The Most Famous Person You've Met

In the 1960's my Father was the treasurer for a summer stock theater. I met lots of entertainers Hollywood and Broadway stars. I felt like a bigshot around age 12 when the family and I went out to dinner with Liberace twice.
 
Probably the nicest I ever met was the "Chick' Hearn the Laker Basketball announcer. Really nice guy! Having breakfast in a very small restaurant in San Fernando Valley, CA.

Denver Dick posted: "On the very table we were working on I see spotted an Academy Award (Oscar), no special display or anything, it was just sitting there. You don't see those everyday."

Dick, fascinating story. We had and Oscar in our home for years. Belonged to my wife's uncle. He filmed all the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby "Road to ........films." They used to delay production until he was available. Mr Hope and Mr Crosby wanted him. He also did most of the W C Fields movies.

He got the Oscar for Michael Todd's "Around the World in 80 Days." My step-daughter has it now along with the two Emmy's he won.

He, too, was a great guy.
 
Jungle Larry.
He was pulling the skin from a boa constrictor and gave the cute kid in the crowd the skin (I was that kid)
 
Michael Martin Murphy. He has been to North Dakota three times to do Concerts and I have always gone.
 

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Military:
Carlos Hathcock. Met him at his Brother & SIL house in Mississippi in 1993.
Jimmy Doolittle. Met him at an air show in 1982.
"Gabby" Gabreski. Met him at an air show mid 80's. Top USAAC Ace ETO WW2, Ace during Korean War. He was one of only seven pilots to be named an ace in both WW2 and Korea.

Music:
Ted Nugent after a concert, he was jammin with the house band in 1981.
Billy Joel. Radio Promo. Won four concert tickets and dinner with him before the show. Also saw him playing a local bar after the dinner and concert in 1985.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, AKA The BEATLES. I was about seven years old and in NOLA with my family visiting aunts, uncles, cousins and grand parents. We were seated at the table next to them. Had Poloroid picture and autographs, long lost to time. 1967-68.
Justin Timberlake. I did security upgrades at his home north of Memphis. 2006.
Britney Spears. Met her when she was dating Justin Timberlake.

TV/Movies:
Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris and Holly Hunter. I did some work for the filming of the movie "The Firm" and was cast as an "Extra". I ended up on the cutting room floor along with most of the work I did for the production company. 1993.
Peter Graves (Mission Impossible). Met him at Lakefront Airport in NOLA, 1985.
Morgan Freeman. Good friend of a friend of mine (Freeman was Best Man at his wedding). We have been to his restaurant, Madidi, in Clarksdale, MS and his home in Charleston, MS on several occasions.
Don Rickles. Met him and his mother in W Palm Beach. 1982.
Linda Carter (Wonder Woman). I use to work for Maybelline Cosmetics (1980-1988). She was the spokes person for one of the Maybelline brands. 1984.
Steven Seagal. Met him at a pistol range I shoot at. I've talked with him and seen him there several times. He LOVES his Caspian 1911's.
Paula Deen. Ate at her restaurant last year and she was on sight.
Elizabeth Hurley and Hugh Grant. Met them in a restaurant in NYC. 1992.

Sports:
Shane Battier. Security upgrades to his house in Memphis. 2005.
Pau Gasol. Security upgrades to his condo in Memphis. 2005.
Tim McCarver. Met him on many occasions 1960's.
Don Kessinger. He owned a raquet ball court in Memphis in the 70's. Met him there on several occasions.
Julius "Dr. J" Erving. I worked for Schering Plough/Dr. Scholl Footcare Products 1988-1991. He was spokes person for one of their brands.
John Madden. I worked for Schering Plough/Dr. Scholl Footcare Products 1988-1991. He is spokes person for one of their brands.
Lyle Alzado. Sat next to him on a flight from Philly to Phoenix, he went on to LA. Monster size of a man but really friendly. 1983.

Politicians:
Ladybird and LBJ. 1964. Mobile, AL Political rally. Don't remember it, but I got the picure.
Richard Nixon. 1972. Political rally. Got the pictures and I remember this one.
Harold Ford, Jr. Former Congressman from TN. Did security upgrades in his condo in Memphis. 2006. Nice guy, but don't care for his politics.

Business World:
Ted Turner. Met him in Bozeman, MT last year.
Steve Jobs. Met him at his house in Memphis before he had liver transplant surgery. I went through the most thorough background check I've ever had just to do work on his house. The background check his people did was much more than the Secret Service background check I go through every year to maintain my government contractor security clearance.
Donald Trump. Met him in 1991. Good friend of one of my sisters.

Famous for being famous:
Roxanne Pulitzer. Kind of standoffish at first. Once you get to know her she is very personable.


If I sat here all night long I could list a few more.

Class III
 
I met Stevie wonder when he ran into me on the street. He apologized and said he didn't see where he was going !
I also met Elvis at a donut shop outside of Memphis .

The strang thing was I met them both on the same day ...........
 
