adam also owns his own record label, fragrance line, and menswear range. Busy guy!
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian movie actor and producer, tv host, and former politician.
He is widely regarded as being one of the greatest and most accomplished actors in the rich history of Indian cinema. He has appeared in over 200 movies throughout a career spanning in excess of 5 decades!
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress, moviemaker, and humanitarian. She has been named Hollywood’s best paid actress on numerous occasions, and has won several accolades, including three Golden Globe awards and an Academy award.
Some of her most notable roles include playing Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider franchise, Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted, and Gia Carangi in Gia.
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox is a Scottish-born singer-songwriter, political activist, and philanthropist. She found fame in the 1980s as part of pop-duo the Eurythmics, with songs such as ‘Sweet Dreams’, ‘There Must Be An Angel’, and ‘Here Comes The Rain Again’.
Annie has also enjoyed success as a solo artist with songs such as ‘No More I Love You’s’ and ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’. She has been named the most successful female British artist in the history of UK music.
Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth was an American professional baseball player, with a career spanning 22 seasons from 1914 until 1935.
This famous left handed slugger is recognised by many as being the greatest baseball player of all time, and was one of the first to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was the first African-American president of the United States, and 44th overall, serving from 2009 until 2017. He is one of a long list of left handed recent USA presidents.
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller is an American movie star, comedian, producer, director, and screenwriter. To date, he has been involved in over 50 movies, including Zoolander, There’s Something About Mary, Meet The Parents, Dodgeball, and the Night at the Museum film series.
Throughout his career he has won numerous awards, including an Emmy, several MTV movie awards, and a Britannia award.
Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is an American-born writer, known for his humorous books on travel, science, language, and other non-fiction subjects.
He is widely praised for his ability to explain scientific topics to the every day Joe, with his book ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ in particular receiving numerous awards.
Bill Clinton
Another left handed person, Bill Clinton was the 42nd serving president of the United States from 1993 until 2001.
Before being elected as president he was governor of Arkansas from 1971 to 1981, and prior to that, attorney general of Arkansas. He left his role of president with the highest end-of-office approval rating of any U.S president since 1945.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates is best known as being the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation. In addition, he is a prolific investor, author, and philanthropist.
With the exception of just two years, he held the title of the world’s most wealthiest person from 1995 until 2017.
Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof is an Irish singer-songwriter and political activist. In the 1970s he found fame in the rock band the Boomtown Rats, where he was the lead singer.
In 1984 he co-founded the charity supergroup Band Aid with the aim of raising money to help with famine in Ethiopia. The following year he organised the legendary Live Aid concert to continue raising funds for Ethiopia.
Bruce Willis
Next up in our list of famous people who are left handed is Bruce Willis, an American actor and movie producer. To date, he has appeared in over 70 movies, with his most recognisable role being action hero John McClane in the Die Hard franchise.
Other notable movie credits include Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys, The Fifth Element, and The Sixth Sense. He has received numerous awards over his impressive career, including a Golden Globe, two Emmys, and two People’s Choice awards.
Cardi B
Cardi B is an American rapper and songwriter. She originally found popularity on Vine and Instagram, and was later signed to Atlantic Records after appearing on Love & Hip Hop: New York, a VH1 reality tv series.
Her debut album in 2018 reached number one on the Billboard charts, and was named the top female rap album of the decade. She has received numerous accolades including a Grammy, 8 Billboard Music Awards, and 5 American Music Awards amongst others.
Christian Slater
Christian Slater is an American actor and producer. He made his movie debut in 1985 playing Binx in ‘The Legend of Billie Jean’, and later gained wider popularity thanks to his role in the 1989 satire ‘Heathers’.
Other notable movies he has appeared in include ‘True Romance’, ‘Interview With The Vampire’, ‘Broken Arrow’, and ‘Hard Rain’. Throughout his career he has won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe, and 2 MTV Movie Awards.
Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is probably best known for his roles as Dr. Raymond Stantz in the Ghostbusters franchise, and for playing Elwood in the Blues Brothers movies.
He is also part of the Blues Brothers band, which has been touring since 1978. In addition he also co-founded the ‘House Of Blues’ chain of music venues, and the vodka brand ‘Crystal Head’.
David Bowie
David Bowie was an English singer-songwriter, as well an an actor. He is widely regarded as being one of the most important and influential musicians of the 20th century.
He is also recognised as being one of the best selling artists of all time, having shifted over 100 million records worldwide. Following his death in 2016, Rolling Stone magazine named him the ‘Greatest Rock Star Ever‘.
