A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or inside the skull, and can be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign). Just over half of all primary brain tumors are malignant; the rest are benign, though they may still be life-threatening. In the United States in 2000, survivors of benign primary brain tumors outnumbered those who had cancerous primary brain tumors by approximately 4:1. Metastatic brain cancer is over six times more common than primary brain cancer, as it occurs in about 10–30% of all people with cancer.
This is a list of notable people who have had a primary or metastatic brain tumor (either benign or malignant) at some time in their lives, as confirmed by public information. Tumor type and survival duration are listed where the information is known. Blank spaces in these columns appear where precise information has not been released to the public. Medicine does not designate most long-term survivors as cured.
The National Cancer Institute estimated 22,070 new cases of primary brain cancer and 12,920 deaths due to the illness in the United States in 2009. The age-adjusted incidence rate is 6.4 per 100,000 per year, and the death rate is 4.3 per 100,000 per year. The lifetime risk of developing brain cancer for someone born today is 0.60%. Only around a third of those diagnosed with brain cancer survive for five years after diagnosis. These high overall mortality rates are a result of the prevalence of aggressive types, such as glioblastoma multiforme. Nearly 14% of new brain tumor diagnoses occur in persons under 20 years of age.
Acting Name Life Comments Diagnosis Survival Reference 1941–2002 Actor with various television credits, including Space: 1999, The Protectors and Howards' Way 1955–2008 Actor who played in the movies Apocalypse Now and The Last Picture Show Glioblastoma multiforme 1918–1996 British film and television actor who had been in ill health since being treated for a brain tumor and died a year later; his death was initially attributed to a hit-and-run accident 1933–1991 Stage, film and television actor and host Glioblastoma multiforme15 months 1949–2006 Actor who played Andy O'Brien in the BBC soap opera EastEnders Glioblastoma multiforme 20 months 1946– Tony Award–nominated Broadway actress, television actress 1971– 1944–1995 Voice artist for Scooby-Doo and other animated series 1934–1997 Actor, professional wrestler and teacher Cathy Godbold1974–2018Australian actress. After having a brain tumor successfully removed in 2007, a second inoperable brain tumor was discovered in 2018.11 years (2007–2018) 1918–1985 Actor who appeared in more than 40 movies and in the British television series The Adventures of Robin Hood 3 years 1917–1975 Academy Award–winning film actress 2 years 1943–2014 Actor of stage, screen and film Glioblastoma multiforme 1 year 1937–1993 Actor of stage, screen and film Martin Kemp 1961– Actor and former pop musician who is in the band Spandau Ballet 1995– Arthur Kennedy 1914–1990 Stage and film actor; Tony Award winner Lois Kibbee 1922–1993 Actress who played Geraldine Weldon Whitney Saxon on the television soap opera The Edge of Night Eugene Gordon Lee 1933–2005 Child actor who played Porky in the Our Gang (The Little Rascals) comedies Metastatic tumor Katherine Locke 1910–1995 Broadway actress in the late 1930s Meredith MacRae 1944–2000 Television actress and host Victor Maddern 1926–1993 Supporting actor in films Joseph Maher 1933–1998 Irish-born stage actor, film and television character actor Irish McCalla 1928–2002 Film and television actress, eponymous role in the 1950s television series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle Less than 18 months Mike McFarland 1970–2026 Voice actor and ADR director known for his work on English dubs of anime Glioblastoma multiforme 13 months Heather Menzies 1949–2017 Film and television actress, role in the 1965 film The Sound of Music Less than one month Buster Merryfield 1920–1999 British actor who played Uncle Albert in the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses Bueno de Mesquita 1918–2005 Comedian, actor and stage artist, known for his ability to make funny faces; suffered from lung cancer (probable metastasis) Greg Morris 1933–1996 African American television actor (Mission: Impossible series) Marshall Napier1951–2022New Zealand-Australian actor, playwright, and graphic artist Pola Negri 1897–1987 Polish-American silent movie actress who played numerous femme fatale roles; refused treatment, died of pneumonia 2 years Tommy Noonan 1921–1968 Actor and Producer, best known for supporting role vs Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes 8 months Jerry Paris 1925–1986 Actor and director; played Jerry Helper on the television series The Dick Van Dyke Show Pat Paterson 1910–1978 Actress; wife of Charles Boyer Pat Paulsen 1927–1997 Comedian, featured on the Smothers Brothers television show in the 1960s Slim Pickens 1919–1983 Rodeo clown turned film actor (Dr. Strangelove) Kate Reid 1930–1993 Canadian actress of stage, film and television Mark Ruffalo 1967– American film actor; an operation to remove a benign tumor caused him temporary partial paralysis. Acoustic neuroma 2001– Irene Ryan c. 1902–1973 Actress who played Granny in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies; she was never told of her tumor and died after suffering a stroke onstage while performing in Pippin in her Broadway debut Zachary Scott 1914–1965 American film actor, specializing in playing villains (Mildred Pierce) Alexis Smith 1921–1993 Canadian-born film, stage, musical theatre and television actress Michelle Stafford 1965– Actress, played Phyllis Summers Abbott Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless 1985– Kathy Staff 1928–2008 