Kim Peek – the Real Rain Man: Biography, Disability and Facts

Kim Peek (11 November 1951 – 19 December 2009) was one of the world’s best known savants. Kim was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and intellectual disability. He was the inspiration behind the 1988 movie Rain Main. Dustin Hoffman was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor in Leading Role for playing Kim’s character in the movie. You might have seen and appreciated the movie. But, you may not know much about the real inspiration behind the movie. Though the movie was inspired by the life of Kim Peek, it did not show his exact story or condition. Today, we are sharing some facts about the real Rain Man, Kim Peek. These facts are even more interesting than the movie’s plot.

1. Kim Peek was recognized as ‘different’ at his birth

He was born in 1951 with an abnormally large-sized head. This condition is called macrocephaly. The doctors then found out that not only the size of the head but also the structure of brain of the baby was different. Kim was born with a damaged cerebellum. And, the bundle of nerves connecting both the hemispheres of the brain was also missing.

2. Doctors suggested Kim’s parents to put him in an institution

When Kim was 9-months old, doctors suggested his parents to send him to an institution. Seeing his condition, doctors said that the child will never be able to talk or walk. Kim’s parents however rejected the idea of parting away from their child.

3. Kim started memorizing entire books at the age of one

Kim started exhibiting his exceptional memory at a very young age. When he was just one year old, he would memorize the entire book being read to him. He remembered the entire Bible word by word till the age of seven. Kim did not like hearing the same story over and over again. So, he devised a technique to convey his message. Once a book was read to him, he would keep the book upside down to show that he already memorized the book and is not interested to hear it again. Kim followed this style of keeping a finished book upside down for his entire life.

4. Kim had troubles with his locomotor skills and he walked sideways

Although Kim had an exceptional memory but this did not mean all was good for him. He had major issues with his locomotor skills that made it difficult for him to button his shirt or tie his shoelaces. Due to the weight of his head, he was not able to walk till the age of four. When he started walking he walked sideways.

5. Kim Peek was expelled from school for disturbing the class

Kim’s parents wanted him to study and so he was admitted to a school. He was expelled from the school on his first day itself for disturbing the class. He was then home tutored.

6. Kim Peek read two pages simultaneously

He was exceptional not just in his memory power but was also a fast reader. Kim Peek’s reading speed was so fast that he had started reading an entire decent sized book in half an hour. He read two pages simultaneously – the left page from the left eye and the right page from the right eye. Even after reading so fast, he could recall 98% of whatever he read. Due to reading at such a fast pace, Kim became an expert in fifteen different subjects.

7. Kim memorized much more than just books

By memorizing the phonebook, Kim could tell the name of neighbors if someone gave him their address. By memorizing maps he could tell someone the way to drive from one city to another in any part of the world. He could do calendar calculations. He memorized musical compositions note-by-note. In his later life, he started playing the piano based on his memorized musical notes.

8. Kim scored below average in the general IQ test

After knowing the exceptional abilities of Kim Peek one would think that he must have been a genius. Going by the psychological testing, Kim was and remained below average his entire life. He scored 87 in general IQ tests.

9. Kim got a regular job despite the lack of formal education

At the age of 18, Kim got a job in a company with 160 employees. Kim’s role was to do the payment calculation for the employees. Due to his fast calculating skills, he needed only a few hours a week to do the calculation. And, he did all the calculations in his head.

10. Kim addressed over 2 million people but never accepted money for his public appearances

After the release of the movie Rain Man, Kim got wider attention from people worldwide. He was invited to make public appearances and address people. According to a rough estimate, Kim addressed about 2 million people but he never accepted money for those public appearances. Kim toured different countries with his father.

11. Dustin Hoffman gave his Oscar statue to Kim Peek

Dustin Hoffman who portrayed Kim’s character in the movie Rain Man was quite impressed with Kim Peek. He not only thanked Kim in his Oscar acceptance speech but also handed over the golden Oscar statue to Kim for taking it with him in his public appearances. That Oscar statue has been held by the most number of people and hence is also called the most loved Oscar statue.

Kim died on 19 December 2009, at the age of 58, due to cardiac arrest. The story of the real Rain Man ended just at the age of 58. Kim suffered a heart attack and left the world.

Rain Man might not be an accurate depiction of Kim’s life but it certainly made Kim Peek’s name a household name. Kim will always be remembered as a remarkable savant who lived on this earth.