Who promoted the theory that there is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism?

Andrew Jeremy Wakefield is a British former gastroenterologist and medical researcher who was struck off the UK medical register for his fraudulent 1998 research paper and other misconduct in support of the now-discredited claim that there was a link between the administration of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and the appearance of autism and bowel disease.

Wakefield's study and his claim that the MMR vaccine might cause autism led to a decline in vaccination rates in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland, and a corresponding rise in measles and mumps, resulting in serious illness and deaths, and his continued claims that the vaccine is harmful have contributed to a climate of distrust of all vaccines and the reemergence of other previously controlled diseases. Wakefield has continued to defend his research and conclusions, saying there was no fraud, hoax, or profit motive.