Kim Peek

Kim Peek
Peek in 2007
Born
Laurence Kim Peek

(1951-11-11)November 11, 1951
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
DiedDecember 19, 2009(2009-12-19) (aged 58)
Murray, Utah, U.S.
Known forMegasavant
Parent(s)Fran Peek, Leyson

Laurence Kim Peek (November 11, 1951 – December 19, 2009) was an American savant. Known as a "megasavant",[1][2][3] he had an exceptional memory, but he also experienced social difficulties, possibly resulting from a developmental disability related to congenital brain abnormalities. He was the inspiration for the character Raymond Babbitt in the 1988 movie Rain Man. Although Peek was previously diagnosed with autism, he is now thought to have had FG syndrome.[4][5] The Utah Film Center's Peek Award honors his legacy.[6]

  1. ^ "'Rain Man' reigns in Casper". Casper Star-Tribune. March 14, 2003. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  2. ^ "About Kim Peek, Megasavant". York Daily Record. November 4, 1994. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  3. ^ "NASA studies mega-savant Peek's brain". USA Today. Associated Press. 2004. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  4. ^ Weber B (December 26, 2009). "Kim Peek, inspiration for 'Rain Man,' dies at 58". The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  5. ^ Opitz JM, Smith JF, Santoro L (September 2008). "The FG syndromes (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man 305450): perspective in 2008". Adv Pediatr. 55 (1): 123–70. doi:10.1016/j.yapd.2008.07.014. PMID 19048730.
  6. ^ Roka, Les (March 20, 2018). "Utah Film Center's 7th Peek Award honors Dina, Sundance award-winning documentary | The Utah Review".