They might be famous for something else, but they all have one thing in common: They play (or played) the violin. Let’s take a look at MentalFloss.com’s list of famous folks who like (or liked) to fiddle around on the side.
- Albert Einstein. The theoretical physicist of E=MC2 fame was also a music lover who played the violin whenever he got the chance.
- Charlie Chaplin. The famous silent-film comic played both the violin and the cello in his day. He can be seen (but not heard) playing the violin in a few of his films. It was the silent era, after all.
- Ana Gasteyer. Most famous for her time as a “Saturday Night Live” cast member, Gasteyer is also a classically trained violinist. A self-proclaimed “violin nerd,” she even had the opportunity to play for President Jimmy Carter and other world leaders at the tender age of 10!
- Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. Jefferson and Henry (remember, he’s the guy who said “Give me liberty, or give me death!”) became friends while performing a violin duet together when they were college students. While their talent as Revolution leaders is not in doubt, their violin talent apparently is. “One contemporary supposedly called Patrick Henry ‘the worst fiddler in the colonies, excepting Thomas Jefferson,’” according to MentalFloss.com.
Can you think of any other celebrities who play the violin? Check out MentalFloss.com’s complete list.