List of people with epilepsy



This is a list of notable people who have, or had, the medical condition epilepsy. Following from that, there is a short list of people who have received a speculative, retrospective diagnosis of epilepsy. Finally there is a substantial list of people who are often wrongly believed to have had epilepsy.

Epilepsy and greatness

A possible link between epilepsy and greatness has fascinated biographers and physicians for centuries. In his Treatise on Epilepsy, the French 17th century physician Jean Taxil refers to Aristotle's "famous epileptics". This list includes Heracles, Ajax, Bellerophon, Socrates, Plato, Empedocles, Maracus of Syracuse, and the Sibyls. However, historian of medicine Owsei Temkin argues that Aristotle had in fact made a list of melancholics and had only associated Heracles with the "Sacred Disease". Taxil goes on to add his own names: Roman Emperor Caligula, Drusus, and Petrarch. Neurologist John Hughes concluded that the majority of famous people alleged to have epilepsy did not in fact have this condition.

Certain diagnosis

The following categorized chronological list contains only those people for whom a firm and uncontested diagnosis was made during their lifetime.

Acting


NameLifeCommentsReference
Bud Abbott1895–1974Famous comedian who had epilepsy all his life, but tried to control and hide it.
Ward Bond1903–1960A film actor. His epilepsy led to his exclusion from the draft during World War II.
Boryslav Brondukov1938-2004A Ukrainian film character actor, People's Artist of Ukraine. Epilepsy seizures from 1998
Danny Gloverborn 1946An actor and film director who had epilepsy from age 15 to age 35.
Margaux Hemingway1955–1996A film actress and model who had epilepsy from the age of seven. Her death was attributed to suicide by an intentional overdose of phenobarbital, which is an anticonvulsant, but see the footnoted article for an alternative explanation.
Martin Kempborn 1961Actor and former bassist with the pop band Spandau Ballet. He developed epilepsy after having two brain tumours in the 1990s.
Pete Duel1940–1971A television and film actor whose epilepsy is thought to have been brought on during adolescence by head injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Rik Mayall1958–2014A comedian and actor who was seriously injured and put in a coma for five days after a quad bike accident in 1998. Initially prescribed phenytoin prophylactically, he later had two seizures which were possibly caused by not taking his medication.
Hugo Weavingborn 1960An actor who has taken anticonvulsants for epilepsy since his first seizure at age 13.
Cameron Boyce1999–2019An actor best known for his roles as Luke Ross on the Disney Channel series Jessie and as Carlos on the tv film Descendants, previously diagnosed with epilepsy. Boyce died of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Leadership, politics and royalty

