# Celebrities who were universally beloved by their peers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 19, 2015, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125 "2015-10-19T10:53:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/41 "2015-10-20T17:31:58Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > May have/probably manslaughtered [Ted Healy.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Healy) Which undoubtedly filled the Howard brothers and Larry Fine with much joy. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/42 "2015-10-20T17:53:11Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > I don’t think Carson was _universally_ beloved as the OP requires. Carson was certainly well-liked and the center of attention in the Hollywood A-list circles he socialized; but he also had a long history of being pushy, throwing his clout around, being condescending to particular guests he didn’t like, and most especially holding iron-clad grudges. His feud with Joan Rivers was especially notable - once he felt that she “crossed” him, she was permanently exiled from the Tonight Show and he never spoke to her again for the rest of his life. Also, there was a lot of animosity between Carson and the original cast of SNL. Carson publicly said “none of them could improv worth a fart of beans”, prompting Belushi to make a few snide remarks about him during SNL episodes. And certainly none of the Hollywood-based writers or union leaders had any love for him - during a late 1980s writers strike that forced many shows to go on hiatus, Carson famously defied the picket line so to speak and simply wrote his own monologue material. Yes, I rescinded my suggestion of Carson in post 22 after having been reminded of some of the jerkish things he did. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/43 "2015-10-20T18:16:01Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > **thelurkinghorror** beat me to Keanu Reeves. Still, everything I’ve heard says he’s about the nicest, most generous star around. Here’s some details about Keanu Reeves’ generosity from [this](http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/amazing-story-keanu-reeves-gave-away-75-million-matrix-salary/) article: > [@](#): > > But the real generosity of spirit that Keanu possesses became clear when he was negotiating his back-end deal for the two “Matrix” sequels. For the first film in the trilogy, Reeves made $10 million up front, which, when combined with his back-end deal, upped his salary to $35 million. Amazingly, when it came time to negotiate his back-end profit sharing deal for the second and third “Matrix” films, Keanu insisted on handing over a significant portion of his back-end points to the films’ special effects and costume design teams. Reeves felt (and rightly so) that the men and women who created the effects and costumes for the franchise were the true heroes of the movie. > > So how’d this work out for the FX and costume teams? The second and third Matrix movies earned more than $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office. When it was all said and done, Keanu reportedly ended up giving away an estimated $75 million dollars. Each member of these teams received $1 million dollars per person, instantly making them all millionaires. But Keanu didn’t stop at just the special effects and costume teams. He also gave the entire stunt team on the “Matrix” sequels Harley Davidson motorcycles. > > Additionally, as documented in a personal account on Reddit, he helped out a Matrix crew member’s family in need: > > “A family friend builds movie sets, doesn’t design, is one of the poor dudes that just builds. Anyways he worked on the set for the Matrix and Keanu heard about family trouble he was having and gave him a $20,000 Christmas bonus to help him out. He also was one of the only people on the set that genuinely wanted to know people’s names, would say hello and mean it, and would talk to people as they were his peers and not below him just because they were practically making nothing to build a set. I’ve never heard anyone say Keanu is douche, seems like the nicest person in Hollywood from a second hand experience.” ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/44 "2015-10-20T19:37:17Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Yeah, Jack Benny the man was pretty much 180% away from Jack Benny the character - where the character was stingy, the man was generous to a fault. (And where the character was a terrible violinist, the man was quite competent, though I doubt that has nearly as much to do with how well-liked he was.) I’ve heard similar things about WC Fields. His public persona was basically a cynical jerk, but in real life he was apparently a really nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/45 "2015-10-20T19:47:37Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Well he is the littlest person on the set most of the time. He did piss off Brooke Shields once I think, but seemed to patch things up. But there are three actresses who do not have kind opinions of him due to their marriages. As far as I know he never worked with Brooke Shields.\* He pissed her off with his Scientology fueled dislike of psychiatry when she came forward with her problems with postpartum depression. I’ve heard today’s Tom Cruise used as the example for how stars should act on a project. \*Before posting I checked and he was in Endless Love in his film debut. It was a small part and I don’t know how much interaction they had together. ---
**Author:** ![billions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@billions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billions)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/46 "2015-10-20T20:05:40Z")
I always had the feeling that no one can disklike Bill Murray and I haven’t heard enything bad about him, although I don’t really follow Hollywood gossip anyway but still. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/47 "2015-10-20T21:25:56Z")
According to his son Peter, whom I met recently, Glenn Ford was well liked by most of the people in Hollywood. It turned out that his wholesome image ran counter to his private life, but I doubt a lot of people knew about it at the time, or would have cared even if they knew. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/48 "2015-10-20T21:58:22Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > According to his son Peter, whom I met recently, Glenn Ford was well liked by most of the people in Hollywood. It turned out that his wholesome image ran counter to his private life, but I doubt a lot of people knew about it at the time, or would have cared even if they knew. Frank Capra decided to retire because of the problems Ford created on the set of Pocketful of Miracles. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/49 "2015-10-20T22:08:42Z")
