The only negative thing I have ever read or heard about Hugh Jackman is “Dammit, he’s married.”
He’s madly in love with his wife, devoted to his kids - both who are adopted, has a wonderful sense of humor, and is a consummate professional who isn’t above poking at his own celebrity. His co-stars love working with him, and directors seem to just adore him. He is great with his fans (even when he’s been in rehearsals all day) and the press, and he’s just damned wonderful to look at. He gets my Classy vote.
Christian Bale also seems a classy guy, though apparently his mother and sister are not.
Another man of class was Johnny Cash. He had his wild and not so classy younger years, but he outgrew it. By the time I met him back in the Eighties at a small FM Country station in Tennessee, he was gracious, friendly and charming, as was his wife. I don’t think she’d ever been anything but classy. When I told him my Dad was a major fan of his, he sent someone to scrounge up a camera so they could take a picture of himself, his wife, and I for my Dad, and then autographed one of his albums for my Dad without me asking for any of it.
Someone I hoped was going to be classy when I met him was David Copperfield. My daughter was soooo impressed with him, so I took her to one of his shows when she was four. He signed autographs afterwards in the lobby. I realize the man had to be tired, but if you’re just going to be moody and brooding and grunt when people talk to you, don’t bother. As we were walking off after getting her program signed, Shannara remarked: “He’s cranky. I like him better on TV.” Echoed through the whole lobby.
By all accounts, though he was very active in gun politics, that he was also a consummate professional and accepting of everyone regardless of their background or political views.
At the risk of incurring Moderator wrath, is there something inherently wrong with advocating Second Amendment gun rights?
I see nothing inconsistent with accepting people of differing background or political views.
I noticed that too. I’m partial to all the amendments.
I’d like to add Johnny Cash. He always seemed like someone I’d like to meet. I have a friend that is a family friend of the Cashs and was one of his pallbearers. I’m intensely jealous. I did get to hold the funeral program though.
I don’t know how he is up close and personal, but I went to a Robert Plant concert 22 years ago or so, it was in a small arena and I swear to god, that man made me feel like it was HIS honor for us all to be there. He may or may not be a complete ass, but he was a consummate showman on stage.
I’m always a sucker for the famous people who have stayed married through the thickness and thinness of Celebrity. Folks like Johnny Cash, George Burns, Dolly Parton. I think it says a lot about them. It is also why I wanted to name my daughter Gracie. Maybe the luck of her name would let her have a husband that no matter what he did, how many years after his wife died, always said “Goodnight Gracie.”
Add to the list the guys in Rush. Guitarist Alex Lifeson has been with the same woman since he was 15 years old (don’t know offhand when they got married); bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee is still married to his first wife; drummer Neil Peart would probably still be married to his first wife had she not died of cancer. They’re all in their mid-fifties now.
Further class from Rush: A 12-year-old, guitar-playing Alex Lifeson fan was attending last year’s NAMM Show, and approached the Hughes & Kettner booth and asked if he could try out the Alex Lifeson signature model guitar amp and cabinets. He competently played a few Rush songs through the amp, and the H&K representative got his name and address. A few days later the H&K guy got Lifeson on the phone and told him about the kid, and asked if he’d mind autographing a photo for him and maybe send a couple guitar picks. Lifeson decided to do even more than that: he crated up one of the actual amplifiers & cabinets he had used on Rush’s just-completed tour and had them sent to the kid :eek:
More recently, a teenage girl with cancer was able, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to realize her dream of meeting Rush. Great photos here.
About 20 years ago I sold a pair of shoes to a woman who worked with touring musicians in Salt Lake City. She told me that Robert Plant was the classiest, most gracious one she had worked with to date.
My personal story of classy celebrities is Rob Zombie. He sent a roadie to invite me backstage as I left a show. During the show he saw me pick up a kid who had fallen down in the pit and wanted to thank me personally for that. He took a polaroid of himself with me and my date, signed it for us and talked to us, showed interest in who we were and what we did. Very nice guy.
From what I have heard, Dolly has an apartment in West Hollywood, CA with a female lover and rarely, if ever, actually visits or lives with her husband who, by all accounts, is fully aware of Dolly’s story and is quite happy to live alone on that ranch.
Don’t have any real verification of that story, but do know that she was often seen in West Hollywood, so there might be some truth in it. Again, just going by what I heard from the local Lesbians when I lived in WeHo.
You might have read previous posts where I tell the same story…yes, Heston was president of the NRA and a die-hard Republican, but he was the consummate professional and a very pleasant man to work with. He knew I was a screaming liberal Gay man, but we got along just fine and he made a special point of asking me to bring my lover by to meet him and say hello.
I think Mark Harmon deserves to be listed among the classy. Not only does he come across as easy going and charming, he’s been a part of a long time celebrity marriage with Pam Dawber and father of two, and he risked his life to save two teenage boys who were involved in a car accident near his home.
THAT always got me right [here]. You could tell that he and Gracie had the love of a lifetime with each other.
Celebs who stay together no matter what give me hope for the rest of the human race.
I’d like to say that the Rush guys are absolute gentlemen and all around nice guys. I’ve heard some wonderful stories about the things they’ve done for fans and it never fails to make me smile.
That must be on the second disc, which I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never gotten around to watching.
I think the key for the guys in Rush is that they’ve managed to never let their fame go to their heads. Lifeson once said:
I read somewhere about the way touring with the likes of KISS and Aerosmith in their early years “taught us how not to behave on the road”. I think it was the same article that said when they’re touring, they stay in the same hotels as their support crew, rather than staying in a fancy hotel while the crew stays somewhere cheaper, and between shows they just hang out with the crew (most of whom have been with Rush almost since the beginning) instead of going out on the town.
Haven’t read the entire thread, but there is a special class of musician that has both the most and the least class and grace. These include such popmavens as Johnny Rotten, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson… and so on.
A few months ago we went to see Ronny Cox perform in one of his folk concerts – he’s an accomplished singer-songwriter, though most people know him from his acting.
He was the first person we saw upon entering the theater before the show, after the person who took our tickets. He was just standing there waiting to greet everyone: “Hi, folks, thanks for coming. I’m Ronny.” Chatted with us for a few minutes. Very charming. And very tall.
Brad Pitt is a huge asshole in real life, and extremely boring as well. George Clooney is very kind and a real gentleman. Ian McKellen is a great guy to hang out with and very witty, though he’s always trying to get me tipsy. Bill Gates is really fun and a great doubles partner for tennis. He’s got a great sense of humor. Warren Buffet is a cranky old bastard and doesn’t know when to stop drinking. Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia has always been unfailingly polite to me and always brings me great presents for my birthday.
I think it was the same article that said when they’re touring, they stay in the same hotels as their support crew, rather than staying in a fancy hotel while the crew stays somewhere cheaper, and between shows they just hang out with the crew (most of whom have been with Rush almost since the beginning) instead of going out on the town.