NameLifeCommentsReference
Michael IV the Paphlagonian1010–1041A Byzantine emperor who had frequent tonic-clonic seizures since adolescence. The seizures were interpreted at the time to be demonic possession as punishment for his sins. His royal entourage were alert to signs of an impending seizure and tried to hide the emperor when he was ill.
Hans Ulrik Gyldenløve1615–1645Illegitimate son of Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway, Hans Ulrik was an officer in the Danish Royal Navy and the commander of a royal castle, the Kronborg. He was prone to epileptic incidents, and during a state visit to Spain with his father's ambassador in 1640, he suffered a seizure shortly after a bullfight. He had to be sent home to Denmark.
Ivan V Alekseyevich1666–1696Older half brother of Russian Tsar Peter the Great. Ivan V was feeble-minded, epileptic, and half-blind. Would have never become Tsar except for the support of his sister Sophia, who wanted to become regent over him. His sister, with the military backing of the Streltsy, made Ivan V rule as co-tsar with Peter I .
Pope Pius IX1792–1878Had childhood epilepsy.
Francis Libermann1802–1852A Jew who converted to Christianity and studied for priesthood. Epilepsy prevented his ordination for many years.
Ida McKinley1847–1907First Lady of the United States from 1897 to 1901. Her epilepsy started in adulthood and was to become quite disabling and inconvenient. As was normal for the time, great efforts were made to keep this secret. Her husband, William McKinley would cover her face with a napkin when she had symptoms at dinner parties.
Vladimir Lenin1870–1924First Premier of the Soviet Union. Lenin's final year was characterized by neurological decline and loss of function. In his last few months, he developed epilepsy. His seizures worsened and he died in status epilepticus, which had lasted 50 minutes.
Caligula12–41Roman Emperor. Suetonius states that "As a boy he was troubled with the falling sickness , and while in his youth he had some endurance, yet at times because of sudden faintness he was hardly able to walk, to stand up, to collect his thoughts, or to hold up his head."
Harry Laughlin1880–1943The director of the American Eugenics Record Office from its inception in 1910 to its closing in 1939. In 1922, he drew up laws for the compulsory sterilization of various "degenerate" groups, which included those with epilepsy.
Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland1889–1918The youngest son of Gustaf V of Sweden.
Prince John of the United Kingdom1905–1919The youngest son of King George V, John had epilepsy from the age of 4 until his death after a seizure aged 13. John's epilepsy, along with intellectual disability and possibly autism, led to his living most of his life at York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate away from visitors who were not family members.
Rabbi Lionel Blue1930–2016A rabbi and broadcaster, best known for his contributions to "Thought for the Day" on BBC Radio 4's Today program. His epilepsy was diagnosed when he was aged 57 and is successfully controlled with medication.
Dave Longaberger1934–1999A businessman and founder of The Longaberger Company, makers of handcrafted maple wood baskets and accessories. He overcame epilepsy and a stutter, eventually graduating from high school aged 21.
Joe Doyle1936–2009Joseph Doyle was an Irish Fine Gael politician. He was a long-standing public representative for the Dublin South-East and served as a member of Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann and Dublin City Council before serving as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1998 to 1999. He first developed epilepsy at the age of 16. He became one of Ireland's most prominent advocate's for epilepsy and was a member of the board of directors of Brainwave, the Irish Epilepsy Association, at the time of his death.
Neil Abercrombieborn 1938The former Governor of Hawaii who campaigned for increased funding for epilepsy research. He was diagnosed with epilepsy in his early thirties.
Rudi Dutschke1940–1979A prominent spokesperson of the left-wing German student movement of the 1960s. An assassination attempt in 1968, when he was shot twice in the head, left him partially blind and with frequent epileptic attacks. He drowned in the bathtub after suffering a seizure.
Tony Coelhoborn 1942A former United States congressman who developed epilepsy aged 16, possibly as a result of an earlier head injury. This would lead to rejection by his family and the Jesuits for "possession by the devil". He has campaigned as a congressman for disabled rights and chairs the Epilepsy Foundation's national board of directors.
John Robertsborn 1955Roberts is the 17th Chief Justice of the United States. He was appointed to office by President George W. Bush on 29 September 2005. His first seizure occurred in 1993 which was disclosed to the Senate Judiciary Committee who confirmed him. His second seizure occurred in 2008 when he fell 5 to 10 feet onto a dock near his house.
Laura Sandysborn 1964British Conservative Party politician. She was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for South Thanet. She revealed in parliament in October 2010 that she had epilepsy, but had been seizure-free for seven years.
Paul Maynardborn 1975British Conservative Party politician. He was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Blackpool North and Cleveleys. In 2010, he was appointed vice-president of the charity Epilepsy Action.

Music

NameLifeCommentsReference
Jimmy Reed1925–1976An American blues singer. His epilepsy diagnosis in 1957 was delayed due to an assumption that he was suffering from attacks of delirium tremens. He died after an epileptic seizure aged 51.
Neil Youngborn 1945Canadian singer-songwriter, formerly of bands Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Disliked the effects of his medication; seeking personal stability as an alternative means of control.
Lil Wayneborn 1982American rapper revealed in March 2013 that he has epilepsy. He has suffered with the disease since childhood and admits that he rarely remembers his seizures.
Lindsey Buckinghamborn 1949The guitarist and singer in the music group Fleetwood Mac was taken to hospital after a seizure while on tour, aged 29. His epilepsy was successfully controlled by anticonvulsant drugs.
Chris Knoxborn 1952New Zealand indie musician has addressed his epilepsy in such songs as "Lapse", and it is also referenced in his album title "Seizure".
Ian Curtis1956–1980The vocalist and lyricist of the band Joy Division was diagnosed with epilepsy aged 22. The cover of their album Unknown Pleasures resembles an EEG tracing, but is actually the tracings of the radio emissions of a pulsar. He would often suffer grandmal seizures while performing and his dancing would mimic the seizures he suffered. The condition was a primary cause of his suicide in 1980 aged 23.
Marie Fredriksson1958-2019A Swedish pop singer, songwriter, pianist and painter. She collapsed in a bathroom after becoming nauseated, with the impact of the fall fracturing her cranium. She then had an epileptic seizure.
Richard Jobsonborn 1960Formerly the lead singer with the punk rock group The Skids, now a television presenter and film maker. He has absence seizures.
Susan Boyleborn 1961Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2011. She had epilepsy as a child.
Edith Bowmanborn 1974Scottish television presenter and a radio D.J., who had epilepsy as a child.-
Peter Jefferiesborn ca.1961New Zealand musician.
Vusi Mahlaselaborn 1965A singer-songwriter whose work inspired those in the anti-apartheid movement.
Hikari Oeborn 1963A Japanese composer who has autism, epilepsy and intellectual disability and has created two successful classical-music CDs. He is the son of Kenzaburō Ōe, the Japanese novelist who won the 1994 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Mike Nolanborn 1954Singer and one of the four original members of the British pop group Bucks Fizz. Developed epilepsy after a coach accident in 1985.
Adam Horovitzborn 1966Member of the music group Beastie Boys.
Mike Skinnerborn 1978Also known as The Streets, he had epilepsy between the ages of 7 and 20.
Geoff Ricklyborn 1979A member of the band Thursday, who discovered he had epilepsy while on tour.
Prince1958–2016American singer, who had epilepsy as a child and sang about his condition in the song "The Sacrifice of Victor".
Lauren Pritchardborn 1987An American singer, songwriter and actress who appeared in the original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening.