British actress who played Nora Batty in Last of the Summer Wine Less than 12 months Werner Stocker 1955–1993 Bavarian Film Award (Bayerischer Filmpreis) for Best Young Actors shared with Dana Vávrová for Herbstmilch; featured role in television's Highlander: The Series Tara Subkoff 1972– American actress and designer; diagnosed in 2009. Successfully underwent surgery, but was left with permanent nerve damage and deafness in right ear. Acoustic neuroma Kinuyo Tanaka 1909–1977 Japanese film actress and director Anya Taranda 1915–1970 Model, showgirl, actress and wife of the songwriter Harold Arlen Tiny Ron Taylor1947–2019American film actor and basketball player known for his height. Elizabeth Taylor 1932–2011 Academy Award–winning actress, star of numerous films Meningioma 1997–2011 Henry Victor 1892–1945 Character actor (played "Hercules" in the 1932 film Freaks) Bill Williams 1915–1992 Movie actor who played Kit Carson in the 1950s TV series Adventures of Kit Carson Jeff Winkless 1941–2006 Composer, television and voice actor 15 months 1971–2024 best known for her lead role on My Fair Nanny (2004–2009) Glioblastoma multiforme 2019–2024
Business Name Life Comments Diagnosis Survival Reference James Batten 1936–1995 chief executive officer (CEO) of Knight-Ridder publishing. 1 year Raymond Bonham Carter 1929–2004 Banker who became a director of S. G. Warburg & Co. and the father of actress Helena Bonham Carter. He became quadriplegic and partially blind after an operation to remove a non-cancerous brain tumor. 25 years Mary Lou Jepsen 1965– Technologist and businesswoman, with a focus on optics and electronics. Pituitary tumor many years Reginald Lewis 1942–1993 CEO of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc, the first African-American-run company to have over $1 billion in annual sales. Gerry Pencer 1945–1998 Chief executive officer of Cott Beverages. Pencer and his family became significant philanthropists of brain tumor research and medicine. Glioblastoma multiforme 8 months Rene Rivkin 1944–2005 Stockbroker convicted of insider trading Multiple meningioma Dawn Steel 1946–1997 First female top executive of a major Hollywood studio 20 months Preston Robert Tisch 1926–2005 Businessman; former Postmaster General and half-owner of the New York Giants
Film, television, and radio Name Life Comments Diagnosis Survival Reference Alan Berg 1934–1984 Progressive talk radio host in Denver, Colorado who broadcast his program on KOA. He was murdered in 1984; his story formed the basis of the Oliver Stone film Talk Radio. 8 years Jack Brickhouse 1916–1998 Sports broadcast announcer 6 months Tom Cheek 1939–2005 Radio broadcaster who announced Major League Baseball games for the Toronto Blue Jays 15 months Dan Curtis 1928–2006 Emmy Award–winning director and producer of television and film 4 months Bill Elder 1938–2003 Award-winning anchor and reporter for WWL-TV in New Orleans. Glioblastoma multiforme 5 years Bob Friend 1938–2008 Renowned British journalist and TV anchor with BBC and News Corporation. Annabel Giles 1959–2023 British television and radio presenter and former model Glioblastoma multiforme 4 months Russell Grant 1951– British astrologer and media personality 2022– Chuck Howard 1933–1996 Former producer at ABC Sports and winner of 11 Emmy Awards Simone Giertz 1990– Swedish YouTube personality, TV host and inventor 2018– Ted Husing 1901–1962 Pioneer radio sportscaster 6 years Miles Jupp 1979–Actor and stand-up comedian best known for his roles in Balamory and The Thick of It; later would go on to dedicate an entire stand-up tour about his experience.Meningioma2021– Sam Lloyd 1963–2020 American actor, singer, and musician, best known for his portrayal of lawyer Ted Buckland on the comedy-drama series Scrubs and the sitcom Cougar Town. 6 years Anita Martini 1939–1993 Pioneer print, radio and TV sports journalist who was the first woman to do an interview inside a professional sports locker room (1974); first woman to do on-the-field interviews at a Major League Baseball All-Star Game (1973); and first woman to do radio play-by-play of a professional baseball game (1976). She was the sports anchor for the Houston NBC affiliate and hosted radio sports talk shows for many years in the city. Glioblastoma multiforme July 1989 – July 1993 Britt McHenry 1986– American sports journalist 2020– Maria Menounos 1978– Television host of shows such as Today, Access Hollywood, and Extra Meningioma 2017– Eleanor Mondale 1960–2011 Cable television host on the E! network; daughter of former United States Vice President Walter Mondale Glioma with astrocytoma cells June 2005 – September 2011David Morrow1953–2024Australian sports radio and television broadcaster and commentator4 months Andrew Olle 1947–1995 Australian radio and television presenter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Glioblastoma multiforme 5 days after collapsing (which led to diagnosis) Judd Rose 1955–2000 Emmy Award–winning television news reporter, co-anchor of CNN Newsstand Astrocytoma About 6 yearsGerardo Rozín1970–2022Argentine journalist, producer, and radio and television presenter2021–2022 Gene Siskel 1946–1999 Film critic for the Chicago Tribune; television partner of fellow critic Roger Ebert Less than 1 year Julia Somerville 1947– Television news anchor and reporter who has worked for BBC News and ITN 1993– François Truffaut 1932–1984 Film director with over 25 films to his credit, including The 400 Blows Stan Zemanek 1947–2007 Australian radio broadcaster and television personality; presented a night-time show on the radio station 2UE Glioblastoma multiforme 15 months Kasino 1950–1997 Indonesian actor and comedian member of the comedy group Warkop. 13 months
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