35 Celebrities You Never Knew Were Left-Handed

Did you know that only about 12% of the world's population is left-handed?

Left-handedness is also correlated with higher intelligence and creativity, so it doesn't surprise us that some of the biggest celebrities in the world have dominant left hands.

Even if you've never considered it before, chances are a number of your famous favorites are left-handed. Keep clicking through to discover some of the most notable lefties in the world.

(via @tomcruise)

1. Hugh Jackman

(via @thehughjackman)

Australian actor, singer, dancer and producer Hugh Jackman can pretty much do it all, and he does it all with his left hand taking the lead. Despite being left-handed in real life, he's been known to often perform right-handed in his films, perhaps to be even more authentic to the characters he's portraying.

2. Barack Obama

(via @barackobama)

Former President Barack Obama is one of the most note-worthy lefties in the world. Upon signing his first-ever executive order, he said, "That's right, I'm a lefty. Get used to it." But he's far from the only left-handed president who's ever occupied the White House. Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were all lefties in office before him.

3. Lana Condor

 (via @lanacondor)

Lana Condor has completely won our hearts as Lara Jean Covey in the Netflix's To All the Boys I've Loved Before romantic comedies, and it'll be no surprise to fans that she's left-handed. The first film shows Lara Jean in the process of writing love letters to her former crushes—and she pens them all with her left hand!

4. Oprah Winfrey

 (via @oprah)

Oprah Winfrey is a prime example of left-handed creativity and entrepreneurship. Beginning her career as a talk show host, she branched out into acting and producing to become the billionaire media mogul she is today. Pretty much everyone knows the name Oprah Winfrey, but we think it should be more well-known that she's a lefty.

5. Angelina Jolie

(via @angelinaholiofficial)

Angelina Jolie is a bonafide movie star who's now as famous for her philanthropic work as she is for her varied film roles, but we think her left-handedness is also noteworthy. According to some accounts, she even asked for the prop masters on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider to make a special left-handed gun for her for that film.

6. Tom Cruise

(via @tomcruise)

Tom Cruise is arguably the world's biggest movie star, so southpaws will be excited to know that he's a distinguished member of the club. However, things weren't always easy for the actor. When he was young, he struggled with undiagnosed dyslexia, making it tough for him to tell his left hand from his right. In addition, teachers made him write with his right hand, despite his preference for his left. He's moved past that, and today he's ambidextrous, though outside of his roles he still favors his left hand.

7. Nicole Kidman

(via @nicolekidman)

Funnily enough, Nicole Kidman, who happened to be married to Tom Cruise for 11 years, is also left-handed. Even so, the Australian-American actress's dedication to her craft led her to learn to write with her right hand for The Hours in 2002. In the film, she played right-handed author Virginia Woolf, using the proper hand in the film for authenticity.

8. Val Kilmer

(via @valkilmerofficial)

Val Kilmer has had a long and storied career befitting the unusual and imaginative nature of southpaws. After training at the Juilliard School, he mostly took on stage roles before breaking through in 1984's Top Secret!, making him a star. His roles lessened in the 2000s as he focused on music, activism and a long-awaiting film project about Mark Twain. Despite having a tracheostomy in 2015 after a battle with cancer, his creative work continues to this day.

9. Lisa Kudrow

(via @lisakudrow)

Something about Friends character Phoebe Buffay's quirky individualism just screams "lefty" to us, so we weren't too shocked to find out that the actress who portrayed her, Lisa Kudrow, happens to be left-handed. Like many lefties, she actually plays guitar right-handed, which winds up being easier for many left-handed people who don't have the resources of tools to learn the other way around.

10. Whoopi Goldberg

(via @whoopigoldberg)

Whoopi Goldberg is yet another left-handed star who proves that lefties are destined for greatness and rarely ever do just one thing. After being nominated for an Academy Award for her debut role in The Color Purple, she became an instant star, who later branched out into hosting and comedy. She's also been a TV personality for years, as well as an author and activist.

11. Terry Crews

(via @terrycrews)

While today, Terry Crews is best known for his comedic acting roles, the lefty started his career as a football player who played for Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington and Philadelphia. He still plays sports to this day, and is known to both catch and throw the ball with his left hand. You'll also notice that in his Old Spice ads, he tends to hold the products in his favored hand.