Sport

NameLifeCommentsReference
Grover Cleveland Alexander1887–1950A major league baseball pitcher who tried to hide his epilepsy with alcohol, which was at the time considered to be a more socially acceptable problem. Ty Cobb said he "suffered hell on the field."
Tony Lazzeri1903–1946A major league baseball player who probably died after seizure that occurred when he was alone at home.
Hal Lanierborn 1942A major league baseball player and manager. He developed epilepsy after a severe beating.
Andrei Kostitsyn3 February 1985Belarusian hockey player
Lance Franklin30 January 1987An Australian Football League player who has had Epilepsy since 2015.
Tony Greig1946–2012A former cricketer and commentator who was involved with Epilepsy Action Australia. He had his first seizure, aged 14, during a tennis game but has successfully controlled his epilepsy with medication.
Buddy Bellborn 1951A major league baseball player and manager.
Bobby Jonesborn 1951A former pro basketball player who developed epilepsy and a heart problem as an adult, but persevered with his game.
Vyacheslav Lemeshev1952-1996An Olympic boxer from the USSR. The youngest Olympic champion in boxing history, at the age of 28 he was already a sick person. Brain vascular atrophy developed, vision was severely impaired, liver problems were encountered and psoriasis and epilepsy.
Terry Marshborn 1958A boxer who was IBF world light-welterweight champion. His diagnosis of epilepsy in 1987, aged 29, forced him into retirement undefeated.
Greg Walkerborn 1959A major league baseball player who collapsed on field with a tonic-clonic seizure. He had a further seizure in hospital that night and took anticonvulsant medication for the next two years. Walker had a childhood history of seizures until the age of 4.
Florence Griffith Joyner1959–1998A track and field athlete with world records in the 100 m and 200 m. She developed seizures in her thirties, possibly due to a cavernous angioma that was discovered on autopsy. She died from asphyxiation after a grand mal seizure while asleep.
Wally Lewisborn 1959One of Australia's greatest rugby league players, national team captain 1984–89. After retirement from the sport, he became a television sports presenter, but became disoriented during a live-to-air broadcast in late 2006. Medical tests revealed that he had epilepsy.
Paul Wadeborn 1962Former Australian national Football player and television sports commentator. Wade had epilepsy all his life but was only diagnosed as an adult. He kept it secret until he had a seizure on live television in 2001. Drugs weren't controlling the seizures so, in 2002, he had surgery to remove a scar in his brain. He is now seizure free.
Marion Clignetborn 1964A Franco-American cyclist who found that she has epilepsy at the age of 22. She was shunned by the U.S. cycling federation and subsequently rode in the colors of France. She has since won 6 world titles, 2 Olympic silver medals, as well as numerous races worldwide.
Maggie McElenyborn 1965Four times British Paralympic swimmer, winning 3 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze. McEleny has paraplegia and epilepsy. In 2000, she was made an MBE and awarded a Golden Jubilee Award by the British Epilepsy Association.
Mikhail Tatarinovborn 1966A retired Russian ice hockey defenceman. Alcohol withdrawal epilepsy seizures.
Jonty Rhodesborn 1969A cricketer who is involved with Epilepsy South Africa.
Tom Smithborn 1971Former Scottish international and Northampton Saints rugby player. Has had epilepsy since the age of 18. His seizures occur only at night, during sleep. He is a patron of the Scottish epilepsy charity, Enlighten.
Alan Fanecaborn 1976An American football guard. The nine-time All-Pro was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 15 and takes the anticonvulsant carbamazepine, which successfully controls his seizures.
Samari Rolleborn 1976A former American football cornerback who played for the Baltimore Ravens.
Chanda Gunnborn 1980A goalie in the US 2006 Winter Olympic women's hockey team. Gunn was diagnosed with juvenile absence epilepsy at the age of 9, which was treated with valproic acid. Epilepsy meant that she had to give up her childhood sports of swimming and surfing, but these were soon replaced with hockey.
Andrei Kostitsynborn 1985A Belarusian professional ice hockey forward for HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League. The hockey player suffered several serious epilepsy seizures in one month. He was treated in Canada in 2004.
Leon Leggeborn 1985An English professional footballer, who currently plays for Brentford as a central defender. His epilepsy is currently controlled.
Dai Greeneborn 1986A Welsh hurdler who specialises in the 400 metres hurdles event. Greene is the current European, Commonwealth and World Champion.
Katharine Fordborn 1986An Ultra-marathon cyclist and Indoor Track Cycling 4 time world record holder, who was diagnosed with epilepsy aged 9 before undergoing major transformative brain surgery to control her condition.
Ronde Barberborn 1975A former American football player who played cornerback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tiki Barberborn 1975A former American football player, who played running back for the New York Giants.
Jason Snellingborn 1983An American football player with the Atlanta Falcons.
Davis Tarwaterborn 1984An Olympic swimmer for the United States who suffered from epilepsy as a child
Hervé Boussard1966–2013An Olympic cyclist of France who won a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He died from an epileptic seizure.
Mike Towell1991-2016A Scottish professional boxer from Dundee, Scotland. Who died after fight ‘should have never been in the ring’ after suffering epileptic seizures
Briar Noletborn 1998A Canadian dancer who competed in World of Dance and stars in The Next Step. After having a seizure during a dance rehearsal, she was misdiagnosed with anxiety, but two years later, a neurologist confirmed she has epilepsy.

