Alright DU, name drop in here. Who is the most famous person you've ever personally met?

[Very_Boring_Name]

I met Steven Spielberg at a market in Santa Monica

[Ptah]

Edgar Bergen

[one_voice]

8. DeMarcus Ware...really nice guy.

[kentauros]

1. Paul Newman

I was, I guess about six, and best friends with his daughter, Melissa (we were best friends in 1st grade.) She took me over to their house in Westport to meet him, and he was just getting out of the shower. All he had on was a towel, while rubbing his hair with another one. He just said hello and was pleased to meet me, and I probably said the same back. All I knew about him was that he was her father. I was too young to know him as anything else.

My mother said she about fainted when I came home and related my experience to her :P

[hayu_lol]

3. Admiral Nimitz...

CINCPAC, at his headquarters at Pearl Harbor...a birthday celebration for him.

[tinymontgomery]

107. Now that would have been something

what a great man. I've meet 15 MOH's and they are better then all the stars and sports players that I believe are out there.

[tinymontgomery]

108. Delete

Dupe

[Luciferous]

2. Jay-Z. He was very nice...

[hobbit709]

4. Famous overall or famous in their field?

I met Steven Weinberg when I worked at UT

I met all sorts of musicians when I worked at the Armadillo-from Count Basie to Buddy Guy, SRV, Frank Zappa, and many others

I was housemate with Geoff Outlaw, of Alice's Restaurant fame, so I got to meet Arlo since they were old buddies

I met several politicians at both the local and now national level-Lloyd Doggett is still my Congressman.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

113. I met Drew Barrymore at Hippie Hollow one day...

I was working for the county parks and she came through looking for the Oasis. Seemed nice.

I also met Stevie Ray Vaughn in a HoJo's near the Pittsburgh campus back in 86(?), picking up his own tab (which I thought was pretty cool).

[Richardo]

5. Frank Sinatra

I was 13 years old with the Boy Scouts color guard, we were backstage at a benefit. Frank shook all of our hands before the show.

[Bunny]

62. Sinatra? Really?

I'm surprised you didn't mention your encounter with Marcia Brady.



:D

[Richardo]

68. Well, the question was MOST famous, not hottest

I really blew my chance to be Mr Marcia Brady, procurer to the stars :banghead:


:hi: Bunny! :fistbump: :loveya:

[abq e streeter]

6. Ernie Banks, The Dixie Chicks, Bonnie Raitt

[Mendocino]

7. Sir Edmund Hillary

What a gentleman.

[Withywindle]

21. Oh man, envy!

Under what circumstances? Please tell the story!

[Mendocino]

89. I met him

in 1986 (In Cincinnati, sponsored by the Sierra Club). He gave a talk which wasn't so much about Everest, but about Nepal and the people there. Humble but bold, human but larger than life, a true hero whose altruism is missed in todays world.

[Broken_Hero]

9. hmm, a toss up

I've met Dale Ellis and Scott Pollard...I guess I'd have to go with Ellis.

[InvisibleTouch]

10. Probably Patrick Stewart. Or Nichelle Nichols. n/t

[Kali]

11. Emilio Estevez, Lou Diamond Phillips (a couple scenes from Young Guns 2 filmed here)

Bruce Babbitt (a cross-boarder environmental meeting about the San Pedro River)

Ted Danson's parents :rofl: my little sister even danced with his father, Ned at a wedding reception.

probably some others, kind of blanking tonight

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

12. Peter Frampton

Actually, as a landscaper in Nashville, I met more than a few famous folk. But he's my favorite, next to Ray Stevens.

[stevedeshazer]

13. Steve Jobs

1990

[Duer 157099]

14. Angelina Jolie

but she was a baby so maybe it doesn't count.

Then Jon Voight would be my runner up.

[yurbud]

15. I was behind Arnold Schwarzenegger in line for a museum once, but I didn't say anything because I

thought he would somehow know I made this, which is the top image search result for ''arnold girly man.''

[A-Schwarzenegger]

95. Hey.

:*

[bigwillq]

16. I interviewed/covered many notable sports figures.

Does that count? I've had personal conversations with some of them.

[MiddleFingerMom]

17. 1974-75? Went to a Grateful Dead show (my one and only) in Munich, Germany.

.
.
.
The venue was the indoor bicycle track at the Olympic Stadium. JUST prior to the
show, I went out to the concourse to get a bratwurst sandwich (served on a kaiser
roll). I was the only one out there.
.
I mean, EVERYONE else in attendance was out there -- but not out THERE.
.
.
.
EXCEPT... for this one long-and-wild-haired and wild-eyed American guy who had
three sandwiches lined up on his forearm with their tops off while he squirted
mustard on them.
.
.
.
He replaced the tops. "THESE THINGS ARE G-R-R-E-A-T", he shouted gleefully at
me as he turned and walked off.
.
.
.
I didn't realize just who it was until I saw him onstage.
.
.
.
Yep.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Jerry.
.
.
.

[Kat45]

18. Elton John. And Lemmy.(two different occasions, of course)

[GReedDiamond]

19. I've already previously mentioned...

...Leonardo DiCaprio, my ex shot Leo's first publicity photos in our art studio when Leo was around 6 or 7 years old.

...but there are also:

Dr. Timothy Leary (I did artwork on the Leary underground comic, "NEUROCOMICS," scripted by Leo's dad, George)- met Tim, literally had a BEER (Olympia) with Dr. Leary, as he was babysitting a toddler while watching a football game on his slightly whacked-out color teevee, the grass was blue.

Madonna (I did costume graphics design and application for her 1984 and 2001 live tours).

Stephen Jay Gould (I met the late, great Doctor at a Duchamp/Poincaré Harvard U symposium for which I made the official web site, it's still online).

