List of notable brain tumor patients
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This list of notable brain tumor patients includes people who made significant contributions to their chosen field and who had either a malignant or potentially life threatening brain tumor at some point in their lives, as confirmed by public information. Tumor type and survival duration are listed where the information is known. Blank spaces in these columns appear where precise information has not been released to the public. Medicine does not designate most long term survivors as cured.
To put survival periods in context, a Norwegian hospital reviewed 1,218 patient records from 1960 - 1994 and reported median survival times for several tumor types over this 24 year period as listed in the table below [link].
According to the United States National Cancer Institute, an estimated 18,500 new cases and 12,760 deaths occurred nationwide in 2005. These high overall mortality rates are due to the prevalence of aggressive types such as glioblastoma multiforme. Nearly 14% of new brain tumor diagnoses occur in persons under 20 years of age [link].
| Tumor type | Median survival
| Glioblastoma multiforme
| 12 months (1.0 years)
| Anaplastic astrocytoma
| 25 months (2.1 years)
| Astrocytoma (low grade)
| 95 months (7.9 years)
| Oligodendroglioma
| 74 months (6.2 years)
| Mixed glioma
| 65 months (5.4 years)
| Medulloblastoma
| 109 months (9.1 years)
| Brain stem tumors
| 9 months (0.8 years)
| Pineal region tumors
| 60 months (5.0 years)
| |
|---|
Contents
Acting
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Cargill | (1918 - 1996) | British film and television actor who had been in ill health since being treated for a brain tumour and died a year later. Initially his death was blamed on a 'hit and run' accident | [link], [link] | ||
| Nell Carter | (1948 - 2003) | Stage and television actor who earned a Tony Award and an Emmy Award, best remembered for her television role in Gimme a Break. Ultimately died of diabetes, not the tumor. | [link] | ||
| Bert Convy | (1933 - 1991) | Stage, film and TV actor/host. | [link] | ||
| Brenda De Banzie | (1915 - 1981) | British actress of stage and film; died during or after surgery on a benign brain tumour. | [link] | ||
| Sandy Duncan | (1946 - present) | Tony Award nominated Broadway actor, television star. | 30+ years | [link] | |
| Linda Gary | (1944 - 1995) | Voice artist for Scooby Doo and other animated series. | [link] | ||
| Olivia Hamnett | (19?? - 2001) | English born Australian actor. | [link] | ||
| Susan Hayward | (1917 - 1975) | Academy Award-winning film actor. | 2 years | [link] | |
| Arthur Kennedy | (1914 - 1990) | Stage and film actor; Tony Award winner. | [link] | ||
| Eugene Gordon Lee | (1933 - 2005) | Child actor who played Porky in the Our Gang (Little Rascals) comedies. | metastatic tumor | [link] | |
| Joseph Maher | (1933 - 1998) | Irish-born stage actor and film/TV character actor. | [link] | ||
| Greg Morris | (1933 - 1996) | Television actor, best remembered for the Mission Impossible series. | [link] | ||
| Pat Paulsen | (1927 - 1997) | Comedian, starred on the Smothers Brothers television show in the 1960s. | [link] | ||
| Slim Pickens | (1919 - 1983) | Rodeo clown turned film actor, best remembered for Dr. Strangelove. | [link] | ||
| Zachary Scott | (1914 - 1965) | Film villain. | [link] | ||
| Alexis Smith | (1921 - 1993) | Canadian-born film actor. | [link] | ||
| Werner Stocker | (1955 - 1993) | Featured role in television's series. | [link] | ||
| Elizabeth Taylor | (1932 - present) | Academy Award winning actor, star of numerous films. | meningioma | 1997 to present | [link] |
| Penelope Dudley Ward | (1914 - 1982) | British actress and socialite; wife of acclaimed film director Carol Reed | [link] | ||
| Johnny Wayne | (1918 - 1990) | Canadian comedian of the Wayne and Shuster duo. | [link] |
Business
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Batten | (1936? - 1995) | Chief Executive Officer of Knight-Ridder publishing. | 1 year | [link] | |
