h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The term "Renaissance Man" refers to polymaths - people who excel in widely different fields. Possibly the most famous example is Leonardo da Vinci - an exceptional artist, scientist, writer and inventor amongst a plethora of skills. He was pretty much a one-man Renaissance.

A modern Renaissance Woman could be Vanessa Mae. The virtuoso violinist is training to compete in the ski-ing events of the Winter Olympics.

Who would you nominate as an example of someone showing supreme talent in diverse fields?

Can'y you see them all around you? We have a whole generation of fine young actors of contemporary drama* who have proved their mettle in diverse competitive situations**.


*soap stars
**reality shows

Besides acting and directing, Clint Eastwood also composes classical music.

If anyone says Stephen Fry I'll tw*t 'em one.

I can think of a couple of actors [Zero Mostel and Fred Gwynn] who also painted and/or sculpted.

But the most likely candidate would be guy who did the seemingly impossible: he solved Fermat's last theorem. It took expertise from a number of disciplines to prove it.

I like the idea that being a "Renaissance man" [or woman] doesn't need to be a gargantuan task [c.f. Rabelais, whose giants Gargantua and Pantaguel were Renaissance giants. Rabelais clearly had his tongue in his cheek ]. Why not just try to be interested in a lot of different things? How about reading and exercising and enjoying the arts and writing and composing, and gardening? And maybe painting, if you have any talent [which I don't have, but the painters on display at the Museum of Bad Art lack talent, too]?

Being interested in a lot of different fields is good. The impressive part comes from actually excelling in those fields. I admit I have no idea if Eastwood is any good as a composer.

Apart from his musicianship, Steven Tyler also does a lot of design work. Motorcycles for example. I don't know if two disciplines are enough to qualify as a renaissance man though.

Brian Cox?

Obviously a pretty good scientist, but also very eloquent and personable as an award winning TV presenter - which isn't always the case with scientists.

No idea if he excelled at it but he must have been a decent enough keyboard player that I paid for a ticket to go see him many moons ago.

You could also just see him with an epee in a duel...

Brian May - Guitarist and Astronomer.

Brian Cox - Physicist and Keyboard Player.

There's a few famous musicians who also do scientific research. For example the singer from the Danish band Magtens Korridorer.

We could also mention Mayim Bialik from Blossom and The Big Bang Theory. As she says "I'm not just a neuroscientist, I also play one on TV."

Patrick Moore. Astronomer and Xylophonist.

Doesn't Mylene Klaas do something other than look pleasant? Piano. I think.

Or Condi Rice. Mass Murderer and Concert Pianist.

Ahh, but is he a good xylophonist?

I'm not competent to judge.

Will this help?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH9L6VonhQc

(Moore & Culshaw xylophoning Firestarter)

The ultimate Renaissance film character was Buckaroo Banzai. He was just your average rocket scientist/rock star.

(Can't think about the men...too busy thinking about Women.

Errr...some twerpy public schoolboy...they are all the rage again...can't think...

Back to women

Steven Pinker:

"Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18, 1954) is a Canadian-American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, linguist and popular science author. He is a Harvard College Professor and the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University,[2] and is known for his advocacy of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind." Wiki

The playwright John Byrne (Slab Boys) is also an accomplished artist under the name Patrick Byrne. He painted most of Gerry Rafferty's album covers.

Brian Blessed is famously an actor and mountaineer.