Medea Benjamin (my band performed live through a solar powered PA system on July 4, 2001, Long Beach CA, anti-Enron demonstration, Medea was a speaker through the same PA).

Dewey Martin (Rock n Rol Hall of Famer/Buffalo Springfield drummer, I was in a band with him in the late 70s (Scott Thomas Lowe & Atascadero), and I own the mid-60s, Oak Lawn badge Camco drums Dewey used on "For What It's Worth," which I purchased from him in 1979).

The Bangles (I made four stage backdrops for their first album live support tour (plus, unbeknownst to me, the former bass player of one of my bands toured with The Bangles, as their merchandiser).

Peter Ivers, my band played on his legendary punk rock new wave public access tv show, "New Wave Theater," and we jammed with him (he was a fantastic blues harp player).

Top Jimmy (the real guy, the one in the Van Halen "Top Jimmy" song), he was our friend and supporter.

Etc...etc...that's just an off-the-top-of-my-head listing, there are more, it's pretty weird.

All because I moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, in March of 1976...if I had stayed in Chicago, I wonder what woulda happened?

[Withywindle]

20. Barack Obama.

He wasn't as famous at the time, though.

Other than that...well, it starts to go into definitions of "famous." Is John Cage more famous than Pete Buck? Depends on who you ask...

[Aristus]

22. Harlan Ellison, writer of the greatest 'Star Trek' episode ever,

The City On The Edge Of Forever. And the two short stories that inspired James Cameron to write "The Terminator".

[kentauros]

24. He was a consultant for Babylon 5

and he had both one or two minor acting parts, plus his voice used for a computer-voice one time :)

So, was he nice? I only ever hear about the not-so-nice meetings...

[Aristus]

26. As a public speaker, he is unabashedly abrasive, profane, and iconoclastic.

But he signed all of my books for me, very kindly, (he signed ALL of everyone's books!) with a funny, personal anecdote while he was signing. He even gave me a nickname.

I had the surprise good fortune to be able to go to dinner with him, his wife, and his unofficial literary entourage later that evening. It is said that one can tell a person's true character by the way he treats restaurant staff. I was a little worried as I perused the menu.

But when the waiter came to the table, you never saw such charm, grace and courtesy in your life. Ellison made me proud to be one of his fans.

[kentauros]

28. I guess it's the public speaking part everyone remembers

and then talks about. That's great he was so nice to you and everyone. Makes it easier to interact, even if it's just for a book-signing. I've always liked his stories, too, even if I don't have very many.

It's a great memory to have :hi:

[Aristus]

30. If you can get a hold of a copy, read "Strange Wine", a classic collection

of some of his best, mind-bogglingly well-written stories.

[RandomThoughts]

37. That is an odd bit of syncronicity.

without reading your post, I commented on terminator recently.

If he was the inspiration for that movie, I might have been talking about his comment, especially if he also wrote about atoz

That is very interesting correlation.

If you know that guy, go read the thread on terminator, see if it matches anything he thought about that film if you see him again.

[hifiguy]

128. Harlan used to visit the book store I once managed

every couple of years. He was friends with the owner. He was just as funny, charming and vitriolic as the legend would have you believe, and UNBELIEVABLY smart. I own a couple of pipes he sold to a friend, whose widow (the friend's) passed along to me.

Also met the great cartoonists the Hernandez Brothers (Jaime and Gilbert) and Neil Gaiman many times at that bookstore. Gaiman is one very nice bloke and the Hernandez Bros were a hoot and a half.

[greendog]

23. Bill Monroe

[CaliforniaPeggy]

25. Governer Jerry Brown...

Back when he was running for Atty General, I believe...

[hibbing]

27. Muhammad Ali

Hey,
Fun thread, thanks. I wish some people would provide some more information on their experiences though! Was in Winter Park, CO in the summer of gosh, circa 1981. Saw a white Rolls Royce with Ali plates on it go by. We followed it and hung out where it went. We were eventually let into his condo and he was very gracious and let us take pictures with him and signed autographs and even did the "punching" pose with my brother in law where he was knocking him out. He did have quite the posse with him though.


Peace

[emilyg]

29. Both Clintons, Dr. Salk, Prez. Carter and S. Loren.

[abq e streeter]

31. 2nd reply, but I guess Bo Diddley was at least as famous as the others I mentioned above

[progressoid]

32. Elizabeth Edwards.

Oh yeah, and John Edwards and this Obama guy.

[struggle4progress]

33. I attended some invited lectures by Paul Erdos and Eugene Wigner

I don't think that really counts as "meeting" either one of them, though

[LeftishBrit]

59. I knew Paul Erdos quite well (good friend of my family)

Great person. That Hoffman biography had steam coming out of my ears; it misrepresented him pretty badly and made him look like a freak.

[struggle4progress]

64. I haven't read Hoffman. Any "knowledge" I have of his personal life comes from introductions

(written by his friends) to collections of papers honoring his mathematical contributions: I suppose I own three or four such volumes

I might suspect (but of course cannot know) that his peripatetic lifestyle resulted, at least in part, as an idiosyncratic psychological reaction to the European catastrophe developing during his childhood and young adult years: he was probably old enough to remember Cohn Béla's revolution, and he must have remembered much about the Horthy Miklós era. And I might expect the dreadful continuing uncertainty and turmoil in Hungary -- including Horthy's on-again-off-again capitulations to Hitler's anti-semitic extermination policies, the Soviet takeover, the 1956 revolution -- could simply have reinforced a "there's nothing for me there" attitude

Hungary has produced some towering mathematicians (Bolyai János, for example), and Erdős Pál was certainly one of them: his early proof of "Bertrand's Postulate" takes my breath away

[auntAgonist]

34. Conway Twitty said hi to me in a truckstop once... but personally

Philip Akin and I have been friends for over 12 years now.
He played Charlie DeSalvo in Highlander, the series





also ..
In Shake Hands with the Devil he portrays Kofi Annan,

and many more ...