| Reginald Lewis | (1942 - 1993) | Chief Executive Officer of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc, the first African-American run company to have over billion in annual sales. | [link] | ||
| Gerry Pencer | (1945 - 1998) | Chief executive officer of Cott Beverages. Mr. Pencer and his family became significant philanthopists of brain tumor research and medicine. | glioblastoma multiforme | 8 months | [link], [link] |
| Dawn Steel | (1946 - 1997) | First female top executive of a major Hollywood studio. | 20 months | [link]
|
Miscellaneous
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Brown | (1867 - 1932) | Socialite, philanthropist, and activist. Survivor of the Titanic disaster. Portrayed in the 1964 film The Unsinkable Molly Brown and the 1997 film Titanic. | [link] | ||
| Johnnie Cochran | (1937 - 2005) | Prominent defense attorney. | 1 year | [link] | |
| Anatoli Levchenko | (1941 - 1988) | Research cosmonaut. | [link] | ||
| Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent | (1906 - 1968) | Member of the British royal family | [link] | ||
| Marshall McLuhan | (1911 - 1980) | Communications theorist and educator. | 11 years | [link] | |
| Eleanor Mondale | (1960 - present) | Cable television host on the E! network, daughter of former United States Vice President Walter Mondale | June 2005 - present | [link] | |
| Judd Rose | (1955 - 2000) | Emmy Award winning television news reporter, co-anchor of CNN Newsstand. | astrocytoma | ~6 years | [link] |
| Gene Siskel | (1946 - 1999) | Film critic for the Chicago Tribune; television partner of fellow critic Roger Ebert. | under 1 year | [link] | |
| Deke Slayton | (1924 - 1993) | One of the original seven United States astronauts. | [link] | ||
| Doris Tate | (1924 - 1992) | Prominent activist in the victims' rights movement, mother of murder victim Sharon Tate. | metastatic tumor | [link] |
Music
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luther Allison | (1939 - 1997) | Blues guitarist. | metastatic tumor | less than 1 year | [link] |
| Bill Black | (1926 - 1965) | Rock and roll bass player, recorded with Elvis Presley during 1954 - 1958. | [link] | ||
| Celia Cruz | (1925 - 2003) | Cuban salsa singer, important figure in Afro-Cuban music. | [link] | ||
| William Finn | (1952 - present) | Tony Award winning Broadway songwriter. Finn wrote the show A New Brain about his experiences. | 1992 - present | [link] | |
| Sergio Franchi | (1926 - 1990) | Italian-American singer; world-renowned tenor | [link], [link] | ||
| George Gershwin | (1898 - 1937) | Jazz and classical music composer, co-wrote many stage musicals and film scores. | glioblastoma multiforme | 1 month | [link] |
| Bill Haley | (1925 - 1981) | Leader of one of the first rock and roll bands, The Comets. | 2 years | [link] | |
| George Harrison | (1943 - 2001) | Lead guitarist of the Beatles. | Died of brain, lung and throat cancers. | [link] | |
| Barney Kessel | (1923 - 2004) | Jazz guitarist who played with Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Elvis Presley, and the Beach Boys. | [link] | ||
| Otto Klemperer | (1885 - 1973) | Conductor. | 40 years | [link] | |
| Bob Marley | (1945 - 1981) | Reggae legend. | metastatic tumor | [link] | |
| Johnny Mercer | (1909 - 1976) | Songwriter and lyricist. | [link] | ||
| Ethel Merman | (1908 - 1984) | Legendary Broadway singer and actress. | glioblastoma multiforme | [link] | |
| Robert Moog | (1934 - 2005) | Inventor of the modern music synthesizer. | glioblastoma multiforme | [link] | |
| Wayne Osmond | (1951 - present) | Singer, second oldest of the Osmond brothers. | 1994 - present | [link] | |
| Junior Parker | (1932 - 1971) | Blues singer. | [link] | ||
| Lou Rawls | (1933 - 2006) | Soul, jazz, and blues singer. Noted philanthropist. | metastatic tumor | 7 months | [link] |
| Tammi Terrell | (1945 - 1970) | Singer, duettist with Marvin Gaye on "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and other hit singles. | 2 years | [link] | |
