Stamback in Time

Played by ASC Vice President Colin Firth in the Oscar winning ‘King’s Speech’, King George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death. As the second son of King George V, he was not expected to inherit the throne, and in the mid-1920s, he had speech therapy for his stammer, which affected him his whole life. Due to the abdication of his brother Edward, George succeeded the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill (30 Nov 1874 – 24 Jan 1965) was a British statesman, army officer and writer. He served as Prime Minister of the UK from 1940-45 and from 1951-55. As Prime Minister, Churchill led Britain to victory in the Second World War. He was known to suffer from a stammer, but this didn’t hold him back making some of the most iconic speeches of recent times.

Aneurin (Nye) Bevan was a Welsh Labour party politician. He is regarded by many as the father of National Health Service(NHS), created in 1948.
Nye Bevan was born in the small mining town, Tredegar, in Wales. When in primary school, Bevan developed a severe stammer. He was shy and quiet and described as a ‘lonely chap’ by his sister.
When Bevan was 13, he left school and began working as a miner, like his father. However, when he was 19, he became increasing involved in trade unionism and standing up for the rights of mine workers. Bevan’s enthusiasm was creating positive change that did not waiver when he became involved in politics. Bevan drove the change for improvements in services such as housing and healthcare, including the creation of the NHS, when he was Minister of Health (1945-1951).

Stormzy (born Michael Omari Owuo Jr.) is a British Grime and Hip Hop artist. Stormzy was born in Croydon, South London. He started rapping when he was only 11 years old! In December 2014, Stormzy released his first EP Album, Dreamer’s disease. He won a MOBO award later that year. Today Stormzy is a well-known star, not only in UK Grime and Rap genre, but nationally ! Stormzy has won many awards, like the BRITs, and collabrated with stars, like Ed Sheeran. In 2019, Stormzy headlined Glastonbury festival and received his first UK number 1, with Vossi Bop. Stormzy’s talent extends outside his music too! He is committed to giving back to the community. In 2018, Stormzy announced he would cover the full tuition fees of two Cambridge undergraduate students. In 2019, he did the same thing.

A known stammerer, Marilyn Monroe was an American actress and model, born Norma Jean Mortenson. Although she was a top-billed actor for only a decade, her films grossed $200 million by the time of her unexpected death in 1962. More than half a century after her death, she continues to be considered a major popular culture icon.

Emily Blunt is a British actor born in London on 23 February 1983. From the age of seven she has struggled with a stammer and has been very vocal in her support for stammering awareness. Blunt made her professional debut in a 2001 London production of the play The Royal Family alongside Dame Judy Dench. She has since gone on to appear in a number of films including The Devil Wears Prada, and The Girl on the Train. She is set to portray Mary Poppins in the upcoming musical remake Mary Poppins Returns.

Ed Sheeran was born 17 February 1991 and is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk. Sheeran is vocal about his stammer in childhood, but it hasn’t held him back from becoming one of the biggest selling artist of recent years. In 2015 Forbes put him as the 27th highest earning celebrity in the world earning $57 million.