Celebrities with the lowest key, most mundane private lives. [Archive]

don't ask

12-02-2008, 08:40 AM

I just saw a piece on TV about Bette Midler's latest show and it occurred to me that I have never heard her name associated with anyone of either sex. Assuming that she was a lonely woman, and that I could chat her up, I checked her out on the net.

Seems she used to go out with her manager who died of cancer and has now been married to a member of her support act for about a quarter of a century. So I guess I'm out of luck.

When I go back to work I will see how many people have any idea about her personal life.

In the mean time : any others you know of.

GorillaMan

12-02-2008, 09:00 AM

Annie-Xmas

12-02-2008, 09:04 AM

Hugh Laurie. Married in 1989, three children, mundane and low key.

DAMMITTT!

Kalhoun

12-02-2008, 09:08 AM

Hugh Laurie. Married in 1989, three children, mundane and low key.

DAMMITTT!

I think I read that he's "shacked up" and not married. Much to the dismay of his uptight parent(s). Still...this is a tragic loss to all who lust after him (read: me).

I think Sissy Spacek is another one who purposely stayed away from Hollywood and lives on a farm somewhere in Dogpatch.

twickster

12-02-2008, 09:12 AM

Tom Hanks. Know he's married to Rita Wilson, see them at the occasional premiere or awards show together, other than that -- blessed silence.

Annie-Xmas

12-02-2008, 09:25 AM

Doors keyboardist Ray Mazarek and his wife Dorothy have been married for 40 years. Unheard of in the rock world.

don't ask

12-02-2008, 09:33 AM

Ryan Giggs comes to mind. One of Manchester United's most important players for well over a decade, yet when he got married, even the official club news (http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=469415) consisted of only three sentences. (Compare that to people he's played alongside....such as Beckham...)

You are disqualified though because you are English. I think the epitome of low key is when David Gower broke up with his girlfriend and placed an ad in The Times explaining how upset they were and how they would never talk about the matter to anyone. Now that is cool.

Gwyen

12-02-2008, 09:33 AM

I think I read that he's "shacked up" and not married. Much to the dismay of his uptight parent(s). Still...this is a tragic loss to all who lust after him (read: me).

I think Sissy Spacek is another one who purposely stayed away from Hollywood and lives on a farm somewhere in Dogpatch.

I can see Sissy living here...
http://www.undergroundozarks.com/dogpatch.html

I never really see Clint Eastwood out, or hear news of him. Oprah either, outside of her show.

don't ask

12-02-2008, 09:40 AM

I think Sissy Spacek is another one who purposely stayed away from Hollywood and lives on a farm somewhere in Dogpatch.

Good call. I have been a big fan of hers since Badlands and have probably seen 15 of her movies but I have never heard her name associated to anyone else.

SaharaTea

12-02-2008, 10:34 AM

Johnny Depp does a pretty good job living low-key in France with his girlfriend and two kids. It's a far cry from his hotel room trashing days.

I never hear much about Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro.

ETA: David Letterman either.

Bijou Drains

12-02-2008, 10:44 AM

Jay Leno has been married to his wife for 28 years, they have no kids. He doesn't go to Hollywood parties or events , he just works on his cars and motorcycles. He doesn't spend any of his Tonight Show money, that goes directly into investments - about $15 mil a year. The only money he spends is what he makes doing standup and other stuff like private events for companies.

twickster

12-02-2008, 10:46 AM

Doors keyboardist Ray Mazarek and his wife Dorothy have been married for 40 years. Unheard of in the rock world.

No it isn't:

On 14 October 1964, [Charlie] Watts married Shirley Ann Shepherd, whom he had met before the band had its first big hit; they are still together. They had one daughter, Seraphina Watts, born on 18 March 1968. He also has a granddaughter.

;)

ETA: source was Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Watts).

Hampshire

12-02-2008, 10:46 AM

GorillaMan

12-02-2008, 10:48 AM

You are disqualified though because you are English
I am? ;)

truthbot

12-02-2008, 11:09 AM

Johnny Depp does a pretty good job living low-key in France with his girlfriend and two kids. It's a far cry from his hotel room trashing days.