I was waiting for a cab @ 7:00 am and Muhammed Ali was waiting for his limo downstairs/outside at O'Hare. We talked for about 10 minutes (what about, I don't recall) until his entourage and girlfriend at the time Veronica Porsche came outside from the baggage area.
I found him to be very perseptive and friendly. I remember that I was surprised at how tall and large he was in person (I'm 6'-4" and felt small standing next to him)
A few weeks later he lost to Leon Spinks.
Never thought to get an autograph.
 
Steven Tyler
Joe Perry
Brad Whitford
Joey Krammer
Seth Green
Pattie LaBelle
Robin Williams
Jon Voigt
Robert Klein
Josh Todd and Stevie D. (Buckcherry)
Slash
Nikki Sixx
James Michael (Sixx AM)
Shakira
Jill Rappaport
 
Jimmy Durante and Frank Gorshin when my grandmother was the wardrobe mistress for the shows at the Conrad Hilton and Palmer House, when I was in grade school.

Carlos Hathcock at the PA Gun Collectors Association Show in Monroeville.
 
Got communion once from Pope John Paul II. We weren't formally introduced, but he had his fingers in my mouth, so I'd say that counts.
 
I and another person went to NBC studios in Rockefeller Center for some high school newspaper thing, or a tour his brother had arranged for us - I don't remember why. We met Chuck Scarborough. But on the way out, a very tall man got onto the elevator with just the two of us. He was in a long black overcoat and wore a white silk scarf. He kind of looked down at me and smiled and I suppose waited for me to recognize him... which I didn't. I didn't even know who it was until we exited the elevator on the ground floor and a bunch of people came running over, exclaiming, "Charlton Heston!!!!"
 
Well, while in the Marines I was helping set up the lights and equipment for Marty Stuart's charity concert, probably not a big suprise but we got really drunk together. I also had the opportunity to shake Clinton's hand and I refused. I met David copperfield once and he was the rudest person I have ever met. not a whole lot of famous people. Someone posted that they met the playmate angela little, well, her brother was my roomate while in the military, never met her in person but I did talk to her on the phone briefly while her brother coming to the phone.
 
I met Sip once, but he won't remember me because I was disguised as Jimmy Stewart.

I guess the most memorable guy I ever met was Barry Goldwater when he visited the college I was attending a few months after his 1964 defeat. He impressed me as one of the most unaffected and together guys I had ever met, and 44 years later he still stands out that way in my mind. Met a bunch of local politicians in California who were important in a local way, but most of you won't know them except for former Senator and Governor Pete Wilson (no known relation). I got Adlai Stevenson's autograph when he ran for President in 1956. I guess I mostly met famous politicians who didn't make it to the top job. Almost met Hubert Humphrey but didn't shake his hand and so I guess I shouldn't count him.

Had a couple of lunches with writers who stick in my memory, John Hersey and Irving Stone. Hersey was every bit as smart and observant as his books would make you think he was, and Stone was a great deal smarter and more entertaining than his kind of ordinary potboiler novels would indicate.

I almost met Fess Parker in the late '60s when he made a bad freeway entry and found my car in the space he intended to occupy. But I was still young and had fast reactions, so no harm done.

My mother was the one who had the knack of meeting people that everyone else knew -- or would. Growing up in Austin in the '20s and '30s, she palled around with the girl that the rest of the world would eventually know as Nellie Connally. She crossed paths with a lot of rising Texas stars at that time, but lost touch with them when she moved to California in the '40s.

A hundred years from now what the heck difference will it make? Ten, even.
 
Had breakfast with Bobby and Ethel Kennedy by chance at a Nantuckett restaurant. Went to high school with Playmate Carol Vitale, now deceased.
 
Don Kesinger

Ron Santo , (several times)

Randy Huntley

Furgie Jenkins

Walter Payton , (several times)

Mike Singletary , (several times)

Mike Ditka, (several times)

Wiliam Perry "Da Frig"

Glen Becker

Mr T.

Debra Norvil , (I wish I could say several times)

Marlo Thomas ,(I wish I could say several times)

Dan Hampton

Mike Hartenstine

Freddie Fender (at the old Playboy club in Geneva Wisconsin)

Mike Scifres
(punter for the San Diago Chargers football team. My son played football and long snapped to him when Mike Scifres was at Western Illinois U.)

Mike Martz (his son also played football at Western IL.)


TRUMAN CAPODY
I onced honked my car horn and waved to him as he drove his car next to me on a Chicago expressway and he gave me the finger!

Does that count?

All except for Truman were nice and I talked to them at lenght, some on more than one occasion.

Little known fact that Mike Scifres turned down D-1 scholarships to play at Western IL. (a 1 AA team) because he wanted his brother on the team with him. D-1 teams wouldn't do that but Western IL. did so he went to the Western IL. 1 AA team to play taking a chance that he would never get looked at by the pro's. Says a lot about his family values! A great guy!


Kirmdog
 
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I met Ronald Reagan when he was running for Pres in 1980. For you racing fans I did some carpentry work on Bobby Rahals house the year he won Indy for the first time. There are some funny stories about conversations you overhear when people consider you part of the woodwork.

Met Bob Hope after his last USO show. Though actually he was in my nieghborhood fairly often visiting family.
 
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