12. Lady Gaga

(via @ladygaga)

Left-handed celebrities are often known for having outlandish personas and making waves in their respective fields, so it shouldn't be too surprising that Stefani Germanotta, AKA Lady Gaga, is a lefty. She's also not the only person on this list who plays a right-handed guitar, despite her preference for her left hand.

13. Scarlett Johansson

(via @scarlettjohannsonworld)

Scarlett Johansson is possibly the world's most sought-after actress at the moment, but did know that she's also among the lefties in the world? She's been the highest-paid actress since 2018, proving again the talent and appeal of left-handed people everywhere. Her best-known character, Natasha Romanova (AKA Black Widow) looks to be ambidextrous when it comes to shooting, depending on the situation at hand.

14. Jerry Seinfeld

(via @jerryseinfeld)

Before he was known for grabbing coffee in cars with the biggest comedians in the business, left-handed Jerry Seinfeld was a comedy king in the '80s and '90s, best known for the eponymous sitcom Seinfeld, loosely based around his own life. In the early '80s, he even had an entire bit set around his left-handedness and the negative connotations around the word "left," including "leftovers," having "two left feet" and crooks called Lefty.

15. Sarah Jessica Parker

(via @sarahjessicaparker)

Surprise, surprise—multi-hyphenate actress, producer and designer Sarah Jessica Parker also happens to be a prodigious lefty! The well-known actress of Broadway, television and film also runs a production company called Pretty Matches and has had her own fragrance, show and fashion lines. Fun Facts: Sarah's husband, actor Matthew Broderick, also happens to be left-handed.

16. Mark Hamill

(via @markhamillandmjf)

That's right—Luke Skywalker himself is a southpaw. Actor Mark Hamill, who portrayed the character in the Star Wars films, is left-handed, lending fans to wonder why the Jedi Luke sometimes shoots a blaster, eats and throws with his left hand in the films, while he does other things, like wielding a lightsaber, with his right. The canon explanation is that Luke is ambidextrous.

17. Niall Horan

(via @niallhoran)

Singer-songwriter Niall Horan has been an incredible solo career since boyband One Direction went on hiatus, and he happens to the only of the five members to be a lefty. Despite his left hand being dominant, including when he writes, he's among the other musical artists who plays a right-handed guitar.

18. Julia Roberts

(via @juliaroberts)

If we've learned anything putting together this list, it's that a surprising number of the biggest movie stars in the world happen to be left-handed, and Julia Roberts is no exception. Last year, she even posted an Instagram photo captioned "A glimpse of my left handed life" on International Lefthanders Day.

19. Mark Wahlberg

(via @markwahlberg)

Is it some kind of rule that left-handed celebrities aren't allowed to stick to just one career over their lifetimes? Because Mark Wahlberg, who started off as a musician with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch before branching out into acting and restauranteering, is another lefty. In a series of Q&A videos for Google, a fan asked if he was, indeed, left-handed, to which his answer was a resounding, "Absolutely."

20. Eminem

(via @eminem)

Rapper Marshall Mathers, best known by his stage name  Eminem, is known for being a pioneer in hip-hop and tearing down racial barriers in the genre. That sounds like something a lefty would do, if you ask us. In addition to being an incredible writer and performer, he's also a producer and an actor who played a fictionalized version of himself in 8 Mile.

21. Keanu Reeves

(via @kecharlesreeve)

Despite usually playing right-handed characters in his action-packed movies, as evidenced by the favored shooting hand, actor Keanu Reeves is left-handed in real life. Though he prefers his left hand for most things, including writing, Hhe also plays bass guitar in a couple of bands—Dogstar and Becky—and like the other instrumentalists we've mentioned so far, plays right-handed.

22. Morgan Freeman

(via @morganfreeman)

Actor, director and narrator Morgan Freeman is known for his warmth, intensity and wonderful speaking voice, but he's also left-handed. Unfortunately for the prolific creative, he was in a major car accident in 2008, resulting in a broken left shoulder, elbow and arm. After a four-hour surgery, he was left with nerve damage that left his left hand paralyzed, forcing him to relearn everyday tasks with his right.

23. Jay Leno

(via @jaylenosgarage)

Thanks to hosting The Tonight Show With Jay Leno for nearly two decades, Jay Leno is a household name as well as another famous left-handed star. He's famously a big fan of classic cars, and can often be seen turning the steering wheel with his dominant left hand. And his late-night talk show competitor, David Letterman, is another well-known lefty.