# Who Is Clark Rockefeller? (2010) as Det. Lewis Cook
# Taking a Chance on Love (2009)
# P2 (2007) as Karl
# This Beautiful City (2007) as Police Chief
# Shake Hands with the Devil (2007) as Kofi Annan
# Knights of the South Bronx (2005) as Asst. Principal Hill
# Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005) as Reverend
# The Man (2005) as Second I.A. Agent
# The Perfect Man (2005) as English Teacher
# H20 (2004) as U.S. President Monroe
# S.W.A.T. (2003) as Hijacked Passenger
# How to Deal (2003) as Mr. Bowden
# The Skulls III (2002) as Captain Harlan
# Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) as The General
# The Sum of All Fears (2002) as General Wilkes
# Pretend You Don't See Her (2002) as Witness Protection Agent
# Bojangles (2001)


http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/philip-akin/190756

[Brother Buzz]

35. Russ Hodges

He moved into our small town when the Giants moved west. He made time to attend our local Little League games. A few years later, I delivered his afternoon paper. He was a good tipper.

I met a lot of notable people through the years, but Russ Hodges was was the first and made a lasting impression.

[RandomThoughts]

36. When I was at a bar last night.

There were two out of towners I noticed.

Had a good conversation with one of them, but noticed he was trying to 'check my comments' to see if I was BSing and that is BS, that is an irritating intent.

The other person left when I mentioned the funny Charley Sheen stories on news the second time LOL. That was funny.

Didn't really bother with conversation, just said 'Winning' :rofl:

It was funny.


I may have met a few people that are famous no reason to mention who.

Although they did not say who they were at the time. and it is disappointing if they do not tell me who they are. Although I understand why they might not want to mention it, that is a little selfish, since it doesn't allow for conversations on there experiences, and differences from there experiences and how they are presented. And I pick up on the hiding, or deception, and that usually creates a different conversational attitude on my part. Saying things to figure out why they might be hiding or to get a reaction to check on who they could be.

Although the most interesting fact on that concept, is if you met someone famous and don't know it. There is less of a thought about them then if you know it. Therefore the value of a person is loaded in your macro of what you think they are.

[LibDemAlways]

38. Jimmy Carter and Al Gore - both at book signings. n/t

[jannyk]

39. ZZTop, Steve Jobs (and his Mum Clara - saw her weekly), Willie Brown....

Juliette Binoche - she shared my table outside a cafe and I bought her a citrus soda in Paris last year. Andy Grove, Gerry (of Gerry and the Pacemakers)- dated a good friend of his and also Freddy (of Freddy and the Dreamers). Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks. Herman (of Hermit's Fame). Pete Briquette (of Boomtown Rats) - went to his wedding.so met Bob Geldorf and the others. Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy sat next to him on a plane to Dublin. Andy Summers (the Police), sat next to him on a London to NY flight. Dave Bronze (ex Eric Clapton Guitarist) - went to school with him. Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) he went to school with my kid sister. And loads more - especially from the 'Merseybeat' crowd.

[MilesColtrane]

40. It's hard for me to judge on the Fame Gauge between those who are famous for different things.

So, I'll just spew out the ones who think may qualify.

Ross Perot
Rudy Giuliani
Roger Staubach
Troy Aikman
Van Cliburn
Jerry Jones
John Williams
John McCain
Tom Landry
Mick Fleetwood
David Cassidy
Tony Curtis
Phylis Diller
Robert Goulet
Shirley Jones
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Jerry Lewis
Martin Mull
Bob Newhart
Jon Anderson
Donny Osmond
Marie Osmond
Bernadette Peters
Michael York

[Lorien]

41. Michael Jackson, George Lucas, Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Al Gore, Jim Henson

lots of others. Michael and George were frequent visitors to the studio where I worked.

[stuntcat]

100. dannnng :)

vury nice list

[MrScorpio]

42. My great uncle, Joe Louis

[hifiguy]

131. You're related to Joe Louis?

Man that is beyond cool.

[MrScorpio]

142. Here he is with his nieces

My mom is sitting on the far right.

One of my favorite pics.

And also, here I am with Lando Calrissian

[6000eliot]

43. The director Todd Haynes years ago.

Anthony Bourdain just a couple of weeks ago.

[Kablooie]

44. Billy Barty asked me to open a coke bottle for him once.

I didn't have an opener so he got angry, snatched the bottle away and took it over to someone else to open.

[HERVEPA]

45. Casey Stengel

[HopeHoops]

46. Phil Collins. He gave me a much needed hug once.

[rug]

47. John Lennon

I was a ward clerk on the private ob unit when Sean was born.

[LibDemAlways]

51. Of all the people listed on this thread, he's the one I would most have

liked to meet. Judging by everything I've read, he was a great father to Sean. What a tremendous loss.

