# Celebrities with surprising real life personalitites? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188 "2009-12-31T15:55:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/21 "2010-01-01T14:13:00Z")
[Dolph Lundgren](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolph_Lundgren), who plays nothing but ‘muscle-bound heavies’ in his movie roles, is actually a very clever guy. In addition to speaking five+ languages, and being a 3rd-degree black belt in karate, he holds both a bachelors and masters degree in chemical engineering, and received a prestigious scholarship for graduate studies at a place called MIT. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/22 "2010-01-01T23:43:46Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’ve known a few Tough Geeks in my life - they’re rare, but they do exist. > [@KarlGauss](#): > > [Dolph Lundgren](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolph_Lundgren), who plays nothing but ‘muscle-bound heavies’ in his movie roles, is actually a very clever guy. In addition to speaking five+ languages, and being a 3rd-degree black belt in karate, he holds both a bachelors and masters degree in chemical engineering, and received a prestigious scholarship for graduate studies at a place called MIT. Dolph sounds like the definition of “tough geek”. A scholarship? To MI-fricken-T? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/23 "2010-01-02T01:02:30Z")
Brian May from Queen was studying to get a PhD in Astrophysics but gave it up for his music career. He went back and finished his PhD in 2008 at Imperial College London. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/24 "2010-01-02T01:31:42Z")
James Hetfield was shy and quiet when I met him - also ticklish. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/25 "2010-01-02T01:45:15Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > James Hetfield was shy and quiet when I met him - also ticklish. OK, I’ll ask. Will you please tell us the story? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/26 "2010-01-02T02:06:00Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Does anyone have any examples of people you’d think were down-to-earth, caring and normal persons, but are really wacko daredevils or something? I assume Bruce Springsteen would be fairly down to earth and normal seeming, but I’ve never met him and know nothing about him personally. My impressions of Bob Dylan are that he’s also pretty down to earth and nice, but again, I don’t know him. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/27 "2010-01-02T02:19:08Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I assume Bruce Springsteen would be fairly down to earth and normal seeming, but I’ve never met him and know nothing about him personally. > > My impressions of Bob Dylan are that he’s also pretty down to earth and nice, but again, I don’t know him. Not only am I not a personal friend of these two guys, I have never met either of them, yet my opinion is exactly the same as yours. ---
**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:** [January 2, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/28 "2010-01-02T02:23:42Z")
James Blunt is not only a sensitive singer/songwriter but also, as a captain in the Household Cavalry, stood guard as the Queen Mother lay in state. And he’s a champion skier. And my daughters think he’s dreamy. I hate him, and not just for “You’re Beautiful.” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/29 "2010-01-02T02:38:00Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > James Blunt is not only a sensitive singer/songwriter but also, as a captain in the Household Cavalry, stood guard as the Queen Mother lay in state. And he’s a champion skier. And my daughters think he’s dreamy. I hate him, and not just for “You’re Beautiful.” I saw him interviewed on TV and he was very funny. At the time there was the controversy about Prince Harry snorting vodka. When asked whether it was usual behaviour in the army Blunt said, straight faced, “Well in my day we had it blown up our asses through a straw.” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/30 "2010-01-02T02:43:05Z")
The other thing I recall Blunt saying was in response to a question about whether he really drove his tank around with his guitar strapped to the turret. He replied, “Yes I did. I would have preferred to have it inside and strap one of the men to the outside but they wouldn’t allow that.” ---
**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:** [January 2, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/31 "2010-01-02T02:53:44Z")
So being funny is yet another of his crimes against me, eh? I’ll see him in the Hague. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/32 "2010-01-03T11:17:03Z")
Rosa Parks was from what I have read a rather difficult woman to get along with. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/33 "2010-01-03T12:37:24Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Rosa Parks was from what I have read a rather difficult woman to get along with. The kind of woman who’d refuse to change her seat, I imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/34 "2010-01-03T18:19:46Z")
I’ve known the Rev. Al Sharpton and his wife for many years. IRL he is a very quiet, respectful person. And Kathy Jordan Sharpton is a gifted singer and one of the nicest, sweetest people I’ve ever met. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/35 "2010-01-03T19:35:40Z")
Everyone knows this but nobody’s mentioned it yet- Hedy Lamar was co-inventor of “Frequency-hopping spread-spectrum” technology. Speaking of babes from earlier times- Do I remember correctly that Jayne Mansfield was really high IQ? ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/36 "2010-01-03T19:54:44Z")
There are a surprisingly large number of punk rockers who went on to get PhDs in the sciences. Greg Graffin, lead singer of Bad Religion, is the best known, but my personal favorite is Milo Aukerman of The Descendents, who holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has published several first-author research papers on plant genetics. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/37 "2010-01-03T20:40:08Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Does anyone have any examples of people you’d think were down-to-earth, caring and normal persons, but are really wacko daredevils or something? I can tell a “or something” story about Jay Leno, when he came into the pizza place I worked at back in '95 or '96. I wasn’t there that day, but heard it from my coworkers, so take it FWIW: We sold slices up front, and if we were out of something the standard time we’d tell people it would take to make more was five minutes. Leno walked in (with an entourage), and we were out of Super Veggie. He asked how long it would take for more, and the manager said “we can have that for you in four minutes!” Leno then walked the few feet down the counter to where the cook was and asked _him_ how long it would take. The cook gave the standard “five minutes.” Leno then snottily said “that guy said it would be four minutes!”, and walked out of the restaurant in a huff. IOW, Leno acted exactly like you’d expect a full-of-themselves celebrity would, which is in direct contradiction to his stage persona. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/38 "2010-01-03T22:41:34Z")
I once read a magazine interview with Christopher Walken. He was very un-psychotic. A bit ditzy, but very cheerful and well-adjusted. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/39 "2010-01-03T23:03:11Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > I can tell a “or something” story about Jay Leno To counter that, when we lived in Kansas City he played a show at a posh theater there. I couldn’t afford a ticket so I waited outside until it was over and when the rush of people leaving after the show slowed to a trickle I slipped in a side door and went backstage. I really wanted to meet him and give him something. I saw him walking alone down a corridor and stopped him to talk. He was really friendly and talked to me for about 5 minutes, didn’t seem rushed or impatient or upset, even when I told him I hadn’t been able to attend the show. I think what made a difference was that I was gushing about his fun role in **American Hot Wax** and he has very fond memories of that movie. He seemed pleased that someone actually saw it. He even gave me a hug! Of course, that was before _The Tonight Show_ gig, and it could never happen today. If nothing else, he would have an entourage, but also I’m sure the security would be much tighter. This one isn’t surprising, but I can attest that **Loretta Lynn** is a total sweetheart. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188/40 "2010-01-03T23:29:26Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Steve Martin portrays the wild man, but he’s actually sophisticad and intelligent. And rather unapproachable. He often shies away from speaking with fans, and doesn’t sign autographs. For a while he carried around cards that said words to the effect of “the bearer of this card met Steve Martin and can attest that he is a handsome and charming man.” That said, it seems that this is more a manifestation of social anxiety/pressure and less about him being a dickweed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-surprising-real-life-personalitites/523188.md?page=3)