| Chuck Schuldiner | (1967 - 2001) | Former guitarist and singer for the band Death, former guitarist for Control Denied. Influential figure in the development of death metal. | pontine glioma | 2 years | [link] |
Politics and government
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Atwater | (1951 - 1991) | Chairman of the United States Republican National Committee. | glioblastoma multiforme | 1 year | [link] |
| William Casey | (1913 - 1987) | Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | 5 months | [link] | |
| Clair Engle | (1911 - 1964) | United States senator from California. Late in his illness he broke a filibuster and helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Wheelchair bound and no longer able to speak, he raised his hand to signal his vote. | [link] | ||
| Wayne Goss | (1951 - present) | Former premier of Queensland, Australia. | 1997 - present | [link] | |
| David Hermelin | (1936 - 2000) | United States ambassador to Norway. | 1 year | [link] | |
| Clare Booth Luce | (1903 - 1987) | American politician and diplomat; also an editor, playwright, social activist & journalist | [link] | ||
| Mo Mowlam | (1949 - 2005) | Britain's Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. | 7 years | [link] | |
| Arlen Specter | (1930 - present) | United States senator from Pennsylvania. | 1993 - present | [link] | |
| Mike Synar | (1950 - 1996) | United States congressional representative from Oklahoma. | [link] | ||
| Frank Tejeda | (1946 - 1997) | United States congressional representative from Texas. | 1 year | [link] |
Science
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thor Heyerdahl | (1914 - 2002) | Marine biologist famous for the Kon-Tiki expedition and other journeys that reproduced ancient technology and demonstrated the feasibility of ancient sea migrations. | under 1 year | [link] | |
| John von Neumann | (1903 - 1957) | Great Hungarian mathematician who made numerous contributions to many fields, including quantum physics, functional analysis, set theory, economics, computer science, numerical analysis, hydrodynamics (of explosions) and statistics. | under 1 year | [link] | |
| Uriel Weinreich | (1926 - 1967) | American linguist with significant contributions in sociolinguistics, dialectology, Yiddish studies. He described the phenomena of polysemia and interlanguage, and initiated work on the cultural and linguistic atlas of Ashkenazic Jewry. |
Sports
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyle Alzado | (1949 - 1992) | NFL football player. Made public statements attributing his tumor to anabolic steriods, a claim not supported by medical research. | CNS lymphoma | [link] | |
| Lance Armstrong | (1971 - present) | Cycling champion who won the Tour de France seven consecutive times after diagnosis and treatment | 1996 - present | [link] | |
| Richard Burns | (1971 - 2005) | Race car driver, Rally world champion | astrocytoma | 2 years | [link] |
| Richard Chelimo | (1972 - 2001) | Track champion from Kenya, former 10,000 meter world record holder. | [link] | ||
| Maurice Colclough | (1953 - 2006) | Rugby player, played a noteworthy role in England's grand slam win in 1980. | [link] | ||
| Dan Duva | Boxing promoter behind over 100 world championship bouts. | primary brain tumor | [link] | ||
| Josh Gibson | (1911 - 1947) | Negro League baseball player, famous home run hitter with the highest career batting average in league history. | 4 years | [link] | |
| Tim Gullikson | (1951 - 1996) | Champion doubles tennis player and coach of Pete Sampras. | [link] | ||
| Heiko Herrlich | (1971 - present) | German soccer player, UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup winner | brain tumor | 2000 - present | [link] |
| Dick Howser | (1936 - 1987) | Major League Baseball shortstop and manager. | 1 year | [link] | |
| Emlyn Hughes | (1947 - 2004) | Soccer player, European Cup winner of 1977, also known from the BBC quiz show A Question of Sport. | 15 months | [link] | |
| "Badger" Bob Johnson | (1931 - 1991) | Ice hockey coach, won the 1990 Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. | 2 months | [link] | |