[rug]

52. He was very solicitous of Yoko at the time.

High risk, and he was there every day.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

99. Yeah, but Julian just got the short end of the stick...

...once John divorced his mother. No matter how many things I hear about John and how great he was, my brain always goes back to that.
Duckie

[LibDemAlways]

119. Yep, no excusing his inattentiveness toward his older son. However,

he was certainly in a different place in his life when Sean was born - ready to assume the responsibility of parenthood in a way he couldn't or wouldn't as a 20-something caught up in Beatlemania.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

126. Right....

However, Julian didn't go anywhere. John could have always made him a part of their lives, whether Yoko liked it or not. That's what a father does. It just makes me angry that everyone talks about what a great guy he was, but he had this kid he totally ignored for most of his life. My dad did that to his sons, not by choice, and regretted it every day. That's why my brothers ended up taking advantage of his big heart as much as they could. Their mother told them lies and even stole my father's parental rights out from under him. She was a loon. But my dad sent child support every month until they turned 18. One of my brothers tried to say well, you never took care of us. My mom, bless her heart, pulled those child support receipts out of a box. She keeps EVERYTHING. Those are some of the things she didn't lose in the flood. She actually put them in a safe deposit box just in case those bastards ever try to come and say it again. LOL Sorry for the tangent. The point I'm trying to make is HE TRIED.

[raccoon]

48. Teddy Kennedy. Well, I shook hands with him. nt

[wysimdnwyg]

49. Minnie Pearl

When I was a teenager, I worked in a local grocery. This happened to be the grocery where seemingly everyone over the age of 60 did their shopping, including many of the older country music stars. We baggers would always compete to take care of Ms. Cannon, admittedly mostly because she tipped very well. One hell of a nice lady. If she were alive today and I ran into her in the grocery, I'd still take her groceries out for her. (No tip required this time. :) )

Also on the list thanks to my time spent in grocery stores: Shania Twain (looked better in sweats than she does in full makeup), Joe Diffie (asshole), Lee Roy Parnell (didn't say much) and Liz Allison (widow of the late NASCAR driver Davey Allison and a VERY nice person).

[Mad_Dem_X]

50. Johnny Depp.

At a car show in Philly back in his "21 Jump Street" days. Beautiful man.

[LaurenG]

53. my niece

I don't get out much. :D

[xchrom]

54. john houseman, robin williams, anthony hopkins, nancy marchand --

there's more -- but i can't remember their names.

[cyberswede]

55. Elvis Costello

and Steve Nieve in the Denver airport when I was about 16 - and I was wearing my brand new "Punch the Clock" t-shirt I'd bought at his concert the night before - what a dork I was!

I (and my kids) also met John Edwards. I'm so annoyed with him that I don't really count that meeting any more. :(

[madinmaryland]

56. Jim Lovell, Arnold Schwartenegger and Maria Shriver, and Andy Rooney

[BillStein]

57. She may not have been the biggest or most important

But Terry Gross was definitely the nicest ever.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

58. Steve McQueen

He filmed a portion of "The Thomas Crown Affair" in my home town. There's more to the story than that, but I met him.

[MilesColtrane]

151. Admit it.

You copped for him, didn't you?

[JTG of the PRB]

60. Howard Dean

Back in fall 2003, he came to the University of Colorado and gave a speech outside the University Memorial Center there. A lot of people crowded in to hear, and afterward I went up front, got his autograph on a Dean poster (which I still have hanging in my room) and shook his hand. very cool moment.

[BlueIris]

61. Bill Clinton. nt

[Auggie]

63. Who's more famous, Robert Mondavi or Ronnie Lott?

I worked with them both

[cemaphonic]

65. Dale Chihuly several times - his studio was right by my office.

Most of the famous people I've met have been prominent in their fields, but not household names - Neville Marriner, Warren Christopher, Dan Savage, so it's hard to say who is the most famous.

[Rabblevox]

66. I've met a bunch. Used to be a stage hand. But I got drunk with William Shatner.

[annabanana]

103. Was that in his pre or post self parodying stage?

I hope it's post.. That sounds like more fun

[bif]

67. Al Kaline, Pat Paulson. Jennifer Granholm.

[Faygo Kid]

97. +1. Met all three myself.

Liked them all. Great folks, and I actually spent time with them.

[1gobluedem]

159. I met Al Kaline and George Kell when I worked for Domino's

Monaghan still owned the team and different departments got to use the President's Box. I had a really nice conversation with Al; he's a great guy.

[KamaAina]

69. Temple Grandin

co-presented with her, in fact, at an autism conference in Conn. in 1995. So there! :P

Honorable mention: former SF mayor and current CA Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. I just ran into him in the Capitol halls a couple of weeks ago while advocating against devastating budget cuts to social services. What other lieutenant governor, I ask you, has people asking to get their picture taken with him?!

[Deep13]

70. MOST famous, probably Jimmy Carter.

Runners up include Hillary Clinton, Sherrod Brown (who I actually know and did not merely meet), James Lovell, John Denver, John Kerry, John McCain, Anne Rice.

[deutsey]

71. Toss up between Frank Zappa and Chuch Berry

I actually sat and talked with Zappa for a while. I just shook Berry's hand.

[MorningGlow]

72. Douglas Adams

Some others, of course, but he was my favorite. What a sweetie. :loveya:

[davsand]

73. Non-political, I'd have to say Dick Butkus.

Met him when he was doing an autographing at the ABA (Booksellers') Convention. He autographed a football poster for me and made it out to my (then) Fiancee who had a fantasy football team named Osco Drugs. We actually laughed about it at the time since he'd spent his career playing for Chicago and he recognized the Osco name as a prominent Chicago chain.

I protected that poster like it was the holy grail through that entire convention. I just knew I was gonna get home and have scored a huge coup...

I am literally dashing through the airport in St Louis, trying to make my connecting flight home from the convention, and I run (literally) what felt like a brick wall. Once I regained my senses I looked and saw a broad expanse of shirt. My eyes kept on going upward and then I look into the eyes of Dick Butkus who breaks into a laugh and says, "It's the OSCO lady!"

He is a very nice man, but I understand fully why he was one of the most feared linebackers of his times. I sure as heck didn't rock him at all when I ran into him.