Johnny and his GF bought a place down the road from me last year. It's on the Applegate river. We saw him at a local lodge eating dinner last summer. He's so delicious-looking. He's always liked Southern Oregon since he filmed parts of Deadman here back in '95. I'm pretty sure they only use it as a summer get-away.

They are a definite improvement over the properties' previous owner, Kirstie Alley. She had a well-deserved reputation locally as a right bitch.

The Devil's Grandmother

12-02-2008, 11:48 AM

I never really see Clint Eastwood out,
Eastwood's politically active in California and occasionally makes the news for golf and charitable activities.
As far as I know, Depp and Hanks have been very protective of their children and refused to answer questions about them in interviews. A good policy, I think.

ivylass

12-02-2008, 11:48 AM

I think I read that he's "shacked up" and not married. Much to the dismay of his uptight parent(s). Still...this is a tragic loss to all who lust after him (read: me).

I heard he was married. In one of those shows on the Biography Channel, they said he actually had a fling, and he was so mortified after it happened he spilled everything to his wife. She apparently told the other woman off and forgave Hugh.

I think his family lives in England while he films House in LA (?). That must be rough too.

diggleblop

12-02-2008, 11:50 AM

Jodie Foster = The queen of being private.
Kevin Spacey

MsWhatsit

12-02-2008, 11:53 AM

He wasn't a top-tier celebrity, but David Graf (the guy who played Tackleberry in the Police Academy movies) lived near my hometown in Ohio and occasionally showed up at my uncle's ice cream shop. Very friendly, very low-key guy, by all reports.

Freejooky

12-02-2008, 12:03 PM

Morgan Freeman always seemed like an extreme example of this to me, at east until his marriage-ending car accident a few months back. For how big of a star he is, he lives in Mississippi and keeps a low-key lifestyle.

corkboard

12-02-2008, 12:25 PM

I think Sissy Spacek is another one who purposely stayed away from Hollywood and lives on a farm somewhere in Dogpatch.

And she only surfaces for such quality cinematic fare such as Four Christmases.

Bijou Drains

12-02-2008, 12:56 PM

Tom Jones the singer has been married to his wife for 51 years although he has had some affairs. He got married at 16. (he's 68 now) One of the affairs produced a child in 88.

Ichbin Dubist

12-02-2008, 01:04 PM

Seems she used to go out with her manager who died of cancer and has now been married to a member of her support act for about a quarter of a century.

This husband, however, is one of the Kipper Kids (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kipper_Kids) -- how mundane can he be?

I don't know if he's celebrity enough for you, but Aidan Quinn lives not far from me, and I've heard several people comment that he just seems like a normal dad who goes to his kids's soccer games and such. He's been married for 20 years. There are a lot of celebrities scattered around the area (I've seen Steve Buscemi and Willem DaFoe in the supermarket -- we specialize in odd little guys, I guess), but they're usually weekenders.

Kalhoun

12-02-2008, 01:10 PM

And she only surfaces for such quality cinematic fare such as Four Christmases.

Granted, that is not going to go down as one of her best, but I thought she was excellent in In The Bedroom.

Laughing Lagomorph

12-02-2008, 01:11 PM

The late John Candy. Was in a lot of great comedies but I never heard anything about his personal life. I'm not even sure if he did interviews or appeared on Carson/Letterman/Leno? I don't think I've ever seen him speak outside of acting.
Never knew he was even married or had kids until his death.

He was one of the very first guests I ever saw David Letterman interview, back on his original Late Night show on NBC. I don't think I had ever seen John Candy in a movie at that point and I never saw him on Second City. It must have been 1982.

I remember the guest that preceded him that night was Nastassia Kinski.

Snarky_Kong

12-02-2008, 01:20 PM

You are disqualified though because you are English. I think the epitome of low key is when David Gower broke up with his girlfriend and placed an ad in The Times explaining how upset they were and how they would never talk about the matter to anyone. Now that is cool.

I don't think placing an ad in a newspaper is low key. Low key would be not placing that ad and not talking to people about it.

NDP

12-02-2008, 01:22 PM

He was one of the very first guests I ever saw David Letterman interview, back on his original Late Night show on NBC. I don't think I had ever seen John Candy in a movie at that point and I never saw him on Second City. It must have been 1982.

