Left Handers Day: Left Handed Celebrities

It’s Left Handers Day and we’re celebrating all things left handed. Only about 10% of the population claims to be a lefty, but quite a few of that 10% falls into the celebrity category. Being lefties might be an exceptional characteristic, but it’s not the only thing that makes these lefties special. Here are 12 unique left handed celebrities.

On Stage

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Justin Bieber What’s unbeliebable about Justin Bieber is not that he’s a lefty, but that Ludacris recorded a song with him. Maybe it’s not that uncommon, but what is uncommon is Bieber is the youngest male solo act to top the Billboard 200 since Stevie Wonder. Belieb it.

Lady Gaga Lady Gaga keeps everyone guessing onstage and with her music. What you might not guess is that she’s a lefty and she had a bit part on an episode of The Sopranos. She was played “Girl at Swimming Pool #2” in season three’s The Telltale Moozadell.

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Niall Horan You may not know One Direction’s Niall Horan is a lefty, but just about every tween girl in the USA and in the UK know that. They also probably know that he’s a fan of The Eagles and Bon Jovi – but, as tweens, they probably don’t know who they are.

Martina McBride Martina McBride is, by far, the oldest of our musical lefties, but she’s not completely removed from the tween scene. She told The Boot her daughter once cried after meeting fellow lefty Justin Bieber. Even if you knew McBride was a lefty, you probably didn’t guess her daughter is a Belieber.

On Screen

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Julia Roberts This lefty will always be America’s Sweetheart. Julia Roberts does her best to keep her life private and has somehow figured out how to keep the paparazzi at bay. She even had a secret wedding in New Mexico to dodge the cameras. One little known fact about the little known nuptials: the only celebrity in attendance was another lefty, Bruce Willis.

January Jones Known for her role as Betty Draper on Mad Men, it’s a little known fact that January Jones is a lefty, but it’s also a little known fact that she never set out to be an actress. She moved from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to New York City to be a model and fell into acting doing commercials. Now she stars in a show all about doing commercials.

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Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie leaves little to the public’s imagination. It is uncommon knowledge that the Mr. & Mrs. Smith star is left-handed and that, as a child, her professional aspirations were to be a funeral director.

Ed O’Neill  This lefty was made famous in the sitcom Married with Children in the 1980s and he now stars in Modern Family. Though he’s been in the business for decades, it wasn’t his first career. He was signed as an outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969. That career didn’t last long; he was cut before the start of the 1969 football season and became a teacher.

In the Spotlight

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President Barack Obama As the President of the United States, everything about Barack Obama is common knowledge – including the fact that he is left-handed. What you might not know is that growing up he was called “Barry.” It wasn’t until college he asked to be called Barack.

Oprah Winfrey Yes, Oprah Winfrey, one of the world’s favorite influencers, is a lefty. That might not be such a shock, but what might surprise you is that she once dated late film critic Roger Ebert.

Matt Lauer You wake up with Matt every morning and he shares the news and sometimes he shares what doesn’t pass as news. Either way, you know a lot about him and since he’s in the business of sharing, you’ve probably picked up that he’s left handed. What he’s less likely to share over the airwaves is his phobia: Emetophobia. It’s the irrational fear of vomiting.

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Whoopi Goldberg That Whoopi Goldberg is left-handed might be the least interesting thing about her. What you might not know: she wrote a children’s book; she’s afraid of flying because she once witnessed two planes collide. Now she only travels long distances by bus; she is one of 11 people who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. The list goes on and on, and they all trump being left-handed.

Being left-handed isn’t what makes these celebrities unique, but it certainly adds to their mystique.