24. Jennifer Lawrence

(via @lawrenceperfect)

Jennifer Lawrence is just another incredible actress on this list who's convinced the world she's right-handed by mastering a righty skill onscreen. Her most well-known character, Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, was a master archer who shot with her right hand, despite the fact that Jennifer writes and plays most sports with her dominant left.

25. Paul McCartney

(via @paulmccartney)

Unlike a majority of the musicians on this list, Beatles singer-songwriter and bassist Paul McCartney actually plays music left-handed! His most famous instrument is his left-handed Hofner violin bass, which has an iconic, unusual shape that's made even more memorable by the fact that it points in the opposite direction of most guitars.

26. Ringo Starr

(via @ringostarrmusic)

Would you believe that The Beatles lineup actually included two incredible left-handed artists? In addition to Paul McCartney, drummer Ringo Starr is also a lefty. However, as you might have guessed, Ringo has drummed on right-handed drum sets his entire life. He attributes his unique style to the way he adapted to the limits of a kit not suited to him.

27. Zoë Kravitz

(via @zoeisabellakravitz)

Zoë Kravitz is yet another big star who's proof that left-handed folks can do pretty much anything they set their sights on. In addition to being an actress in films including the Divergent movies, X-Men: First Class and Mad Max: Fury Road, she's also the front woman of the band Lolawolf, and is a model who's been the face of YSL, Tiffany & Co. and more.

28. Justin Bieber

 (via @justinbieber)

Justin Bieber made such a mark on the pop world at such a young age that we're not at all surprised that he's left-handed. Like Paul McCartney before him, Justin is another artist on this list who actually plays a left-handed guitar. He got his first lefty instrument for his birthday when he was young after showing interest in his mom's right-handed guitar.

29. Seth Rogen

(via @sethrogen)

Canadian actor Seth Rogen, best known for his comedic roles, is one lefty whose left-handedness can be spotted in a number of his onscreen roles. In addition to his acting, he's also done a lot of writing, producing and directing. He co-wrote Superbad and more, directed This Is the End and The Interview and developed AMC's Preacher alongside frequent collaborator Even Goldberg.

30. Ben Stiller

(via @benstiller)

We're starting to see a big connection between huge comedic talents and left-handedness, and that includes actor and comedian Ben Stiller. Like many others who share his preferred hand, he's also done a lot of great work behind the camera. as a producer, director and writer. His directing and writing credits include classic comedy films Zoolander and Tropic Thunder.

31. Anna Kendrick

(via @annakendrick47)

Fans of Anna Kendrick's films probably know that she's not just a distinguished actress but also a fabulous singer (who also happens to be left-handed). You may also notice that she prioritizes her left hand in her "Cups" performance in Pitch Perfect, making it easy for all of us right-handed viewers to learn from the mirror image!

32. Kate Hudson

(via @katehudson)

Though Kate Hudson has mostly left her life of movie stardom behind, the left-handed talent, who now focuses on writing and fashion, is still thriving in her own right. She's the cofounder of popular fitness brand Fabletics and has released two books—Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body and Pretty Fun: Celebrating a Lifetime of Tradition.

33. Goldie Hawn

(via @goldiehawn)

Perhaps left-handedness can run in the family, because Kate Hudson's mother, Goldie Hawn, is another incredible actress who also happens to be a lefty. She's been a Hollywood staple since the '60s, appearing in many instant classics over the years, and is also a dancer, singer and a producer, who also runs a non-profit for underprivileged kids on the side.

34. Gordon Ramsey

(via @chefsackitchen)

Known for his delicious food and foul mouth, Gordon Ramsey is one of the world's most famous celebrity chefs, and all of this despite being a left-handed chef in right-handed kitchens. Though many southpaw chefs say that being a lefty can make it tough to navigate the restaurant industry, Ramsey says this has never been a problem for him. We think his left-handed chopping skills are particularly impressive.

35. Mary-Kate Olsen

(via @olsen.daily)

Though many people think that Mary-Kate Olsen and her twin sister Ashley are identical, they happen to actually just be fraternal twins who look almost exactly alike. One thing that happen to not have in common is their preferred hand. While Ashley Olsen is right-handed, like most of the population, her sister Mary-Kate is part of the lefty club.

 

Love this article? Click HERE for our list of celebs you never realized were Canadian.