Have you ever met a major league celebrity and maybe even exchanged a few words ? Perhaps you bumped into Julia Roberts at the dry cleaners or saw Eminem wheeling his trolley around Tescos ? Were they friendly and approachable or really horrible and aloof ? Let’s find out who are the nicest (and nastiest) celebs around…
James Doohan, ‘Scotty’ from Star Trek, once yelled at me for parking in a handicapped space at a McDonalds. Does that count? Also, John Savage, of ‘The Deer Hunter’ once asked me for directions. How 'bout that?
Antonin Scalia (though he’s a jerk) and JFK junior, although I didn’t know it was him (long story).
Earl Klugh, although he’s getting to be more of an actual acquaintance.
Didn’t meet him, but…
Waiting at the airport gate for the flight before mine to empty so I can get on board. I’m leaning on a column, reading a book. Suddenly a guy walks by, right in front of me. I’m sure he didn’t see me because of the column.
“Hey,” I thought, “That guy looks a lot like Muhammed Ali. Only maybe shorter.”
Just then a swarm of autograph-seekers rush by and surround him, and I realize that it is Muhammed Ali.
Billy Joel was very polite. Peter Murphy was exceptionally nice, though I was very thrown by how much smaller he was in person. The members of ‘The House of Love’ were piss-ass drunk at the time, but in a happy way. Jon Anderson was nice. I’ve talked with John deLancie on the phone… he was gracious and patient with a totally obsessed fan. 
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry is a bit standoffish and way particular… I found her rather intimidating. The minor writers I’ve met have all been very kind and a pleasure to work with.
I won’t share details of my… ahem… lengthy encounter with Depeche Mode, except to say that they’re VERY VERY VERY nice.
DH worked with the guy from Last of the Mohicans… not Daniel Day Lewis; the brother. He said he was amazingly nice and would hang around with the other actors, even the extras.
Hmmm… I’ll have to think if I’ve run into anyone else…
-BK
I don’t know if you were looking for the Hollywood Square level of fame or not. But if it counts for anything, I met Howie Mandel at an entertainment venue when I was in college. He was nice enough, but I think his new look is kinda creepy.
It was back in 1978. I met Paul Newman in a hospitality tent at a SCCA race. (Newman was driving for the Nissan racing team). As it happened, my mother was also in the tent and I introduced Newman to Mom. (She was a big fan of Newman the actor, not Newman the racer). P.L. was very gracious. My mother was very giddy.
Worked for a camp that Carrie Fisher’s daughter attended. Happened to be on the van route that picked her up at home. While there, van almost backed over Richard Dreyfuss.
I saw Cindy Crawford in the grocery line a week or so ago, but that’s it.
I had lunch (and a tennis coaching session) with Greg Rusedski yesterday - but since I won it in a competition, I suppose it dosen’t count 
Gp
I went to a celebrity tennis tournament in '82. I got to meet:
Lyle Waggoner - of Wonder Woman and The Carol Burnett show
Dick Van Patten - Kind of a jerk
Dinah Shore - seemed nice enough
The guy who played Oscar Goldman on The Six Million Dollar Man
Lloyd Bridges - Nicest celebrity I’ve ever met. He took time to talk to several kids for several minutes (including me, I was 11 at the time). Very genuine.
I met other celebrities there, but those are all that I remember.
About 13 years ago, I used to live in West Orange, NJ, where the famed comedy club Rascals was, and still is. One day, my friend and I saw Andrew Dice Clay walk out of a little drug store that we used to hang out at. He had this 7 foot goon with him, obviously some sort of body guard (this was when Dice was getting really big). My friend and I, big fans at the time, went up to him and said “hey, you’re Andrew Dice Clay!”, to which he responded “what’s up, Man?” without looking either of us in the eye, slapped my hand coldly, walking away quickly, almost scurrying. I then yelled out to him “hey…your mother? I FUCKED HER!!!”
No response. He didn’t even look back, just kept walking.(-:
As a freshman in college I was part of the University Union that brought speakers to campus. We got Leonard Nimoy. He gave a brilliant, wide-ranging talk, then took five or six of us from the Union back to his hotel lounge for drinks. We chatted for a couple of hours. He’s aces. I know hundreds of people have met him at conventions, but this was a much more intimate setting; very nice.