Art and writing

NameLifeCommentsReference
Edward Lear1812–1888An artist, illustrator and writer known for his nonsensical poetry and limericks. His epilepsy, which he developed as a child, may have been inherited. Lear was ashamed of his epilepsy and kept it a secret. He did, however, record each seizure in his diary.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky1821–1881A Russian writer whose epilepsy was probably inherited. He incorporated his experiences into his novels – creating four different characters with epilepsy. Dostoyevsky's epilepsy was unusual in that he claimed to experience an ecstatic aura prior to a seizure, whereas most people experience unpleasant feelings.
George Inness1825–1894An American painter who had epilepsy from childhood.
R. D. Blackmore1825–1900Author of Lorna Doone.
Charles Altamont Doyle1832–1893Artist and father of Arthur Conan Doyle. His alcoholism and a violent outburst led him to be detained in an asylum. Whilst there, he developed epilepsy and severe memory problems.
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson1832–1910Norwegian writer and a 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Developed focal epilepsy following a stroke in the final year of his life.
Ion Creangă1837–1889A Romanian children's writer and memoirist who had epilepsy for the last six years of his life.
Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis1839–1908A Brazilian realist novelist, poet and short-story writer. He had epilepsy all his life, but was ashamed to mention it, using euphemisms when writing to friends. It is believed he had complex partial seizures, with secondary generalisation.
Dmitri Sinodi-Popov1855–1910A Russian artist, whose epilepsy interrupted his studies at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.
Minakata Kumagusu1867–1941A Japanese writer and naturalist. He had tonic-clonic seizures, with an aura that caused déjà vu. Postmortem MRI showed right hippocampal atrophy, consistent with temporal lobe epilepsy.
Ash Liebborn 1982An Australian artist, comedian and writer who has had Temporal lobe epilepsy since his early twenties as a result of a brain tumour.
Vachel Lindsay1879–1931A poet who took phenobarbital for his epilepsy.
Laurie Lee1914–1997A poet, novelist and screenwriter, most famous for his autobiographical trilogy. His epilepsy probably developed after he was knocked down by a bicycle at the age of 10. He kept it secret and it only surfaced when his papers were read by biographers after his death.
Kyffin Williams1918–2006A landscape painter. His epilepsy ended his army career and may have prevented him marrying.
Max Clifford1943–2017A publicist known for representing controversial clients. He developed epilepsy at the age of 46.
Karen Armstrongborn 1944An author, feminist and writer on Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Her temporal lobe epilepsy went undiagnosed for many years. She wrote in her autobiography that when she was finally given the diagnosis, it was "an occasion of pure happiness".
Thom Jonesborn 1945Author of short stories, many of which include characters with epilepsy.
Stephen Knight1951–1985An author who was known for his books criticising the Freemasons. He started having seizures in 1977 and in 1980, agreed to take part in a BBC documentary TV program Horizon on epilepsy. The producers arranged for a brain scan, which showed up a tumour. This was removed but returned in 1984 and despite further surgery he died in 1985.
DeBarra Mayoborn 1953Fitness and health author and writer.
Jago Eliot1966–2006Aristocrat, surfer and cyber artist. He died in his bath due to an epileptic seizure, which was recorded as a sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
Kathy Sierraborn 1957A programming instructor and game developer who co-created the Head First series of books on computer programming. She had her first tonic-clonic seizure at the age of four. These were frequent and severe but greatly diminished by adulthood and were always preceded by an aura.
Joshua Korsborn 1978An investigative reporter known for his coverage of veterans' issues. He had his first seizure in eighth grade.

