# The Unknown Famous **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 30, 2014, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515 "2014-12-30T08:16:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Waymore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Waymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waymore)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/1 "2014-12-30T08:16:36Z")
Inspired by the Adam Sandler thread (and also being bored at work.) I remember hearing some inane radio show where people jabber about silly news stories. The hosts were discussing a poll that showed how many Americans knew who certain celebrities were. They named off people like Oprah, Madonna, etc. I knew all the people and was taken aback at the thought of somebody not knowing them.\* But then I thought “What if there’s some super famous person I don’t know exists?” I keep waiting for this person to hove into view, but I’m not quite there yet. I’m not a young man anymore, and have a teenage daughter. I do hear of actresses, musicians, etc., that I had no clue about, but none seem to be **SUPER FAMOUS**. Anybody have a story about discovering a super famous person wayyyy after everybody else? \*I realize the US is only one nation, and there’s no reason somebody in Nepal should know who Harrison Ford is. I’m more thinking of people who are at least marginally immersed in the popular culture of the US. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/2 "2014-12-30T13:09:25Z")
I was 20 when I found out about Miles Davis. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/3 "2014-12-30T13:39:56Z")
I never heard of Warren Buffett until a few years ago, when he (one of the wealthiest guys on the world) started telling the US how it should be spending its money. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/4 "2014-12-30T15:53:22Z")
There are many examples of YouTube stars that have literally tens of millions of followers and for generations below mine are the biggest entertainers on their radar that I know absolutely nothing about. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/5 "2014-12-31T08:28:19Z")
I didn’t know Amy Adams existed until I just happened to see a tv show that had a clip of her in “The Muppets” (it was either a preview or a very early review). By that time she already had several Oscar nominations. ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/6 "2014-12-31T09:07:58Z")
I feel like such a Johnny-come-lately about John Green. I discovered him when the movie of TFIOS came out. Turns out, I had seen him on Mental Floss and Crash Course, I just never connected the dots. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/7 "2014-12-31T18:04:29Z")
> [@Septima](#): > > I feel like such a Johnny-come-lately about John Green. I discovered him when the movie of TFIOS came out. I had to google the name. I think I was very vaguely aware of his _The Fault in Our Stars_ book and the film adaptation thereof, but Green himself was an utter unknown to me. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/8 "2014-12-31T18:20:45Z")
I discovered John Green because I followed Metal Floss and started watching their videos which led to crash course and vlogbrothers et al. However, I only just a few weeks ago learned Pewdiepie exists and I submit that to kids in their teens he is basically like the Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![sensordev](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@sensordev](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sensordev)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/9 "2014-12-31T18:40:49Z")
On an L.A. call-in talk station they asked listeners for stories of how a friend or relative got them an “in” with a famous person, best story got concert tickets. They narrowed it down to three and the host wanted to go with one about meeting Fred Astaire. Co-host said it was a great story but most people today wouldn’t know who he was. The host was astounded and said dismissively that **everybody** knows Fred Astaire because he was so big for such a long time, a legend for cryin’ out loud! To prove his case he asked their twenty-something chirpy intern “You know who Fred Astaire is, don’t you?” “Oh sure! He was that guy who played Ethel’s husband on ‘I Love Lucy’!” Both hosts (Heidi and Frank) completely lost it and Frank admitted defeat as soon as he could speak again. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/10 "2014-12-31T18:40:58Z")
I think this is an interesting question. I don’t know if there are any Oprah-level celebrities I’m unaware of. I do know I have huge gaps in my data base. I don’t know who John Green is, or Amy Adams, or Pewdiepie. If they’re really famous, then I’m clueless. My father met Robert Redford once (in the late 70s when he was hugely popular) and had no idea who he was. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/11 "2014-12-31T18:58:29Z")
I never know who the musical guests or hosts are on SNL these days. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/12 "2014-12-31T19:33:47Z")
I know who Madonna is. I know who Oprah and Pewdiepie are due to South Park. The rest… huh? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/13 "2014-12-31T21:16:21Z")
I also had to look up Amy Adams today to be sure who she was. I hear her name a lot but wasn’t sure who she was. Also, she’s not an up and comer, she’s 40. I almost never know who the musical guest on SNL is. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/14 "2014-12-31T21:25:42Z")
I watch very little TV and almost no movies these days, so there are tons of famous actors I’ve never heard of. I’m aware of Amy Adams’s existence (I think she was in the last _Superman_ movie, or was that Rachel McAdams?), but I never heard of John Green. There are lots of other actors I’ve heard of, but couldn’t name a single damn one of their works. I do listen to music radio, so I’m much more likely to have heard of famous singers (not counting hillbilly music). ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/15 "2014-12-31T21:25:46Z")
I just looked at the Billboard pop list. Of the 10 top artists on the list, I didn’t recognize half of them. On the list of the top grossing movie stars for 2014, there are a couple of names that mean nothing to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/16 "2014-12-31T21:46:45Z")
I might as well mention [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745001)that **Dale Sams** just started. I’ve never heard of Chris Pine, Josh Brolin, or Jake Gylenhall. I can’t name a single thing that Ryan Reynolds has been in. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/17 "2014-12-31T22:30:13Z")
While perusing the names of the famous girls who had their nekkid pictures leaked, I had no idea of who at least half of them were. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/18 "2014-12-31T23:08:42Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I might as well mention [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745001)that **Dale Sams** just started. I’ve never heard of Chris Pine Over the last year-and-a-half, Captain Kirk/Jack Ryan/Prince Charming. > [@](#): > > , Josh Brolin, You’ve heard of _James_ Brolin, though, right? ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/19 "2015-01-01T00:30:09Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > I might as well mention [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=745001)that **Dale Sams** just started. I’ve never heard of Chris Pine, Josh Brolin, or Jake Gylenhall. I can’t name a single thing that Ryan Reynolds has been in. Josh Brolin was in Goonies, Planet Terror, the True Grit remake, Milk, MIB3 ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515/20 "2015-01-01T01:46:44Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Over the last year-and-a-half, Captain Kirk/Jack Ryan/Prince Charming. > > You’ve heard of _James_ Brolin, though, right? Nope. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unknown-famous/708515.md?page=2)