Famous People with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) formerly known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata), is a chronic, potentially debilitating disease that affects your brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

There is as yet no cure for MS. Many patients do well with no therapy at all, especially since many medications have serious side effects and some carry significant risks. However, three forms of beta interferon (Avonex, Betaseron, and Rebif) have now been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of relapsing-remitting MS.

A physician may diagnose MS in some patients soon after the onset of the illness. In others, however, doctors may not be able to readily identify the cause of the symptoms, leading to years of uncertainty and multiple diagnoses.

Multiple sclerosis affects an estimated 300,000 people in the United States and probably more than 1 million people around the world. MS effects twice as many females as males.

Famous People with Multiple Sclerosis:

Richard Pryor - Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III (December 1, 1940 � December 10, 2005) was an American comedian, actor, and writer. He is also regarded as the most important stand up comedian of his time. Pryor grew up in his grandmother's brothel, where his mother, Gertrude L. Thomas, practiced prostitution. His father, LeRoy "Buck" Pryor (a.k.a. Buck Carter) was a former bartender, boxer, and World War II veteran who worked as his wife's pimp. In 1991, Pryor announced that he had been suffering from multiple sclerosis since 1986. In response to giving up drugs after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, he said: �God gave me this M.S. sh*t to save my life".

Donna Fargo - (born Yvonne Vaughan on November 10, 1945 in Mount Airy, North Carolina) is a country music singer and songwriter. She is best known by pop fans for her 1972 country/pop crossover hit "The Happiest Girl In the Whole USA." Fargo's follow-up song, "Funny Face", proved to be another Country/Pop crossover hit. In 1979, Fargo announced that she had multiple sclerosis, yet vowed to fight it and continue on with her career. Although seldom discussing health issues in interviews, the disease appears to have been in remission for many years. Fargo has long been a source of inspiration for others similarly afflicted.

William Hartnell - William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 � 23 April 1975) was an English actor, the first actor to play the lead role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell was cast as the first of eight actors to portray TV's Doctor Who. This internationally popular sci-fi series made Hartnell a star all over again however multiple sclerosis forced him to relinquish the role to Patrick Troughton in 1966. Hartnell entered the theatre in 1924 working under Frank Benson. In 1928 he appeared in the play Miss Elizabeth's Prisoner, by R. N. Stephens and E. Lyall Swete, along with the actress Heather McIntyre. Doctor Who earned Hartnell a regular salary of �315 per episode by 1966. In comparison, his co-stars Anneke Wills and Michael Craze earned �68 and �52 per episode at the same time. In early 1975, he suffered a series of strokes brought on by cerebrovascular disease and died peacefully in his sleep of heart failure on 23 April 1975 at the age of 67.

Clive Burr - (born March 8, 1957, East Ham, East London) was the drummer in the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Clive had a unique style of drumming when playing for Iron Maiden, often he would craft fills and beats which closely followed the riffs played by the bass and guitars. Excellent examples of this are "Phantom of the Opera","Wrathchild" and "Genghis Khan". Clive used Ludwig drums and Paiste Cymbals on the first two Maiden albums. His most recognised kit was his 1982 custom Tama kit used on the "Beast on the Road Tour". Burr has since been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the treatment of which left him deeply in debt. Iron Maiden staged a series of charity concerts and were involved in the founding of the Clive Burr MS Trust Fund.

Alan Osmond - Alan Ralph Osmond (born June 22, 1949) was a member of the 1970s music group The Osmonds and the head of the Osmond Family. Osmond dated the Carpenters' lead singer, Karen Carpenter. He married Suzanne Pinegar on July 16, 1974; they have eight sons. Alan kept the Osmond Brothers together for almost 40 years. Throughout the 1970s, he made every crucial decision and managed to keep a steady, equal pay for his younger brothers. Because of Donny Osmond's break with the group, Alan and the other members of the group were unable to perform live for almost two years. Eventually Alan was unable to perform due to multiple sclerosis. In 2000, Alan received the Dorothy Corwin Spirit of Life Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Socity.

Margaret Leighton - (February 26, 1922 � January 13, 1976) was an English actress. Leighton's Broadway debut was as the Queen in Henry IV (1946) starring Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson during a visit to America of the Old Vic company, which performed a total of five plays from its repertoire before returning to London. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in Separate Tables (1956); she won another Tony in that category for The Night of the Iguana (1962), playing Hannah Jelkes opposite Bette Davis as Maxine Faulk. Margaret Leighton died of multiple sclerosis, aged 53, in Chichester, West Sussex.