Miscellaneous

NameLifeCommentsReference
Jean Clemens1880–1909The youngest daughter of Mark Twain. She had epilepsy from age fifteen, which her father attributed to a childhood head injury. Her epilepsy was not successfully controlled and at one point she was sent to an epilepsy colony in Katonah, New York. She was found dead on Christmas Eve in her bath aged 29. The cause of death was reported as drowning due to epilepsy.
Derek Bentley1933–1953Hanged, aged 19, for a crime his partner committed, Bentley had epilepsy and a mental age of 11. He was pardoned after a 45-year campaign, which included the film Let Him Have It, starring Christopher Eccleston.
Emilie Dionne1934–1954The third of the Dionne quintuplets, Emilie's epilepsy was only made public after her death at a convent in Sainte Agathe, Quebec. She died from complications caused by a series of epileptic seizures. These were recorded at noon the previous day, 11pm, 3am, and 5am, but no doctor was called until after her death. Her death from epilepsy caused alarm, leading H. Houston Merritt to inform the public that "the mortality rate among epileptics is no greater than among non-sufferers".
Virginia Ridley1948–1997A woman who had agoraphobia, hypergraphia and epilepsy. Her eccentric husband Alvin was charged with her murder but cleared after the jury accepted that she may have suffocated during a seizure. She had not been seen outside her home for 25 years.
Don Craig Wiley1944–2001A protein-structure biochemist. He kept his epilepsy secret, did not treat it, and died under mysterious circumstances, possibly owing to a seizure.
Barry Georgeborn 1960Initially convicted but later acquitted of murdering the British television presenter Jill Dando. Has epilepsy, mental health problems and is autistic.
Rick Harrisonborn 1965Co-owner of the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada and star of the History series Pawn Stars; had epilepsy when he was in his youth.
Katie Hopkinsborn 1975English reality television contestant '' and businesswoman, who developed epilepsy as a teenager
Daniel Tammetborn 1979An autistic savant who is a talented mnemonist and language learner. He had temporal lobe epilepsy as a child.
Brad Jonesborn 1981During his review of "Turkish Star Wars" The Cinema Snob mentions that he's been epileptic since 4th grade and takes Tegretol.
Keith Wallaceborn 1969During his interview on Philly Who, Keith revealed he been epileptic since a car crash that killed his fiancée and left him with severe injuries and in Baltimore, Maryland. He admitted to working as a winemaker in Napa Valley and Chianti for years without revealing his neurological disorder to his employers.

Retrospective diagnosis

The following people were not diagnosed with epilepsy during their lifetime. A retrospective diagnosis is speculative and, as detailed below, can be wrong.
NameLifeCommentsReference
Socrates470–399 BCAncient Greek philosopher. It is speculated that his daimonion was a simple partial seizure and that he had temporal lobe epilepsy.
Julius Caesar100–44 BCRoman military and political leader. There is documentation of symptoms experienced by Caesar beginning on his 50th birthday that some scholars believe were complex partial seizures. There is family history of epilepsy amongst his ancestors and descendants. The earliest accounts of these seizures were made by the biographer Suetonius who was born after Caesar's death.
However, some scholars believe that Caesar's symptoms, as well as the deaths of his father and paternal grandfather, may be better explained by cardiovascular disease and stroke, and that the documentation of his epilepsy could be unreliable since certain symptoms were not described until after his death may. Epilepsy was considered a "sacred disease" and therefore may have been publicized by family members after his death to portray a specific public image.
Napoleon I of France1769–1821French military leader and emperor. A paper by William Osler in 1903 stated, "The slow pulse of Napoleon rests upon tradition; it has been suggested that his epilepsy and attacks of apathy may have been associated features in a chronic form of Stokes-Adams disease", which implies the seizures were not epileptic in origin. However, in 2003, John Hughes concluded that Napoleon had both psychogenic attacks due to stress and epileptic seizures due to chronic uremia from a severe urethral stricture caused by gonorrhea.
George Gershwin1898–1937American composer. The first symptoms of his glioblastoma multiforme tumor were possibly olfactory-uncinate simple partial seizures. He noticed the smell of burnt rubber at the same time as dizziness or, occasionally, brief blackouts. His condition deteriorated and he died six months later, despite surgery to remove the tumor.