At a comics convention in 1993 (the Philly Comicfest) I was on staff and was assigned to be the Harlan Ellison wrangler, so I spent a full day in the company of him and his wife. He’s an utterly delightful little man.
In the early-mid 90’s when I had quite a lively and consistent email correspondence with Neil Gaiman. And I’ve met him several times and we’ve toasted over beer. We haven’t “spoken” in years but he’d remember my name if not my face.
I went backstage after a Graham Nash (without Crosby, Stills or even Young) concert in the 80’s. He’s an ass.
Okay, but forget all that. In 1985 I saw the Bangles perform at Emory University, and at one point got to lean against their tour bus. :: Sigh :: Oh, Vicki…
I’m from Long Island, NY, home of many celebrities. One of them is Natalie Portman, the actress who played Queen Amidalla in the Star Wars prequal.
My friend worked in a day camp as a counciler the summer the movie was out. She was hanging with this guy she was friends with, waiting for his ride to pick him up. When she did, the guy introduced my friend to his “girlfriend, Natalie”. They exchanged pleasantries, and parted ways.
The following day, the guy said to my friend “hey, that was really cool yesterday, the way you handled meeting Natalie.” My friend response was confusion. She didn’t know what the guy had meant. She had just seen the new Star Wars movie 2 weeks before, but didn’t recognize the star when she met her. (-;
Also, during breaks in a taping of ‘The Nanny’, I talked to Fran Drescher and Charles O’Whatshisname. They were very, very nice and talked to a lot of audience members.
I have talked to Jamie Farr on the phone(he had called for service from the shop I worked at). Very nice guy.
Dan Aykroyd and I hail from the same town, where he still lives, and I’ve run into him many times. He’s a jerk.
Simiarly, Canada’s most popular musical act, the Tragically Hip, hails from the same town, and I’ve met them many times and my Dad used to work with the father of the band’s guitarist. They’re all nice guys.
Alanis Morrissette and I used to have mutual friends and we hit the bars together a few times. At the time she was in her disco queen days, so she was less of a star. She’s nicer than you would expect from her PR persona (or was then, this was eight years ago or so.)
One of the new stars of the next Star Wars film, Hayden Christensen, who will play Anakin Skywalker, was in theatre classes with my sister. Nice kid. I wish she’d dated him. 
Being from Canada, I am personally acquainted with a number of professional hockey players.
RickJay:
Since when is Tragically Hip more popular than Barenaked Ladies, or even Rush?
I’m sure of it! Remember Your best interaction with a celebrity?
I mentioned my two favourites in the other thread.
Pete
Take off every .sig for great justice!!
[ol]
[li] Douglas Adams- at Macworld…he signed my Starship Titanic CD and we chatted. Miss you, Mr. Adams![/li][li] Bill Cosby - hung out with him backstage at Harrah’s Tahoe…he seemed to really like my girlfriend![/li][li] Kristy McNichol - while working at Heavenly Valley Ski Area. Her publicist made me talk to her for about an hour because she was “bored”. She was nicer than her publicist.[/li][li] Robert Wagner - I was very young, maybe 6, my mom and I had lunch with him, his wife/girlfriend (not sure) and his daughter. His daughter and I played with ladybugs together.[/li][li] Joe Montana - again, at Heavenly Valley, chatted while on a ride up the mountain on the tram. Saw him again 6 years later in Venice Beach, CA shooting a commercial.[/li][li] Liza Minelli - Heavenly Valley, again. She was waiting for a tram when a severe accident was brought on board. She calmed the victim and talked to her then she turned to me and asked if the woman would be o.k. I said, she would.[/li][li] Tom Wolfe - almost bumped into him on the street in Palo Alto. Apologized and thanked him for his books.[/li][/ol]
I met Johnny Depp & Rob Lowe. This was back when Depp was fresh out of 21 Jump Street & Lowe was dealing with his new found exposure from that video incident. That same weekend I passed within arm’s reach of Alec Baldwin and whoever he was dating at that time (Kim Basinger?)
None of the meetings were too terribly thrilling.