# Have you known anyone with a famous name? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 2, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971 "2006-08-02T03:54:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/1 "2006-08-02T03:54:41Z")
I just did a recording session today for a man named Arthur Carlson. That was the name of the GM on “WKRP In Cincinnati.” So on the way to the studio, I said to him, “I’m sorry, but being in radio, I just have to ask. It’s been 20-odd years. Do you still get people calling you ‘big guy’?” He laughed and said “yes, sometimes.” Then he told me about when he worked in TV in Miami, and the cast of WKRP was on a radio show across the way. When they discovered that there was a real Art Carlson in the building, they had to go get him, and he was on the air with the whole cast for about 20 minutes. I mentioned it to my brother, and he told me that as IT guy at his company, he just deleted the e-mail account of a William Gilligan. On the series, Gilligan’s first name was Willie. I wonder if he had to endure a lifetime of people calling him “little buddy”? I’ve known a David Jones (Monkee, real name of David Bowie). There is a realtor named George Harrison here… I’ve seen his signs several times. How about you guys? Know of any non-celebrities with celebrity names? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/2 "2006-08-02T04:01:55Z")
George Goebel, Hugh Downs and Barbara Walters live in the retirement town of Green Valley a half-hour from here. Mark David Chapman lives in Tucson- he told me when Lennon was killed people would call him. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/3 "2006-08-02T04:05:08Z")
I worked in a warehouse for a while. One of the managers I worked with was named Steve Perry. I’d pass calls off to him telling them they could take the issue up with the lead singer of Journey. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/4 "2006-08-02T04:06:55Z")
Amanda bines was the name of my 5th grade sweetheart. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/5 "2006-08-02T04:13:15Z")
My ex has a friend called Michael Jackson. He’s a quite nice, white, accountant with a normally-pitched voice. Nevertheless a month wouldn’t go by without him giving his name (to book a restaurant, flight, or whatever) without someone gasping “THE Michael Jackson???”. People are so dumb. I mean that must be a really common name. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/6 "2006-08-02T04:26:31Z")
I went to school with a guy named David Bowie. His famous name was made more unfortunate by an incident in our final year. There were about 150 of us in a gymnasium taking an important mid-year exam, and he had a grand mal seizure, fell out of his chair and was thrashing around on the ground and frothing at the mouth. Everything turned out OK, but from then on there were constant jokes about seeing David Bowie perform live. I also know two guys named David Bell. (For non-Americans and those who don’t follow sports, David Bell is a well known professional baseballer for the Philadelphia Phillies.) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/7 "2006-08-02T04:30:06Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > (For non-Americans and those who don’t follow sports, David Bell is a well known professional baseballer for the Philadelphia Phillies.) Oops, i apparently haven’t been playing close enough attention to recent trade activities. David Bell now plays for the Milwaukee Brewers. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/8 "2006-08-02T04:34:26Z")
A friend of mine dated James Bond. No, really! I can’t imagine the expectant Mrs Bond, talking over possible baby names with hubby and deciding James sounded pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/9 "2006-08-02T04:39:23Z")
I, too, went to school with a Michael Jackson, for a short time. He was a quiet kid who kept to himself and moved away before we were out of elementary school. Upon moving to Seattle, I hear a couple of names on the news sometimes, news personalities of some sort, named Jill Taylor (or was that a Home Improvement character?), Todd Johnson, and Joyce Taylor. The first two are names of people I went to high school with, and the third is an old co-worker friend who I still keep in touch with. I also went to school with a Charles Robinson. Really tall white guy with Fabio hair who played basketball. Really cool guy. Think that was also the name of an actor on Night Court. My own name will get some hits on Google concerning the woman who claimed to be the lost Romanov, Anastasia Anderson. She went by Anna. I, however, go by Stasia, thanks. And I make no claims to being anything royal. Unless it’s a pain in the arse. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/10 "2006-08-02T04:41:43Z")
My friend Jim Davis _still_ gets Garfield jokes. I once had a student named Val Kilmer (a girl), and one named Jessica Stein (she really hated that movie). ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/11 "2006-08-02T04:46:38Z")
That account of seeing David Bowie perform live is cruel. But hilarious! And thanks for reminding me, I lived down the street from a Jim Davis when I was a kid. His parents were friends with mine. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/12 "2006-08-02T06:20:25Z")
I knew _two_ guys in high school named Steven King. And my boss at my last job was Cindy Crawford! ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/13 "2006-08-02T06:23:13Z")
My former brother-in-law’s name is Robert Culp. ---
**Author:** ![Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Smashed\_Ice\_Cream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smashed_Ice_Cream)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/14 "2006-08-02T06:34:20Z")
My grandmother’s name was Elizabeth Taylor, which was a blast. I also know a Steve Martin, another Cindy Crawford, a Josh Grobin, and a Jackie Kennedy. ---
**Author:** ![Standard\_Nathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Standard\_Nathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standard_Nathan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/15 "2006-08-02T06:40:07Z")
i’ve known a Chris Farley and a Chris Griffin. i also knew a James Davis, but he didn’t go by Jim. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/16 "2006-08-02T09:26:34Z")
One of my coworkers is named Larry King. ---
**Author:** ![Tootingkhamen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e36b37/32.png) [@Tootingkhamen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tootingkhamen)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/17 "2006-08-02T10:59:53Z")
A guy I used to sit next to at work had an accountant called Eric Clapton ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/18 "2006-08-02T11:35:28Z")
I went to school with John F. Kennedy (although that was most likely a deliberate choice on his parents’ part, since he was born just after JFK died). The former deputy director of the agency I work for is named Lisa Simpson. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/19 "2006-08-02T11:47:32Z")
I went to school with a Michael Jackson, who endured 5 years of people walking past him, and saying “OW!” in a high-pitched voice (with optional Michael Jackson crotch-grab/finger-point pose) with remarkably good humour. Turns out that the Chief of General Staff of the British Army was, until a few days ago, [General Sir Michael Jackson](Mike Jackson). I can’t even begin to imagine the kind of shit he would have had to put up with at Sandhurst… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2006, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971/20 "2006-08-02T12:25:23Z")
One of my best friends from high school is named Mike Myers. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-known-anyone-with-a-famous-name/366971.md?page=2)