Revision 47937920 of "List of people widely considered eccentric" on enwiki

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==Definition of eccentricity==
[[Eccentricity (behavior)|Eccentricity]] is necessarily defined relatively. For the purposes of this article, an eccentric is someone whose behaviour, beliefs and/or hobbies deviate in a significant way from the accepted norms of their society, but otherwise can function largely as normal in society. He or she may be regarded as strange, odd or at least unconventional, irregular and erratic. Other people may regard the eccentric with apprehension but also with amusement.

People behave in "eccentric" ways for many reasons. Sometimes, particular patterns of "eccentric" behavior can be a sign of [[mental illness]]. For example, many experts believe [[Howard Hughes]] suffered from [[Obsessive-compulsive disorder|obsessive-compulsive disorder]] and/or the neurological effects of late-stage [[syphilis]].

Sometimes eccentricity is clearly intentional. Some [[comedian]]s behave in eccentric ways even off-stage for professional reasons—to maintain their funny [[public image]]. Some [[entertainer]]s and [[artist]]s like [[Salvador Dalí]] use eccentric lifestyle to draw attention to themselves and exploit the common perception that [[creativity]] and [[Mental illness|madness]] are closely related. [[Athlete]]s may behave in aggressive ways because it is part of their image as "tough guys" and as a way to intimidate their opponents.

There are historical cases where an eccentric may have taken the mantle intentionally for religious reasons (Russian [[Yurodivy]], for example) or used it as an unusual way to make a semblance of a living. Some of their contemporaries may have regarded them with religious devotion.

Other so-called "eccentrics" behave the way they do simply because they care little about societal pressures against their behavior. What other people think often does not matter to them.

Further insight in the complex relations between [[madness]], eccentricity and the perception of deviant behavior by mainstream society can be found in ''[[A social history of madness]]'' by [[Roy Porter]] ([[1987]] - ISBN 0297795716). This book also treats several examples of "famous" people ending up in [[mental hospital|asylum]]s, as a result of their eccentric behavior, e.g. [[Robert Schumann]].

Persons whose habits, [[appearance]], or [[belief]]s have often been described as eccentric include:

==Artists, architects and composers==
* [[Brigid Berlin]], [[Warhol superstar]], actor and artist who obsessively recorded her everyday life.
* [[John Cage]], American composer and artist
* [[Monte Cazazza]], American [[sound art]]ist who dressed like an old beggar woman and set dead cats on fire.
* [[Ferdinand Cheval]], French [[Postman]] who spent 33 years building a huge palace from random stones found during his work
[[Image:VanGogh-self-portrait-dedicated to gaugin.jpg|thumb|220px|''Self-portrait'' (1853) by Dutch painter [[Vincent van Gogh]], who cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and gave it to a prostitute friend.]]
* Nick "[[Momus (artist)|Momus]]" Currie, Berlin-based Scottish "folktronica" musician, design critic, orientalist and "emotional communist".
* [[Ivor Cutler]], Scottish poet, musician and comic.
* [[Salvador Dalí]], [[Spain|Spanish]] painter noted both for his [[surrealism|surrealist]], dreamlike imagery and for his bizarre theatrical stunts.
* [[Antoni Gaudí]], Catalan architect.
* [[Alejandro Jodorowsky]], Chilean-born film director, actor and author of [[graphic novels]]
* [[Edward Leedskalnin]], Latvian-born sculptor who built a castle in Florida
* [[Harry Partch]], American composer, used a [[Harry Partch's 43-tone scale|43-tone scale]] for which he had his own set of musical instruments, lived as a hobo for ten years
* [[Gao Qipei]], painter who grew his fingernails excessively long to be a better finger painter because a dream told him to.
* [[Mi Fu]], Chinese painter who declared a stone to be his elder brother and bowed to it.
* [[Charles Ribart]], 18th century French architect who designed a building shaped like an elephant
* [[Erik Satie]], unconventional French composer who was found to have had a vast collection of umbrellas as well as musical compositions hidden "behind the piano, in the pockets of the velvet suits, etc." 
* [[Alexander Scriabin]], who, some time before his death, had planned a multi-media work to be performed in the Himalayas that would bring about the Armageddon (or so he believed) 
* [[Hugh Troy]], US painter (prankster)
* [[Vincent Van Gogh]], Dutch painter
* [[Louis Wain]], English artist who created widely popular illustrations of [[anthropomorphism|anthropomorphized]] cats which later grew progressively more elaborate, psychedelic and disturbing as he descended into madness.
* [[Andy Warhol]], New York artist and social commentator

