This is a list of notable people who have been described as recluses, individuals who live in voluntary seclusion from the public and society. Excluded are religious hermits, as well as people who live otherwise normal lives but value their privacy.
| Name | Year of birth | Year of death | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devorah Baron[1] | 1887 | 1956 | Hebrew author, Reclusion 1922-1956 | |
| Syd Barrett[2] [3] | 1946 | 2006 | English singer-songwriter, former leader of the band Pink Floyd | |
| Marlon Brando[4] [5] | 1924 | 2004 | American actor | |
| Maria Callas[6] [7] | 1923 | 1977 | Greek opera singer | |
| Huguette Clark[8] [9] | 1906 | 2011 | American heiress and philanthropist | |
| John Deacon[10] | 1951 | English musician, songwriter and former member of the band Queen | ||
| Emily Dickinson[11] [12] | 1830 | 1886 | American poet | |
| Eliza Emily Donnithorne[13] [14] | 1826 | 1886 | Australian eccentric, rumored model for Miss Havisham in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens | |
| Enya[15] [16] | 1961 | Irish singer and musician | ||
| Rod Evans[17] | 1947 | English singer who was the original lead singer of the band Deep Purple | ||
| Bobby Fischer[18] [19] | 1943 | 2008 | American former world chess champion | |
| Greta Garbo[20] [21] [22] [23] | 1905 | 1990 | Swedish-American actress | |
| Glenn Gould[24] | 1932 | 1982 | Canadian pianist | |
| Alexander Grothendieck[25] [26] [27] | 1928 | 2014 | German-French mathematician | |
| Mark Hollis[28] | 1955 | 2019 | British singer, instrumentalist and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the band Talk Talk | |
| Howard Hughes[29] | 1905 | 1976 | American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film director, and philanthropist | |
| Ted Kaczynski[30] [31] | 1942 | 2023 | American domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber | |
| Harper Lee[32] | 1926 | 2016 | American author, wrote To Kill a Mockingbird | |
| Lee Mavers[33] | 1962 | English singer-songwriter and the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of The La's | ||
| Pordenone Montanari[34] [35] | 1937 | Italian painter, sculptor and philosopher | ||
| Richard O'Sullivan[36] | 1944 | English comedy actor | ||
| William Onyeabor[37] [38] | 1946 | 2017 | Nigerian funk musician | |
| Marcel Proust[39] [40] | 1871 | 1922 | French novelist of In Search of Lost Time | |
| 1937 | American novelist | |||
| Tommy Quickly[41] | 1945 | British singer, known for hit song "Tip of My Tongue" | ||
| 1919 | 2010 | American author who wrote The Catcher in the Rye | ||
| Phil Spector[42] | 1940 | 2021 | American record producer, songwriter and convicted murderer | |
| Layne Staley[43] [44] | 1967 | 2002 | American singer and songwriter who was the original lead vocalist of the band Alice in Chains | |
| Sly Stone[45] [46] | 1943 | American musician, songwriter and record producer | ||
| Patrick Süskind[47] | 1949 | German writer and screenwriter | ||
| John Swartzwelder[48] [49] | 1949 | American comedy writer best known for his work on The Simpsons | ||
| Akira Toriyama[50] [51] [52] | 1955 | 2024 | Japanese manga artist and character designer, creator of Dragon Ball | |
| Bill Watterson[53] [54] | 1958 | American cartoonist and the creator of Calvin and Hobbes | ||
| Meg White[55] | 1974 | American musician best known as the drummer of the rock band the White Stripes. | ||
| Brian Wilson[56] [57] | 1942 | American musician, songwriter and record producer who led the Beach Boys | ||
| Ida Wood[58] | 1838 | 1932 | American socialite who remained in seclusion in a New York City hotel suite with two relatives for decades. | |
| Jocky Wilson[59] | 1950 | 2012 | Scottish former world darts champion |
| Name | Work | Author | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Havisham[60] | Great Expectations | Charles Dickens | ||
| Lestat de Lioncourt[61] | The Vampire Chronicles | Anne Rice | A recluse for extended periods throughout the series. | |
| Boo Radley[62] | To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | A recluse created by a famous recluse. | |
| The Grinch[63] | How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and its adaptations | Dr. Seuss | ||
| Shrek | Shrek and its adaptations | William Steig |