# Who's the most famous person whose face is unknown? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2002, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688 "2002-08-26T21:32:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/1 "2002-08-26T21:32:11Z")
In today’s world, who is the most famous person that 95% of the population could not identify by sight? Everyone knows this person, knows exactly why they are famous, etc, but wouldn’t recognize this person if they walked up and asked for directions. I of course can’t come up with a clear winner, so instead I’ll offer up some different ones from different industries: Famous writer. Someone like Steven King, but most people would recognize him, so how about…John Grisham? Michael Crichton? Or a famous reclusive writer, like J.D. Salinger? Famous director. Brian DePalma? Peter Bogdanovich? (Yes, I know he’s in The Sopranos now) Famous businessman. Warren Buffett? Larry Ellison? Rock n’ Roll personality. It’d be hard to miss Robert Plant, or Mick Jagger, or Bono, but I don’t think I’d recognize James Hetfield. (Or maybe I’d think he was Mark McGwire :p) Sports personality. maybe an NFL player - Marshall Faulk? Duante Culpepper? (Difficult for me to come up with examples, b/c I _do_ know what most pro athletes look like). Or an ex-Olympian? Mark Spitz? Dorothy Hamill? Famous celebrity no longer famous. How often do you suppose Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, or Willie Mays get recognized? Or how about a famous actor/actress that have long since retired - Brigitte Bardot? I’m sure there’s some obvious categories that I’ve overlooked… ---
**Author:** ![BZ00000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BZ00000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BZ00000)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/2 "2002-08-26T21:43:12Z")
Thomas Pynchon ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/3 "2002-08-26T21:52:35Z")
Elwood Edwards ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/4 "2002-08-26T21:59:01Z")
The unknown soldier. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/5 "2002-08-26T21:59:32Z")
Around here it’s Cecil. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/6 "2002-08-26T21:59:48Z")
The guy who played “Wilson” on Home Improvement. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/7 "2002-08-26T22:02:25Z")
I have no idea what Paul Harvey looks like. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/8 "2002-08-26T22:13:09Z")
Well, there are a host of politicians and government figures that fit this category- how many people would recognize Donald Rumsfeld, Dennis Hastert, Justice Anthony Kennedy, or Tom Daschle from photos alone? Not many, I’d wager. In literature, I agree that John Grisham would go unrecognized most places. Michael Crichton is a LITTLE better known, and besides, his height would give him away (he’s about 6 foot 10). Other famous people whose faces most Americans wouldn’t recognize: Michael Eisner Patrick Roy (I only see him with his mask on!) Tony Blair (and a host of other foreign leaders… sad, but true) ---
**Author:** ![jmpride62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@jmpride62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmpride62)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/9 "2002-08-26T22:23:36Z")
Michael Jackson? Cher? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lokij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@lokij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lokij)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/10 "2002-08-26T22:36:46Z")
Probably Jesus, Mohammed or Buddha. I doubt anybody in a large city would recognise these guys if they were just walking down the street. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/11 "2002-08-26T22:41:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \* > \*\*In today’s world, who is the most famous person that 95% of the population could not identify by sight? Everyone knows this person, knows exactly why they are famous, etc, but wouldn’t recognize this person if they walked up and asked for directions. > \*\* 95% of the population would not recognize even the names, let alone the faces, of ALL the people you have mentioned combined. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/12 "2002-08-26T22:44:54Z")
i meant to say: atleast 20% of the world’s population would not recognize the names of ALL the people you have mentioned combined, let alone their faces. i need coffee. or sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/13 "2002-08-26T23:35:04Z")
> [@](#): > > atleast 20% of the world’s population would not recognize the names of ALL the people you have mentioned combined, let alone their faces. So whose name WOULD they recognize? Wave off my OP, then not offer any suggestions, eh? 🙂 Notice I never claimed that any of my examples were good enough - that’s kinda why I asked to begin with… ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/14 "2002-08-26T23:46:51Z")
sorry, **Dookus** , didn’t mean to be offensive 😉 you see, a large large population in my country alone would not have the faintest clue of who all these people were… maybe you have to start with world leaders and then work your way down… perhaps many people would not even recognize famous world leaders, while their name might ring a bell… i understand what you’re asking, but i don’t know the answer 🙂 i’m so helpful today 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/15 "2002-08-26T23:54:02Z")
I don’t agree with Michael Eisner. He’s on TV all the time. Most people who know who he is know what he looks like. Probably the most recognizable CEO-type besides Bill Gates. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/16 "2002-08-26T23:56:06Z")
To respond to what **Dooku** said, I submit that 95% of the world’s population would recognize the following names: 1. - Jesus Chris 2. - Adolf Hitler I think these are the only two people whom this could be said about. Buddha may be up there, but he’s not in J.C.'s league when it comes to being zealously spread by his followers. And Hitler is so vilified in book and film worldwide (Nazis are the universal badguys) that hardly anyone who has ever seen a television, listened to a radio, or read a few books could fail to have heard his name mentioned, even in passing. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2002, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/17 "2002-08-26T23:57:21Z")
How about that dude who stepped in front of those tanks at Tienamen Square? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/18 "2002-08-27T00:02:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lizard \* > \*\*To respond to what **Dooku** said, I submit that 95% of the world’s population would recognize the following names: > > 1. > - Jesus Chris > > 2. > - Adolf Hitler > > I think these are the only two people whom this could be said about. Buddha may be up there, but he’s not in J.C.'s league when it comes to being zealously spread by his followers. And Hitler is so vilified in book and film worldwide (Nazis are the universal badguys) that hardly anyone who has ever seen a television, listened to a radio, or read a few books could fail to have heard his name mentioned, even in passing. \*\* I’ll strongly dispute 95% of the world’s population recognizing the name Adolf Hitler. Jesus Christ might perhaps be known, atleast by name, to that large a population. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2002, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/19 "2002-08-27T00:05:22Z")
Jack the Ripper. ---
**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:** [August 27, 2002, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-most-famous-person-whose-face-is-unknown/125688/20 "2002-08-27T00:40:10Z")
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