==Athletes==
* [[Muhammad Ali]], athlete who attracted much attention with his unorthodox behaviour and style of boxing
* [[Hector Camacho]], world champion boxer
* [[Dock Ellis]], baseball player who [[pitcher|pitched]] a [[no-hitter]] while under the influence of the psychedelic drug [[LSD]]
* [[Chris Eubank]], world champion boxer who wears a [[monocle]]
* [[Mark Fidrych]], baseball pitcher who sometimes talked to the ball
* [[Naseem Hamed]], world champion boxer, famous for his ring entrances
* [[David Icke]], English soccer goalkeeper, TV presenter, turquoise shell suit wearer and self-proclaimed 'son of the Godhead'. 
*[[Bill Lee (left-handed pitcher)|Bill "Spaceman" Lee]] - Baseball Pitcher from 1970s ([[Boston Red Socks]] & [[Montreal Expos]]) nicknamed "the Spaceman" for his eccentricities
* [[Florence Griffith Joyner|"Flo Jo" Florence Griffith Joyner]], [[Sprinter]] known for her long, [[fluorescent]] [[fingernails]] and flashy running gear
* [[Dennis Rodman]], former [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] star with brightly dyed hair and numerous [[tattoo]]s
* [[Leigh Richmond Roose]], pre [[First World War]] Welsh international goalkeeper who refused to wash his undershirt throughout his 17-year career
*[[Mike Tyson]], boxer, who bit an opponent's ear off.
*[[Michael Waltrip]], NASCAR racer, wears shoes too small at road courses, sings to the fans over the radio during red flags, popped out of roof hatch after winning 2003 EA Sports 500 like a Jack-in-the-box.

==Businessmen==
* "Judge" [[Roy Bean]], US saloonkeeper and arbitrary judge who called himself "The Law West of the Pecos"
* [[Richard Branson]], UK entrepreneur and founder of [[Virgin Records]]
* [[E. H. Bronner]], US soapmaker who covered his product's packaging with dense text expounding his philosophical views
* [[Timothy Dexter]], US businessman who literally [[Selling coal to Newcastle|sold coal to Newcastle]] and held a mock funeral for himself complete with poetic elegies.
* [[Hetty Green]], US businesswoman famous for her stinginess; her estate was more than $100,000,000
* [[Brian G. Hughes]], US banker
* [[Howard Hughes]], US industrialist and aviator who became a recluse and feared germs
* [[Bernarr McFadden]], US publisher and fanatical [[fitness]] proponent
* [[George Francis Train]], US businessman who went around the world four times, then spent his final days handing out dimes and refusing to speak to anyone but children and animals.

