15. William Shakespeare, often referred to as England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" William Shakespeare had an estimated IQ of 210 and is widely regarded as the greatest English-speaking writer and dramatist to have ever lived. Born in 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, Shakespeare earned a living as an actor and a playwright in London. By 1597, 15 of his plays had been published, including "Richard II," "Henry VI," and "Much Ado About Nothing."