Celebrities Who are Also Inventors

"Celebrities" here basically means famous people with non-scientific careers: movie directors, singers, poets, athletes, painters, politicians, writers, etc.

The Top Ten

Paul Winchell

The famous American, Grammy-winning television pioneer, comedian, ventriloquist, actor, voice artist (remember Tigger from Winnie the Pooh?), inventor, humanitarian, and entrepreneur had over 30 patents for inventions. Do you know his most amazing invention? An artificial heart, patented in 1961. (Also implanted in humans... isn't it obvious!)
Some of his other inventions include a blood plasma defroster, a piezoelectric diaphragm, and a sectional garment for hypothermia. He also invented a disposable razor, a flameless lighter, an illuminated ballpoint pen, a retractable fountain pen, an inverted novelty mask, battery-operated heated gloves, and an indicator to show when food has gone bad after a power outage.
In addition to his inventions, he worked for the Leukemia Society and the American Red Cross. He established many patents and also owned a shirt factory. He proposed the Tilapia Project to produce rapidly reproducing Tilapia fish and help undernourished people in sub-Saharan Africa. Oh, and did I mention the first artificial heart?
Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler on November 9, 1914, and died on January 19, 2000, was an Austrian-American film actress and inventor. Often referred to as "The Most Beautiful Woman in Films," Lamarr's beauty and screen presence made her one of the most popular actresses of her era.... read more

One of the most loved celebrities of the 1930s and 1940s.
Inventor of frequency-hopping spread spectrum and the "secret communication system" with co-inventor George Anthiel, which was designed to combat the Nazis in World War II by manipulating frequencies at irregular intervals between transmission and reception.
This invention formed an unbreakable code to prevent classified messages from being intercepted by enemy personnel. (Received a patent in 1941, but the significance of this invention was realized many decades later.) As for frequency-hopping spread spectrum, it formed the backbone of wireless communication.
Eddie Van Halen

Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen (January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020) was a Dutch-American musician, songwriter, producer, and inventor. He was best known as the lead guitarist, occasional keyboardist, and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. He is widely recognized for pioneering guitar techniques... read more

He also has a patent for the D-Tuna, a mechanical device he invented that allows a guitar with a Floyd Rose whammy bar to drop the low E string a whole step to D (hence the name).

His signature sound was the two-handed tapping technique, but letting all 10 fingers fly while holding up the guitar's neck would be tricky. He invented a support top that could flip out of the back of the axe's body to raise and stabilize the fretboard so he could tap out songs. The invention works for any stringed instrument.
Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 - April 21, 2016) was an American musician, widely regarded as one of the most popular and influential artists of the 1980s. He was known for his eclectic musical style, flamboyant stage presence, and mastery of multiple instruments. Some of his most iconic songs include... read more

He invented a portable, electronic keyboard musical instrument. It was a keytar with swooping curves and arrows that gave birth to the term. He received a patent in 1994.
Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman is an actress, film producer, and film director with dual American and Israeli citizenship. She is best known for her roles as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Nina Sayers in Black Swan. Her performance in Black Swan earned her numerous accolades, including an Academy... read more

She invented a simple method to demonstrate the enzymatic production of hydrogen from sugar.
Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American actor, film director, and activist. He is credited with bringing a gripping realism to film acting and is often cited as one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time. He died on July 1, 2004, at the age of 80.

He received four patents for a drum tuning system (drumhead tensioning device and method). Instead of being tuned by five or six screws at the top, it could be tuned by one crank at the bottom.
Steve McQueen

Terence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American actor. Known as "The King of Cool," his anti-hero persona emerged during the 1960s counterculture and made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s.
He starred in notable films such as The Great Escape (1963), Bullitt (1968), and... read more

In 1971, he was awarded a patent for a bucket seat shell, unlike the bench seating common in that era.
He was a serious motorcycle and race car driver who even competed in races like the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Neil Young

Neil Percival Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, producer, director, and screenwriter. He gained fame both as a solo artist and as a member of bands like Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Known for hits such as Heart of Gold and Rockin' in the Free World, Young is also... read more

The invention of a model train controller using an electromagnetic field by this hardcore model train enthusiast was granted a patent. The system communicates signals to model train cars as they move around their tracks.
Penn Jillette
Walt Disney

Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 to December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, and entrepreneur. He was a pioneer of the American animation industry and introduced several innovations in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for the most Academy Awards... read more

The Newcomers

?
Florence Lawrence
?
Margaret Atwood

The Contenders

Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis, Lady Haden-Guest, is an American actress and author. She made her film debut in 1978, starring as Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's horror classic Halloween. Curtis has since had a diverse career in both comedy and drama, and she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2023... read more

The Halloween and True Lies actress invented a unitary disposable diaper with an integrated soilage management structure, including a disposable container. (Received a patent in 2017.) Isn't it cool?
Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He is widely celebrated for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). Twain is often regarded as one of the greatest... read more
Charles Lindbergh

Charles Augustus Lindbergh, nicknamed Slim, Lucky Lindy, and The Lone Eagle, was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, explorer, and environmental activist. He gained worldwide fame in 1927 for making the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in his aircraft, the Spirit... read more
Bill Nye

William Sanford "Bill" Nye, popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American science educator, television presenter, and mechanical engineer. He gained fame in the 1990s through his educational television program "Bill Nye the Science Guy." Nye continues to advocate for science literacy and... read more

He invented better ballet toe shoes. You have no idea what kind of relief it must have been.
Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol, born Andrew Warhola on August 6, 1928, and died on February 22, 1987, was an American artist and a leading figure in the Pop art movement. His works often explored the connections between artistic expression, celebrity culture, and mass advertising. Warhol's most iconic pieces include his... read more

Invented a watch with five watch faces, patented after the artist's death
Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, and songwriter. He passed away from cardiac arrest caused by acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication, which was ruled a homicide. Jackson is widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures... read more

He invented the method and means of anti-gravity illusion.
Remember the 1988 classic Smooth Criminal, where he and his crew defied gravity? It was patented in 1993 for the anti-gravity shoes.
Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War and succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering... read more
Francis Ford Coppola

Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film composer. He was a central figure in the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking. He is best known for directing the acclaimed films The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now.
Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg (born December 18, 1946) is an American director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era and is regarded as one of the most popular and influential directors and producers in film history. His notable films include Jaws,... read more
George Lucas

George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light and Magic, and THX. He served as chairman of Lucasfilm before selling it to The Walt Disney Company in 2012... read more
James Cameron

James Cameron is a Canadian film director, producer, screenwriter, and deep-sea explorer. He is best known for directing major films such as The Terminator, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Titanic, and Avatar. These films are recognized for their groundbreaking visual effects and box office success... read more
Kurt Vonnegut Sr.
Jamie Hyneman
Harry Connick Jr.

Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. is an American singer, musician, and actor. He has sold over 28 million albums worldwide. Connick is also known for his roles in films such as Hope Floats and Independence Day.
Paula Abdul

Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She gained fame in the late 1980s with a string of hit songs and albums, including her debut album Forever Your Girl. Abdul also served as a judge on the television shows American Idol and... read more