==Entertainers==
* [[Eden Ahbez]], proto-hippie, wrote ''[[Nature Boy]]''
* [[GG Allin]], American punk rocker
* [[Tori Amos]], American musician
* [[The Great Antonio]], [[Canada|Canadian]] strongman
* [[Tom Baker]], British actor; former star of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and narrator of ''[[Little Britain]]''
* [[Björk]], Icelandic singer, recently voted most eccentric celebrity of all time by the ''[[BBC]]''
*[[Marc Bolan]], 1970s [[British]] rock musician who claimed to have lived with a wizard in Paris
* [[David Bowie]], British singer, musician, whose creativity often goes to the point of eccentricity
* [[Boy George]], androgynous frontman of the pop band [[Culture Club]].
* [[Buckethead]], guitarist who never performs without wearing a kabuki mask and KFC chicken bucket as a hat.
* [[Tim Burton]], film director
* The [[Cherry Sisters]], whose performances were typically met with a barrage of thrown [[vegetable]]s
* [[Les Claypool]], frontman of the alternative funk-metal band, [[Primus (band)|Primus]].
* [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]], leader of [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] bands [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]] and [[Funkadelic]]
* [[Robert Coates (actor)|Robert Coates]], "Worst actor on Earth"
* [[Kurt Cobain]], singer of [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]]
* [[Jarvis Cocker]], singer of [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]]
*[[Alice Cooper]], 70s shock-rock musician, claimed to be reincarnation of 17th century witch, hence [[stage name]]
* [[Daddy Kev]], underground hip-hop producer
* [[Johnny Depp]], American film actor
* [[Pete Doherty]], singer of [[The Libertines]]
* [[Andy Dick]], actor
* [[Walt Disney]], American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, and animator.
* [[Roky Erickson]], US rock singer
* [[Flavor Flav]], rap artist and member of [[Public Enemy]].
* [[Long Gone John]], US label owner [[Sympathy for the Record Industry]], art collector, and writer 
[[Image:Michaeljacksonm.jpg|thumb|[[Michael Jackson]]]]
* [[Kinky Friedman]], American musician, author, candidate for Governor of [[Texas]]
* [[John Frusciante]], US rock musician
* [[Crispin Glover]], actor
* [[Glenn Gould]], Canadian classical pianist, [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]] interpreter
* [[Joseph Haines]], 17th century actor, singer, dancer, guitar player, fortune teller, and author
* [[Moondog|Louis T. Hardin]], street musician called ''Moondog''
* [[Gibby Haynes]], singer of [[Butthole Surfers]]
* [[Screamin' Jay Hawkins]], musician whose works are centered on morbid and cannibalistic themes, prolific sire
* [[Antony Hegarty]], singer and frontman of [[Antony and the Johnsons]] 
* [[Werner Herzog]], German film director, walked to [[Paris, France|Paris]] from [[Munich]] and describes chickens as demonic
* [[Michael Jackson]], US pop singer
* [[Jandek]], reclusive musician
* [[Andy Kaufman]], American "song and dance man" known for his bizarre [[anti-humor]] and many elaborate hoaxes.
* [[Tony Kaye]], director, musician
* [[Klaus Kinski]], German actor
* [[John Lennon]], musician, member of The Beatles
* [[Courtney Love]], singer of the rock band [[Hole (band)|Hole]], widow of [[Kurt Cobain]]
* [[David Lynch]], film director
* [[John Lydon]] (aka 'Johnny Rotten'), former lead singer of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd (PiL) - also an Irish [[individualist]] and [[anarchist]].
* [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]], musician, changed her name to Esther after converting to Kabalah.  Released a book called "Sex" with her in different sexual positions.
* [[Marilyn Manson (person)|Marilyn Manson]], Musician, author, visual artist
* [[John McCririck]], English television horse racing pundit 
* [[Freddie Mercury]], singer of the rock band [[Queen (band)|Queen]].
* [[Russ Meyer]], American cult film director and photographer
* [[Thelonious Monk]], jazz musician
* [[Keith Moon]], drummer for [[The Who]]
* [[Patrick Moore]], English tv astronomer and writer.
* [[Morrissey]] (Steven Patrick Morrissey), former lead singer of the highly influential English indie band [[The Smiths]] and is now a successful solo artist. 
* [[Anton Newcombe]], US rock singer, of the [[Brian Jonestown Massacre]]
* [[Ol' Dirty Bastard]], US [[rapper]] famous for a series of bizarre public actions and legal trouble
* [[Ozzy Osbourne]], singer of [[Black Sabbath]]
* [[Lucia Pamela]], American musician
* [[Mike Patton]], singer of [[Faith No More]], [[Mr Bungle]], [[Tomahawk (band)|Tomahawk]] and [[Fantomas (band)|Fantomas]], amongst others
* [[Lee "Scratch" Perry]], developer of [[dub music]]
* [[Elvis Presley]], visited morgues and cemeteries at night, "The King"'s most prized possession was said to be his bag of sheriff badges that he collected from around the country.
* [[Prince (artist)|Prince]], American musician, also formerly known as "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince"
* [[Sun Ra]], American jazz musician
* [[Jimmy Savile]], British DJ and television personality
*[[Bon Scott]], original lead singer of [[AC/DC]]
* [[Edie Sedgwick]], model, actor
* [[Robert Smith]], singer of [[The Cure]]
* [[Edward Askew Sothern]], British actor
* [[Phil Spector]], producer
* [[Vivian Stanshall]], British Musician
* [[Tiny Tim]], US musician
* [[Stanley Unwin (comedian)|Stanley Unwin]], [[comedian]] and wordsmith
* [[Sid Vicious]], [[punk rock]] musician, member of the [[Sex Pistols]]
* [[Captain Beefheart|Don Van Vliet]], musician known as ''Captain Beefheart'', visual artist
* [[John Waters (filmmaker)|John Waters]], American film director
* [[Brian Wilson]], songwriter and former member of [[The Beach Boys]]
* [[Ed Wood, Jr.|Ed Wood]], independent film director
* [[Steven Wright]], comedian
* [[Frank Zappa]], American rock/jazz fusion musician, composer, and satirist