David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller was an American banker. He was the chief executive and chairman of Chase Manhattan Corporation, one of the big four banks of the United States.
He passed away in 1917 aged 101, and had amassed an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion.
Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid is an American actor.
Notable movies that he has appeared in include The Big Easy, Frequency, Far From Heaven, The Special Relationship, and Dragonheart. He is the younger brother of actor Randy Quaid (also a natural lefty!).
Diane Keaton
Diane Keaton is an American actress and movie-maker. She first found fame through her roles as Kay Adams-Corleone in the Godfather trilogy of movies. Other notable movies in which she appears include ‘Play It Again, Sam’, ‘Manhattan’, ‘The First Wives Club’, and ‘Father of the Bride’.
Throughout her career she has won numerous awards, including 2 Golden Globes, a Bafta, an Academy Award, and the AFI Life Achievement Award.
Eminem
Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers III) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is recognised as being one of the greatest rap artists of all time and has sold over 220 million records worldwide at the time of writing – making him also one of the best-selling music artists of all time!
In addition, he has also appeared in a string of movies including the hit 2002 semi-autobiographical film ‘8 Mile’. One of many left handed rappers in this list!
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, producer, author, and comedian. Notable movies that she has appeared in include the Harry Potter franchise, Sense and Sensibility, Love Actually, Howards End, and Saving Mr. Banks.
Throughout her career she has received numerous accolades, including 2 Golden Globes, 2 Academy Awards, 3 BAFTAs, and an Emmy.
George H.W. Bush
George H.W. Bush was the 41st president of the United States, serving from 1989 until 1993. In addition, he also served as the 43rd vice president under Ronald Reagan from 1981 until 1989.
He was the first incumbent vice president to go on to become president since 1836, when Martin Van Buren achieved the same feat.
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 until 1977. Prior to this, Ford also served as the 40th united states vice president under Richard Nixon.
To this day, Gerald Ford is the only person to have served as both vice president and president without being elected by the Electoral College.
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn is an American actress, producer, singer and dancer. Notable movies that she has appeared in include Cactus Flower, The First Wives Club, Death Becomes Her, Shampoo, and Private Benjamin.
She has won an Academy Award, as well as a Golden Globe, and was also recently inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay is a Scottish-born chef, television personality, and writer. His global restaurant group ‘Gordon Ramsay Restaurants’ has been recognised with 16 Michelin stars in total, and at the time of writing, holds 7.
As a TV personality, he is best known for hosting competitive cookery and food shows such as Hell’s Kitchen, and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. In 2020, Forbes ranked him as being the 19th highest-earning celebrity in the world.
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman is an Australian actor, producer, and singer. As a movie-star, he is probably best known for playing Wolverine in the X-Men franchise.
Other notable films that he has appeared in include ‘The Prestige’, ‘Les Misérables’, ‘The Greatest Showman’, and ‘Kate & Leopold’. Throughout his career he has received numerous awards, including a Grammy, and a Golden Globe.
James Cameron
James Cameron is a Canadian movie director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his big-budget sci-fi films such as Terminator 1 & 2, Aliens, and Avatar.
He is also known for directing and writing the critically acclaimed ‘Titanic’, which was the highest grossing movie of all time until Avatar overtook it in 2010! In addition, Cameron is also an environmentalist and owns numerous sustainability businesses.
James Cromwell
James Cromwell is an American actor and activist. Movies that he is best known for include ‘L.A Confidential’, ‘The Green Mile’, ‘Babe’, and ‘The Artist’.
He is also known for his roles in television shows such as ‘American Horror Story’, ‘Six Feet Under’, and ‘Boardwalk Empire’. He has been awarded and nominated for numerous accolades including an Emmy and a Canadian Screen Award.
Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander is an American actor, comedian, director and presenter. He is undoubtedly best known for his role as George Costanza in the hugely successful ‘Seinfeld’ television comedy series.
Other notable roles include playing Philip Stuckey in Pretty Woman, and the lead character in the nominated series Duckman. He has also had a successful career both starring in and directing musicals.
Jay Leno
Jay Leno is an American tv host, comedian, and writer. After gaining popularity as a stand-up comic, he went on to become the host of talk show ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’, and subsequently “The Jay Leno Show’.
He is a huge car and motorcycle enthusiast, and currently hosts ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’. In 2014 he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the Hunger Games series of movies, and in the X-Men franchise. Other notable movies she has appeared in include American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook, Mother!, and Red Sparrow.
