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Donald Sutherland -

Canadian actor Donald Sutherland contracted polio as a child. Bedridden, he developed a passion for reading before going on to become one of the world's most recognized movie stars. 

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Francis Ford Coppola -

The 'Godfather' and 'Apocalypse Now' director contracted polio as a youngster, and was bedridden for large periods of his childhood. Coppola has talked about the way his isolation from other kids of his age allowed him to indulge his imagination with homemade theater productions.  

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Alan Alda -

Especially known for playing Hawkeye Pierce in the television series 'M*A*S*H' (1972–1983), actor Alan Alda contracted polio at age seven. Treatment included having his leg muscles stretched by massage. 

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Neil Young -

In 1951 a polio outbreak swept across Ontario. Six-year-old Neil Young was one of many who contracted the disease and as a result was left partially paralyzed on his left side. Fortunately he recovered and became one of the most respected musicians and singer-songwriters of his generation.

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Mia Farrow -

Mia Farrow was diagnosed with polio when she was nine and spent eight months in hospital, during which an iron lung stimulated her breathing. The 'Rosemary's Baby' actress is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and campaigns in the fight against the life-threatening disease.  

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Mel Ferrer (1917–2008) -

Actor, director, and producer Mel Ferrer, who was famously married to Audrey Hepburn, suffered a bout of polio in the 1940s. The condition temporarily stalled his burgeoning career. 

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Ida Lupino (1918–1995) -

Actress Ida Lupino, who later became the most prominent female filmmaker in Hollywood during the 1950s, suffered a brief bout of polio in 1934. 

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Joni Mitchell -

Canadian musician and singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell started to sing while hospitalized with polio as a child. The condition left her with a weakened arm which she compensated for by re-tuning her guitar to non-standard pitch.  

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Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) -

Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, was diagnosed with polio in 1921. Left permanently paralyzed from the waist down, he spent much of life advocating treatments, cures, and a vaccine to prevent polio. However, a retrospective analysis suggested FDR's symptoms are more consistent with Guillain–Barré syndrome—an autoimmune neuropathy which his doctors failed to consider as a diagnostic possibility. 

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Donovan -

Scottish musician and singer-songwriter Donovan became a voice of the 1960s with a string of hits that included 'Catch the Wind,' 'Sunshine Superman,' and 'Mellow Yellow.' He survived a bout of polio in his childhood which caused him to suffer periods of exhaustion and left him with a limp. 

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Jack Nicklaus -

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus caught mild polio in his early teens and was affected with stiffness, pain, and weight loss over two weeks. 

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Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) -

Celebrated Mexican painter Frida Kahlo caught polio aged six. After spending several months in bed she was left with a deformed and shortened right leg. Tragically and despite overcoming the disease, she was injured in a bus accident at the age of 18, which caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. She's pictured in bed with a mirror affixed to the bed posts, below the canopy, which allowed her to paint self-portraits while prone. 

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Itzhak Perlman -

One of the world's greatest violinists, Israeli-American Itzhak Perlman contracted polio at age four and has walked using leg braces and crutches ever since. He plays seated in a wheelchair or in an electric scooter.  

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Marion Davies (1897–1961) -

Marion Davies was a screen star during Hollywood's golden age. She caught polio late in life, in the 1940s, which affected one of her legs. She's otherwise known for being the mistress of media magnate William Randolph Hurst. 

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Johnny Weissmuller (1904–1984) -

Johnny Weissmuller battled polio as a nine-year-old and was urged by a doctor to take up swimming as a form of physiotherapy. He later became an Olympic swimming champion before finding further fame as Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan in twelve feature films from 1932 to 1948. 

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Judy Collins -

Grammy award-winning musician and singer-songwriter Judy Collins, whose hits include 'Send in the Clowns,' spent several months in hospital after contracting polio as a child. Like Mia Farrow, she is also a representative of UNICEF and actively promotes polio vaccination programs. 