Religious figures

There is a long-standing notion that epilepsy and religion are linked, and it has been speculated that many religious figures had temporal lobe epilepsy. The temporal lobes generate the feeling of "I", and give a sense of familiarity or strangeness to the perceptions of the senses. The temporal lobes and adjacent anterior insular cortex seem to be involved in mystical experiences, and in the change in personality that may result from such experiences.
Raymond Bucke's Cosmic Consciousness contains several case-studies of persons who have realized "cosmic consciousness". James Leuba's The psychology of religious mysticism noted that "among the dread diseases that afflict humanity there is only one that interests us quite particularly; that disease is epilepsy." Several of Bucke's cases are also mentioned in J.E. Bryant's 1953 book, Genius and Epilepsy, which has a list of more than 20 people that combines the great and the mystical.
Slater and Beard and renewed the interest in TLE and religious experience in the 1960s. Dewhurst and Beard described six cases of TLE-patients who underwent sudden religious conversions. They placed these cases in the context of several western saints who had a sudden conversion, who were or may have been epileptic. Dewhurst and Beard described several aspects of conversion experiences, and did not favor one specific mechanism.
Norman Geschwind described behavioral changes related to temporal lobe epilepsy in the 1970s and 1980s. Now called Geschwind syndrome, he defined a cluster of specific personality characteristics often found in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, which include increased religiosity. Evidence of Geschwind syndrome has been identified in some religious figures, in particular pronounced religiosity and hypergraphia. However, critics note that these characteristics can be the result of any illness, and are not sufficiently descriptive for patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.
Neuropsychiatrist Peter Fenwick, in the 1980s and 1990s, also found a relationship between the right temporal lobe and mystical experience, but also found that pathology or brain damage is only one of many possible causal mechanisms for these experiences. He questioned the earlier accounts of religious figures with temporal lobe epilepsy, noticing that "very few true examples of the ecstatic aura and the temporal lobe seizure had been reported in the world scientific literature prior to 1980". According to Fenwick, "It is likely that the earlier accounts of temporal lobe epilepsy and temporal lobe pathology and the relation to mystic and religious states owes more to the enthusiasm of their authors than to a true scientific understanding of the nature of temporal lobe functioning."
The occurrence of intense religious feelings in persons with epilepsy in general is considered rare, with an incident rate of about 2–3%. Sudden religious conversion, together with visions, has been documented in only a small number of individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy. The occurrence of religious experiences in TLE-patients may as well be explained by religious attribution, due to the background of these patients. Nevertheless, the neurological research of mystical experiences is a growing field of research, searching for specific neurological explanations of mystical experiences. Study of ecstatic seizures may provide clues for the neurological mechanisms giving rise to mystical experiences, such as the anterior insular cortex, which is involved in self-awareness and subjective certainty.
Persons listed below are not necessarily known to have epilepsy nor indicate a scholarly consensus in favour of epilepsy; merely that such a diagnosis has been suggested.

