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The Myers-Briggs Type Personality Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test that was developed by Katherine Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers.
Regarded as one of the most reputable personality tests, MBTI is based on the work Briggs did with Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychologist, and his personality theories.
With MBTI, there are 16 primary personality types. If you haven't taken the MBTI test, we recommend that you do so. It will help you understand more about yourself and the people around you.
The INTP Personality Type
The INTP personality type (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving) may seem odd to other types because they tend to appear unemotional. Also, INTPs make up about 3% of the total population, so other types have less experience in dealing with this particular type of introverted personality.
INTPs are abstract thinkers, theorists, and scholars whose worlds tend to be inside their own heads. While this can make them appear to be aloof at times, the INTP is actually a person who feels things deeply but processes things differently. In some cases, an INTP may find emotions to be unnerving and irrational.
Because they are logicians, INTPs are most happy when they're dealing with things that are interesting and uncommon.
They are known to be independent and radical thinkers and you can count on INTPs to be problem solvers who are adept at understanding complex ideas and systems.
Here are some more traits of people with the INTP personality type.
43 Famous People & Celebrities with INTP Personality Type
Below is a list of some of the most famous people who are INTP personality types.
1. Tina Fey
An American comedian, actress, producer, writer, and playwright, Tina Fey became famous for her role on Saturday Night Live.
Fey got her start in comedy in an improvisational comedy group in Chicago. Later, Fey became well-known for playing a parody role for playing Sarah Palin, half-term Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate.
2. Bill Gates
Arguably one of the most relevant thought leaders of the modern era, Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft with his fellow INTP Paul Allen, and Gates was the richest man in the world for many years.
Bill Gates is famous for being a Harvard dropout. His ideas were just too large to be confined by formal education.
3. Albert Einstein
Born in Germany, Albert Einstein narrowly escaped the Nazis when he immigrated to the U.S. Albert Einstein is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential physicists and thinkers of all time.
Einstein is famous for developing the important theory of relativity. However, he made equally important contributions to the quantum mechanics theory.
4. William James
Known as the “father of American psychology,” William James was an American historian, philosopher, and psychologist. In fact, James offered the first psychology course in the U.S.
In addition to serving as the founder of psychology as a formal discipline in the U.S., James also greatly advanced the philosophical pragmatism movement.
5. Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was an American statesman and lawyer who was the 16th president of the U.S. Known primarily for his extraordinary leadership during the Civil War in America, Lincoln freed enslaved Americans by signing the Emancipation Proclamation.
Born in a log cabin, Lincoln was largely self-educated and famously ready by candlelight to learn as much as possible.
6. Louis Theroux
Louis Theroux is a documentary filmmaker, broadcaster, journalist, author, and podcaster who has received numerous awards for his work. Theroux graduated from Magdalen College in Oxford, then he moved to the U.S. to work as a journalist.
Some of Theroux's most famous work includes “Forbidden America,” a three-part series that focuses on social media usage in the U.S. among alternative groups. Theroux also hosts the podcast “Grounded with Louis Theroux,” where he interviews fascinating famous people.
7. Paul Allen
Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975. A childhood friend of Gates, the two worked together to spark the computer revolution of the next two decades.
Allen founded three institutes under his Allen Institutes umbrella: Artificial Intelligence, Brain Science, and Cell Science.
8. Rowan Atkinson
The famous “Mr. Bean” character is played by Rowan Atkinson, an English comedian, actor, and writer. In addition to his role as Mr. Bean, Atkinson has also acted in movies and theatre, including the musical “Oliver!,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” and a voice role in 1994's “The Lion King.”
Atkinson uses physical comedy, along with a visually based style that sets him apart from other film comics and modern television comics who rely primarily on dialogue.
9. Marie Curie
The head of Sorbonne's Physics Laboratory, Marie Curie spent her life actively promoting the use of radium for alleviating suffering. Throughout the course of World War I, Curie and her daughter devoted themselves to this cause.
Curie received two Nobel Prizes, one for physics and one for chemistry recognizing her work with radioactivity.
10. Herbert Spencer
If you've heard of social Darwinism, you may be familiar with the work of Herbert Spencer even if you haven't heard his name. The phrase “survival of the fittest” originated with Spencer, and he coined this phrase after reading On the Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin (another INTP).
