# Celebrities with the most/least class and grace **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 29, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580 "2008-02-29T00:37:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/101 "2008-03-04T00:40:48Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Except for his political flaws,I have heard Chuck Norris a very down to earth guy. [/QUOTE] He’s a great guy with no political flaws. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Punkyova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@The\_Punkyova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Punkyova)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/102 "2008-03-04T04:25:08Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] For some reason I doubt Teller ever met Harpo Marx. I’m sure he is tired of being compared to Harpo. Or maybe people have suggested he was copying his style when there is actually a much different reason why he doesn’t speak. [/QUOTE] I’m certain that you are correct. My point was that hating Harpo is unnatural (note that the misanthropes I cited couldn’t pull it off), and he could simply say that he doesn’t like being compared to Harpo\*. He could make a joke of it and claim that Harpo stole his act. He could handle it in a lot of ways, and he chooses to say he hates Harpo. A man who would say things like that bears watching. \*I think Harpo and Teller are both superb at what they do, but they are not at all doing the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/103 "2008-03-04T05:15:10Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say anything bad about Mr. Rogers. He seems to be at the same level as Jimmy Stewart. [/QUOTE] March 20th is [Sweater Day](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_en_ce/people_fred_rogers) for what would have been Mr. Roger’s 80th birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/104 "2008-03-04T17:57:07Z")
[QUOTE=xizor] Actually exchange between my wife and Teller after one of their shows: Wife: Hey you can talk! Teller: Hey, so can you! 😃 Back to the OP Classy: Dolly Parton - never heard anyone question her class. Not so classy: Richard Gere - I witnessed him using his star power to try to get favors from female extras in one of his movies back in the late 80s. [/QUOTE] Was Gere married when this happened? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/105 "2008-03-04T20:03:47Z")
Dolly Parton is another great choice. I believe it was Oprah who asked her whether she supported gay marriage. Her response was instant: “Of course I do. Why shouldn’t they have to suffer like the rest of us?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/106 "2008-03-04T20:54:01Z")
The classiest person I’ve ever interviewed is Bob Sheppard, the public address voice of the Yankees. He was going on 95 when I spoke to him, once for a page-long story and another time for a quick piece about his retirement from the Giants. We had a short interview, maybe half an hour, but he was a true gentleman of the old school and a thrill to talk to. He’s lived in the same town on Long Island for a long time, and I don’t know how many other young reporters had interviewed him for the same story (Bob Sheppard lives here!) over the years. But you would have thought I was the first. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/107 "2008-03-04T21:00:37Z")
[QUOTE=Spoons] Gary Busey impressed me with his class. I was an extra (one of about a hundred) in a movie he was in, and he was very nice to us extras. [/QUOTE] When was this? Maybe he’s trying to mend his ways. His movie “Surviving the Game” was filmed in and around my town, and I ended up spending an evening in my favorite bar hanging out with most of the grips who were working on that film. According to the grips, Busey’s nickname amongst the crew was “Gary Abusive”. They had nothing good to say about the guy. There’s also actor Tom Wilson’s (Biff from Back to the Future) song, “[Biff’s Question Song](http://youtube.com/watch?v=iwY5o2fsG7Y)”: Who’s the nicest famous guy you know? Adam Sandler Who’s the biggest jerk? Gary Busey ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/108 "2008-03-04T21:01:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Most: Alec Guinness > > Alec Guinness = Genuine class > [@](#): > > Most: Tom Hanks. I hear Otm Shank is a classy guy, too. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/109 "2008-03-04T21:20:16Z")
Sports figures count? I’m basing this on nothing other than reputation and newspaper articles, but Stan “The Man” Musial is regarded by apparently everyone as a helluva nice guy. In St. Louis, of course, he is a sort of demigod. But from what I gather, he really is charming and just loves being Stan Musial and brightening people’s lives. He reportedly always carries a few of his pictures around, pre-autographed, to give to people who want his autograph; he gives impromptu harmonica performances for people who recrognize him in restaurants; and when you ask him why he’s always smiling, he’ll often reply, “If you had a .331 average, you’d smile, too!” Sadly, Stan is no longer a young man, and he might not have many years left. And when he leaves us, I – who never met him and never saw him play – will cry like a child. ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/110 "2008-03-04T21:31:54Z")
Two I can think of, from personal experience: **George Clooney** , as previously mentioned. My sister is a school teacher in N. Ky, same region that he’s from. Friends of hers got it to him that she was sick and a huge fan of his, he sent her a Get Well card with a autographed candid picture. Made her feel great. **The Amazing Jonathon**. I’ve seen his show in Vegas twice, he waits and signs everything after his shows, all his merchandise sales go to charity, and will sit and chat with fans after the autographs are signed. ---