Laura

[REPUguy]

74. Steve Allen, Phylis Diller, Monte Markham

I worked with Allen and Diller on a silly movie parody of "Beverly Hills Cop 2". I worked with Markham on a low budget movie. He was the director.

[Bunny]

75. Jimmy Stewart.

But that pales in comparison to getting my picture taken with the legendary Steeler Quarterback Bubby Brister. :eyes:

[Richardo]

84. I hear Bubby's running around these days bragging that he got his picture taken with DU's Bunny

:D

[NightWatcher]

76. I've drank with Charlie Daniels, Bruce Willis, Kenneth Branaugh and a few others

but not all at the same time. That would be weird.

Charlie Daniels- repuke, but a good ol boy nonetheless. Would see him when he came through town every year or so.
Bruce Willis- was somewhat of a jerk, but he paid for us all that night and closed the bar down...
Kenneth Branaugh, Coors Light, and crack whores at a shady hotel. (We were filming a movie on location at a crack whore hotel during an overnight shoot. We were pounding near room temp Coors Light from the scary convenience store down the road)
Sat next to Clint Eastwood at the craft services table.

[DFW]

77. MOST famous? Salvador Dali maybe? (take yer pick)

Depends on your political and cultural tastes, I guess.

I'm getting older (day by day), so I could put a few names out there:

Bobby Kennedy, Sr.
Bobby Kennedy, Jr.
Hubert Humphrey
Salvador Dali
Sidney Poitier
Everett Dirksen
Jacob Javits
Lyndon Johnson
Canned Heat (my band backed them up once)
The Youngbloods (see Canned Heat)
Johnny Winter
Leo Kottke
Bonnie Raitt
Maddy Pryor
Nelson Rockefeller
George H.W. Bush
Gerald Ford
Walter Mondale
Bill Clinton
Hillary Clinton
Al Gore
Howard Dean
Barack Obama
Michelle Obama
Joe Biden
Stan Lee
Ruth Westheimer
Stephen Breyer
Newt Gingrich (ugh!)
Antonin Scalia (another ugh!)
Ted Sorensen
Helen Thomas
Eleanor Clift
Theodore Bikel
etc.

on edit--for anyone south of the border: Cantinflas!!

I guess it depends on what makes you tick that determines who is most famous.

[spinbaby]

78. John McCain and Sarah Palin

We unexpectedly found ourselves staying at the same hotel during the campaign and they stopped to shake hands. I was wearing an Obama button. They pretended not to see it. I was impressed by the Secret Service--very polite and professional

[DFW]

79. My Dad and I have worked with the Secret Service on occasion

No matter WHOM they are protecting (if that's the detail you're working with), they are, in my
experience anyway, ALWAYS polite and professional. I sometimes wonder how some of them manage
to keep a straight face.

[Macoy51]

81. Al Franklin

Al Franklin in Afghanistan. He was eating dinner alone so I and my buddy sat down and had dinner with him. I was amazed to see him, let alone at a table by himself.


mac

[DFW]

82. Al Franken, maybe?

As in Senator from Minnesota? If not, I'm lost.

[Bombero1956]

80. just a few

Emeril Legasse at a book signing. Joe Namath, Jim Rice, Dennis Eckersley, Cam Neeley, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Terry O'Reilly, Carl Yastremski, Tony Stewart, Frankie Fontaine, Rusty Wallace, Brett Bodine, Geoff Bodine, Todd Bodine, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Petty, Richard Petty, Michael Waltrip, Bill Cosby, Ronan Tynan, Anthony Kearns, Sully Erna, Nicki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Tom Scholz, Freddie Mercury.

[jobycom]

83. Ann Richards, Ralph Yarborough, Brett Favre (before he was famous, though), Pete Rose...

Guess it would depend on the gradation of the word "met." I've encountered a lot of celebrities when I worked nights in a hotel, where I maybe said "Hi, can I help you?" to them, then handed them a room key or told them where the elevator was. Helen Shaver was probably my favorite, since I at one time had an immense crush on her. Also, Nolan Ryan, whom I bumped into before recognizing, only to have him frown at me when he saw that I recognized him. Few people want to be recognized at two am on their way to bed, I suppose.

Then there is "met" as in saw for a few moments, maybe made eye contact with, but never had any individual discussion with. Bill Clinton and Al Gore fit that group, but that's not really meeting someone.

Then there is "met" where I had a reasonable conversation with. Ann Richards, for instance, where we talked a couple of minutes about my kid, or Nate Newton and Emmitt Smith.

Then there's "knew." I worked for Ralph Yarborough for almost a year as a researcher in the 90s (both his and the century's 90s), and sat around telling stories with him. Mostly listening, honestly, since he could tell stories about the inner workings of John F Kennedy's and Lyndon B Johnson's administrations, including the Vietnam War and the War on Poverty (and very little about the Kennedy assassination, since he rarely talked about it), whereas I could tell him stories about how I had mashed up beans and rice to feed my daughter the night before. The amazing thing was, he was just as interested in that as I was in learning why JFK chose LBJ. Incredible man.

[nolabear]

85. Richard Simmons, most of the cast of Northern Exposure,

Quite a few writers.

[elifino]

86. Ernest Hemingway, Key West Florida, 1958

[trof]

87. Pres. Jimmy Carter.

[Rambis]

88. Henny Youngman and Everly Brothers have been to our house several times

I met Henny at Holiday Inn in Indiana when I was 8 years old- My parents were teachers who taught Don and Phil in 7th grade and hey have always kept in touch. We have the 4th copy of wake up little suzie-

[RebelOne]

90. Anthony Quinn

In an elevator in Miami in my office building. He was a friend of the company president. Later, the president's girlfriend (who was a friend of mine) called and asked me if I would like to spend the night with Quinn. I turned the offer down. This was many, many years ago, so I am giving away my age.

