[emphasis mine]
Afk to book room at Lisbon hotel 
I was dropping off a rental car at Logan airport in Boston. As I walked into the small building, there was a tall guy exiting. He looked familiar. But it was hard to get a good look at his face to be sure, because he was really tall, like 6’6" (I’m 5’7").
When I got to the desk, I asked the clerk, “That tall guy who just left, what was his last name? Was it Gillette?”
She looked at the computer, and replied, “No, it’s Hunt.”
“Oh” I replied, dejected. Then I brightened and asked her, “Is his first name Mike?”
“Yes, Michael Hunt. Do you know him?” she asked, not realizing the vulgar pun she had just (sort of) uttered, and the likelihood that she had just rented a car to Penn Gillette traveling under an alias.
I’ve never been able to confirm whether it was really him – he doesn’t seem to be a big enough celebrity to need to use an alias when he travels. But on the other hand, if Penn Gillette used an alias, I gotta think that would be the one he’d pick!
This makes me a dork, but I am sorely jealous of this story. I may re-claim it as my own.
I couldn’t resist.
Yep, same person. Here’s a short bio.
You’ll note that a few lines of the Pink Floyd song say:
Well, this is a reference to We’ll Meet Again (scroll down), probably her best-known song which, as minor7flat5 noted, played in Dr. Strangelove.
A co-worker of mine cursed an individual in a Jeep Cherokee who was not following our traffic control directions in a construction area. I was present and witnessed the whole business but my co-worker was the one who actually screamed at them and basically asked if they had shit for brains or what. Garth Brooks.
Stood right next to Mohammed Ali while he joined in the laughter about the state of my mates suitcase (held together by a roll of duct tape) at Gatwick Airport…
Had tea and biscuits (Abbey Crunch) with Brian Eno in his back garden after delivering a mixing console to him. Then he got the Sinclair C5’s out…
Been sworn at by Angela Rippon (famous British newsreader) for blocking the road…
I’ve served Starbucks beverages to Cal Ripken and Kathleen Kennedy-Townsend.
I didn’t even know it was Ripken and I pissed Townsend off because her credit card didn’t go through the first time. Wankers.
I was about 3 months away from experiencing this encounter (mom was pregnant with me at the time), but it’s an interesting story. November 22, 1963 - my mother takes my older sister, then one years old, to see JFK and Jackie land at Love Field. The press took a picture of Jackie holding my sister - and that shot ended up appearing in newspapers around the world, for obvious reasons.
To this day, some say it’s the tragedy Dallas never lived down.
This happened on Tuesday evening thats just gone and is a triple whammy of celeb meeting. I was staying at my girlfriends brothers house which is a basement flat below his grandparents. Now his grandparents happen to be Prunella Scales and Timothy West both fairly big stars in the UK and I was kind of used to seeing them every now and then. What I wasn’t prepared for is to come back from the pub (a little worse for wear) and as we weave our way down to Bens flat bump into John Cleese! We wound up drinking champagne in the backgarden and chatting for a while, he’s quite a good bloke really.
A friend and I were walking along the Champs Elysee. He was wearing what I refer to as a “go fast hat”. We turned into one of the malls and he commented to me about why Parisians don’t wear hats. I said “because you look stupid in that thing”. He says “Well, if you think I look stupid, look at that dumb motherfucker over there…he thinks he’s Elton John.” Guess who…?
I saw Johny Vegas buying pies in my local pie shop. (he’s quite small in person)
I almost bumped into Magnus Magnusen (the old presenter of Mastermind) on the way into a book shop (on the same street as the pie shop mentioned earlier)
Surreal encounter I wish I had - with Mena Suvari - She was where I live filming somethin or other.
I live in an area heavily populated by stars.
A few recent encounters:
Ran into, literally, Morgan Fairchild at the coffee shop. She’s tiny, skinny, beautiful, and has humongous beautiful white shiny teeth.
Tobey McGuire: I’ve seen him at my gym on the treadmill, twice, and once at the grocery.
Kirsten Dunst: in Sav On. I’ve seen her in the store once, and she was walking through the parking lot the other day. She is absolutely gorgeous and THIN.
Richard Gere: in Home Depot, of all places.
Damon Wayans: walks around the neighborhood all the time, all by himself.
It’s funny how they don’t look like they do on the screen…many times I’ll see someone and think “nah, can’t be”, and it IS.
My buddies and I had skipped class to go to Churchill Downs one afternoon in the late spring. We’d been sitting in the clubhouse grandstand drinking some beers and having a grand ol’ time. I stumbled back inside to see a man about a dog and lay down a wager or two. As usual, I wasn’t watching where I was going.
