# Which of today's actors are "class acts" or genuine nice guys? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 15, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475 "2009-01-15T19:12:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Tal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@Tal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tal)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/81 "2009-01-17T14:37:25Z")
> [@Cyberhwk](#): > > …and will tip you into the next tax bracket. 🙂 > > Didn’t they also show up to a canceled convention to not disappoint their fans once? > . THey sure did! The event got cancelled only hours before it was supposed to start. People flew from all over the country (never mind other countries as far away as Australia) to attend. Fans of course were devestated having spent large amounts of money to hang out with fellow fans and see the guests on stage and get autographs and photos and so forth. But when the cast heard what happened they swung into action and voluntarily - no pay or security - they showed up at the convention venue over the weekend. Adam Baldwin was there as soon as he heard he rushed over and did what he could to make those waiting there and wondering what was going on feel better. Adam Baldwin, Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk (who was out of state working I think at the time) Morena Baccarin, Mark Sheppard, Christina Hendricks, Michael Fairman, Tim Minear (writer on Firefly) were all there to do what they could to make the fans feel better after the organisers essentially ran off with their money. Completely amazing and I think says a lot about their characters. Another event last year was cancelled mid way through and a couple of people deserve to be mentioned for their actions on that occasion also. Firstly John Billingsly who was on stage when the announcement was made. He didn’t let the guy making the announcement off the stage until he got some answers for the fans about refunds and what was going on and i believe he even arranged with the hotel to allow the guests to set up in one of the rooms (it was apparent the hotel wasn’t getting paid by this point) so they could give some autographs to the fans. Paul McGillion (Stargate) also went above and beyond when he found out a bunch of his fans were gathered together in one of the hotel rooms disappointed at not getting a chance to meet him (the con organisers hadn’t even booked his flight so he didn’t get there) and he called them and chatted on the speaker phone for half an hour. I could go on…but I’m sure you’ve all heard enough! ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/82 "2009-01-17T17:36:29Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > Yes, as I define class. Caring, kind, giving, friendly, genuine. Under this definition Artie Lang has class. I think implicit in the OP is the idea that a person with class isn’t a complete mess in his personal life and doesn’t make life hell for his friends and loved ones – no infidelity, no substance abuse, no public embarrassments or private trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/83 "2009-01-17T18:44:26Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I have never heard anything bad said about Bruce Campbell. By all accounts he is a class act. > > I wouldn’t call Penn and Teller a class act in the strictest sense of the word. Penn revels in pissing off those that disagree with him too much for that. However they are both extremely giving to their fans. > > Jody Foster seems like a class act but since she is mostly successful at keeping her private life private she may actually drown puppies for a hobby. > > The old school class acts I have always heard about: Vincent Price, Charleton Heston, Boris Karloff. Penn was on NPR’s _Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!_ and lost on the “Not My Job” segment where famous people have to answer questions about something they know nothing about and if they win, some listerner gets Karl Kassel’s voice on as the outgoing message on their answering machine. When he lost, Penn _immediately_ told the person to get in touch with him, and Penn would do the message on their machine, or get one of his friends (he tossed out names like Robin Williams, etc.) to do the voice for them. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/84 "2009-01-17T21:54:35Z")
I know some people who know Bill Campbell (_The Rocketeer_, _The 4400_) and only have good things to say about him. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/85 "2009-01-17T23:05:24Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Okay, you know what, I think Margaret Cho is funny. > > But she’s not anything like a class act. Her whole act is based on the fact that her life is the epitome of what class is not. Rampant drug use, alcoholism, compulsive sex. Waking up from a chemical haze in a bed full of your own shit. Whatever that might be, it’s not class. I don’t think those things are “classy” but none of those things you list make her a bad person. She’s always struck me as genuine and sincere to anyone that approaches her. She seems to have a real big heart. I guess it depends on what we’re talking about as far as “class act,” but I take it to mean more than weather or not they have their personal lives in order or not. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/86 "2009-01-17T23:52:36Z")
Personal anecdote: At Comic-con, a friend and I were hanging out in a back hall one late night, waiting to see if we could catch Joss Whedon going into a screening of Dr. Horrible. Eric taps my shoulder, and we spot Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (of Hot Fuzz fame). We go over and ask to get pictures with them. They’re both incredibly nice, but Edgar Wright really blew me away. Edgar: So, you guys going to the screening of Spaced? Me: Love to, but it’s full already. Plus we’re hoping to catch Joss Whedon, since he’s got a screening next door." Edgar: Fuck Joss Whedon! (with a smile) I’ll get you blokes in, if you like. Me: Seriously? Edgar: Of course, mate! So he takes us over, tells security “They’re with me,” and sits us in the reserved section, front row. People are staring, trying to figure out if we’re celebrities or not. Pretty freaking cool, and way above the call of duty. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/87 "2009-01-18T02:29:41Z")