I remember the guest that preceded him that night was Nastassia Kinski.

I remember that particular show. Something had gone wrong with Kinski's hairstyle so when she came out, she looked like she'd been living in a wind tunnel. And if that wasn't funny enough, Kinski, despite being teased about her appearance by Letterman, was completely oblivious of how she looked until halfway through the interview when she caught a glimpse of herself in the monitor and freaked out.

In the next guest segment, Candy came out with his hair styled identical to Kinski's.

Annie-Xmas

12-02-2008, 01:26 PM

Meryl Streep.

control-z

12-02-2008, 01:32 PM

I think Sissy Spacek is another one who purposely stayed away from Hollywood and lives on a farm somewhere in Dogpatch.

That's about right. Last I heard she lives on a farm near Charlottesville VA, about 20 miles from me.

astorian

12-02-2008, 01:32 PM

Back in the Sixties, Bill Wyman used to keep a log book of how many groupies each of the Rolling Stones had sex with. Apparently, the band was very competitive in that regard.

When Wyman published his autobiography, he revealed that Brian Jones was the clear winner, with Wyman second, and the Glimmer Twins (Keith and Mick) roughly tied for third.

And Charlie Watts? He had a zero in Wyman's log book, because he was married and didn't cheat when he was on the road.

I am NOT making Watts out to be a saint. I can't vouch he NEVER cheated, and can't vouch that he doesn't have a host of other sins. But if Wyman is telling the truth, that's pretty incredible!

corkboard

12-02-2008, 01:33 PM

Granted, that is not going to go down as one of her best, but I thought she was excellent in In The Bedroom.

Agreed. All I really meant was that I wish she was in more stuff I'd actually go see, because I think she's fantastic. Last thing I saw her in was The Straight Story.

Jelymag

12-02-2008, 01:51 PM

I think that Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck do a pretty good job of staying out of the limelight, ever since all the publicity when they first started their relationship. They are expecting their second child any time now and you really haven't heard that much about them.

Bijou Drains

12-02-2008, 02:29 PM

Some celebs actually get people to tip off the paparazzi because they want publicity. That's not common but it does happen, probably more often for the people who are just starting their careers.

Laughing Lagomorph

12-02-2008, 02:56 PM

I remember that particular show. Something had gone wrong with Kinski's hairstyle so when she came out, she looked like she'd been living in a wind tunnel. And if that wasn't funny enough, Kinski, despite being teased about her appearance by Letterman, was completely oblivious of how she looked until halfway through the interview when she caught a glimpse of herself in the monitor and freaked out.

In the next guest segment, Candy came out with his hair styled identical to Kinski's.

Yep, that's why I remember it so vividly...it was pretty damn funny!

GorillaMan

12-02-2008, 03:26 PM

Some celebs actually get people to tip off the paparazzi because they want publicity. That's not common but it does happen, probably more often for the people who are just starting their careers.
It's not common? In any case, I see it as just at another part of the 'use the media to your own ends' spectrum to demanding seven-figure sums from magazines for wedding photo rights.

Bijou Drains

12-02-2008, 03:44 PM

Well in many cases celebs don't need to tip off the paparazzi because they are already waiting with their cameras at all the big celeb hangouts like nightclubs, bars, eateries, etc.

If a minor celeb wants to get pictured at an obscure place then they probably would have to tip them off.

Kalhoun

12-02-2008, 05:21 PM

Agreed. All I really meant was that I wish she was in more stuff I'd actually go see, because I think she's fantastic. Last thing I saw her in was The Straight Story.

I think that's the only one I missed. My favorite of all her movies is "Raggedy Man."

Henry and Harry...Henry and Harry...Henry and Harry...

Oslo Ostragoth

12-02-2008, 11:14 PM

JThunder

12-02-2008, 11:50 PM

DeForest Kelley led a pretty mundane private life.

Equipoise

12-03-2008, 12:15 AM

Sissy Spacek's been married to Production Designer/Art Director Jack Fisk (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0279926/) for 34 years. Some of Fisk's work (in either capacity) include last year's There Will Be Blood, The New World, Mullholland Drive, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, Heart Beat, Carrie and Badlands, where he first met Sissy. He's directed two movies, one being...

