Kelsey Grammer did time for cocaine possession.
Gary Glitter was lucky to not face the death penalty.
You didn’t ask for U.S. celebrities, so I’ll add Salman Khan, who I believe spent jail time for poaching and possibly again for a car accident. I think. I don’t follow US celebrities much, and indian ones even less.
To the best of my knowledge Muhammad Ali did not do any jail time. When he refused induction into the Army he was charged, had his passport lifted and had his boxing licences cancelled. He was free while he appealed (all the way to the Supreme Court). Had he lost his case he faced 5 years in jail. During the appeal process he made some money doing speaking engagements, mostly on college campuses.
Christian Slater was sentenced to 3 months in jail, and actually served 2, in late 1997. IIRC, he got a 1 day furlough to attend the premiere of his eminently forgettable Hard Rain, the dihydrogen oxide disaster movie.
Papa John Phillips did time for abuse of prescription drugs.
His book is a fascinating read. It’s amazing he lived as long as he did, considering.
Rudolph Valentino briefly served jail time for bigamy in, I believe, 1921 or '22.
Mae West was jailed for two weeks for obscenity charges in the late 1920s.
Tim Allen did some time for drugs back in the late 70s.
Was he famous in the late 70s?
He was detained awaiting trial, for some reason bail wasn’t offered. He was proven completely innocent in the trial when it eventually occured.
Does Gandhi count?
Does appearing on reality TV make one an actor? Original Survivor winner Richard Hatch just began a 51-month sentence for failing to pay taxes.
Nah, his sitcom tanked.
Robert Blake was arrested for the murder of his wife, but later acquitted.
Attempted, after all that? Now that is incompetence. I hope he was a better pitcher than a murderer.
Both Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash had their run ins with the law, Haggard even serving prison time, but before he was really famous.
Bobby Brown, Tommy Lee
Stacy Keach did six months for smuggling cocaine into the UK.
Craig Charles, who for some reason spent 3 months in jail before being able to get bail on a rape charge he was subsequently acquitted of.
Famous enough in the UK, comedian Ken Dodd and jockey Lester Piggott both did time for tax evasion.
This article is the latest I can find on the subject.
Denny McLain, last major league pitcher to win 30 games in a season.
Drug trafficking, embezzlement and racketeering.
I love the logic behind this:
If i thought someone had stolen a handgun from me, and was thinking of going after them, i’d probably arm myself with more than machetes.