Well of we’re counting concerts, Lady Gaga or Wierd Al. If we’re talking about people I have talked to face to face, Gordon Jump.
Did you ask him about the turkeys?
Saw both Clintons as separate campaign events in '92 and '14 (she was campaigning for others). And the recently deceased Aretha Franklin was an occasional customer at a local family eatery my wife and I patronized. Saw her there 3 or 4 times but never spoke to her. (Gave her the salute, though, and she smiled.)
Seems a good place to relate my fantasy about meeting Steven King and saying: “I’m such a fan…of your son.” Think that would get a laugh.
Here are some random sightings of celebrities from when I lived in Manhattan. I didn’t interact with any of these people, just saw them up close:
- Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) - sitting in a restaurant with two large bodyguards
- Martha Stewart - in a restaurant
- Jon Stewart - in a diner
- Meryl Streep - walking into a midtown TV studio
- Tom Brokaw - walking on the street
- Jerry Springer - walking on the street
- Ric Ocasek (Cars singer) - stood next to him at a Suicide concert
- Grandpa Al Lewis (Munsters) - outside his restaurant on Bleecker Street
My pop culture knowledge is limited so I probably didn’t recognize many others.
I have spoken to Pat Carlini and Henry Lee Summer. They’re central IN notables. I met Maureen Tucker (Velvet Underground drummer). I’m sure I’ve crossed paths with Jennifer Nettles, but I don’t remember any specifics for sure.
Assuming we’re talking personal interactions and not just someone I saw onstage at a performance, I’ve gotten to meet quite a few pro wrestlers at meet & greets. Mick Foley, Jake ‘the Snake’ Roberts, Cody Rhodes, Tommy Dreamer, Austin Aries, and Pentagon Jr. would probably be the biggest names out of the lot of them.
My closest celebrity encounter was shopping in the same small grocery store with Charlie Sheen. No interaction. (He probably wasn’t just shopping, but winning. :))
A very good friend of mine lives up in the hills in San Anselmo, CA. We walked down from her house to go to lunch and on our way back up passed a not-quite-homeless looking guy drinking coffee on a bench on the sidewalk. I looked at my friend and she said, “Yep, that’s George (Lucas).” Apparently, he often looks like that when he’s hanging around town.
If we’re counting concerts: Paul McCartney (I mean, who’s more famous than one of the Beatles?), but I’ve been to a lot of concerts, and I’m not really sure who is more famous than whom.
For actors: I met Alan Rickman after seeing him on Broadway in “Seminar”. He is definitely the most famous actor I ever spoke to.
I have met a lot of random singers/bands and B/C list actors when I was working in radio and TV back in the early 90’s.
I used to see the previous king of Thailand drive past with his entourage on many a late afternoon near Democracy Monument in Bangkok. Otherwise it’s probably Mel Gibson.
Ah, the Canadian perspective: hockey players!
I have met, Darryl Sitter, Lanny McDonald, and Phil Esposito. Plus I played ball against Dino Ciccarelli.
Oh, and once at a hockey game in Maple Leaf Gardens I brushed against Anthony Robbins in the beer line up.
Queen Elizabeth II.
Not many famous people hung out where I lived, it was the furthest spot from everything that matters, where nobody lived, and was usually cold and wet. So any famous person who came nearby was a notable event. The Queen visited town once in 1977, and saw our local air show, and I was there too, as an 8 year old. There’s a photo somewhere in the family archives to prove it.
Various times I haven’t realized who the celebrity was until after they pass by. I don’t recognize them regular contexts, and then someone says, “Did you see who that was?”
I’ve been in crowds at big public events where the Queen and other royals were at a distance, on quite a few occasions, and once, being a student at Cambridge at the same time as Prince Charles, I nearly trod on his foot as the corridors fled up at the time lectures all came to an end together.
More recently, at a favourite local pub part-owned by Ian McKellen, as I opened the door to leave, I nearly tripped over him, as he was on his knees polishing the brasswork on the outside.
Talked to in person (in fact, I first bought one of his books after spending lunch with him), Terry Pratchett.
I’ve also talked with Stan Lee, JR[sup]2[/sup], Walt Simonson and a slew of Spanish comic book artists (these mainly when we were still all publishing in fanzines), but not for as long.
Warren Beatty, I think.
Vacationing in LA with the ex-wife (her father lived there) and we were walking down a street in Pasadena and there was a car on the corner and someone sticking out of the sunroof talking to a bunch of people. We didn’t stop but noted the commotion at which time my father-in-law said, “yeah, that was Warren Beatty.” I took his word for it.
Angela Merkel, at a distance of about forty-feet, she was surrounded by about thirty body-guards, staff and other personnel.
The next morning, British PM David Cameron at a distance of about twenty-feet, he only had three people with him, visible at least.
Oh and almost forgot this one, though it probably won’t impress many people here, but in the mid 1990’s when Eddie Jordan was running his F1 motorsport team I was still living at home with my parents. I grew up on a farm and we regularly had to move sheep and cattle along the local roads from field to field. I had only a passing interest and knowledge in F1 but my cousin Barry was a huge fan.
When moving sheep it required people to walk ahead of them, walk behind them and block off cross-roads to ensure safety, myself and my cousins were used for this task. On this day I had moved into a side-road to prevent traffic exiting until the sheep passed when a small red Peugeot car pulled up alongside me, wound down the window and asked how long it would be, I reassured him it would be only about five minutes at the most. The driver was happy enough with this and sat watching the sheep pass with my standing beside him and his window down, I didn’t think much of it though he did look vaguely familiar.
In the distance I could see my cousin Barry jumping up and down to get my attention, waving, and pointing at the car. I had no idea what he was on about. After all the sheep had passed the driver thanked me, and drove onto the main road and away.
My cousin Barry came running down the road breathless, “That was Eddie Jordan!”
And it was. I had the chance for a private conversation/interview with one of the most famous of F1 team managers at the time and spent it in companionable silence.
For context this was in Northern Ireland and the Jordan team was using Peugeot engines at the time which is probably why he was driving a Peugeot car, though it was a very modest, everyday one.
I’ve met and spoken to Ruth Davidson, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, and shaken hands with Theresa May. Stephen Hawking almost ran me over.
I shook Leonard Nimoy’s hand at this appearance at a toy store when I was 8 years old.
The Dalai Lama during one of his trips to Madison, WI.
No real personal interaction, but off the top of my head,
I’ve seen lots of famous athletes and coaches at various sporting events. The most prominent I can think of would be LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Sammy Sosa, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mike Krzyzewski, Bobby Bowden, Nick Saban, and Joe Paterno.
As far as politicians, I saw Bill Clinton speak when he was campaigning in 1992 and George W. Bush when he was campaigning in 2000. I also saw Jeb Bush speak twice when he was governor of Florida.
I saw Hulk Hogan doing promotional photos at a theme park.
For musicians, Cheryl Crow, Darius Rucker, Kenny Chesney.