# Brushes with Fame-Celebrity Encounters **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900 "2012-06-02T23:28:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/1 "2012-06-02T23:28:16Z")
Have any of you here ever met a celebrity?If so,please tell us about it.Any celebrity counts,so long as they’re famous enough that the average person has probably heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/2 "2012-06-02T23:30:08Z")
Why do you care about people who don’t care about you? ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/3 "2012-06-02T23:41:35Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Why do you care about people who don’t care about you? Excuse me? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/4 "2012-06-02T23:44:45Z")
I met Alan Hale Jr. (“The Skipper” from Gilligan’s Island). He was doing a promotion for Stroh’s beer at a local bar. He sat down and chatted with me and a buddy for a few minutes. Seemed like a genuinely nice fellow. I was sad when he died a few years later. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/5 "2012-06-03T00:24:23Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > I met Alan Hale Jr. (“The Skipper” from Gilligan’s Island). He was doing a promotion for Stroh’s beer at a local bar. He sat down and chatted with me and a buddy for a few minutes. Seemed like a genuinely nice fellow. I was sad when he died a few years later. Very interesting.Thanks for sharing the story! ---
**Author:** ![gunnergoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e95f7d/32.png) [@gunnergoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gunnergoz)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/6 "2012-06-03T00:29:19Z")
I met Jack Palance and Anthony Quinn years ago in a trattoria (casual restaurant) in Rome, Italy when they were there to do films. They were like ordinary guys, very relaxed and easy to talk with. Quinn clearly had a charisma, some sort of personal presence like you would not believe. He almost lit up the room with his laugh and his smile. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/7 "2012-06-03T00:35:19Z")
I grew up on a farm and we would regularly move cattle and sheep between fields and along roads, this was an operation utilising a small army of my relatives that would have done any general proud. Anyway as the livestock were moving along the main road the sideroads would be sealed off until they passed by someone standing on the sideroad and preventing traffic from coming out _(by far the vast majority of people understood the reason for the delay, locals or not, though you did get the occassional person who objected to a few minutes delay)_. I was fulfilling this important task when a small red Peugot car pulled up alongside me. I spoke to the driver and explained the delay, and he was happy enough. So I stood beside him for about five minutes, not speaking, until the cattle had passed then waved him on his way. I could see one of my cousins waving and gesturing frantically but didn’t know what the problem was, as soon as the way was clear he came running up, “That was Eddie Jordan!” And he was right, it _was_ Eddie Jordan, my cousin was a massive F1 fan and I was only really getting interested in the sport at this time _(the mid 1990’s)_. I’m not sure how famous Eddie Jordan would be to Americans but he’s fairly famous here. > **[Eddie Jordan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Jordan)** > > Edmund Patrick Jordan, OBE (born 30 March 1948) is an Irish businessman, television personality and former motorsport team owner. Born in Dublin, Jordan worked first at the Bank of Ireland. He won the Irish Kart Championship in 1971 and moved to Formula Ford in 1974. He was the founder and owner of Jordan Grand Prix, a Formula One constructor which operated from 1991 to 2005. He was the chief analyst for Formula One coverage on the BBC from 2009 to 2015 before joining Channel 4 after BBC pulle... So that’s my claim to fame, I stood beside a celebrity for five minutes and completely ignored him. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/8 "2012-06-03T00:45:16Z")
I hit Captain Kangaroo in the head with a ping pong ball. Other then bumping into/knowing local celebrities\* that’s about it off the top of my head. Wait, my aunt babysat for Heather Graham until she was about 2 years old. \*I just realized that one of those local celebrities, while still very much a local person has been on the national stage, so to speak. If you’ve heard of Will Allen, he’s someone I’ve had more then a brush with. He’s been an acquaintance practically my whole life. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/9 "2012-06-03T00:53:55Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I hit Captain Kangaroo in the head with a ping pong ball. Really? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/10 "2012-06-03T00:59:43Z")
> [@JRyan35](#): > > Really? He was at a fund raiser that my mom was at (working the phone bank). For some reason I was there as well. I think my dad brought my brother and me up so we could see my mom and the inside of a TV studio. At some point the dumped a couple of boxes on ping pong balls on him and one rolled towards me. Naturally I tossed it right back at him…naturally it him right in the forehead about 5 seconds after all the other balls had fallen (and from a completely different angle since it didn’t come from above). ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/11 "2012-06-03T01:12:35Z")