==Inventors==
* [[Alex Chiu]], "discoverer" of "immortality rings"
* [[Lyman Gilmore]], inventor, possibly the first man to fly a plane. He did not bathe, and carried a pair of pistols.
* [[Troy Hurtubise]], an obsession with bears led him to invent a suit that could protect him from grizzly bears. He claims his latest invention "can make blind men see and lame men walk."
* [[Raymond Kurzweil]], inventor and futurist, author of [[The Age of Spiritual Machines]] and [[The Singularity is Near]]. He claims human intelligence will be surpassed by artificial intelligence in the near future. Takes 250 vitamin supplements daily.
* [[Alfred Lawson]], ballplayer, economic theorist, founder of Lawsonomy
* [[Yoshiro Nakamatsu]] winner of [[Ig Nobel]] for cataloguing his meals for 34 years.
* [[Nikola Tesla]], Croatian-born [[obsessive-compulsive]] who feared [[pearl]] earrings
* [[John Ward]], British-born inventor of the bra-warmer, hand-held portable barbeque and simulated miniature marine mine to prevent others from stealing your cup of tea.

==Politicians, aristocrats and rulers==
* [[Abdelaziz of Morocco]], [[Morocco|Moroccan]] [[sultan]] who obsessively collected toys and gadgets. (Reference: Walter Harris, "Morocco That Was") 
* [[Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] Husband and consort of Queen Victoria and body modifier.
* [[Idi Amin]], president-for-life of [[Uganda]], self-proclaimed "Conqueror of the British Empire" and "King of Scotland"; rumored to be a [[cannibal]]
* [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah]], [[Fatimid]] caliph, suffering from [[insomnia]]; ordered his people to sleep during the day and stay awake at night
* [[William Thomas Beckford]], builder of [[Fonthill Abbey]].
* [[William John Cavendish Bentinck-Scott]], 5th Duke of Portland, who liked to live underground, preferring not to be seen. He also built an entire underground mansion, painted it pink, and filled it with brown wigs packed lovingly in cardboard boxes.
* [[Jean-Bédel Bokassa]], President of the [[Central African Republic]] who declared himself Emperor. Few attended the coronation, but he wore a pair of pearl-studded shoes — among the most expensive shoes in history — for the occasion. He also collected French military uniforms and allegedly fed people to crocodiles.
* [[Caligula]], [[Roman Emperor]] who ordered troops to collect sea-shells as spoils of war and appointed his favorite horse as a consul. Reference: [[Lives of the Twelve Caesars|Suetonius]], ''Lives of the Twelve Caesars''. 
* [[Horace de Vere Cole]], British aristocrat.
* [[François Duvalier|François "Papa Doc" Duvalier]], president of [[Haiti]], who re-wrote the [[Lord's Prayer]] to his own honor and believed the assassination of [[John F. Kennedy]] was a result of his placing a curse on the US President
* [[Francis Henry Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater]], who served banquets to dogs dressed up as humans, and wore a new pair of shoes every day.
* [[Farouk]], the last [[List of Rulers of Modern Egypt#Kings of Egypt, 1922-1953|King of Egypt]] and an accomplished pickpocket
* [[George Gordon (politician)|Lord George Gordon]], who insisted on reading out long irrelevant pamphlets in Parliament, and led a [[Gordon Riots|riot]] which killed or injured 450
* [[John Hagelin]], perennial [[Natural Law Party]] candidate who believed the Maharashi University's meditation reduced DC crime
* [[Rudolf Hess]], Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party, obsessed with alternative medicine
[[Image:Joshua_A_Norton2.JPG|thumb|[[Joshua A. Norton|Joshua Norton]], a failed San Francisco entrepeneur who declared himself Emperor of the United States of America.]]