> [@HelloNinja](#): > > I don’t think those things are “classy” but none of those things you list make her a bad person. She’s always struck me as genuine and sincere to anyone that approaches her. She seems to have a real big heart. I guess it depends on what we’re talking about as far as “class act,” but I take it to mean more than weather or not they have their personal lives in order or not. Did I say that she was a bad person? She’s just not classy. “Good person” or “big heart” aren’t sufficient for “class act.” It implies someone who is not just “good at heart” but someone who, in both professional and personal life, doesn’t make things difficult for others and, at the very least (and, note that this is only an example), isn’t so out of control in their personal lives that they shit their beds (without having some sort of serious physical illness). It means someone who doesn’t embarrass himself or herself or the people around them. Someone who’s classy doesn’t indulge in anything to excess. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/88 "2009-01-18T03:50:20Z")
A guy I know was Shannon Elizabeth (Nadia from _American Pie_)'s personal assistant for a long time. He’d met a fair few celebrities, but the only two he had a good word for were Elizabeth Taylor (whom he met at an AIDS fundraiser) and Justin Timberlake, who actually had him over to hang out at his mansion and listen to his new CD months before it was released. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/89 "2009-01-18T04:54:46Z")
By all accounts, Alfred Yankovic is a wonderfully nice fella. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/90 "2009-01-18T04:55:07Z")
Adrien Grenier from _Entourage_ strikes me as a fairly classy guy. I saw him down at Doheny beach one morning, helping a bunch of kids from a day camp pick up trash up and down the beach. Very low-key, didn’t want to draw any attention to himself- he just saw what they were doing and decided to help out. Cool guy. John Wayne was a drinker, and could be a prick. I liked the guy, but… he had his moments, even in his interactions with kids. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/91 "2009-01-18T05:00:35Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > John Wayne was a drinker, and could be a prick. I liked the guy, but… he had his moments, even in his interactions with kids. For some reason, I have this imagine of a shrink talkting a little kid and saying, “Now show me on this doll where the Duke touched you.” :eek: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a87d85/32.png) [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/92 "2009-01-18T05:00:52Z")
> [@Batsinma\_Belfry](#): > > George Clooney seems incredibly nice. Google Clooney and “Charlton Heston” and you’ll see something that will get you good and mad. Gorgeous George has got a very ugly side to his personality. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/93 "2009-01-18T05:03:00Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > For some reason, I have this imagine of a shrink talkting a little kid and saying, “Now show me on this doll where the Duke touched you.” :eek: 😉 He was a mean drunk, not a skeevy one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/94 "2009-01-18T06:08:21Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > By all accounts, Alfred Yankovic is a wonderfully nice fella. I hear he’s weird. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/95 "2009-01-18T06:34:08Z")
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Stephen Colbert Dominic Monaghan Billy Boyd Jimmy Fallon Shakira …in my limited experience with them (slightly more so with Joe, he could be considered a friend of mine). ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/96 "2009-01-18T07:19:11Z")
Victor Garber and the late Vincent Price, always gracious in person to their fans, certainly to this one. ---
**Author:** ![BaconAndEggs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@BaconAndEggs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaconAndEggs)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/97 "2009-01-18T08:01:23Z")
Even though he’s dead, I have to say that John Candy was a truely, genuine, nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/98 "2009-01-18T08:19:11Z")
John Ritter, too. Seemed to be a genuinely decent guy. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/99 "2009-01-18T08:44:41Z")
This spring, I waited behind a venue so I could meet the members of **Wilco**. I spent several minutes talking to the drummer, Glenn Kotche, who is just an unbelievable sweetheart. He signed our stuff, talked about the show, laughed and joked with us, and was just as nice as can be. Then Jeff Tweedy came around the corner of the bus, and I just sorta wordlessly thrust my CD at him, mumbled a “Thank you” after he signed it and scurried away. But I couldn’t leave it at that! I mean, I adore Jeff Tweedy. More than I adore anybody else. My best friend once joked (though she was mostly serious) that I “worship at the altar of Tweedy.” I could have just walked away, but I really wanted to _talk_ to the man, so I went back to the small group gathered around him. He caught my eye and stepped towards me, and I was like, “I’m sorry, I don’t want to waste your time but…” Then I just started rambling about how much I loved his music, and how inspirational I found his work. He smiled (sigh) and thanked me and said that it was very sweet. And then he put his arm around me and asked if I wanted a picture, but I didn’t have a camera! He could have been like “Oh…” and pushed me away but he asked the crowd if anybody had a camera! Somebody stepped forward and volunteered to take the picture (to email to me). My sister immediately said, “Can I be in too?” And he said “Sure,” and put his arm out to put around her, too. The person with the camera couldn’t get it to work at first, and he just stood patiently, waiting for the camera to flash. It was the happiest night of my life. A few days earlier, I went and saw Penn & Teller. We met them after the show, and I got a chance to thank them for all their work, especially on **Bullshit!**. They were very, very friendly. That was a really good week. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475/100 "2009-01-18T08:55:49Z")
I ran into Mary McDonnell in a Wegmans shopping. I used to work with her sister, so I decided to say hi to her and asked her to give my regards to her, since she had retired. I also had to mention how much I loved Battlestar Galactica and Laura Roslin. She was extremely gracious, asked my name, and said thanks. I felt like a bumbling fangirl, but not because of anything she did. She was very nice. Also, I have to say, she looked fantastic, and is much taller than I thought she would be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-todays-actors-are-class-acts-or-genuine-nice-guys/481475.md?page=6)