Okay, enough with the jokes. We can actually learn something here. Her 11th toe is a good reminder that even with an extra appendage, you can still put your best foot forward.
Polydactyly Common, Treatable and Famous
“I do not mean to pry, but you don’t by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand?” Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.
The swashbuckling character Inigo Montoya in the princess bride made the possibility of a six fingered person famous. In real life having too many digits on a foot or hand is a condition called polydactyly and the people who have it aren’t villains like the one portrayed in the movie. The condition is a congenital physical anomaly that not only affects humans but can actually be seen in dogs and cats as well. Thankfully the condition is usually very treatable and fairly rare, though still considered one of the more common anomalies that can affect the hands or feet.
What Polydactylism Of The Hand Looks Like
Polydactylism of the hands most commonly appears as a small finger on the side of the hand called ulnar polydactyly. Fewer people may experience radial polydactyly which is an extra thumb. Most rarely a finger appears in the middle of the hand which is known as central polydactyly. The extra digit is not always a fully articulated joint it can also appear as just skin and soft tissue or also include a bone but no joint. The most common type of polydactylism is just the skin and tissue and the least common is a finger that functions almost completely normally.
Polydactyly is Fairly Common and Very Treatable
About one in 500 people in the United States are affected by polydactyly, with it affecting both males and females at almost the same rate. People of Asian and Caucasian decent are more likely to have radial polydactyly. Ulnar polydactylism is more common in people of African decent. The good news is it is usually easily treated. Surgery is almost always how polydactylism is treated, though it can range from minor outpatient surgery to a more complex surgery that requires physical therapy and time to recover from. Removal of a polydactyl joint usually occurs after a child is one year old to ensure there is minimal problems with any anesthesia that needs to be used.
Polydactyl People Are In Good Company
Through the years many famous people have been born polydactyl. Antonio Alfonseca, a major league baseball player, and Hound Dog Taylor, a blues musician both were born with a polydactyl fingers. The most notable celebrity with polydactylism is Gemma Arterton, a Hollywood actress that has been the female lead in many movies and was even “Bond girl” in a James bond movie.
Finding Great Polydactylism Treatment
While polydactylism is not usually a life threatening condition, most parents want the condition treated to allow their child to live as normal a life as possible. In the Chicago area you best choice for getting treatment for polydactylism are the doctors at the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute. The pediatric orthopedic doctors at IBJI have decades of experience treating Polydactyl patients. Schedule online today to find out why you won’t find better treatment for polydactylism.
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11 Famous People With 11 Fingers or Toes
From Oprah Winfrey to Drew Carey to Anne Boleyn, here are the 11 famous people who were born with at least 11 un-cowardly digits.
I’m not one of those people captivated by deformities; I’d be no more likely to read Johnny Tremain if it were called Johnny Deformed. But over the past years, I have become captivated to the number 11. And that’s what’s led me to this list.
I dug deep into the bowels of the Internet to find these 11 famous people who are either confirmed to have (or strongly rumored to have) either 11 fingers or 11 toes. Or, in some cases, 12 fingers or 12 toes. But we’ll assume their extra digits were not removed exactly simultaneous, thus at some point, each of them had 11.
If nothing else, this list will be really useful if you ever find yourself in an Inigo Montoya or Monk vengeance scenario.
Famous People With 11 Fingers or Toes
The medical condition in which an individual is born with extra fingers or toes is called polydactyly. The extra digit can be fully or partially formed and may affect one or both hands and feet.
While this condition is often considered a medical anomaly, some cultures see it as a sign of good luck. And as a nod to my personal bias for the number 11 as stated earlier, here are 11 famous people who were born with this unique trait.
1 | Gemma Arterton
Gemma was born with an extra finger on each hand next to her pinky, and the doctors removed them right away. Perhaps if she’d gotten to keep them they would’ve helped her even *more* as she dominates the “vaguely exotic” actress niche.
She only landed on a few Hollywood blockbuster films such as Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, and many others.
Maybe those extra digits are a good luck charm!
2 | Drew Carey
Drew Carey is an American actor, comedian, and game show host who was born on in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood.
He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and got famous in his own sitcom like “The Drew Carey Show,” “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and “The Price Is Right”. He even made appearances in a variety of movies, TV shows, music videos, and a computer game.
The mighty Internet claims that Drew Carey says in his autobiography that he was born with an 11th toe. Perhaps, the extra body quirk may have helped him carry all those projects. Anyway, I decided not to read his entire book to confirm this and, instead, take the Internet’s word for it. Which I’m already regretting.
3 | Halle Berry
This is a case where maybe her foot sticks out, so it looks like she’s got the nub of an extra pinky toe on there. She’s never confirmed or denied having 11 fingers.
If only I had a foot fetish, I’d have enough expertise to weigh in more definitively on the Halle Berry 11th toe debate. (I suppose a podiatry degree would get me there too. It’s a sign of spending far too much time online that my mind gravitated to foot fetish first.)
4 | Oprah Winfrey
According to TMZ, Oprah had an 11th toe… but had it removed a few years ago. If you’re the doctor there, how tempted are you to keep that toe? You know what it could bring in on eBay? Or in an elaborate phony kidnapping?
Okay, enough with the jokes. We can actually learn something here. Her 11th toe is a good reminder that even with an extra appendage, you can still put your best foot forward.
5 | Maria Sharapova
Maria has an extra toe on each foot. And when reporters asked her, she told them, “It is an old story in Russia… they are quite cute little piggies.” Turns out, she got it from her father.
Based on the usual Maria Sharapova ratio, this means Anna Kournikova also has two extra toes that are slightly more attractive but way worse at tennis.
6 | Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff was born with an extra finger on each hand, but the doctors removed them right away — such as not to get in the way of his jammin’.
If you’re wondering, Jimmy Cliff is a legendary reggae musician (and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). You bald heads might know him from his cover of I Can See Clearly Now on the Cool Runnings soundtrack.
7 | Anne Boleyn
Why can’t you people just leave Anne Boleyn alone? I’ve seen various claims that she had 11 fingers, three breasts, and double fingernails. And, ya know, zero heads.
8 | Liam Gallagher
With hit songs like “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova,” Liam is a “toe-tal” legend in the music industry. He’s got the “sole” power to keep his music career moving forward…
Another way he exceeded John Lennon.
9 | Antonio Alfonseca
Antonio Alfonseca was a relief pitcher for several Major League teams (Chicago, Atlanta, Texas, Philadelphia and the team that bought the 1997 World Series). He had extra fingers on both hands AND extra toes on both feet.
It’s hard to say if the extra finger helped him as a pitcher, but I suspect it did. After all, he was able to pitch effectively until he retired at age 35. (Which, being from the Dominican Republic, means he was at least in his mid 40s.)
10 | Kate Hudson
Like Halle Berry, she’s been spotted with what looks like a tiny 11th toe — and her 11th might even have a little baby nail.
Whatever. This spot on the list came down to either Kate Hudson or Honey Boo Boo’s newborn niece with an extra thumb. I stand by the Kate Hudson pick.
11 | Taye Diggs
He is one of the people on this list who has publicly acknowledged having polydactyly.
In an interview, Taye Diggs admitted he was born with an extra finger on each hand, and the doctors removed them when he was a kid. What a shame. If only he’d kept them, he would’ve been a full 20 percent more efficient in helping Stella get her groove back.