* [[Kim Jong Il]], leader of [[North Korea]], noted for his movie collection, cognac consumption, platform shoes, and "pleasure squad"
* [[Boris Johnson]], [[Conservative]] politian in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]
* [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], [[Prime Minister of Canada]] who consulted mediums to communicate with his deceased mother
* [[Ludwig II of Bavaria]], also known as "Ludwig the Mad", 19th-century king of [[Bavaria]] who built the fairy-tale-style [[Neuschwanstein]] castle.
* [[Matayoshi Mitsuo]], Japanese politician who calls himself [[Matayoshi Jesus]]
* [[John Mytton]], English squire who once arrived at a dinner party riding a bear and later in life attempted to cure a case of hiccups by lighting his shirt on fire.
* [[Joshua A. Norton]], who declared himself "His Imperial Majesty Norton I, by the Grace of God, Emperor of the United States, and Protector of Mexico"
* [[Ne Win]] - Burmese dictator who was so obsessed with [[numerology]] he worsened the economy by creating 45 and 90 as currency denominations because 9 was his lucky number. He allegedly walked backward at times to avoid curses and supposedly came to believe Burma would find salvation by combining socialism with "magic"
* [[Nero]], [[Roman Emperor]] who caused scandal by performing as a public entertainer and building an extravagant [[Domus Aurea|golden palace]] covering a third of the city of Rome.
* [[Saparmurat Niyazov]], [[President of Turkmenistan]], renamed months of the year after his family and declared himself "President for Life" and "Father of All Turkmen," among other things
* [[Henry Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey]], Welsh Peer who squandered his inheritance on clothes, jewels and partying and was obsessed with the theatre
* [[Miguel Primo de Rivera]], [[Prime Minister of Spain]], known for walking around in his underwear and never bathing. Reference: [[Gerald Brenan]], ''The Spanish Labyrinth'' 
* [[Matthew Robinson, 2nd Baron Rokeby]], English nobleman who spent as much time as possible underwater.
* [[Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor]], Holy Roman Emperor, devouted occultist, and collector of satanic and alchemy-oriented paraphanalia
* [[Screaming Lord Sutch]], British rock musician and founder of the [[Monster Raving Loony Party]]
* [[Charles Taylor]], [[President of Liberia]] Considered eccentric for a series of bizarre pronouncements in his career.
* [[Stephen Tennant]], English aristocrat who spent much of his life in bed.
* [[Tianqi Emperor]], [[Ming]] emperor who considered carpentry a better use of his time than politics.
* [[James Traficant]], US Congressman from Ohio and law enforcement official, known for outrageous mannerisms and speeches in Congress
* [[Brinsley Le Poer Trench, 8th Earl of Clancarty]], who dedicated his life to promoting the [[Hollow Earth]] theory and claimed that he could trace his descent from 63,000BC, when beings from other planets had landed on Earth in spaceships
* [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] of the United Kingdom, who for 20 years after the death of her husband Albert continued to have his place set at dinner.
* [[Hong Xiuquan]] Before leading the [[Taiping Rebellion]] he believed Christian pamphlets contained coded messages specifically for him, fought imaginary dragons, wore his hair in an illegal fashion, and believed he spoke to his brother's wife in Heaven. (His brother being of course Jesus, but his alleged heavenly wife was not any known figure) At that point he had not harmed anyone, but did have some political anti-Manchu goals.
* [[Kirsan Ilyumzhinov]], President of the [[Russia]]n Republic of [[Kalmykia]] and [[FIDE]] President.