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James Drury (1934–2020) -

James Drury was a familiar face on small screen during the 1960s, playing the title role in the Western television series 'The Virginian' (1962–1971). Drury overcame a bout of polio as a 10-year-old. 

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Benjamin C. Bradlee (1921–2014) -

The executive editor of The Washington Post during the Watergate scandal, Ben Bradlee caught polio when he was 14, and was paralyzed for several months. He was played by actor Jason Robards in the 1976 film 'All the President's Men,' which stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. 

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Wilma Rudolph (1940–1994) -

Olympic champion sprinter Wilma Rudolph overcame huge odds to reach the very highest level of competition after contracting polio at the age of four. Physically challenged throughout much of her early life, she managed to walk again without leg braces and became a basketball star before turning to athletics. She's pictured winning the women's 100-meter dash at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

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Ian Dury (1942–2000) -

Front man of pioneering British new wave rock band Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Dury's hand and leg were left shriveled by a bout with polio at age seven. He often sang about his disability and campaigned with UNICEF to eradicate the disease. 

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Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) -

English science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke was struck down with polio in 1962, which confined him to bed for many weeks. He co-wrote with Stanley Kubrick the screenplay for the 1968 film '2001: A Space Odyssey,' which Kubrick also directed. In 1984 Clarke was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome, a condition that put him in a wheelchair for the last years of his life. 

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Emmett Till (1941–1955) -

As a five-year-old, Emmett Till caught polio. The condition left him with a permanent stutter. That might have been the end of his story, but on August 28, 1955 aged 14, he was brutally murdered in a racially motivated attack. Till posthumously became an icon of the civil rights movement.

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Dorothea Lange (1895–1965) -

Pioneering documentary photographer Dorothea Lange was left with a withered right lower leg and a limp after contracting polio at age seven. She went on to become one of the most important photojournalists of her age, celebrated for her work with the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression which produced the iconic 1936 image, 'Migrant Mother.'  

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Margarete Steiff (1847–1909) -

German seamstress Margarete Steiff is famous as a toy maker and founder of the Steiff Company, known for its teddy bear. Polio claimed Steiff as a child, leaving her with both legs paralyzed and pain in her right arm. She was eventually confined to a wheelchair. Original Steiff soft toys are now collector's items worth many thousands of dollars. 

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CeDell Davis (1926–2017) -

Blues guitarist and singer CeDell Davis devised a unique way to overcome the disability left by polio. With his hands crippled by the disease he learned to play the guitar upside down. He then developed a technique using a butter knife to help fret the strings, producing a similar sound to a slide guitar. 

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Joe Dante -

Best known for his 1984 movie 'Gremlins,' filmmaker Joe Dante battled briefly with polio aged seven. 

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Doc Pomus (1925–1991) -

Starting his career as a blues singer, Doc Pomus, together with music collaborator Mort Shuman, wrote numerous rock and roll hits, several of them for Elvis Presley. He's pictured singing on crutches, which he was obliged to use after contracting polio as a child. 

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Kerry Packer (1937–2005) -

Catching polio at age eight confined Kerry Packer to an iron lung for nine months. His subsequent absence from school impacted his academic ability but that didn't stop him from becoming one of Australia's richest, most powerful, and influential businessmen. 

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Robert McNamara (1916–2009) -

As Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara's name became synonymous with the Vietnam War. He survived an earlier struggle after contracting polio in 1945. His wife also caught the disease and while he had a relatively short stay in the hospital, hers was a more serious case and she remained bedridden for nine months.   

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Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) -

Scottish historical novelist, poet, and  playwright Sir Walter Scott very likely caught polio aged 18 months. At the time however, the disease was not known to science. The retrospective diagnosis of polio is considered to be strong due to the detailed account Scott made. 

Sources (World Health Organization) (The Irish Times) (UK Disability History Month) (Invaluable) (Guitar Player)

See also: Memorable movies set in Scotland

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