I think that's the only one I missed. My favorite of all her movies is "Raggedy Man." This one, which I love! I never hear anybody mention it, so thank you. It's easy to tell that the man behind the camera loves this character and the woman playing her. It gets kinda weird at the end, turns into somewhat of a thriller, but before that, it's a beautiful love story, of a woman for her sons, of a regretful husband for his former wife, and of two outsiders who find each other. It's also a wonderful movie for anyone who wants to see (a very very cute) Eric Roberts in a sympathetic role (along with King of the Gypsies).

Sissy and Jack have two daughters, Madison Fisk, who's an actress (The Baby-Sitters Club) and Schuyler Fisk, who's an actress and an interesting up and coming singer/songwriter (http://www.myspace.com/schuylerfisk).

I adore Sissy, Four Christmases (which stinks) notwithstanding. I've loved her ever since I saw her very first movie in the theater, Prime Cut (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0069121/). (well, she did one before that, but was little more than an extra)

Wendell Wagner

12-03-2008, 04:56 AM

don't ask writes:

> I just saw a piece on TV about Bette Midler's latest show and it occurred to me
> that I have never heard her name associated with anyone of either sex.
> Assuming that she was a lonely woman, and that I could chat her up, I checked
> her out on the net.
>
> Seems she used to go out with her manager who died of cancer and has now
> been married to a member of her support act for about a quarter of a century.
> So I guess I'm out of luck.
>
> When I go back to work I will see how many people have any idea about her
> personal life.

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree here. I've known quite a fair amount about Bette Midler's personal life, and I don't make that all-fired much effort to keep up with celebrity news. I've read and watched a number of news stories about her over the past twenty-five years or so. She dated a number of guys in her twenties and thirties, not just her manager. When she was thirty-eight she married Martin von Haselberg and a couple of years later had a daughter. Haselberg wasn't a "member of her support act." He was a performance artist whose day job was as a stock broker or some such. At one time he and his partner happened to be the opening act for Midler. After their marriage he hasn't worked much because he stayed home and took care of their daughter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Midler

Similarly, I've read and heard a reasonable amount about the private lives of Sissy Spacek, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, and Clint Eastwood. Eastwood's private life has been incredibly messy. As someone remarked in an article I read once, it's hard to understand why Warren Beatty had more of a reputation as a womanizer than Eastwood. Eastwood's relations with all the women he married, lived with, and had children with is quite convoluted.

About all I can say about the people mentioned here is that if you only remember the celebrity stories you've read or heard in the past five years, you might not know very much about them. I, however, am cursed to remember those news stories from years ago. The people mentioned in this thread may have had relatively calm personal lives in recent years, but they have had their share of publicity before then.

Kalhoun

12-03-2008, 05:28 AM

Sissy Spacek's been married to Production Designer/Art Director Jack Fisk (http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0279926/) for 34 years. Some of Fisk's work (in either capacity) include last year's There Will Be Blood, The New World, Mullholland Drive, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, Heart Beat, Carrie and Badlands, where he first met Sissy. He's directed two movies, one being...

This one, which I love! I never hear anybody mention it, so thank you. It's easy to tell that the man behind the camera loves this character and the woman playing her. It gets kinda weird at the end, turns into somewhat of a thriller, but before that, it's a beautiful love story, of a woman for her sons, of a regretful husband for his former wife, and of two outsiders who find each other. It's also a wonderful movie for anyone who wants to see (a very very cute) Eric Roberts in a sympathetic role (along with King of the Gypsies).

Wow...someone who has not only seen it, but loves it as much as I do! It truly captured WWII in a small town. I just adore everything about this movie. This is truly Eric Roberts' shining moment. I love him so much in this that I can never completely hate him, regardless of the depths that his future suckitude may reach.

don't ask

12-03-2008, 06:24 AM

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree here. I've known quite a fair amount about Bette Midler's personal life, and I don't make that all-fired much effort to keep up with celebrity news. I've read and watched a number of news stories about her over the past twenty-five years or so. <snip>

Similarly, I've read and heard a reasonable amount about the private lives of Sissy Spacek, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, and Clint Eastwood.