==Religious figures and occultists== 
* [[David Bawden]] who was "elected" "Pope Michael I" in his family's store in [[Belvue, Kansas]] (three of the six "electors" were his relatives) 
* ''Vasily Blazhenny'', [[Basil Fool for Christ]] (see also [[yurodivy]]) 
* Cross Carrier Chuck Johnson [http://www.crosscarrierchuck.com/]
* [[Nathan Braun|Nathan Lloyd Braun]], [[Christian vegetarianism|Christian vegetarian]]/[[polygamy|polygamist]] [[List of Christian theologians#21st century|theologian]]
* [[Aleister Crowley]], British [[occult]]ist 
* [[Onisaburo Deguchi]], flamboyant, dressed as female deities, jested about remaking the world 
* [[Justo Gallego Martinez]], [[Spain|Spanish]] builder of his own cathedral 
* Dr. [[George King (Aetherius Society)]], British taxi driver who claimed that Master [[Jesus]] was born on the planet [[Venus]] and sent him special messages. He received his doctorate either from spirits or the aliens. 
* [[L. Ron Hubbard]], Compulsive Liar, occultist and "messiah" <!-- heh -->
* [[G. I. Gurdjieff]], Armenian-born mystic 
* [[Leonard Knight]], chief architect and custodian of [[Salvation Mountain]] 
* [[Ted R. Kurts]], also known as Ted Jesus Christ GOD 
* [[Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers]], magician 
* [[Lobsang Rampa]], self proclaimed Tibetan lama 
* [[Anton LaVey]], founder and High Priest of the [[Church of Satan]] 
* [[Grigory Rasputin]], Russian monk who became the advisor of the last czar 
* [[Hester Stanhope]], who wanted to carry a child of a messiah 
* St. [[Simeon Stylites]] said to have lived on a pillar for 36 years 
* [[Cyrus Teed]], US proponent of a [[Hollow Earth theory]] 
* [[Dwight York]], man of many names & costumes, inventor of [[United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors]], et al.

