# Noteworthy Celebrity Coincidences **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222 "2008-04-06T20:41:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/1 "2008-04-06T20:41:20Z")
I had started watching the Bogart/Bacall version of _The Big Sleep_ on TCM just now when I had the thought that Robert Mitchum and James Stewart were in the 1978 remake and that they died a day apart in 1997. And just this week after watching the DVD of _No Country For Old Men_, **Zoe** and I began wondering if any other former college roommates such as Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones had ever gone on to win Oscars. The one about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both dying on the same July 4th might have occurred to me during an episode of the HBO miniseries in progress on _John Adams_, but I knew that a while back. Help develop a list of such coincidences, and any others you think may be significant. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/2 "2008-04-06T21:15:26Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] And just this week after watching the DVD of _No Country For Old Men_, **Zoe** and I began wondering if any other former college roommates such as Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones had ever gone on to win Oscars. [/QUOTE] Blake Edwards and Mickey Rooney, both winners of honorary Oscars, once shared an apartment. Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman were roommates, too. But none of these folks were college roommates. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/3 "2008-04-06T21:24:47Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] Blake Edwards and Mickey Rooney, both winners of honorary Oscars, once shared an apartment. Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman were roommates, too. But none of these folks were college roommates. [/QUOTE] Those are in the spirit of the thread, though. Nice ones, too. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/4 "2008-04-07T02:56:25Z")
A well-known coincidence was Roger Bowen, who played Henry Blake in the movie _MASH_, died one day after McLean Stevenson, who played Henry Blake in the televison series _MASH_. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/5 "2008-04-07T03:08:40Z")
There’s the [notorious James Dean safe-driving PSA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZXhaDXvFfc). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/6 "2008-04-07T03:15:19Z")
Yul Brynner played the character of Adams in the movie _The Magnificent Seven_. The movie was successful and Brynner played Adams again in the sequel _Return of the Seven_. This was also a success so they decided to make a third movie, _The Magnificent Seven Ride_. Lee Van Cleef played the character of Sabata in the movie _Sabata_. That movie also was successful and they decided to make a sequel _Adios, Sabata_. Van Cleef had to turn down the part because he was playing Adams in the above mentioned movie, _The Magnificent Seven Ride_. So they hired Yul Brynner to play the part of Sabata. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/7 "2008-04-07T04:54:16Z")
[QUOTE=TWDuke] There’s the [notorious James Dean safe-driving PSA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZXhaDXvFfc). [/QUOTE] Indeed! Dean’s buddy [Bill Hickman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hickman) has some interesting history in addition to being the one is whose arms Dean died. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/8 "2008-04-07T12:40:00Z")
Phil Donohue and Erma Bombeck lived on the same street and were friends long before either of them were famous. The friendship continued, and Donohue spoke at Bombeck’s funeral. Peg Bracken & Homer Groening wrote a newspaper column called “Phoebe Get Your Man” back in the 1950’s, before she became a cookbook writer and his son Matt became incredibly famous. Marge Groening lived across the street from Bracken in the 1990’s. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/9 "2008-04-07T12:47:43Z")
Roger Bowen, who played Henry Blake in the movie **M_A_S\*H** , and McLean Stevenson, who played Henry Blake in the TV show **M_A_S\*H** , died within 24 hours of each other. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/10 "2008-04-07T13:00:26Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] And just this week after watching the DVD of _No Country For Old Men_, **Zoe** and I began wondering if any other former college roommates such as Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones had ever gone on to win Oscars. [/QUOTE] It’s a cool coincidence that they were roomies, but Gore didn’t win an Oscar. The award went to the movie’s producer (and director), Davis Guggenheim. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/11 "2008-04-07T13:15:28Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] It’s a cool coincidence that they were roomies, but Gore didn’t win an Oscar. The award went to the movie’s producer (and director), Davis Guggenheim. [/QUOTE] Oops. Maybe I should have said something like “went on the be world famous” or something, but that’s more wide open. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/12 "2008-04-07T14:47:43Z")
Financial TV show host Suze Orman was once apartment mates with John Belushi. There was no romantic relationship: John was dating Suze’s roommate and moved into the apartment with them. Orman was also friends with Dan Fogelberg, who performed at a club where she was waitressing. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/13 "2008-04-07T15:04:37Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] Roger Bowen, who played Henry Blake in the movie **M_A_S\*H** , and McLean Stevenson, who played Henry Blake in the TV show **M_A_S\*H** , died within 24 hours of each other. [/QUOTE] Psst, see post #4. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/14 "2008-04-07T15:13:48Z")
Susan Spungen, sister of the infamous Nancy, worked as an assistant to Martha Stewart. Serial killer Cory Stayner is brother of Steven Stayner, the child who was abducted and held for seven years by a child molester. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/15 "2008-04-07T15:32:04Z")
The first person who posts the list of Lincoln-Kennedy “coincidences” gets a good thumping. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noteworthy-celebrity-coincidences/444222/16 "2008-04-07T15:35:57Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] The first person who posts the list of Lincoln-Kennedy “coincidences” gets a good thumping. [/QUOTE] Roger!