[Demoiselle]

91. Peter Ustinov.

He came to a fund raiser here (Philly) many years ago and we sat at his table with him and had a wonderful funny time and I even have a picture in my front hall.(Me and Pete, chatting casually for the cameras.) It was great. He was a fabulous story teller and never pulled any celebrity nonsense. Just a wonderful dinner companion.

[Brigid]

92. Andrew Greeley.

I wish I could have met Eugene Robinson when he was here a few months ago. :(

[Brigid]

93. Andrew Greeley.

I wish I could have met Eugene Robinson when he was here a few months ago. :(

[rbnyc]

94. Hmmm...Ted Kennedy, Sade, Lou Reed,

Iggy Pop, Ted Danson, David Byrne, Dick Cavett, Tony Curtis, Ron Wood, Chris Farley, Brooke Shields...

I know there are more. Combination of working in service industry and entertainment industry.

[pink-o]

96. I lived in London during the 70s and now I work at SFO.

I've met a lot of famous folks from all walks of life. Just recently, we put President Jimmy Carter on a plane for part of his book junket--our flight took a delay, cuz Mr Carter wouldn't sit down, he had to go down the aisles and talk to the rest of the passengers! (IOW, Jimmy Carter and my Dad are the same person!)

He was among the nicest. Meg Ryan was also fabulous, met her at the height of her career. The worst was Sharon Stone, she treats service people like slaves and is completely unapproachable.

My fondest, a man whom I had more than one meet but not actually a friendship, was Freddie Mercury. Both he and Brian May were totally open and receptive to their fans in the early days, and they encouraged us to come hang out with them in their favorite restaurants or clubs. I still can't think of Freddie without the poignant nostalgia of those days; his death still breaks my heart.

Now, the most totally random story of all: I was 2 years old, at BWI airport with my mom and dad waiting for my grandparents' plane to land. Suddenly, a bunch of Secret Service guys push their way thru the crowd and tell 'em the Vice President was coming through. Well, flash bulbs were popping, and reporters were calling out questions, when suddenly the VP noticed me and my 3 year old sis. He came over for a photo op, bending down to hug us while the reporters went crazy.

I have no memory of this at all, but my dad couldn't wait to tell me about it--enlightening me right in the middle of the Vietnam War, 1970. Cuz guess who the VP was??? Yup, Richard Milhaus Effin' Nixon.

So, yeah, I was kissed by Nixon. Thank God for years of therapy!

[Faygo Kid]

98. Madonna, Michael Moore, many more. But those weren't meetings - they were more. And so many others

Madonna was at my wedding reception in Rochester Hills, MI in 1976 when she was still a student at Rochester Adams High School. She was good friends with my then-brother-in-law Rob. Later, my late mother-in-law saw her first album with her underwear outside her clothes and said, "I'm so glad Rob didn't marry her."

It was me and Michael Moore back in about 1991 in Flint one evening; I had just ended a TV show and was hanging at the Genesee County Bar Assn. (Flint, MI) and Michael was there waiting for faxes to come in from his movie, "Roger and Me," from the New York critics. I hung out with him, and of course the movie was very well received. Fun and memorable evening. Surprise: He wore a Tigers' cap.

Many others through the years: Gloria Steinem (more shy than I expected), Pat Paulsen (what a wonderful, gentle guy), Mark Russell (a whole evening, and like I said about Pat Paulsen), Cornel West (great time, great guy - I said W. was the worst president ever, but he said Andrew Johnson. Dinner and drinks and conversation until late). Marilyn Quayle, before Dan ran for VP, and she was actually nice. Arianna Huffington, when she was still a conservative, but she was very nice. Kevin Costner, right after "Dances With Wolves;" a bit standoffish, but who could blame him? Robert Bork, a complete and utter slob who left his cigarette butts all over my press room. Many sports stars, including Al Kaline, Alan Trammell, Chuck Daly, all of whom had class. Alex Haley, soft spoken and a real gentleman. Leslie Nielson, a real jokester. Nina Totenberg, full of herself; William F. Buckley, Jr., boring as all get out; David McCullough, humble. So many Detroit and Michigan celebrities growing up that may not mean much to many here (Soupy Sales!). The memories keep coming, and I am no doubt leaving biggies out (oh yeah - had lunch with Janet Reno) that I will stop here.

You live long enough, I guess you meet your share.

[Sky Masterson]

101. My 2 favorites

Dave Foley of Kids in the Hall.. He was so freaking awesome!
And Scott Shriner from the Band Weezer. :)

[derby378]

102. Penn and Teller

ChickMagic and I had dinner with Teller once and with Penn twice.

[GCP]

104. Tricky Dick

Nixon

[TBF]

105. Steven Tyler. nt

[dembotoz]

106. abe lincoln-oh wait, maybe that was the drugs......

[DBoon]

109. Saw William Shatner on Larchmont blvd once

personally know? Drummer for Matchbox 20. His dog (RIP) loved to play with ours. Stella is in doggie heaven now, unfortunately.

[KurtNYC]

110. not the most famous but coolest -- Woody Harrelson

at the table next to us at Kettle of Fish on the beach in south Malibu.

[DebJ]

111. Barack Obama. Ted Kennedy. Howard Dean. I was chosen

to introduce Ted Kennedy when he came to York Pa campaigning for Barack.

[hunter]

112. Bozo the Clown, KTLA-TV

aka Vance Colvig Jr. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vance_Colvig)

I was four years old. Clowns scared me.

[BuddhaGirl]

139. I was on Bozo in L.A. too when I was little!

:hi:

[Chellee]

114. I've never met anyone famous.

I've only met people who know famous people.