==Scholars, philosophers and scientists==
* [[Jeremy Bentham]], British philosopher who wanted himself mummified
[[Image:Einstongue.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Albert Einstein|Einstein]] making a humorous expression on his [[birthday]] on [[March 14]], [[1951]], [[United Press International|UPI]].]]
* [[James Burnett, Lord Monboddo]], Scottish [[judge]] and scholar
* [[Martin van Butchell]], [[United Kingdom|British]] [[dentist]] who put his dead wife on display
* [[Diogenes of Sinope]] ("the [[Cynic]]")
* [[Horace Donisthorpe]], [[myrmecologist]]
* [[Kurt Gödel]], [[mathematician]]
* [[Albert Einstein]], physicist whose appearance is perhaps that of the stereotypical eccentric scientist. Einstein was known not to wear socks, and to wear a duplicate version of the same outfit the next day.
* [[Paul Erdős]], [[Hungary|Hungarian]] mathematician
* [[Richard Feynman]], American physicist noted also for his free-spirited nature
* [[Francis Galton]], British [[statistics]] and [[eugenics]] pioneer who once resolved to taste everything in the local hospital pharmacy in alphabetical order[http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/strange_fc.html] and made a beauty map of Britain counting the number of attractive women he saw in each city.
* [[Oliver Heaviside]], British scientist who replaced his furniture with giant granite blocks
* [[Karl Kruszelnicki]], noted for his "loud" shirts, study of belly button fluff, and multiple careers. 
* [[Patrick Moore]], British astronomer noted for hoaxes, wearing a monocle for a time, and playing the xylophone 
* [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], German philosopher who attacked the "herd mentality" and revolutionized philosophy as we know it today
* [[Charles Ogden]] developed [[Basic English]] and wore masks because he believed fresh air was bad for you. (In other words he was a [[claustrophilia]]c)
* [[Gene Ray]], discoverer of the [[Time Cube]]
* [[Wilhelm Reich]], discoverer of [[Orgone]] energy who attempted to "measure" the male orgasm
* [[Charles Waterton]], Catholic naturalist who allegedly turned "animal corpses into effigies of famed Protestants" and "Occasionally he would hide behind couches and attack guests like a dog, chewing at their ankles."[http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/strange_fc.html] 
* [[Josef Maria Wronski]], Polish mathematician who made grandiose claims and worked on [[perpetual motion]]
* [[Ludwig Wittgenstein]], Austrian-born philosopher, [[schoolteacher]], wannabe [[aviator]] and [[western movie]] enthusiast
* [[John Nash]], brilliant american mathematician and [[Nobel prize]] winner, famous for his contributions to [[game theory]] development
* [[Claude Shannon]] see [http://cispom.boisestate.edu/murli/links/ShannonSciAm.htm sciam_article] -- developer of Information theory; rode unicycle in halls of MIT.

==Writers==
* [[Oscar Zeta Acosta]], American author, lawyer, and activist
* [[Pita Amor]], Mexican poet
* [[Antonin Artaud]], French playwright, director, and actor
* [[Michael "Atters" Attree]], British satirist
* [[Jeffrey Bernard]], British journalist
* [[William Blake]], British poet
* [[Poppy Z. Brite]], American author
* [[William S. Burroughs]], American Beat Generation author
* [[Truman Capote]], American author
* [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]], British poet
* [[Jake Cohen]], American author
* [[Harry Crosby]], American poet
* [[Gabriele D'Annunzio]], Italian poet, playwright and adventurer
* [[Philip K. Dick]], American [[science fiction]] author
* [[Edward Gorey]], American author and illustrator
* [[Jemmy Hirst]], [[England|English]] trainer of unusual animals
* [[Alfred Jarry]], French playwright.
* [[Florence King]], Southern American humourist, social commentator, and misanthrope
* [[Comte de Lautreamont]], Uruguayan-French poet
* [[Hugh MacDiarmid]], Scottish poet, also wrote ''Scottish Eccentrics'' reflecting his self-identification as such.
* [[Effie Ross]], French journalist and prostitute
* [[William McGonagall]], Scottish poet
* [[Gerard de Nerval]], French poet and lobster fancier
* [[Nadeem F. Paracha]], notorious Pakistani music critic and short story writer
* [[Mervyn Peake]], English writer, creator of ''[[Gormenghast]]''
* [[Daniel Pellizzari]], Brazilian author and translator
* [[Edgar Allan Poe]], American author, critic and poet
* [[Arthur Rimbaud]], French poet
* [[Frederick Rolfe]], English novelist also known as [[Baron Corvo]]
* [[J.D. Salinger]], American author and recluse
* [[Marquis de Sade]], French author, philosopher and political prisoner
* [[Hunter S. Thompson]], American journalist
* [[Kurt Vonnegut]], American author; satirist.
* [[Horace Walpole]], British novelist
* [[Oscar Wilde]], Irish playwright and poet
* [[Tom Wolfe]], American author

