13 biographies
Famous Bipolar Actors & Comedians
Comedy and performance draw an extraordinary number of people who live at both poles. Several of the actors here became leading advocates after going public with their diagnoses.
Maurice Benard
The General Hospital star has become one of bipolar disorder's leading advocates.
Drew Carey
The comedian has written frankly about clinical depression and suicide attempts.
Jim Carrey
Comedy's most elastic face has spoken openly about depression and medication.
Robert Downey Jr.
Addiction, arrests and an extraordinary comeback - with bipolar disorder reported throughout.
Patty Duke
An Oscar winner who became the public face of bipolar disorder in America.
Carrie Fisher
Princess Leia turned her diagnosis into a weapon against stigma.
Stephen Fry
His documentary on his own bipolar disorder changed the conversation in Britain.
Mel Gibson
The actor-director has confirmed a bipolar diagnosis amid decades of controversy.
Marilyn Monroe
Hollywood's brightest star, and the mood swings recorded by everyone around her.
Elizabeth Taylor
Eight marriages, chronic pain and mood extremes behind the violet eyes.
Jean-Claude Van Damme
The Muscles from Brussels was diagnosed bipolar and treated with lithium.
Tom Waits
Musician and actor whose growling persona masks a famously private struggle.
Robin Williams
The fastest mind in comedy, and the darkness that ran alongside it.