List of eccentrics

This a list of people and fictional characters who have gained notability for their eccentricity.

Notable eccentric people

• Diogenes (412 or 404–323 BC) – Ancient Greek philosopher known as one of the founders of Cynicism. Embracing a life of poverty and self-sufficiency, he became famous for his unconventional, shameless behaviors that openly challenged societal norms, such as living in a barrel or wandering public spaces with a lit lantern in daylight, claiming to be "looking for a man", that is to say "for a wise man" (sophos).
• Hechikan – 16th-century Japanese tea connoisseur and poet from Kyoto known for his eccentricities, including the erection of an oversized umbrella hung with reed fencing (for which Hideyoshi rewarded him with a tax remittance) and the impersonation of a priest.
• Emperor Norton (1818–1880) – a resident of San Francisco, California, who in 1859 declared himself "Emperor of these United States" in a proclamation that he signed "Norton I., Emperor of the United States".
• Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) – British mathematician and electrical engineer who invented a new technique for solving differential equations (equivalent to the Laplace transform), independently developed vector calculus, and rewrote Maxwell's equations in the form commonly used today. His behavior became quite eccentric later in life: in particular, he reportedly started painting his fingernails pink and had granite blocks moved into his house for furniture.
• Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) – Serbian-American engineer, futurist, and inventor renowned for his many eccentricities, including a fondness for pigeons, an aversion to pearls, and an obsession with the number 3.
• Luisa Casati (1881–1957) – Italian heiress, socialite, and patroness of the arts. Casati was known for her eccentricities that delighted European society for nearly three decades: she astonished society by parading with a pair of leashed cheetahs and wearing live snakes as jewellery.
• Louise Elisabeth de Meuron (1882–1980) – Swiss aristocrat from Bern renowned for her eccentric behavior.
• Voldemārs Irbe (1893–1944) – Latvian pastel painter renowned for his eccentricity, disheveled appearance, and going barefoot all year round — a habit that earned him the nickname "Barefoot Irbite".
• Bea Miles (1902–1973) – Australian eccentric and bohemian rebel. Described as Sydney's "iconic eccentric", she was known for her contentious relationships with the city's taxi drivers and for her ability to quote any passage from Shakespeare for money.
• Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) – Spanish surrealist artist whose eccentric and ostentatious public behavior often drew more attention than his artwork..
• Howard Hughes (1905–1976) – American aviator, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. Later in life, he became known for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle — oddities that were caused in part by his worsening obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain from a near-fatal plane crash, and increasing deafness.
• Jack Churchill (1906–1996) – British Army officer who was nicknamed "Mad Jack" for fighting in the Second World War with a broadsword, longbow, and a set of bagpipes.
• Jack Parsons (1914–1952) – American rocket engineer, chemist, and Thelemite occultist. He was known for his eccentricities, such as greeting house guests with a large pet snake around his neck, driving to work in a rundown Pontiac, and using a mannequin dressed in a tuxedo with a bucket labelled "The Resident" as his mailbox.

Anime and manga

• Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV (also known as Radical Edward and Ed) – fictional character in the anime series Cowboy Bebop, a teenage hacker girl renowned for her quirks: she is fond of silly exclamations and childish rhymes, is easily distracted, has the habit of "drifting off" from reality sometimes in mid-sentence, almost always goes barefoot, and refers to herself in the third person.
• L – main antagonist of the manga and anime series Death Note, a private detective who has many notable quirks and eccentricities, such as holding things with his index finger and thumb, crouching instead of sitting, mostly walking around barefoot, scratching his ankle with the toes of the other foot, and having an unnatural affinity for sweets, cakes, candies, dairy foods and confectionery foods.

Literature

• Albus Dumbledore – fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling, one of the most powerful and influential wizards of his time and the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts, also renowned for his eccentricity.
• Luna Lovegood – fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling, a student of the wizarding school Hogwarts.
• Amilyn Holdo – fictional character in the Star Wars franchise who first appeared in the 2017 novel Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan, a prequel to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. She is depicted as an eccentric yet highly intelligent and competent member of the Rebel Alliance who is frequently underestimated because of her quirks. In particular, she is fond of astrology and meditation, and speaks in riddles and strange metaphors (her distinctive speech patterns are referred to as "Holdo speak".) In terms of appearance, Holdo dyes her hair exotic colors, habitually going barefoot, and dressing in flamboyant clothing. Some critics compared her to Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series.
• Nero Wolfe – eccentric armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery writer Rex Stout.
• Emmanuel (aka Manuila) – central character in Boris Akunin's novel Pelagia and the Red Rooster, an eccentric wandering prophet with peculiar speech mannerisms (a lisp and a habit of putting in bookish words "at appropriate and inappropriate points"), but also mind-reading powers that border on supernatural and an uncanny ability to bring out the best nature in everyone with just a few words. He is actually implied to be Jesus Christ who ended up in the nineteenth century after passing through a mystical cave.

Film

• Yoda – fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, described as "practically defining the archetype of the eccentric yet wise old warrior".
• Mr. Miyagi – fictional character in the The Karate Kid franchise, an eccentric but wise karate master. Ralph Macchio, who portrayed Mr. Miyagi's disciple Daniel LaRusso, described him as "that special human Yoda character that we all wish we had as we navigated our childhood".