==Others==
* [[Patch Adams]], US doctor and clown
* [[David Belasco]], US writer and producer, wandered New York dressed as the ''Bishop of Broadway''
* [[Harry Bensley]], UK adventurer known for being the subject of a notorious [[Gambling|wager]]
* [[Blackwolf the Dragonmaster]], self-proclaimed Unofficial Wizard of New York City
* [[Bill Boaks]], UK road safety campaigner and election candidate who set records for the fewest votes
<!-- Image with questionable copyright removed: [[Image:Collyer5.jpg|thumb|235px|The [[Collyer brothers]] were famous for amassing 136 tons of garbage in their New York townhouse and booby-trapping it.]] -->
* Robert "[[Gypsy Boots]]" Bootzin, [[United States|American]] fitness pioneer
* Ian Brackenbury Channell, "[[The Wizard of New Zealand]]"
* [[Beau Brummell]], British [[fop]]
* [[Frank Chu]], San Francisco protestor and political activist
* [[Collyer brothers]], US recluses and hoarders
* [[Fred Crisman]], paranormal enthusiast
* John Patrick Ennis, known as [[Sollog]]
* [[Bobby Fischer]], chess prodigy
* [[Chuck Farnham]], covers himself in food to feed the homeless and bring light to their plight
* [[James Hampton (artist)|James Hampton]], janitor who secretly built a throne from scavenged materials
* [[Jim Hellwig|Ultimate Warrior]] (Jim Hellwig), professional wrestler and public speaker
* [[Florence Foster Jenkins]], a soprano famous for her lack of singing ability
* [[Charles K. Johnson]], president and promoter of the [[Flat Earth Society]]
* [[Marshall Ledbetter]], temporary occupier of the Florida State Capitol
* [[Lobsang Rampa]] (nee Cyril Hoskins), British plumber who claimed to have been a Tibetan Lama
* [[Stanley Marsh 3]], best known as sponsor of the [[Cadillac Ranch]]
* [[Prince Mongo]], nee Robert Hodges, a fringe politician from [[Memphis, Tennessee]] who claims to be the ambassador of the Planet of Zambodia.
* [[Edward Wortley Montagu]], who wanted to be an Ottoman prince
* [[Cecil G. Murgatroyd]], Australian/New Zealand satirical political candidate
* [[Daniel Pratt (eccentric)|Daniel Pratt]], “The Great American Traveller”
* Dr. [[William Price (doctor)|William Price]], who refused to treat smokers and carried out an impromptu cremation of his baby son
* [[Geoffrey Nathaniel Pyke]], tried to use opinion polls to prevent [[World War II]], among other unusual ideas
* [[John Roche]], Irishman who built a castle for himself in County Cork
* [[Richard S. Shaver]], US author who believed the earth to be controlled by sadistic inner-earth dwellers operating mind-controlling ray machines
* [[William James Sidis]], US secluded autistic genius
* [[Edith Sitwell]], British poet who recited her first poem through a curtain and claimed to be descended from [[Plantagenet]]s
* [[Joey Skaggs]], US media prankster
* [[Viv Stanshall]], notable English eccentric
* [[Harry Truman (volcano victim)]]
* [[John Cleves Symmes Jr]], US proponent of [[Hollow Earth theory]]
* [[Tagish Elvis Presley]], believes himself to be the reincarnation of Elvis Presley and ran for the leadership of the [[Yukon Liberal Party]]
* [[Orelie-Antoine de Tounens]], French lawyer and adventurer
* [[Edmund Trebus]], Polish-British [[Compulsive hoarding|compulsive hoarder]]
* [[Sarah L. Winchester]], US heiress who continued construction of her house for 38 years to confuse the spirits
* [[Alfred Wintle]], British Colonel who served in both [[World War I]] and [[World War II]] who regarded the period between as "intensely boring"
* [[Theodore Kaczynski]], former brilliant American scholar who protested against the development of modern [[industrial society]] by sending letter-bombs.

==See also==
* [[List of occultists]]
* [[Impostor]]
* [[Mad scientist]]
* ''[[Fantastic Architecture|Fantastic Architecture: Personal and Eccentric Visions]]'' by [[George R. Collins]] et al. ISBN 0810909146

==Bibliography==
* ''Le livre des bizarres'' (in French) - Guy Bechtel and Jean-Claude Carrière, Robert Laffont, Paris (1981)

[[Category:Lists of people|Eccentrics, notable, list of]]