Spencer was an English anthropologist, biologist, philosopher, and sociologist. In Principles of Biology, Spencer noted that evolution is an integration of concomitant dissipation of motion and integration of matter.
As an INTP, Spencer was uniquely qualified to think through these complex ideas.
11. Christopher Walken
The actor Christopher Walken is one of the most prolific entertainers of our time. A trained dancer and entertainer, Walken has appeared in over 100 television programs and films, including epic movies such as “Annie Hall,” “Catch Me If You Can,” and “The Deer Hunter.”
In his long career, Walken has received several nominations and awards. These include an Academy Award for his role as a best supporting actor in the film “The Deer Hunter.”
Additionally, Walken has played lead roles in Shakespearean plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet.
12. Eckhart Tolle
If you've tapped into the mindfulness movement, you have probably been influenced by Eckhart Tolle even if you didn't realize it at the time.
Tolle is the author of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, which was a New York Times Best Seller. That book was followed by A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose.
Tolle is widely regarded as the most important spiritual author in the U.S., and he is considered to be one of the most influential spiritual thinkers alive.
13. Bill Murray
Famous for his deadpan delivery, Bill Murray is an American comedian and actor. Murray became famous when he appeared on “The National Lampoon” and Saturday Night Life.” He also started in movies such as “Caddyshack,” “Tootsie,” “Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog Day,” and “Lost in Translation.”
Murray has won a Primetime Emmy Award for writing (in a variety series) and he received an Academy Award nomination for his role in “Lost in Translation.”
14. Rene Descartes
The first modern philosopher, Rene Descartes made an important connection as a mathematician between algebra and geometry. Also, he invited analytical geometry.
Descartes made the unusual argument that the mind is more important than the body. He argued that while the mind can exist without the body, a body cannot exist without the mind.
He was also the first philosopher in the rationalism movement, which seeks to understand the world based on reason as the way to attain knowledge.
15. Nikola Tesla
One of the most famous inventors and scientists who have lived in the last 150 years is Nikola Tesla. Tesla is credited with inventing the first AC (alternating current) motor, and he worked to develop transmission and AC generation technology. A Servian-American, Tesla was a futurist, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer.
Although he never received a formal degree, Tesla was educated in physics and engineering. In the early part of the 1880s, Tesla worked in the electric power industry at Continental Edison and in telephony.
16. Sergey Brin
One of the founders of Google (along with Larry Page), Sergey Brin is a Russian-born American computer scientist, business magnate, and internet entrepreneur.
Brin received early childhood education at a Montessori school, and he received the rest of his education at home. When he was just 19 years old, Brin received his Bachelor of Science in mathematics and computer science.
17. Dustin Hoffman
As one of the most decorated actors in Hollywood, Dustin Hoffman is famous for portraying versatile and emotionally vulnerable characters. Hoffman has won two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards.
His most famous works have included “Papillon,” “Rain Man,” “Tootsie,” “Kramer vs. Kramer,” ” All the President's Men,” “The Graduate,” and “Meet the Fockers.” Hoffman plays comedic and dramatic roles equally well.
18. Cathy Freeman
A former Australian sprinter, Cathy Freeman specialized in the 400 meters event and is currently the 9th fastest woman of all time. Freeman is widely regarded as a notable hero because she is the first Aboriginal sprinter to ever win a Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Freeman also participated in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games. In 1996, she won the silver medal for her event. Freeman is famous for wearing a bodysuit to cover every part of her body. She says that it prevents “drag” that slows her down.
19. John Cusack
The actor John Cusack is also famous for being a political activist, screenwriter, and producer. Cusack's mother was a mathematics teacher and this greatly influenced young John's analytical thinking skills.
As a member of the Democratic Socialists political party, Cusack supported Sen. Bernie Sanders in his bid for the presidency.
Cusack has widely criticized other presidential administrations because of their use of drone technology. He has also shown support for government whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden.
20. Art Monk
James Arthur Monk has played the position of wide receiver for the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Jets in the National Football League (NFL). Monk has worked outside of the sports world to help troubled youth with learning skills that will help them succeed in society.