I guess the rest of us just haven't read and heard as much about celebrities. Maybe we should take less all-fired interest like you do.

Kalhoun

12-03-2008, 08:05 AM

Similarly, I've read and heard a reasonable amount about the private lives of Sissy Spacek, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, and Clint Eastwood.

Have you read anything about Sissy Spacek counter to what people here have heard? Is she something other than the wholesome farm girl we hear about?

Wendell Wagner

12-03-2008, 09:16 AM

don't ask writes:

> Maybe we should take less all-fired interest like you do.

As I said, I seem to be cursed to remember every little trivial bit of information I ever read or heard about celebrities, even though it's mostly things I picked up just half-listening to TV or in flipping through magazines. My point is that the people mentioned in this thread were once significant celebrities who had articles about them in magazines, interviews on TV, and mentions in newspapers. In the OP you said that you never heard anything about their personal lives mentioned in any media. If that's true, it's either because you're too young to remember when they were the hot new celebrities or you've forgotten what you've read or heard about them. I'm sorry, but having a good memory is really a curse. It's simply not true that these people have never had their personal lives mentioned in the news.

Kalhoun writes:

> Have you read anything about Sissy Spacek counter to what people here have
> heard? Is she something other than the wholesome farm girl we hear about?

O.K., without bothering to look up anything about her, I can remember the following: She grew up in Texas. The actor Rip Torn is her cousin and helped her get into acting. She persuaded her parents to support her for up to four years of trying to make it as an actor, since she told them that it would be like paying for college.

Little Nemo

12-03-2008, 09:35 AM

George Carlin was another example of a celebrity leading a surprisingly low-key personal life. He was married for thirty six years and the first time I heard of this was when his wife died.

Shirley Ujest

12-03-2008, 12:44 PM

The only time you ever hear about Hugh Jackman is about a week or so before one of his movie promo blitzes ( blitzes?) is there are photos of him at the beach in Australia, topless and having fun.

Vince Vaughan seems to fly under the radar, except for the Jennifer Anniston thing and knife fight with Steven Buscemi in 2001.

Equipoise

12-03-2008, 12:57 PM

Wow...someone who has not only seen it, but loves it as much as I do! It truly captured WWII in a small town. I just adore everything about this movie. This is truly Eric Roberts' shining moment. I love him so much in this that I can never completely hate him, regardless of the depths that his future suckitude may reach.Out of many many favorite scenes, my favorite is her simply doing housework. She has the radio on and is sweeping the floor in time to the Andrews Sisters. I could watch that scene over and over again.

"Drinking rum and Cocaaaa-Cola..." It's so adorable!

xizor

12-03-2008, 01:41 PM

I never hear anything about Lucy Liu in any type of gossip-y or paparazzi situation.

MsWhatsit

12-03-2008, 01:47 PM

I would pay real money to see that.

Here ya go. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEEue80pNvM)

No charge.

Moirai

12-03-2008, 03:33 PM

Justin_Bailey

12-03-2008, 03:47 PM

As I said, I seem to be cursed to remember every little trivial bit of information I ever read or heard about celebrities, even though it's mostly things I picked up just half-listening to TV or in flipping through magazines. My point is that the people mentioned in this thread were once significant celebrities who had articles about them in magazines, interviews on TV, and mentions in newspapers. In the OP you said that you never heard anything about their personal lives mentioned in any media. If that's true, it's either because you're too young to remember when they were the hot new celebrities or you've forgotten what you've read or heard about them. I'm sorry, but having a good memory is really a curse. It's simply not true that these people have never had their personal lives mentioned in the news.

I think you're being a bit combative here just to talk about your "curse". Saying that because more than nothing about certain celebs has appeared in the news means their ineligible for this thread is moving the goalposts just a tad. Plenty of "normal people" get written or talked about in the news too.

Basically, I just think disqualifying them for rather mundane articles about births or marriages or new houses is taking the question a bit too literal.

Acsenray

12-03-2008, 04:09 PM

Here ya go. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEEue80pNvM)

No charge.

That's totally a planned joke.

NDP

12-03-2008, 05:04 PM

Vince Vaughan seems to fly under the radar, except for the Jennifer Anniston thing and knife fight with Steven Buscemi in 2001.

