The King's Speech 'More than Entertainment to People Who Stutter'

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (January 16, 2011) — Jane Fraser, president of The Stuttering Foundation (www.stutteringhelp.org), issued the following reaction to tonight’s Golden Globe Awards:

“A tsunami called The King's Speech has turned our world upside down," said Jane Fraser, president of The Stuttering Foundation. "This movie has done in one fell swoop what we've been working on for 64 years – raising awareness of the complexities of stuttering and the help that is available to those in need.The King’s Speech, with its seven Golden Globe nominations and tonight’s much-deserved “Best Actor in a Motion Picture” award for Colin Firth, is more than entertainment to people who stutter. We have heard universal praise for both the movie and the actors’ performances from the stuttering community across the world. People who stutter have a movie and a hero they can call their own. We congratulate the director, producers, writers and actors for their work, and their humanity in helping millions of people who stutter with understanding and hope.”

CELEBRITY FOCUS

King George

In November 2010, worldwide movie audiences were presented with a most interesting and unusual movie release with The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth as King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as his wife Elizabeth.

Unfortunately, history may have forgotten the courageous and inspiring story of Prince Albert who stuttered badly and never dreamed that he would ever be king when his older brother, King Edward VIII, abruptly abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.

John Melendez

He is a talented musician, actor, and comedian. Listen to a podcast.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, was well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones spoke some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.

John Stossel

John Stossel is one of the most recognized and articulate reporters today. However, he once considered giving up his broadcasting career because of his stuttering.

“Fear of stuttering can easily become worse than the stuttering itself,” observed Stossel. “The idea that I’m on television and making speeches is still a shock to me sometimes.”

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.