Actors With Aspasia, Celebrities With Aspasia

Though the general public isn’t always aware of it, aphasia is fairly common in the United States. It is estimated that 2 million people in the United States have aphasia, so it may come as no surprise that some celebrities have had aphasia.

Emilia Clarke is an English actress, who played Daenerys Targaryen in the hit HBO show “Game of Thrones.” In 2019, she published a powerful essay in which she detailed the two aneurysms she had suffered years before, as well as her subsequent experience with aphasia.

In 2011, while recovering from her first life-threatening aneurysm, her brain trauma left her “muttering nonsense” and unable to recall her name at the age of 25. The well-known actress has since recovered.

Sharon Stone has appeared in numerous films, including Basic Instinct, Casino, and The Mighty. In September 2001, at the height of her career, she suffered a rare ruptured vertebral artery, which resulted in a brain bleed. During the months following her stroke recovery, she experienced many common issues, including aphasia.

Randy Travis has seven Grammy Awards to his name. He had a massive stroke in 2013 that left him with aphasia. He has written about his struggles with stroke recovery and aphasia.

Mark McEwen worked as a weatherman and entertainment reporter for CBS This Morning and The Early Show for over 15 years.  McEwen survived a stroke in 2005. He couldn’t walk, and he couldn’t even speak. In his book Change in the Weather: Life After Stroke, he chronicled his recovery from aphasia and other stroke-related medical issues.