Correct me if I have the details wrong or misread your post, but Vaughan and Buscemi did not fight each other. What I thought happened was both were at a bar in North Carolina when some local drunk picked a fight with them just to see how tough a couple movie stars could be. He found out soon enough.

As for the topic of this thread, I think part of the reason why some celebrities seem live fairly low key private lives is that the tabloid media does not regard them as being that interesting to their target audience. People like Sissy Spacek and Meryl Streep are publicly well-known and highly regarded for their thespian skills but they don't sell magazines if you put them on the cover.

Wendell Wagner

12-03-2008, 07:55 PM

Bob Ducca

12-03-2008, 08:03 PM

William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman come to mind. Married since 1997 w/ two daughters.

The Punkyova

12-03-2008, 08:55 PM

I agree with Wendell Wagner on this one. Years ago, there were articles about these people, including their private lives. I remember when Bette Midler got married and had a baby. She was on all the talk shows, discussing it. There were pictures and everything! She said that she wanted to name the little girl "Fifi Trixiebelle," like some other rock star had done. Her husband said that when she was 50 and a CPA she would not appreciate FiFi Trixibelle, so they gave her a more mundane name.

There was a lot of stuff about Clint Eastwood's private life when his former lover sued him and his studio - something about how in lieu of palimony they set her up with a production company, and then cheated her out of all the proceeds (so she claimed).

I remember these things, and I'm not one who watches a lot of TV, buys gossip magazines, or makes any effort to keep up with this. I do get the sense that the OP is significantly younger than WW and I, and simply wasn't around or old enough to notice when these things made headlines.

Oslo Ostragoth

12-03-2008, 10:51 PM

Here ya go. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEEue80pNvM)

No charge.

I realize that I probably shouldn't be, but I am astonished that a 26 year old clip from a crank-em-out-every-night late show is available for my viewing pleasure. Thanks a ton.

Equipoise

12-03-2008, 11:28 PM

Meryl Streep is on the cover of Entertainment Weekly this week (the issue of December 5, 2008). So at least occasionally she does get major publicity, even now... When they have articles about someone like Meryl Streep, it's a career retrospective. They're gasping in awe that somehow she hasn't died.Not hardly. Streep is still one of our finest actors, and holds the record for most Academy Award nominations, and she has a new movie coming out, the highly-anticipated Doubt, with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. Streep's a legend, totally beloved by everyone in the entertainment industry, and she has a huge fan base who are willing to let her alone and live her life until she has a movie to promote. I think she's one of the few celebrities who even the paparazzi deem way too classy to bother, not because people aren't interested.

Finagle

12-03-2008, 11:47 PM

Here ya go. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEEue80pNvM)

No charge.

Of the three of them, I'd have to say that Letterman has the weirdest hair of the lot. It's a close competition, but seriously, Dave, it looks like you're wearing some kind of varnished rugby helmet.

zoogirl

12-04-2008, 12:25 AM

Okay, you know either me or Faithfool was gonna...

Alice Cooper has been married thirty-plus years, totally faithfully as far as anyone knows, and has three kids. NO drama. He's also been clean and sober for over a quater centuary.

One of his daughters,Calico, is in his show regularly and is beginning a movie career. His wife, Sheryl, first met him as one of his dancers on the Welcome To My Nightmare tour. This summer I had the pleasure of seeing all three of them plus their youngest girl, Sonora, onstage in Vancouver.

pepperlandgirl

12-04-2008, 01:07 AM

William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman come to mind. Married since 1997 w/ two daughters.

Oh, yes. Filliam H. Muffman.

Annie-Xmas

12-04-2008, 07:30 AM

Stephen & Tabitha King. She was stood by him through poverty, parenthood, fame, drug & alcohol abuse, and the horrible accident that almost killed him.

If that's not love, what is?

Carl Corey

12-04-2008, 11:21 AM

I remember when Bette Midler got married and had a baby. She was on all the talk shows, discussing it. There were pictures and everything! She said that she wanted to name the little girl "Fifi Trixiebelle," like some other rock star had done. Her husband said that when she was 50 and a CPA she would not appreciate FiFi Trixibelle, so they gave her a more mundane name.