| Eric Liddell | (1902 - 1945) | Olympic gold medalist in track, portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire. | [link] | ||
| Frank Edward "Tug" McGraw | (1944 - 2004) | Major league baseball pitcher. | glioblastoma multiforme | 9 months | [link] |
| Lenny "The Guv'nor" McLean | (1949 - 1998) | Champion bare knuckle fighter, undefeated in 3000 fights. Also acted small roles in films including The Fifth Element. | metastatic tumor | [link] | |
| Johnny Oates | (1946 - 2004) | Major league baseball catcher and manager. | glioblastoma multiforme | 3 years | [link] |
| Kim Perrot | (1967 - 1999) | Basketball player, WNBA Houston Comets; League's MVP. | [link] | ||
| Dan Quisenberry | (1953 - 1998) | Major league baseball pitcher, mostly as a closer; noted for unusual "submarine" pitching style. | 9 months | [link] | |
| Pete Rozelle | (1926 - 1996) | NFL commissioner. | [link] | ||
| Wilma Rudolph | (1940 - 1994) | Olympic gold medalist in track. | [link] | ||
| Nick Sanborn | (1935 - 1999) | Automobile racer. | [link] | ||
| Fritz Von Erich | (1929 - 1997) | Wrestler and wrestling promoter. | [link] |
Visual arts
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eva Hesse | (1936 - 1970) | Abstract sculptor. | [link] | ||
| Bob Parent | (1923 - 1987) | Jazz photographer whose works appeared in Life and Downbeat. | [link] | ||
| Ferdinand Preiss | (1882 - 1943) | Art deco sculptor who specialized in ivory and bronze. | [link] | ||
| Eero Saarinen | (1910 - 1961) | Architect best known for the gateway arch in St. Louis, Missouri. | [link] | ||
| François Truffaut | (1932 - 1984) | Film director famous for The 400 Blows. | [link] |
Writing
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Survival | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Bergman | (1957 - 2006) | Best known for her 1984 book Anonymity, also sister of Anne Heche. | 3 years | [link]
| |
| Raymond Carver | (1938 - 1988) | Short story writer and poet. | metastatic tumor | [link] | |
| Hugh Cook | (1956 - present) | Author of fantasy series Chronicles of an Age of Darkness. | [link] | ||
| Gwethalyn Graham | (1913 - 1965) | Canadian writer who died at age 52 from brain tumour | [link], [link] | ||
| Johnny Gunther | (1929 - 1947) | Teenage brain tumor patient, son of novelist John Gunther. Johnny's illness became the central theme of his father's book Death Be Not Proud. | [link] | ||
| Stephen Knight | (1951 - 1985) | Author of The Brotherhood and Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution. | 5 years | [link] | |
| Lynda Lee-Potter | (1935 - 2004) | Columnist for the British newspaper Daily Mail. | [link] | ||
| Terence McKenna | (1946 - 2000) | Writer and counterculture figure. | glioblastoma multiforme | under 1 year | [link] |
| Ivan Noble | (1967 - 2005) | BBC journalist and science writer who published columns about his experience with the illness, author of Like a Hole in the Head (Hodder & Stoughton 2005) ISBN 0340864281 | 2 1/2 years | [link] | |
| Chaim Potok | (1929 - 2002) | Author and rabbi best known for his 1967 novel The Chosen. | 2 years | [link] | |
| Charles Sheffield | (1935 - 2002) | Mathematician, physicist and science fiction writer. | 3 months | [link] | |
| Mary Shelley | (1797 - 1851) | Author of Frankenstein, wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley. | [link] | ||
| Trumbull Stickney | (1874 - 1904) | Swiss born American poet. | [link] |
Famous people who could be mistakenly identified as brain tumor patients
Notes
- ↑ Collapsed at home weeks following surgery and died of cardiac arrest. (Accessed 7 March 2006) [link]
- ↑ Originated as testicular cancer. (Accessed 31 May 2006) [link].
External links
- [American Brain Tumor Association]
- [European Brain Tumor Network]
- [German Brain Tumor Association]
- [Musella Foundation For Brain Tumor Research & Information, Inc]
- [National Brain Tumor Foundation]
- [The Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation]
- [The Brain Tumor Foundation]
- [The Brain Tumor Society]
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