NameLifeCommentsReference
The Priestly source of the Pentateuchc700 BCAccording to one researcher, the writing has a pedantic and aggressive style, shows extreme religiosity, verbosity and redundant style. These are said to be evidence of Geschwind syndrome, though there is no evidence of any seizures since we have no personal information regarding the author.
Ezekiel622BC–?Fainting spells, periodic loss of speech, compulsive writing, extremely religious, pedantic speech.
Paul of Tarsus3–10 – 62–68Epilepsy is one of many suggestions regarding his "thorn in the flesh". F.F. Bruce says, "Many guesses have been made about the identity of this "splinter in the flesh"; and their very variety proves the impossibility of a certain diagnosis. One favourite guess has been epilepsy... but it is no more than a guess". Researchers disagree about the cause of his conversion and vision on the road to Damascus. In addition to a seizure, heat exhaustion, the voice of conscience together with a migraine, and even a bolt of lightning have been suggested.
Saint Birgitta1303–1373Her skull shows evidence of a meningioma, which is a cause of epilepsy and may explain her visions. However, it is not in the temporal lobe and other researches suggest psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, or a combination.
Joan of Arc1412–1431Experienced religious messages through voices and visions which she said others could sometimes experience simultaneously. Some researchers consider the visions to be ecstatic epileptic auras, though more recent research may implicate idiopathic partial epilepsy with auditory features. Epileptic seizures with clear auditory and visual hallucinations are very rare. This, together with the extreme length of her visions, lead some to reject epilepsy as a cause.
Saint Catherine of Genoa1447–1510"bnormal mental states" diagnosed as hysteria by Leuba; according to Dewhurst and Beard the symptoms may also suggest temporal lobe epilepsy. According to Dewhurst and Beard, Saint Catherine of Genoa, Saint Marguerite Marie and Mme Guyon "had periodic attacks which included the following symptoms: sensations of extremes of heat and cold, trembling of the whole body, transient aphasia, automatisms, passivity feelings, hyperaesthesiae, childish regression, dissociation, somnambulism, transient paresis, increased suggestibility, and an inability to open the eyes."
Saint Teresa of Ávila1515–1582Visions, chronic headaches, transient loss of consciousness and also a four-day coma.
Saint Catherine of Ricci1522–1590Visual hallucinations. Loss of consciousness for 28 hours.
Saint Marguerite Marie1647–1690"bnormal mental states" diagnosed as hysteria by Leuba; according to Dewhurst and Beard the symptoms may also suggest temporal lobe epilepsy. According to Dewhurst and Beard, Saint Catherine of Genoa, Saint Marguerite Marie and Mme Guyon "had periodic attacks which included the following symptoms: sensations of extremes of heat and cold, trembling of the whole body, transient aphasia, automatisms, passivity feelings, hyperaesthesiae, childish regression, dissociation, somnambulism, transient paresis, increased suggestibility, and an inability to open the eyes."
Mme Guyon1648–1717"bnormal mental states" diagnosed as hysteria by Leuba; according to Dewhurst and Beard the symptoms may also suggest temporal lobe epilepsy. According to Dewhurst and Beard, Saint Catherine of Genoa, Saint Marguerite Marie and Mme Guyon "had periodic attacks which included the following symptoms: sensations of extremes of heat and cold, trembling of the whole body, transient aphasia, automatisms, passivity feelings, hyperaesthesiae, childish regression, dissociation, somnambulism, transient paresis, increased suggestibility, and an inability to open the eyes."
Emanuel Swedenborg1688–1772Swedish scientist, philosopher, seer, and theologian.
Joseph Smith1805–1844Seized with a strange power, rendered speechless, and fell on his back. Visions of darkness and light.
Ellen G. White1827–1915Severe head injury followed by three weeks of limited consciousness. Her visions involved loss of consciousness, upward eye deflection, visual hallucinations, affective changes, gestural automatisms, preservation of speech, a post-ictal-like period. Further, she meets several criteria for the Geschwind syndrome: extreme religiosity, hypergraphia, repetitiveness, hypermoralism, and hyposexuality.
Ramakrishna1836–1886Bengali mystic, highly influential in the development of Hindu Universalism and Neo-Vedanta, through his disciple Swami Vivekananda, who held that religious experience was a valid method of gaining knowledge. From the age of six onwards, he had ecstatic trances. From his 10th or 11th year on, the trances became common, and by the final years of his life, Ramakrishna's samādhi periods occurred almost daily. Early on, these experiences have been interpreted as epileptic seizures, an interpretation which was rejected by Ramakrishna himself.
Saint Thérèse de Lisieux1873–1897Seized with "strange and violent tremblings all over her body". Visual hallucinations and celestial visions.
Ramana Maharshi1879–1950At age 16, Ramana was seized by a sudden fear of death. He was struck by "a flash of excitement" or "heat," which he characterized as some avesam, a "spirit," "current" or "force" that seemed to possess him. After this event, he lost his interest in the usual life-routines, and immersed himself in emotional worship of Shiva and of Tamil saints. He left home, to live at the holy mountain Arunachala for the rest of his life, where he was worshipped as an avatar, due to his prolonged trance. In 1912, a major fit took place, accompanied with various sensations as a "white shield" over part of his vision, and "swimming in the head," and in which he lost consciousness. Ramana later stated that these fits appeared occasionally.
Pio of Pietrelcina1887–1968Had visions at an early age about God, Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
Jiddu Krishnamurti1895–1986Spiritual teacher, raised by Theosophians to become 'the world teacher.' In his 20s, he underwent an episode of severe pain in the neck accompanied by mystical experiences. Throughout his life "the process" occurred, accompanied by the presence of "the otherness." Sloss, daughter of Krishnamurti's long-term mistress, considered the process to be a purely physical event centred on sickness or trauma, and suggested the possibility of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Misdiagnosis

Many famous people are incorrectly recorded as having epilepsy. In some cases there is no evidence at all to justify a diagnosis of epilepsy. In others, the symptoms have been misinterpreted. In some, the seizures were provoked by other causes, such as acute illness or alcohol withdrawal.

No evidence

The following people are often reported to have had epilepsy but there is no evidence that they had any attacks or illnesses that even resembled epilepsy.
NameLifeCommentsReference
Cambyses II?–521 BCHerodotus, writing eighty years after the king's death, is responsible for repeating what are now regarded as slanderous remarks that Cambyses was mad and had epilepsy.
Pythagoras582–507 BC
Aristotle384–322 BC
Hannibal247–183 BCCarthaginian military leader.
Hermann von Helmholtz1821–1894
Agatha Christie1890–1976

Misdiagnosis by association

Many individuals have been mistakenly recorded as having epilepsy due to an association with someone who did have epilepsy, or something similar.
NameLifeCommentsReference
Dante Alighieri1265–1321In his fictional La Divina Commedia, he falls into a "dead faint".
Isaac Newton1643–1727In 2000, a paper was published comparing Newton's psychosis with that of a patient with psychosis, who additionally happened to have generalised tonic-clonic seizures. It is possible that ambiguities in the introduction to this paper led readers to associate the epilepsy with Newton rather than the patient.
Ludwig van Beethoven1770–1827His acquaintance Antonie Brentano had a son, Karl Joseph, who had epilepsy.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson1809–1892Close family had epilepsy and mental illness, which led Tennyson to fear this in himself.
William Morris1834–1896His daughter, May, had epilepsy and this caused Morris to question if his temper rages were related to this.
Patrick Dempseyborn 1966Played a boy with epilepsy in the 1986 Disney TV Movie "A Fighting Choice". He won an award from the Epilepsy Foundation for his convincing portrayal.