Monk's program works with high school students with mentoring, tutoring, and after-school programs.
21. Kristen Stewart
In 2012, Kristen Stewart was the highest-paid actress in the world. She has received a British Academy Film Award and nominations for both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award.
Early in her career, Stewart wanted to be a writer or director, but she ended up being an acclaimed actor. She is famous for her role in “The Twilight Saga” films. She also played Diana, Princess of Wales, in a biographical drama “Spencer” that earned her an Academy Award nomination and widespread critical acclaim.
22. Larry Page
The second Google founder, Larry Page is an American internet entrepreneur and computer scientist. Like Brin, Larry Page attended a Montessori school. Later, he earned his master's degree in computer science from Stanford University.
Page first started exploring computers when he was only six years old.
23. Tiger Woods
When he was just 20 years old, Tiger Woods became a professional golfer. By the end of his 21st year, Woods had already won three PGA Tours and the 1997 Masters. In 1997, Woods became the number one golfer in world rankings just a year after he became a professional.
Tiger Woods became a child prodigy when his dad introduced him to golf when he was just two years old. Through the Tiger Wood Foundation, Woods has been empowering youth for 25 years through education, support, and tools that help them discover their interests and enhance their knowledge.
24. Charles Darwin
The theory of Natural Selection was first explored by a naturalist named Charles Darwin. This theory explains how species may experience the changing of genetic traits over time. Darwin believed that these changes can lead to speciation, which is essentially the formation of new species.
At university, he studied medical education, natural science, and marine invertebrates. Darwin is regarded as one of humanity's most influential figures.
25. John le Carre
David John Moore Cornwell is best known by his pen name of John le Carre. He was a British author who wrote spy novels, and he also worked for the British intelligence agency known as M16.
His best-known work is The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, published in 1963.
26. Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford was the 38th president of the United States, and he is most famous for pardoning his predecessor, Richard Nixon. Ford was a football player at the University of Michigan, and he turned down offers to play professional football so that he could attend Yale Law School.
After Pearl Harbor was attacked, Ford enlisted in the Naval Reserve and was a lieutenant commander when he left. In his political career, he was a U.S. representative for Michigan for nearly 25 years, where he served as the House minority leader for nine years.
27. Yoshihiro Tagashi
The only manga artist on our list is Yoshihiro Tagashi, who started drawing mange at a young age. The artist has authored manga series for three decades in different manga genres.
Tagashi's YuYu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter are some of history's best-selling manga.
28. Liam Gallagher
An English songwriter and singer, Liam Gallagher first became famous for his role as the lead vocalist of Oasis, a rock band that was active from 1991 through 2009.
Gallagher was largely inspired by John Lennon.
29. James Madison
The 4th president of the United States, James Madison is considered to be the “Father of the Constitution” because he played a pivotal role in promoting and drafting the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Madison also wrote The Federalist Papers with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton.
30. Alan Greenspan
From 1987 through 2006, Alan Greenspan served as the Federal Reserve chair under presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. While he was criticized by Democrats in Congress for his support of privatizing Social Security and tax cuts, other observers refer to Greenspan as a kind of “rock star.”
Greenspan attended the Julliard School as a woodwinds player in the 1940s. Later, he received an economics degree from New York University, as well as an M.A. degree in economics.
31. Henry Mancini
The late Henry Mancini was an American pianist, flutist, conductor, composer, and musical arranger. Mancini is considered to be one of the greatest composers in cinema history.
Mancini won a Golden Globe award, four Academy Awards, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (posthumously).
32. Dikembe Mutombo
Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dikembe Mutombo was one of 10 children. Mutombo speaks nine languages, including five Central African languages, Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese.
In 1987, he moved to the U.S. to go to college and play professional basketball. He served in internships for World Bank and the U.S. Congress. He has bachelor's degrees in diplomacy and linguistics.
33. John Tyler
John Tyler was the 10th president of the U.S. and became president upon the death of Pres. William Henry Harrison.
Before becoming president, Tyler served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
34. Thucydides
One of the world's greatest ancient historians, Thucydides wrote History of the Peloponnesian War, an extensive history of the 30 years of tension and war between Sparta and Athens.