She was the world’s highest paid actress in both 2015 and 2016, and has been awarded many accolades, including an Academy Award and 3 Golden Globes (at the time of writing).
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Saunders is an English actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She is best known for her roles as herself in the sketch show ‘French and Saunders’, and Edina Monsoon in the sitcom ‘Absolutely Fabulous’.
Throughout her career she has won several awards, including 3 BAFTAs, a People’s Choice Award, and a British Comedy Award.
Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Renner is an American actor and singer. He is probably best known for his role as Hawkeye in several of the Marvel universe movies. In addition, he has appeared in 2 movies from the Mission Impossible franchise, The Bourne Legacy, American Hustle, and Hansel and The Hurt Locker, amongst others.
He has been nominated for several prestigious film awards, and has won several, including a Film Critics’ Choice award for his role in American Hustle.
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld is as American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is undoubtedly best known for playing himself on the hit U.S comedy ‘Seinfeld’.
Famously, Seinfeld was the first ever tv actor to rake in US$1 million per episode when the sitcom was at the height of its popularity. At the time of writing he is the host of the popular show ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’.
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix is widely regarded as being one of the most influential and celebrated musicians of the 20th century. Rolling Stone has ranked him as being the greatest guitar player of all time.
If asked to name a few famous left handers, Jimi Hendrix would surely be on most people’s lists! Although naturally left handed, he was actually forced not to write with his left hand as a child.
Joan of Arc
One to take with a pinch of salt, as the only ‘evidence’ of her left handedness is through hand-writing analysis and artistic depictions.
Joan of Arc was born around 1412, and famously led the French army to victory against the English in 1429 at Orléans when they were attempting to defeat France during the Hundred Years’ War.
John McEnroe
John McEnroe is a former American professional tennis player. He is famous for his fiery temper on court, which often landed him in trouble with tennis umpires and regulators.
He ended his career on an impressive 77 single and 78 doubles titles, and also attained the world number one ranking in both divisions. Since retiring from professional tennis, he taken on commentating roles as well as coaching current players.
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She has appeared in over 20 movies, but is best remembered for her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Other notable movies she starred in include Meet Me in St. Louis, A Star Is Born, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Summer Stock.
She also released 8 studio albums, and hosted her own show – The Judy Garland Show. She died in London in 1969 aged 47 from an accidental overdose.
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts is an American actress and producer. She gained popularity after starring in the hit romantic comedy Pretty Woman. Other notable movies she has appeared in include Erin Brockovich, Notting Hill, Ocean’s 11 & 12, Runaway Bride, and My Best Friend’s Wedding amongst many, many others.
She has won several awards over her impressive career, including 3 Golden Globes and an Academy Award (at the time of writing).
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and author. Hit movies that she has appeared in include Nine Months, Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Big Lebowski, Magnolia, Still Alice, and The Hunger Games series.
Throughout her career she has received numerous accolades, including two Emmys, 2 Golden Globes, and an Academy Award. (at the time of writing). As an author, she also has a successful series of children’s books which were also adapted into a musical.
Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber is a Canadian singer who was accidentally discovered on YouTube at a young age. His first album My World 2.0, debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200, making him the youngest solo male artist to achieve this feat since Stevie Wonder in 1963.
At the time of writing he has sold over 150 million albums worldwide, and has received numerous accolades including 2 Grammys, 21 MTV Europe Music Awards, and 20 Billboard Music Awards.
Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson is an American actress, author and fashion designer. She gained popularity through her role as Penny Lane in the hit 2000 movie Almost Famous. Other notable films she has appeared in include How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, You, Me and Dupree, Mother’s Day, and Music.
Kate has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including a Golden Globe for her performance in Almost Famous. She is the daughter of actress Goldie Hawn (another entry in this list of famous left handed celebrities!).
Keanu Reeves
Our left handedness quest continues with Keanu Reeves, a well known Canadian actor. He made his movie debut in the 1986 sports-drama Youngblood, but didn’t receive widespread popularity until his role in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure in 1989.
Keanu is probably most well known for his role as Neo in the Matrix trilogy. He has established himself as a movie action hero, with leading roles in films such as Speed, Point Break, and the John Wick series.
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was an American musician, known for being the frontman of legendary rock band Nirvana. He is widely considered as being one of the most influential and iconic rock stars of all time.
