Norman Lear portrays Carroll O’Connor as very difficult, temperamental, and neurotic in his memoir. They had pretty much weekly screaming matches while filming All in the Family.
Maggie Smith’s director in Downton Abbey described her as difficult. She later walked it back to “She knows her worth.”
Rue MacLanahan and Betty White both acknowledged that Bea Arthur was very difficult to work with.
Tom Arnold, of course
John Lennon, sadly
Not many fond testimonials of Al Capp, Sid Vicious or Larry Flynt
Tina Louise
There is a room in Hell where Pablo Picasso and Mother Teresa are squaring off with one another for all eternity.
Wasn’t there something odd about Fred MacMurray and My Three Sons?
Gwyneth Paltrow.
MacMurray would shoot all his scenes in just a few days at the beginning of the season. I don’t recall that this led to problems, and I think in some cases he did come back in to read lines during the season. This accommodation was made so the producers could afford to have him in the series, he was a major film leading man at the time. That’s all I know about it though, he may have had problems with producers, especially with the changing set of sons he had on the show.
I don’t know if it goes to the level of “universally despised” but I’ve heard Natalie Portman can be difficult to be around.
Shawn Michaels.
Steven Seagal can, and he’ll kick your ass!
Dave Mustaine and Lars Ulrich aren’t exactly respected in the metal community for anything other than their chops - and they used to be in the same band.
Ed Sullivan was widely disliked. Joe E. Lewis once said that Sullivan could brighten a room simply by leaving it.
Quite true. He was well respected by many wrestlers because he helped raise everyone’s income and worked hard, but he was not well liked by other wrestlers. Many refused to room with him on the road, and of course there was that incident in Montreal.
“Wait, IS THAT THE MOB???” and walk away while he’s looking around in a panic.
Surprised no one has mentioned Joe E Ross, who was featured in an accompanying thread.
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford was not universally despised. She had real friends in Hollywood, including Myrna Loy, Van Johnson and Marlene Dietrich. She had a reputation of being professional and hard-working.
I miss Eve. . .
And William Shatner was responsible for putting them there?
Elizabeth Taylor (according to a colleague of mine who had worked as a cameraman for a Hollywood studio.)
OOOH! OOOH! He was the first one I thought of.