Thucydides was a military general and an Athenia historian, and many historians call him the “father of scientific history” because of his practice of applying strict impartiality standards in evidence analyzing and gathering.
Thucydides has also been referred to as the father of the political realism school, which views individual political behavior as ultimately mediated by self-interest and fear.
35. Meryl Streep
The actress Meryl Streep is one of the most decorated actors of all time. She has won a total of 204 awards, and she has been nominated for awards 407 times.
Streep has been nominated for EGOT status, which means she has been nominated for an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award.
36. Dwight D. Eisenhower
A prominent military leader and statesman, Dwight David Eisenhower was also the 34th president of the United States. During World War II, Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in a war-torn Europe. In that role, he achieved the rank of five-star general.
Besides being a famous general and U.S. president, Dwight D. Eisenhower is famous for developing the Eisenhower Matrix. The Eisenhower Matrix is a prioritization, productivity, and time-management framework that is designed to help people prioritize agenda items or tasks by categorizing tasks according to importance and urgency.
37. Amanda Seyfried
Seyfried started her acting career when she was 15 years old. Her early roles were in soap operas, and she became famous after appearing in the 2004 movie “Mean Girls.”
Her movie roles include “Les Miserables,” “Dear John,” and “Mank.” Her role in “Mank” earned her nominations for both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award.
In 2022, Time Magazine named Seyfried as one of the world's most influential people.
38. Thomas Aquinas
Many philosophers consider Thomas Aquinas to be the greatest Scholastic philosopher because he wrote a comprehensive synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy and Christian theology that hugely influenced the doctrine of Roman Catholicism.
Aquinas was an Italian priest and Dominican friar and the founder of Scholasticism.
Aquinas was unique in that he argued that God serves as the source of both the light of faith and the light of natural reason. He was considered to be one of the medieval period's most influential thinkers.
39. John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth president of the United States. Adams was a famous American statesman, as well as an attorney, diplomat, and diarist.
Adams is famous for arranging joint occupation of the Oregon country with England, formulating the Monroe Doctrine, and buying Florida from Spain.
40. Edward Snowden
When Edward Snowden was working as a contracted computer intelligence consultant, he was horrified to learn how extensively the U.S. government was spying on Americans through the National Security Agency (NSA).
Snowden disclosed several global surveillance programs and prompted an important discussion about individual privacy and national security.
In June of 2013, Snowden released thousands of classified documents to journalists and is considered to be one of the most important government whistleblowers of all time. Snowden has been called a hero, a traitor, a patriot, and a dissident.
41. Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Heinlein was an aeronautical engineer, American science fiction author, and naval officer.
Heinlein has the distinction of being one of the first authors to emphasize scientific accuracy in his writing, so he is essentially the father of the hard science fiction genre.
42. T.S. Eliot
T.S. Eliot is one of the most renowned poets of the 20th century and played a central role in Modernist poetry.
Eliot also worked at Harvard as a philosophy student.
43. Stephen King
An American author, Stephen King is one of the most prolific and successful authors of horror novels of all time. King writes in a variety of genres, including crime, suspense, supernatural fiction, horror, fantasy, and science fiction.
King has won several awards, including the World Fantasy Award, Bram Stoker Award, and British Fantasy Society Award. He has also been awarded the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts' National Medal of Arts for his contributions to literature.
Many of his books have been made into movies and TV shows, and his most popular works are “The Shining,” “Carrie,” “Cujo,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” King is also an avid political activist in his home state of Maine.
Final Thoughts on INTP Famous People
If you are an INTP, you're a gift to the world. Your problem-solving skills and big-idea thinking have the potential to make big changes in the world around you. Or maybe you suspect you have an INTP in your life and want to understand them better.
Just know that an INTP is introverted and they need lots of time to get lost inside their head. After all, that's where their big ideas live, and you never know what they're going to add to the world and to your life.
Famous INTPs have made contributions to the world that have changed everything around us in positive ways.
To learn more about the MBTI test, and all of the personalities you have yet to explore, check out our Myers-Briggs 16 Personality Types: A Beginner’s Guide.
Finally, if you want to identify YOUR personality type, then take one of these 11 personality tests to better understand what makes you tick.