Jonathan Katz - (born December 1, 1946 [1]) is an American comedian, actor, and voice actor who is best known for his starring role in the animated sitcom Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. In 1996, Katz was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The initial symptoms began in 1996: "I was working on a TV show called Ink with Ted Danson, and after every episode we would take a curtain call and I noticed that I needed a head-start." Over time, he found it difficult to hide his physical condition behind his jokes: "I was producing a show, and it was too physical a job for me to get from one location to another and I had to pretend I could keep up with everybody. My manager and attorney said, 'In Hollywood you can't be old or sick.' Hiding his condition became too much of a burden for Katz and he eventually disclosed it. Now he speaks publicly as part of a tour sponsored by a manufacturer of medications used to treat MS.

David "Squiggy" Lander - (born June 22, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, composer, musician, and baseball scout. David is also the Goodwill Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Lander has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies including The Bob Newhart Show, Barney Miller, Happy Days, Married... with Children, Twin Peaks, The Weird Al Show, Mad About You, as well as voice roles for animation films like The Big Bang, A Bug's Life and the animated TV series Galaxy High as the six-armed Milo de Venus.

Barbara Jordan - (February 21, 1936 � January 17, 1996) was an American politician from Texas. She served as a congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. In 1973, Jordan began to suffer from multiple sclerosis. She had difficulty climbing stairs, and she started using a cane and eventually a wheelchair. She kept the state of her health out of the press so well that in the KUT radio documentary Rediscovering Barbara Jordan, former president Bill Clinton stated that he wanted to nominate Jordan for the United States Supreme Court, but by the time he could do so, Jordan's health problems prevented him from nominating her.

Alastair Hignell - (born September 4, 1955) Hignell is the son of a former Hampshire footballer. He won blues at Cambridge at both cricket and rugby union, and by the time he graduated from university in 1977 he had already made several England appearances at full back. He made his England debut in 1975 in a brutal encounter with Australia in Brisbane - eight days later he was playing for Gloucestershire against Middlesex at Bristol and five weeks later he made 60 in the Varsity match. Hignell continued to play and teach until he moved into journalism full time and became a respected reporter, as well as working extensively on BBC Radio. In 1999, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and has since been an active fundraiser.

Allan Eagleson - (born April 24, 1933) Eagleson is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, former politician, hockey agent and promoter, known for his role in promoting the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, the Canada Cup (now the World Cup of Hockey), and his representation of famous hockey players such as Bobby Orr. Although initially lauded as a hero for improving the lot of NHL players, his reputation was all but destroyed after it was revealed that he had used his position to defraud his clients and line his own pockets for years while acting as a virtual dictator of the NHLPA.

Annette Funicello - (born October 22, 1942) Annette is an American singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular Mouseketeer, and went on to appear in a series of beach movies. When she was cast in her first beach movie, Walt Disney himself (for the sake of her virginal image) asked her not to appear in any provocative scenes or wear any attire that showed her navel. She (perhaps unintentionally) did not fully comply with the latter request. Annette Funicello has been battling Multiple Sclerosis since 1987.

Joe Torsella - (born October 8, 1963) is President and CEO of the National Constitution Center located on Philadelphia�s Independence Mall. Currently serving his second term as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, Torsella led the Center from 1997-2003, and returned in 2006. Under Rendell, Torsella developed and implemented financial and labor reforms that led the city toward a fiscal rebound that the New York Times called "one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent urban history".

Montel Williams - (born July 3, 1956) Montel is an American celebrity and former television talk show host. Williams enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1974 and completed his recruit training at MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina. While training at Twentynine Palms, he was selected for training at the Naval Preparatory School. Williams was the first African American to attend the prestigious prep school. A year later, he was accepted into the United States Naval Academy. Williams served on board the USS Sampson during the U.S. invasion of Grenada. His awards include the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, two Navy Expeditionary Medals, two Humanitarian Service Medals, a Navy Achievement Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals and two Meritorious Service Medals. After 12 years of military service he departed as a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy.

Paul Wellstone - (July 21, 1944 � October 25, 2002) Wellstone was a two-term U.S. Senator from the U.S. state of Minnesota and member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. Before being elected to the Senate in 1990, he was a professor of political science at Carleton College. He served in the Senate from 1991 until his death in a plane crash on 25 October 2002, 11 days before he was to stand in the midterm US senate election. His wife, Sheila, and daughter, Marcia, also died in the crash. They had two other grown children, David and Mark, who now co-chair the Wellstone Action nonprofit group.

Carrel Cowan-Ricks - historical archaeologist and anthropologist - I have it on good authority that she did NOT have MS, she had Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus).

Victoria Williams - (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer/songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. She gained fame for her descriptive songwriting talent, which she has used to immerse the listener of her songs into a vivid feeling of small-town, rural Southern upbringing and life. In 1993, Williams' life took a dramatic turn when she learned that she was suffering from multiple sclerosis.