> [@billions](#): > > I always had the feeling that no one can disklike Bill Murray and I haven’t heard enything bad about him, although I don’t really follow Hollywood gossip anyway but still. Do Chevy Chase and Lucy Liu count? ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/50 "2015-10-20T22:41:07Z")
Steve Buscemi George Clooney Larry Hagman ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/51 "2015-10-20T22:47:37Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Do Chevy Chase and Lucy Liu count? Chevy Chase is a known asshole. Liu/Murray was [apparently no big deal](http://www.contactmusic.com/bill-murray/news/bill-clears-up-charlie.s-angels-feud-with-lucy). As for Murray, he does weird things sometimes which might rub people wrong, but I don’t get the impression that he does things out of spite. [Old thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=733611). ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/52 "2015-10-20T23:51:25Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I suppose Lamar Odom can be called a celebrity, as far as professional athletes go, and aside from his connection with the Kardashians. All of his NBA teammates, opposing coaches and players, and commentators have had nothing but kind words to say about him, especially during his current health crisis. “health crisis”? You mean getting boozed and using drugs in a brothel? Yes, a class act. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/53 "2015-10-21T00:11:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Carol Burnett was on the public radio comedy quiz program Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! recently. A week or so after Carol’s appearance, the host mentioned that she was one of the nicest people they ever had on and another person who was also on the program and was about as nice was Kim Kardashian. I was truly impressed by Kim after she was on WWDTM. Funny, plenty smart, and she gave off a radio aura of being a very nice person. Who knew? . ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/54 "2015-10-21T02:11:26Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > “health crisis”? You mean getting boozed and using drugs in a brothel? Yes, a class act. It’s possible to do those things and still be a nice person. “Moral offenses” don’t always point to someone who actually has a bad sense of morality. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/55 "2015-10-21T04:26:09Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > (And where the character was a terrible violinist, the man was quite competent, though I doubt that has nearly as much to do with how well-liked he was.) > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Here are Jack Benny and Isaac Stern having some fun with violins: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_EofKXc-EOo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EofKXc-EOo). Quoth Wiki, “…Benny was a fairly good violinist who achieved the illusion of a bad one, not by deliberately playing poorly, but by striving to play pieces that were too difficult for his skill level.” I don’t entirely agree with wiki. On his tv shows he occasionally messes up simple stuff intentionally such as his theme, “Love in Bloom”. But “fairly good”, “quite competent”? I don’t think I could go quite that far. He certainly wasn’t good enough to get into a major orchestra. From an earlier post of mine: > [@Any recordings of Jack Benny playing the violin seriously?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-recordings-of-jack-benny-playing-the-violin-seriously/479526/4): > > He performed excerpts from Sarasate’s “Ziegeunerweisen” when he hosted an episode of “Hollywood Palace”. The arrangement is a duet for him and his violin teacher as opposed to the original for solo violin. He’s playing as well as he can without his usual shtick of hilariously bad technique and intonation. The music starts at about 3:28, and you can hear him play a couple of somewhat challenging bars solo starting at about 7:10. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIJLGSIqt28](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIJLGSIqt28) ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/56 "2015-10-21T13:40:00Z")
Again in regards to **Johnny Carson** , I remember reading that there was a little animosity between him and his producer Fred De Cordova. Carson noticeably did \*\*NOT \*\*thank De Cordova on his final show in 1992. The account I heard was it was because years earlier when Carson’s son was killed in an accident Johnny was doing an on-air tribute/speech to him, and De Cordova impatiently and rather callously gave Johnny the finger-circling ‘wrap it up’ sign. As Howard Stern loved to point out Johnny was also a notorious womanizer, and he couldn’t handle his booze, and consequently he was not above occasionally slapping a wife around. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/57 "2015-10-21T13:49:47Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I’ve heard similar things about WC Fields. His public persona was basically a cynical jerk, but in real life he was apparently a really nice guy. I’ve heard the same about Moe Howard. Complete opposite of his screen persona. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/58 "2015-10-21T14:31:00Z")
Only tangentially an actress, but I’ve never heard a bad word about Dolly Parton. A genuine, sweet, generous, and extremely intelligent person. (Also a voracious reader whose amount of knowledge might surprise you.) Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart seem to be beloved. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/59 "2015-10-21T14:32:07Z")
And while Bette Davis and some of her kids hated her, Joan Crawford was actually very popular with many of her co-stars and known for always bringing generous gifts to the crew. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125/60 "2015-10-21T14:34:08Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Only tangentially an actress, but I’ve never heard a bad word about Dolly Parton. A genuine, sweet, generous, and extremely intelligent person. (Also a voracious reader whose amount of knowledge might surprise you.) She’s also quite the promoter of reading. 60 million books is nothing to sneeze at. > **[Dolly Parton's Imagination Library | USA, UK, IE, CA, AU](https://imaginationlibrary.com/)** > > Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth until they begin school in participating areas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-were-universally-beloved-by-their-peers/735125.md?page=4)