I believe the other rock star was Bob Geldof.

myskepticsight

12-04-2008, 11:35 AM

Wasn't it Harrison Ford who had a deal with the photogs about his kids? As long as they didn't take pictures of his kids, he would give them whatever shots they wanted of himself.

I don't think anyone saw a photo of his kids until after they turned 18.

Harrison Ford had 2 sons in his first marriage that were born in the late 60s.....so if you mean them two this is true probably, I don't know because I was an infant when they turned 18.

He also had 2 children in his second marriage and they were born in 1987 and 1991, and while it was sort of rare I remember seeing photos of them as children. So partially right, it was definitely no selling kid pics to OK Magazine going on. But I know I've seen them in People and maybe Entertainment Weekly back in the late 90s early 00s when I read those mags a lot.

Bryan Ekers

12-04-2008, 11:44 AM

Have you read anything about Sissy Spacek counter to what people here have heard? Is she something other than the wholesome farm girl we hear about?

Well, she did once kick a Shih Tzu puppy down a flight of stairs for giving her the eye.

Labrador Deceiver

12-04-2008, 11:49 AM

Meryl Streep is on the cover of Entertainment Weekly this week (the issue of December 5, 2008). So at least occasionally she does get major publicity, even now.

What the OP said was "I have never heard [Bette Midler's] name associated with anyone of either sex." No mention was made of a time frame. No mention was made of whether the news was mundane. Back a few years ago, there was a lot of entertainment news about Bette Midler. So why isn't there any now? Because she's too old. Remember, to most entertainment reporters, anyone over 30 is a little boring. Yeah, they occasionally mention such people, but it's clear that consider them over the hill. Anyone over 40 is dead as far as they are concerned. When they have articles about someone like Meryl Streep, it's a career retrospective. They're gasping in awe that somehow she hasn't died.

I understand your larger point, and agree with it. I just wanted to point out that Brad Pitt is 45. I was reading a People for the first time in a while, and I'd say the majority of their subjects are over 30, and a whole bunch are over 40.

ETA: I think a lot of the exposure has to do with their proximity to the places where large numbers of Paparazzi tend to hang out. Primarily LA.

Diogenes the Cynic

12-04-2008, 12:14 PM

I've read that Daniel Day-Lewis spends his long stretches between movies working quietly as a shoemaker in some Irish village somewhere.

Savannah

12-04-2008, 02:23 PM

Here ya go. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEEue80pNvM)

No charge.

Oh, jeez. I'm sitting in for the receptionist during her lunch, and that just made me laugh loud enough to make the accountant come out of her burrow. Now, I don't have sound on this machine, but who needs sound with hair like that?

gaffa

12-04-2008, 02:43 PM

Well, she did once kick a Shih Tzu puppy down a flight of stairs for giving her the eye.
...and once shot a man for snoring too loud!

Hard to find any celebrity who lives a lower-key life than Kate Bush. She's not well known in the US, but very well-known in the UK, Europe and most of the rest of the world. She only toured once. Before Princess Diana, she was the most photographed woman in England. Her most recent album came out after a 13 year absence from the public and she did no TV interviews, a handful of interviews for newspapers and magazines and only one live interview, in her home, for BBC radio DJ Mark Radcliffe who had a running "Bush-O-Meter" measuring how long he had been trying to get her to appear on his show. She lives in a house with her son and a man who she may or may not be married to.

Shoeless

12-04-2008, 06:46 PM

I've read that Daniel Day-Lewis spends his long stretches between movies working quietly as a shoemaker in some Irish village somewhere.

You know, when I first opened this thread the other day this was the first thing I thought of, but the more I thought about it... that's not mundane, that's way cool!

Hazle Weatherfield

12-04-2008, 07:50 PM

Dustin Hoffman. I can't remember the last time I read or heard anything personal about him.

astorian

12-04-2008, 07:58 PM

Okay, you know either me or Faithfool was gonna...

Alice Cooper has been married thirty-plus years, totally faithfully as far as anyone knows, and has three kids. NO drama. He's also been clean and sober for over a quater centuary.