[John Madden](http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/4647/841564-573823_11976_front_large.jpg) stopped into the gas station at which I worked and asked for directions to some golf course. I had no idea, unfortunately, but a customer did. [Christine Todd Whitman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Todd_Whitman) bought bread and milk from me at a different store, years ago, while she was Governor of NJ. Fun factoid : one of her security staff bought bad-ass mirrored sunglasses. Joe ---
**Author:** ![A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@A\_Sniveling\_Mess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Sniveling_Mess)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/12 "2012-06-03T01:19:59Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > [John Madden](http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/4647/841564-573823_11976_front_large.jpg) stopped into the gas station at which I worked and asked for directions to some golf course. I had no idea, unfortunately, but a customer did. > > [Christine Todd Whitman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Todd_Whitman) bought bread and milk from me at a different store, years ago, while she was Governor of NJ. Fun factoid : one of her security staff bought bad-ass mirrored sunglasses. > > Joe Hey,that’s pretty amazing-John Madden and Christine Whitman.Congratulations on that. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/13 "2012-06-03T01:26:59Z")
> [@JRyan35](#): > > Hey,that’s pretty amazing-John Madden and Christine Whitman.Congratulations on that. All right, you stay classy, San Diego. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/14 "2012-06-03T02:16:00Z")
One of the Iranian hostages lived on my paper route. Not that we interacted a lot, but he seemed to be a pretty decent guy. No one would recognize his name now, of course. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/15 "2012-06-03T03:14:50Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Why do you care about people who don’t care about you? …he said as he posted on an anonymous message board to no one in particular. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/16 "2012-06-03T03:45:20Z")
My family ran into Jonathan Winters at a restaurant when we went out to dinner many years ago. He turned out to be totally charming and spent quite a while telling us funny stories. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/17 "2012-06-03T03:50:43Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > My family ran into Jonathan Winters at a restaurant when we went out to dinner many years ago. He turned out to be totally charming and spent quite a while telling us funny stories. He lives in my town and I have run into him a few times. He is always friendly and hilarious. We love him here. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/18 "2012-06-03T04:10:18Z")
Does Chuck Norris count? I met him in the late 80’s outside a wax museum that just opened his “Delta Force” exhibit. Such a nice guy, and sincere thanks to the girl that told us where to wait to meet him. This was clearly before he was a meme. Led Claypool, I almost knocked him down when turning a corner. All the members of Dream Theater, and Queensryche, separate shows. Donnie Iris, Foghat, members of Government Mule, Fishbone, G.W.A.R. and Iced Earth. I also met most of Lacuna Coil, and accidentally got a sig from Scott Ian from Anthrax. He signed the paper in my hand as we passed each other. I met Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, then met James Iha the next day at the show. I saw John Astin (The original Gomez Addams) at the airport, as well as Toby Keith, but I didn’t actually meet them. My Mom used to walk to school with Bill Murray and his sister, yes, THAT Bill Murray. My dad went to prep school, and his roommate was Ric Flair, yes THAT Ric Flair. ---
**Author:** ![cynyc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@cynyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynyc)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/19 "2012-06-03T04:24:05Z")
I guess the closest contact was when I had lunch with Sybil Leek, her mother, and her astrologer. In Florida. As I’m in Manhattan there a a lot of sightings or run intos at parties or in the street. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900/20 "2012-06-03T04:25:14Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > My Mom used to walk to school with Bill Murray and his sister, yes, THAT Bill Murray. That reminds me of another one. The guitarist for Genesis, Daryl Stuermer, lives more or less across the street from my parent’s house. I used to walk to school with his daughter. By ‘with’ I mean, we walked to school at the same time. Not “Hey, wait up” with. We were a few years apart and 3 days after I graduated I couldn’t have picked her out of a crowd. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brushes-with-fame-celebrity-encounters/623900.md?page=2)