I bumped into some guy as he walked out the doors I was trying to go in. Nailed him pretty good so he was a little shook. I had backed into him so I turned around to apologize (since I am a civil and considerate fellow).
I turned, glanced at his face and offered my apologizes for the inadvertant jostling.
I took about four steps before it registered. The heavyset, fiftyish guy I’d almost knocked down was none other than Mr. James Snyder. a/k/a
Jimmy the Greek
Two airport encounters:
LAX, about 2 years ago. Ron Jeremy. Standing outside baggage claim, looking like he was waiting for someone to pick him up. Wearing a track suit.
Columbia, SC, about 7 years ago. Strom Thurmond. He was clearly out of it, his assistant/driver (who was black) was pointing him in the direction of where he was supposed to go and what he was supposed to do. He was ambulatory, unlike the last couple of years.
Literally bumped into Sam Donaldson on the street one day. Very tall man.
While in college parked cars for many of the Bulls, including Scottie Pippen (lousy tipper), and several Chicago-area/B-list celebrities.
Drove some other NBA players and their ahem professional companions in my taxi.
Two encounters:
I worked for a books on tape operation several years ago. Now celebrity encounters were a dime a dozen, as we only hired celebrities to read our books.
I was walking into work and a heavyset distinguished looking gentleman was on his way out. I held the door for him and he said “Thank you.” It was then I remembered that Russell Johnson was scheduled to read his book about being the Professor on Gilligan’s Island that day - and I’d just held the door for him. Didn’t look a thing like he did back then, but the voice is still exactly the same. Got to work with him another day and he is a very nice and quiet man who values his privacy - I would have never even considered asking him for an autograph.
And another night I was out to dinner, looked at my watch and realized I had an appointment in 5 minutes. I threw down a $20, waved at my waitress, ran to the door, and ran smack into Jay Leno coming in. Damn near floored him. Several years later I was visiting a friend of mine who is one of the sound men on the Tonight Show and Jay walked in - looked at me - and asked if I was going to knock him down again!
I just read that to cadolphin, who said “Well, you ARE 6’ 6”, and VERY hard to forget…"
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww…
Not really mine , but funny. In a shopping centre in Ireland with my English brother-in-law, at election time. The then Prime Minister, one Charles J. Haughey, is canvassing the centre.
This,non-Irish dopers should be aware, was a man very convinced of his own importance and fully aware of the privilege his presence is bestowing on the Plain People of Ireland. He walks up to the brother-in-law, shakes his hand and makes some anodyne comments about being pleased to meet him. The brother-in-law looks puzzled and vaguely wary, as you do when approached by a person you don’t know from Adam in a shopping centre. “Excuse me, do I know you”, he finally ventures. The Haughey eyelids bat furiously at aides, in a distinctly reptilian fashion, and he stalks off without uttering another word.
My wife and I were having Brekkie in a local Cracker Barrel, and in line with us for seating were The Romantics. One of them was happy that I recognized them, but them was annoyed when I said I liked their music, but wasn’t a fan.
In my government employee days, I’ve run into Bob Zelnick and Cokie Roberts form ABC News, and Bob Kur from NBC, in various places around DC…
When I was walking down the streets of New York City, I noticed a very nerdy looking older guy just staring at me. I thought “He looks familiar” as I walked by him. Then I realized it was Woody Allen. Turned around to look again, and he was looking over his shoulder right at me.
Since I never liked him to begin with, and this was during the whole Mia/Soon Li brouhaha, I congratulated myself and not going up and doing a “you looking at me” bit before beating the crap out of him.
Just thought of another one, involving the very same ex-boyfriend now that I think of it:
One summer he had sublet an apartment downtown, in McClurg Court for those of you who know Chicago…he had sold his old place, and due to a complex chain of events, the new one wasn’t ready to move in yet. So I spent much of that summer downtown, in the vicinity of Navy Pier/Water Tower Place.
One evening we were walking through the 680 N. Lake Shore Drive building, where there was a small supermarket, to get some stuff to grill. The building, which is mostly medical offices (and Playboy world headquarters) was pretty deserted on a Saturday evening. So as we turn the corner in the corridor, walking towrd us are Oprah Winfrey (who lives nearby) and a tall, slender, model-gorgeous friend.
After they pass us, I poke him in the ribs and say “Did you see her” “Yeah, of course, she was really hot. But why are you pointing her out to me?” “Oprah, you idiot!” He hadn’t seen Oprah; he was too busy drooling over her friend. Actually, that story explains a lot about our relationship.