To date, Nirvana has sold in excess of 75 million records worldwide, making them one of the best selling bands ever. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Kurt died in 1994 aged 27 from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is one of the world’s best selling music artists, having sold over 200 million records at the time of writing. With the exception of her debut record (which reached number 2), all of her albums have reached the number one position in the U.S charts.
As an actress, she has starred in ‘A Star Is Born’ alongside Bradley Cooper, and received a Golden Globe for her performance in in the miniseries ‘American Horror Story’.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo Da Vinci was an Italian painter, sculptor, and theorist. He is widely regarded as being one of the greatest painters of all time, and is also credited with having founded the High Renaissance. His ‘Mona Lisa’ artwork is generally thought of as being the world’s most famous painting.
In addition, his ‘Last Supper’ painting is the most reproduced religious artwork of all time. Furthermore, he also made several substantial discoveries in anatomy, engineering, geology, hydrodynamics and other fields.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. She is undoubtedly best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay (and her twin sister Ursula) in Friends, one of the most popular television shows of all time.
She has also appeared in and directed a number of other tv shows and movies, such as ‘Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, The Opposite of Sex, Kabluey, and The Comeback.
M.C. Escher
M.C. Escher was a Dutch artist, famous for his detailed and mathematically inspired works that create unusual optical and conceptual effects. Although not fully appreciated during his lifetime, he has become one of the most celebrated artists of all time.
In total, he produced some 2000 drawings and sketches, as well as around 450 wood engravings, woodcuts, and lithographs.
Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill is an American actor and writer. He is undoubtedly best known for his roles as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series of movies. He has also appeared in other films such as Corvette Summer, and The Big Red One, as well as various theater productions.
In addition he has leant his voice to many animated movies, such as Batman: The Animated Series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Regular Show.
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg is an American actor, producer, and former musician. Although beginning his career in the group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, he transitioned into acting and became one of Hollywood’s leading male stars.
Well known movies that he has appeared in include Boogie Nights, The Perfect Storm, Planet of the Apes, The Departed, and The Italian Job. He was the world’s highest paid actor in 2017 and has received numerous accolades throughout his career. He also co-owns the restaurant and bar chain ‘Wahlburgers’ with his two brothers.
Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Tim Canterbury in The Office television series, and as Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit movie trilogy.
Other notable films that he has appeared in include Love Actually, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Captain America: Civil War. Throughout his career he has received numerous accolades, including an Emmy, a BAFTA, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova is a Czech-American former professional tennis player and coach. She is widely recognised as being one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She held the world number one position for a total of 332 weeks in singles, and 237 weeks in doubles.
Throughout her career she won a total of 59 major titles, and holds the record for most Grand Slam titles won by a single player. Incredibly, she won her last major title in 2006, just weeks before her 50th birthday!
Matt Dillon
Next up in the list of left handedness is Matt Dillon, an American actor and movie director. He made his feature movie debut in 1979s Over The Edge, and went on to cement himself as a teen idol in films such as My Bodyguard, Little Darlings, and The Outsiders.
Other notable movies that he has appeared in include There’s Something About Mary, Wild Things, You, Me and Dupree, and Crash.
Matt Groening
Matt Groening is an American animator, cartoonist, writer, and producer. He is best known as being the creator of The Simpsons, the longest running television series in history.
In addition he is also the creator of the popular Futurama and Disenchantment animated television shows. Throughout his career has been awarded many accolades, including 13 Emmys and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick is an American actor. He is probably best known for his role as Ferris Bueller in the 1986 comedy movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Other films he has appeared in include The Cable Guy, Godzilla, Inspector Gadget, and WarGames.
He also famously voiced adult Simba in The Lion King. Throughout his career he has been awarded with several accolades, including 2 Tony Awards, and a place on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor and director. He is particularly well known for his distinctive deep voice, which has resulted in him undertaking many roles as narrator. Notable movies that he has appeared in include The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en, Unforgiven, Amistad, Invictus, and The Dark Knight trilogy.
Throughout his impressive career he has gained many awards, including a Golden Globe, an Academy Award, and he has also been inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman is an American-born Australian actress, producer, and singer. She first gained fame through her breakout role in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm. Other notable movies that she has appeared in include Days of Thunder, Far and Away, Eyes Wide Shut, The Others, Batman Forever, and Moulin Rouge.
Throughout her career she has received an impressive 5 Golden Globes, 2 Emmys, and an Academy Award amongst others. In 2020, the New York Times placed her as the fifth greatest actor of the 21st century.
Nikola Tesla