For example, I've met Grace Koppel, Ted Koppel's wife, Michael Andretti, Mario Andretti's son, and David Stockman, Reagan's budget director. But are they famous in their own right? Stockman and Michael, maybe...Grace, not so much.

I know, I know, it' an exciting whirlwind life I lead. Try not to be too envious.

[Arugula Latte]

115. Holly Hunter.

She was nice. Very nice.

[MilesColtrane]

152. She has crushed me ever since "Broadcast News".

Redheaded, feisty, southern woman with smarts?

*swoon*

[texasleo]

116. JD Harmeyer

[Godhumor]

117. Had a 30 minute conversation with Japanese singer Utada Hikaru backstage at a concert

Local club show in Shibuya--she was doing a surprise cameo for her friends in a Boston band that had come in from the states. I had the entire conversation without any clue as to who she was.

Next day I was out walking with my girlfriend in Akihabara, and one of the stores was playing a new music video by her to get people into the street. It took a very long time to convince my girlfriend I had, in fact, met that singer the previous day and had a lengthy conversation, to boot.

Also, I met pretty much the entire Jim Kelly era Buffalo Bills. Actually, it is pretty common to run into the Bills or Sabres in Buffalo even to this day...

[TrogL]

118. James Cameron

His brother was in my class and I was over at the house a lot.

[RagAss]

120. William of Orange

[Terry in Austin]

121. Bruce Sterling

Chatted some at his New Year's Eve party, EFF meetings, SXSW.

He's probably the most famous, but there were some others --

Briefly met Cesar Chavez when registering voters in Rio Grande City.
Got a hug from Peter Yarrow when I thanked him for the PP&M version of "Don't Think Twice."
Teamed up with Michelle Shocked parking cars at the Kerrville Folk Festival, but that was before she got famous.
Shared bills with Tracy Nelson, Jimmy Reed, Mance Lipscomb and Johnny Winter.
Played for a while with Marc Benno.
Knew Jimmie Gilmore when he first got to Austin and say hi now and then.
Had a brief exchange with Roky Erickson in front of a jukebox - he was excited that it had "You're Gonna Miss Me" on it.

Oh yeah (on edit) --
Ann Richards. She was our drummer's mother-in-law, could really work a room!
Arlo Guthrie. We'd hang some when he came to town -- an old bandmate played and toured with him for several years.
Ken Kesey, Casady and assorted pranksters. They parked their bus on some friends' lawn and partied for an afternoon.
Allen Ginsberg. Had a sort of cosmic workshop he led once.

[HEyHEY]

122. The Aga Khan, Drew Bledsoe.

When the Aga Khan came to Vancouver, I was a reporter and went to cover the event, afterward had a press conference/mixer with him. Drew Bledsoe was a funny one. We were at my sister's wedding in a tiny resort in Central British Columbia. Rumour was Bledsoe came up there that weekend every year..... turns out... there he was in the bar across from the reception hall! My buddy went over bought him a beer and asked if he'd come over and get some photos with the bride and groom. He cordial agreed. Nice guy, real gentleman.
Shit, I met Warren Moon when I was 10 as well.

My co-worker got to meet the Dalai Lama once. Other than that, I'd say... Dick Dale.

[Joe Fields]

123. I have met....

Jimmy Carter
Bill Clinton
Michael Dukakis
Hank Aaron
Frank Howard
Len Dawson
Willie Lanier (he was my neighbor)
Johnny Mathis
Bob Ewbanks (of the Newlywed Game)
Robert Conrad (The Wild Wild West)
Andy Williams
Hal MacCrae

I don't know... just a lot of famous people, from when I was a concierge at a top hotel and and from when I was a photographer.

Most of whom I have met were from the sporting world.

[Neoma]

124. No one!

Zip, zero, zilch, nada.

[travelingtypist]

125. Senator Ron Wyden.

I was talking to an employee at the Hawthorne Fred Meyer in Portland, Oregon, and he walked up and needed something. I said go ahead, Senator. I couldn't believe how tall he was.

[LeftOfSelf-Centered]

127. Jake Plummer and Isaiah Mustafa

I guess Isaiah now counts, after the Old Spice commercials... :)

I went to Arizona State at the same time they were there. In '96 (the year ASU went to the Rose Bowl) a friend of a friend of mine came out from USC to see the game, and he had played high school basketball with Isaiah. So after the game we met up with Isaiah at a bar, and later went to Plummer's house for a party. The Party had gotten busted up by the time we got there, but we briefly met Jake.

I also had some classes with Pat Tillman, but I can't say I ever actually met him.

[hifiguy]

129. Hmm. I shook Hubert Humphrey's hand

at a county fair when I was 14. Since he was a US Senator and VPOTUS I guess he was the most famous person I ever met.

I met all four original Ramones at a record store signing when Rocket to Russia came out.

Met Ian Dury and the Blockheads at the same record store a couple of years later.

Smoked a doob with Peter Perrett and John Perry of The Only Ones at a club in Mpls.

Met Mike Piazza at an electronics trade show and chatted baseball. He was one hell of a nice guy.

Met Senator Amy Klobuchar at a fundraising event at the house of my cousin's friend.

Met and chatted with Jon Camp and Annie Haslam of Renaissance at a couple of gigs in the late '70s.

Met and chatted with Van Cliburn at a record signing in the 1990s.

And authors Neil Gaiman and Harlan Ellison, as detailed in another message.

I've met more famous people than I thought I had!

[hifiguy]

130. Oh, and Prince

who used to come in to the cleaning shop I worked at about the time he was getting famous. He was a complete @$$hole.

[GoCubsGo]

132. G. Evelyn Hutchinson and Eugene Odum

The Father of American Limnology (study of freshwater) and Father of modern Ecology, respectively.