David Humm - (born April 2, 1952) is a former professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and the Baltimore Colts. He played college football at the University of Nebraska�Lincoln. Humm, 49, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1988 and lost the use of his legs in 1997, when he called the Raiders to tell them he would have to resign after two seasons as the color commentator on their radio broadcasts because he no longer would be able to travel to games.

Jacques Raverat - (1885 � 1925) was a French painter. He married the English painter Gwen Darwin, in 1911, the daughter of George Darwin and granddaughter of Charles Darwin. They had two daughters, Sophie (born ca. 1919) who married the Cambridge scholar Mark Pryor, and Elisabeth (born 1916), who married the Norwegian politician Edvard Hambro. He suffered from a form of multiple sclerosis. In 2004, his grandson, William Pryor edited the complete correspondence between Raverat, his wife and Virginia Woolf which was published as Virginia Woolf and the Raverats.

Joan Didion - (born December 5, 1934) Joan Didion is an American writer. Famous for her journalism, essays, and novels. Didion contributes regularly to The New York Review of Books. In a 1979 New York Times review of Didion's collection The White Album, critic Michiko Kakutani noted, "Novelist and poet James Dickey has called Didion 'the finest woman prose stylist writing in English today. Didion is the author of five novels and eight books of nonfiction. Her early collections of essays, Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968) and The White Album (1979) - a book described in one review as helping to define California as "the paranoia capital of the world" -made her famous as an observer of American politics and culture with a distinctive style of reporting that mixed personal reflection and social analysis. This led her to be associated with members of the New Journalism such as Tom Wolfe and Hunter S. Thompson, though Didion's ties to that movement have never been considered particularly strong.

Carl Laemmle, Jr. - (28 April 1908 � 24 September 1979) Carl was in charge of production at Universal Studios from about 1928 to 1936. He was the son of Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Pictures. Laemmle, called �Junior�, by his friends and family, developed a reputation for spending too much money at the studios on several films that did not earn back their cost. By the end of 1935, the studio had spent so much and had so many flops that J. Cheever Cowdin proposed to buy out the Laemmles. The great success, financially and critically, of the 1936 screen version of Show Boat, was not enough to correct the downslide, and the two Laemmles, father and son, were both forced out of the company. Neither of them worked on another film again, despite the fact that Carl, Jr. lived another forty-three years.

John Medica - Born March 18, 1969 in Toronto, ONT, Canada. He has been involved in some well known movies such as 1989 Movie Renegades. Filming Locations: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Logline: An undercover cop and a Native American Indian team up to recover a sacred spear. John started acting at a young age. CBC after school shows My Secret identity 1988, War of the Worlds television show (1988), Super dave (1988). John was diagnosed with MS at age 40.

Adam Riedy - US Speed Skater

Alison Peebles - Actress most famous for her Taggart role

April Arvan - Basketball Coach

Betty Cuthbert - Olympic Gold Medallist, Sprinting

Beverly Graham - singer, charity worker

Bobby Thompson - Banjoist

Brenda Gildehaus - champion BMX bike rider

Brian Irvine - Scottish soccer player

Bruno Tassan Din - Italian publisher

Bryan Forbes - actor, writer, director (married to Nanette Newman)

Cathy Weis - Dancer

Charlie Courtauld - British newspaper columnist (Independent on Sunday)

Chrystal Gomes - stand up comedienne

Cindy O'Connor - Poet

Clay Walker - Country and western singer

Clifford T.Ward - Singer/songwriter

Dan Carnevale - American Footballer

Danny Wallace - Soccer Player

Danny Wallace - ex Southampton and Manchester United Footballer

David "Teddy" Thomas - Cricketer

David Maclean - UK Conservative MP - Chief Whip

Dean Singleton - Newspaper Magnate

Deanna Davis - Basketball player and coach

Deborah Bruening - writer

Deborah Downey - Cabaret Performer

Denise Davis - Singer

Diana Markham - Novelist

Donal Coghlan - singer/songwriter

Doug Robinson - Novelist

Emily Mann - director and playwright

Eric Simons - mountaineer

Ernie McAlister - US Politician

Eve Hayes - actress

Fausto Rocha - Brazilian TV Actor

Fiona MacTaggart - British Politician (Labour MP for Slough)

Frank DuBois - New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture 1989-, champion teamroper