Provoked seizures

The following people may have had one or more epileptic seizures but since the seizures were provoked, they do not result in a diagnosis of epilepsy:
NameLifeCommentsReference
Edgar Allan Poe1809–1849Poe abused drugs and alcohol. If he had any seizures, they were most likely due to alcohol withdrawal. One author has suggested Poe may have had complex partial seizures.
Leo Tolstoy1828–1910"Fits of spleen" and anguish attacks. Had seizures while dying of pneumonia.
Algernon Charles Swinburne1837–1909Alcohol withdrawal attacks.
Lewis Carroll1832–1898Migraine and a possible seizure that was probably due to the effects of drug withdrawal.
Alfred Nobel1833–1896Febrile seizures in infancy.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky1840–1893Seizures in the hours before death. Possible family history of epilepsy.
Truman Capote1924–1984Alcohol withdrawal seizures.
Richard Burton1925–1984Alcohol withdrawal seizures.

Similar conditions

There are many conditions that produce paroxysmal attacks or events. These events are often called fits, seizures or convulsions. Those terms do not exclusively apply to epilepsy and such events are sometimes categorised as non-epileptic seizures. When studied in detail, the attacks were more fully described as "fits of spleen", "seized by pain", "convulsed with anguish", etc.
NameLifeCommentsReference
Alexander the Great356–323 BCCollapsed after taking strong medicine for pneumonia.
Charles the Fatc.839–888Commonly regarded as a sickly king who had epilepsy, who had a "fit" in Frankfurt in 873. One author's recent detailed investigations cast doubt on the accuracy of certain reports, or their common interpretation. Instead, headache, malaria and a stroke are suggested.
Alfred the Great849–899Acute pain.
Leonardo da Vinci1452–1519Nervous shaking and spasms when furious.
Michelangelo1475–1564A faint due to working in very hot weather.
Martin Luther1483–1546In John Osborne's play Luther, his visions are the result of epileptic seizures. Luther had many documented illnesses, but any recurrent attacks were probably due to Ménière's disease.
Cardinal Richelieu1585–1642Bouts of tears.
Louis XIII of France1601–1643Episodes of violence, moodiness and fearfulness.
Molière1622–1673A coughing fit.
Blaise Pascal1623–1662Breath-holding spells as a child.
William III of England1650–1702Fainting and coughing fits.
Jonathan Swift1667–1745Severe fits of giddiness due to Ménière's disease.
George Frideric Handel1685–1759A stroke.
William Pitt the Elder1708–1778Attacks of gout.
Samuel Johnson1709–1784Tourette syndrome.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712–1778Dizzy fits and agitation.
James Madison1751–1836Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.
Walter Scott1771–1832Seizures of cramp due to kidney stones and, later, a stroke.
Niccolò Paganini1784–1840Repeated collapsing due to weakness.
Lord Byron1788–1824Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.
Percy Bysshe Shelley1792–1822Fits of pain and nervous attacks.
Hector Berlioz1803–1869"Fits of spleen".
Robert Schumann1810–1856Depression and hallucinations.
Charles Dickens1812–1870Renal colic.
Søren Kierkegaard1813–1855Collapsing due to weakness.
Gustave Flaubert1821–1880In 1984, Henri Gastaut proposed a very specific retrospective diagnosis of a particular form of complex partial epilepsy. More recent biographical information led John Hughes, in 2005, to conclude that Flaubert had psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, and migraine.
Guy de Maupassant1850–1893Mental illness and hallucinations caused by inhaling ether.
Vincent van Gogh1853–1890Over 150 physicians have produced nearly 30 different diagnoses for van Gogh's illness. Henri Gastaut's posthumous diagnosis was "temporal lobe epilepsy precipitated by the use of absinthe in the presence of an early limbic lesion". This agrees with that of van Gogh's own doctor, Felix Rey, who prescribed potassium bromide. That van Gogh's personality closely matches the Geschwind syndrome is seen as further evidence by some. Not everyone agrees – a recent review by John Hughes concluded that van Gogh did not have epilepsy. He certainly was mentally ill at times and had "fainting fits" after heavy drinking.
Graham Greene1904–1991Greene was diagnosed with epilepsy as a young man, after several incidents during which he lost consciousness. His impending marriage was at risk and he considered suicide. Treatment consisted of good walks and Kepler's Malt Extract. Greene eventually distrusted the diagnosis and it is now considered likely that the episodes were fainting spells.
John Berryman1914–1972Diagnosed with petit mal epilepsy, now estimated to have been nervous exhaustion. Berryman suffered from depression and alcoholism.