I also met some of the Chicago Blackhawks back in the mid-1970s.

[ginnyinWI]

133. Morey Amsterdam

You know, from the old Dick Van Dyke show. I was working in a sub sandwich shop in the Twin Cities, and he came in. Later we saw that he had been appearing at a club in St. Paul.

[elleng]

134. My Professor!

The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday named a three-member panel of experts to investigate human rights violations in Libya.

It will be led by Cherif Bassiouni, a U.S.-based professor and war crimes expert born in Egypt who has served on previous U.N. human rights inquiries.

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/un-rights-forum-names-investigative-team-on-libya

[AngryAmish]

135. Michael Jordan, Jack Nicholas, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson

kinda met Prince Charles.

In order:

Prince.

Asshole.

Fun.

Best celebrity I ever met.

Don't know. Having a guy wink at you count as met?

[JeffersonChick]

136. My ex had lunch with the Dalai Lama

Does that count? I didn't have lunch with him, but I was present at a lecture he gave at my college.

[kwassa]

137. I met Wilt Chamberlin at a market in Santa Monica.

Actually, I was walking into the store, he was walking out. No shirt, no shoes, but he got service. I was staring about belly height at the tallest man I had ever seen. A good friend of mine had lunch with Speilberg and his previous wife before he was either rich or famous.

who else?

Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, shook hands with both.

Robin Williams. I used to run at the same track.

Many others ....

[LiberalEsto]

138. Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Pig Pen, etc.

Long story.

[BuddhaGirl]

140. Lucille Ball and Cary Grant

Both were extremely nice, and I still have the autographed pictures :-)

[TheCentepedeShoes]

141. Ike

or so the parental units said
Pulled up next to his car in Dennison TX (his birthplace) while he was campaigning for Prez in '52
Dad saluted Gen Ike (dad was a WWII Merchant Marine) and the parents stood me up in the front seat to wave
No back seat whatchamacallits then

[pink-o]

160. See upthread: I had a childhood encounter with his slimy VP.

...which I also can't remember. I think you got the better deal!

[femmocrat]

143. Walter Mondale.

I shook hands with him at a rally when he was running for prez. in 1984. We showed up hours early to get a front row spot.

[1gobluedem]

144. Who is more famous, Billy Dee Williams or Mel Torme?

Others: Judy Collins, Jeff Daniels, RFK Jr., Rosalyn Carter, Mo Rocca, Bo Diddley, Wynton Marsalis, Pops and Mavis Staples.

[bookworm65t]

145. Vincent Price

a very charming man. No other celebrities since then; don't know what that says about me.

[SOteric]

146. I was in an elevator with Jeff Bridges and had a pleasant little conversation with him.

Thought he looked vaguely familiar, - like so many of the messengers you see in elevators do. Maybe he'd been delivering papers or something. He was in jeans and a grey hoodie.

I realised who he was just as I was stepping out of the elevator.

D'oh!

[SwampG8r]

147. i gots lots

worked in tallahasse for 10 years so many seminoles who went pro (i detest the seminoles there is a reason its called THE University of Florida)
made david spade dance for his dinner (he is a worse dancer than comedian)
made cookies for george bush the elder(double fudge walnut chocolate chip a recipe i created and retired in the same day)

my brother played garage band rock with dave feister who was later in the henry paul band (i dont give a red rats ass that you have no idea who the henry paul band was....google is your friend)
drank beer with bob seger after a club gig in orlando (closed the place out and then went to a dump in the county for 2 more hours...bob seger circa 1970 could drink beer like a sponge)
had dinner with morris day and the time( they were doing a gig in tallahassee and wanted to eat after the show we said no problem the funniest person i ever met)
i think but not sure i was once shot at by janet reno (family property the renos have in south florida...i may have been trespassing who knows for sure where a property line is in water? early 60s anyway so statute of limitations ran out for me being there and her shooting me away a long time back... no hard feelings janet and get the sights adjusted on that thing)

[Blue-Jay]

148. Dizzy Gillespie.

He was a helluva nice guy. A bebop Buddha.

[melman]

149. Alan Alda

My father was friends with him in HS and college, so I met him a few times when I was a kid. This was in the 70s when he was really famous so my brothers and I were pretty starstruck, which I think really bothered my dad.

[UrbScotty]

150. I had dinner with Danny Glover! (nt)

[provis99]

153. Mike Tyson. In an elevator at the Grand Hyatt NY.

Just me and him in the elevator until four guys from the Detroit Pistons came in at the fourth floor. I'm not kidding.

[eShirl]

154. whichever of these is most famous: Majel Barrett Roddenberry, James Doohan, George Takei

Had an actual 10 minute conversation with Mrs. Roddenberry, brief (maybe a minute at most) conversation with the other two. Yes, these were all at science fiction conventions <--nerd

[old mark]

155. Der Graff Alexander von Schlippenbach, the musician from Germany...

http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2010/08/schlippenbach-trio-bauhaus-dessau.html

We had a few beers together in the US back when I was still drinking beer. I introduced him to Yuengling's, which he really liked...I believe this was almost 30 years ago...

mark

[Name removed]

156. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[GreenPartyVoter]

157. Mary Grace Canfield.

[TZ]

158. Nils Lofgren

Guitarist E street band. Talking to him in normal life you would NEVER know he was a rock star if you didn't already know. What a nice down to earth fellow he is!

[Jordan Gwendolyn]

161. Chris Rock....

While I was trick or treating...as a Catholic school girl...in Alpine, NJ

[Turbineguy]

162. Sarah Palin

Hey! It's the Lounge!

[midnight armadillo]

163. Noam Chomsky.

Asked a question and shook his hand.