Fred Hughes - Andy Warhol's financeer and manager

Frieda Inescort - actress

Guido Crepax - Italian comic

Hal Ketchum - Country & Western Singer

Heinrich Heine - German poet (1797-1856) posthumously diagnosed with MS

Henry Steele - Basketball Player

Ivalio Iordanov - Bulgarian International soccer player

Jackie Bertone - percussionist for Beach Boys

Jackie Waldman - Author and motivational speaker

Jacqueline Creed Archer - Civil rights activist

Jacqueline du Pre - cellist

James LaRocca - Guitarist with MS

James Scofield - poet

Javier Artero - Spanish soccer player

Jennifer Huget - Washington Post journalist

Jim Oelschlager - financeer and philanathropist

Jim Poulin - Basketball Coach

Jimmy Heuga - Olympic skier

Joan Sweeney - children's author

John Mythen - cartoonist and writer

John Pageler - author

John Robson - Footballer

Johnny Killen - 1960s singer

Joseph Hartzler - Chief prosecutor for the Oklahoma bombing case

Judy Graham - author

Judy Grahn - poet

Karen G. Stone - Author

Kathryn Lindskoog - author

Keith Snyder - composer, performer, and author

Kelly Sutton - racing driver

Ken Novak - Basketball coach

Kevin Stevenson - Singer/Guitarist

Khiawatha Downey - American Footballer

Larry Tucker - Film and TV writer and producer (incl. The Monkees, Alice B. Toklas and Bob & Carol)

Laura Mitchell - Public policy analyst, consultant and writer

Lena Horne - Actress and singer

Lisa Peck - Mountain bike rider (5th in 2000 Masters World Mountain Bike Championships)

Lola Folana - singer

Louise Arters - Actress (one of the Sparkle Twins)

Luca Coscione - Italian Politician

Lucien Herv� - Architectural Photographer

Lydwina of Schieden - Dutch patron Saint of Ice Skaters (1400AD) The earliest written record of someone with MS

Madeline Rhue - Actress

Maggie Weder - Golfer

Marianne Gingrich - ex-wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich

Martin Bruch - Photographer

Mary Mullarkey - Colorado State Supreme Court Chief Justice

Maureen Manley - Olympic Cyclist

Maxine Mesinger - Newspaper gossip columnist, Houston Chronicle

Melanie Lawson - Anchorwoman, Ch.13 Houston

Michael Blake - Hollywood screenwriter, "Dances with Wolves"

Michael Frimkess - Potter

Michael R. Duval - Investment Banker and White House Lawyer Under Nixon and Ford

Michel Dupuis - Canadian football player (linebacker for Ottawa, Winnipeg & Toronto)

Miquel Martm i Pol - Catalan poet

Mitch Terpstra - Athlete and Althetics Coach

Nancy Mairs - novelist

Natalie Mandzhavidze - NASA Physicist

Neil Cavuto - lead anchor on Fox News Channel

Nicky Broyd - BBC Radio Journalist

Nicola Griffith - Author

Norah Vincent - Journalist

Paul Novoselick - Chronicle staff writer and columnist

Paul Willey - Virtual Golf Champion

Paul Wolfskehl - 19th century German industrialist and amateur mathematician

Rachelle Breslow - author

Rich Warden - Racecar Driver

Richard Berghammer - Wildlife Painter

Richard Cohen - journalist (married to actress Meridith Viera)

Richard Radtke - Scientist and Winner Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering

Robert "Wingnut" Weaver - Actor

Robin Gurr - poet

Roger MacDougall - British playwright

Roland 'Chubby' Cloutier - TV Entertainer

Roman Gabriel - American football player (Los Angeles Rams 1962-72)

Ronald Rogers - Concert Pianist

Ronnie Lane - musician with The Faces (Rod Stewart's old band)

Sarah P. Gibbs - Biologist - Winner of 2003 Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal

Sean Coman - (Sean Donahue) - Californian disk jockey

Sharon Summerall - model (married to Don Henley (singer with The Eagles)

Sir Augustus Frederic D'Este - (1794-1848) - grandson of King George III of England, 1st documented case of MS

Stan Belinda - baseball player

Stanley Elkin - writer

Stanley Knowles - Canadian Politician (1942-1984)

Stephanie Stephens - golfer

Stephen White - Author

Stewart Henry - UK disc-jockey

Susan Kisslinger - Author

Tamia - R&B singer (Grammy Nominee)

Teri Garr - Actress (Young Frankenstein, Tootsie, Close Encounters and others)

Valerie Jankowski Skrabut - artist and musician.

Victor Willing - Artist

Vince Smith - Country singer Vince Smith had a hit record with a song called "My Annette" after his friend and idol Annette Funicello. Vince now has MS.

Wally Wakefield - Ski jumper and sports columnist

Wayne Dobson - magician

Wendy Carol Roth - Television producer, writer and Advocate for the Disabled

Wendy Lill - Canadian Politician

William Newman - artist

Yury Tynianov - Russian Novelist and literary critic.

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