Alice admits that, even now, he has a very addictive personality. He's now as addicted to golf as he once was to drugs- the difference being, his current addiction gets him out in the fresh air, and gets him some exercise. Better a somewhat healthy obsession than one that can kill you.

A few years back, a reporter noted to Jon Bon Jovi that he'd been married for 25 years to his high school sweetheart, and suggested Jon must be the only rock star to do that. "No," he replied, "There's Bono, too. So you see, I'm not even the only rock star whose name begins with 'Bon,' am I?"

Wendell Wagner

12-04-2008, 09:43 PM

Diogenes the Cynic writes:

> I've read that Daniel Day-Lewis spends his long stretches between movies
> working quietly as a shoemaker in some Irish village somewhere.

It was in Florence, Italy, not in Ireland. He didn't do it in stretches between movies. He did it in one five-year stretch. He gave up acting for a while in the late 1990's and didn't come back to it until five years later. During that five-year period, he worked as a shoemaker in Florence. He's back to acting now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Day-Lewis

Oslo Ostragoth

12-05-2008, 12:09 AM

Justin_Bailey

12-05-2008, 07:01 AM

A few years back, a reporter noted to Jon Bon Jovi that he'd been married for 25 years to his high school sweetheart, and suggested Jon must be the only rock star to do that. "No," he replied, "There's Bono, too. So you see, I'm not even the only rock star whose name begins with 'Bon,' am I?"

If you think about, rock star marriages only really come in two flavors. The "it's over before you know it due to the cheating/drugging/ass hole behavior" or it lasts 20/30/40 years.

There's almost no in between.

China Guy

12-05-2008, 07:18 AM

Ron Howard is extremely low key.

Capt. Ridley's Shooting Party

12-05-2008, 07:28 AM

Ryan Giggs comes to mind. One of Manchester United's most important players for well over a decade, yet when he got married, even the official club news (http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=469415) consisted of only three sentences. (Compare that to people he's played alongside....such as Beckham...)

Ryan Giggs used to live very close to me until recently. His house was pretty modest for what I'd have expected a Premiership footballer to have.

gigi

12-05-2008, 08:17 AM

Tom Hanks. Know he's married to Rita Wilson, see them at the occasional premiere or awards show together, other than that -- blessed silence.

Until he decided to share that he cheated on his first wife with Rita Wilson, which puts him in the Paul Newman camp for me.

I went to the Dartmouth tribute to Laura Linney and she was one who remains very out of the spotlight. Of course at the event she was gushing about the wonderful man she is engaged to. :)

control-z

12-05-2008, 09:53 AM

If you think about, rock star marriages only really come in two flavors. The "it's over before you know it due to the cheating/drugging/ass hole behavior" or it lasts 20/30/40 years.

There's almost no in between.

Snoop Dogg has been married to the same woman for like 15 years, and has kids that he seems to do well with from the limited footage I've seen. However, I'm sure there's lots of shenanigans, the wife has to be willing to put up with a lot.

Little Nemo

12-05-2008, 11:07 AM

Alice Cooper has been married thirty-plus years, totally faithfully as far as anyone knows, and has three kids. NO drama. He's also been clean and sober for over a quater centuary.When the Osbourne show was big, some producer approached "Alice Cooper" and suggested they do a similar series about his family. He was told that Alice Cooper is just a stage character and Vince Furnier's family life would be too boring for a TV show.

BlakeTyner

12-05-2008, 02:05 PM

I gotta go with George Strait. He's been in the music biz for 28 years or so, has sold mind-numbing numbers of albums, won awards, done stadium-sized shows, etc. Not only that, but he remains relevant in the industry--he won Single of the Year and Album of the Year at the most recent Country awards show, and was nominated for 4 Grammys a couple of days ago.

Yesterday was his anniversary--married to his high school sweetheart for 37 years. Two children. His daughter, Jennifer, died in a car accident in 1986. His son, George Jr., went to Texas A&M and team ropes (sometimes with his dad.)

He has a ranch in South Texas, a home in the exclusive Dominion division of San Antonio, and apparently a pretty nice yacht in the Gulf. Plays golf, team ropes, fishes. Nowadays he plays about 20 concert dates a year and sings (and wins) at the 2 big awards shows. But as far as publicity, there's virtually nil. Very low-key, private guy.