Another Standing Ovation for The King's Speech

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (January 30, 2011) – Jane Fraser, president, The Stuttering Foundation (www.stutteringhelp.org), issued the following reaction to tonight’s “SAG Awards”:

“It is our privilege to give The King’s Speech another standing ovation for bringing hope and understanding to those who stutter. With its much-deserved two SAG Awards, Best Male Actor in a Leading Role for Colin Firth and Best Cast of a Motion Picture, The King’s Speech has the rare opportunity to teach the widest possible audience about the complexities of stuttering, and the availability of treatment and support.”

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Foundation Spokesperson Jane Fraser

Jane Fraser is president of The Stuttering Foundation and co-author of If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents, 8th edition. She is also vice president of the Association for Research into Stammering in Childhood, Michael Palin Centre, in London. Ms. Fraser is available for interviews by contacting Greg Wilson, gregwilsonpr@gmail.com.

About the Foundation

Malcolm Fraser felt the same dread of speaking in public that King George VI experienced in the 1940s. Inspired by the plight of “Bertie”, Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, went on to establish and endow the 64-year-old nonprofit Foundation in 1947. The Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources on its Website, www.stutteringhelp.org, including services, referrals and support to people who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering. Please visit us at www.stutteringhelp.org.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.

Carly Simon

Carly Simon began stuttering severely when she was eight years old.

John Melendez

He is a talented musician, actor, and comedian. Listen to a podcast.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, is well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones has spoken some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.