Stuttering Foundation President Joins Actor Colin Firth to Raise Money for Children Who Stutter

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (February 25, 2015) — Four years after winning an Oscar for his role as the monarch who stuttered in The King’s Speech, Colin Firth (pictured with Stuttering Foundation President Jane Fraser) launched a major fundraising campaign on behalf of Action for Stammering Children aimed at increasing support and training for speech and language therapy at an event in London.

Funding recipients of the campaign – titled ‘Unlock a Child’s Voice’ – include the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children. Firth and Fraser are both Vice Presidents of the Michael Palin Centre.

“The King’s Speech was a turning point in history for the stuttering community, bringing worldwide attention, mainstream understanding and hope for those that struggle to speak,” said Fraser. “Colin’s commitment to helping children is key to helping families unlock the mystery of stuttering,” added Fraser.

Photo by Daniel Leal-Olivas/Press Association.

Posted Feb. 25, 2015

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Jack Paar

While Jack Paar is among the most prominent of the entertainers on the Stuttering Foundation’s list of Famous People Who Stutter, he deserves special recognition as he was among the first to openly address his stuttering in public. As host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1962, he spoke of his difficulties as a stuttering child and teenager, giving hope to young people.

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.

Frank Wolf

This Virginian congressman has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1981. The longtime supporter of the Stuttering Foundation drew national attention to childhood stuttering in 2006 when he submitted an article about Tiger Woods from the SFA newsletter to the Congressional Record. The congressman is featured in the Stuttering Foundation's Famous People Who Stutter brochure.

Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor has been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter for many years, but probably few people know all of the unique accomplishments of this former hockey great who was born on December 4, 1955, in Levack, Ontario.

Marilyn Monroe

From Edward S. Herrington's letter to Southcoasttoday.com

I am writing in response to "The importance of voice" (May 29), which mentioned that famous actor James Earl Jones struggled with stuttering. Another famous voice that you cited was the trademark breathy voice of Marilyn Monroe; however, you did not make mention of the fact that Marilyn Monroe also struggled with stuttering at various points in her life, sometimes very painfully.