**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:** [March 4, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/111 "2008-03-04T21:38:51Z")
[QUOTE=Bayard] Sports figures count? I’m basing this on nothing other than reputation and newspaper articles, but Stan “The Man” Musial is regarded by apparently everyone as a helluva nice guy. In St. Louis, of course, he is a sort of demigod. But from what I gather, he really is charming and just loves being Stan Musial and brightening people’s lives. He reportedly always carries a few of his pictures around, pre-autographed, to give to people who want his autograph; he gives impromptu harmonica performances for people who recrognize him in restaurants; and when you ask him why he’s always smiling, he’ll often reply, “If you had a .331 average, you’d smile, too!” Sadly, Stan is no longer a young man, and he might not have many years left. And when he leaves us, I – who never met him and never saw him play – will cry like a child. [/QUOTE] To go with the St Louis theme, least: Bob Gibson, miserable SOB. > [@](#): > > Gibson was known for pitching inside to batters. Dusty Baker received the following advice from Hank Aaron about facing Gibson: > > “‘Don’t dig in against Bob Gibson, he’ll knock you down. He’d knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don’t stare at him, don’t smile at him, don’t talk to him. He doesn’t like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don’t run too slow, don’t run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don’t charge the mound, because he’s a Gold Glove boxer.’ I’m like, ‘Damn, what about my 17-game hitting streak?’ That was the night it ended.” [1] > > Gibson was surly and brusque even with his teammates. When his catcher Tim McCarver went to the mound for a conference, Gibson brushed him off, saying “The only thing you know about pitching is you can’t hit it. Get back behind the plate unless you want the medic to carry you back to the dugout.” > > Gibson maintained this image even into retirement. In 1992, an Old-Timers’ game was played at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego as part of the All-Star Game festivities, and Reggie Jackson hit a home run off Gibson. When the 1993 edition of the game was played, the 57-year-old Gibson threw the 47-year-old Jackson a brushback pitch. The pitch was not especially fast and did not hit Jackson, but the message was delivered, and Jackson did not get a hit. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/112 "2008-03-04T23:10:18Z")
Two celebrities who have always struck me as being very classy, and very humble about their success: **Weird Al Yankovic** and **J K Rowling** Oh, and a cousin of mine had a small part in a **Will Smith** movie (the hippie girl in **Pursuit of Happyness** ) and had nothing but nice things to say about him. ---
**Author:** ![phil417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/113 "2008-03-05T00:55:30Z")
Not classy: John Lennon. My husband’s a big fan of his, but as I get older, I consider how a person treats family. After he paired up w/Yoko Ono, John basically abandoned his son Jules. As the story goes, Paul McCartney “adopted” him, and the world ended up with a new song, “Hey Jude”. Sorry, but it seems to me when the audience is gone, what you’ve got left is family. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/114 "2008-03-07T19:19:46Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] Was Gere married when this happened? [/QUOTE] I don’t know. But even single it is still pretty class-less to use “I’m Richard Gere, give me head” as a pickup line. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/115 "2008-09-28T01:01:12Z")
A friend was walking in back of a Detroit Theater after he went to a Bob Bylan Concert. Dylan came out the door at that time. Friend yelled ,hey Bob. He was all excited. Dylan looked back and said ,who are you. Who are you to call me Bob. ? I don’t know you. It was very uncomfortable for friend. ---
**Author:** ![pinkyvee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6de8d8/32.png) [@pinkyvee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkyvee)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/116 "2008-09-28T02:27:52Z")
Not so classy = James Woods My husband works in the TV/film industry. He said Woods kept the entire cast and crew waiting for hours while he played online poker. This was a pattern and not a one time incident. Woods is talented but very prickly. Very VERY classy = Ron Howard Ron creates a friendly working atmosphere in a business that usually eats it’s own. ---
**Author:** ![erleichda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4da419/32.png) [@erleichda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erleichda)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/117 "2008-09-28T04:47:54Z")
Nobody else has suggested Johnny Carson? He’s got to at least be in the running for classiest. ---
**Author:** ![rolandgunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@rolandgunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rolandgunslinger)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/118 "2008-09-28T04:53:22Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say anything bad about Mr. Rogers. He seems to be at the same level as Jimmy Stewart. I was gonna say Fred Rogers myself. That man should be nominated for Sainthood. Least- Courtney Love ---
**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:** [September 28, 2008, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/119 "2008-09-28T05:15:59Z")
> [@bump](#): > > (not that he’s a celebrity, but I heard that Wayne Huizenga was kind of a dick when he showed up to buy a helicopter) Wayne Jr, right? The installers at my last company found him warm and friendly to an annoying extent. He’d hand them beers and gab and watch sports with them until they were looking at their watches and wondering up if this counted as overtime. Installers. Not the owner or an officer of the company, but installers. But yeah, he could be a dick. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580/120 "2008-09-28T05:22:23Z")
Going back a few decades - nobody will ever beat Gregory Peck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-with-the-most-least-class-and-grace/439580.md?page=7)