What famous people have you encountered or seen in person?

[FlyersFan]

What famous people have you encountered or seen in person?


My biggest encounter was Saint Mother Teresa.  This was back in the mid 1980s, can't remember the date.  I was in the army, stationed in Japan.  My job in the army was 'chaplain assistant'.  The chaplains office hosted Mother Teresa coming for a visit and talking to the troops.  So I was part of the coordination for it and I got to meet her.  Stood about 6 feet away from her.   She was tiny.  And when she spoke everyone was dead quiet.  They all held their breath.  Her voice was tiny just like she was.

Around 1985 I saw Wayne Rodgers (from MASH) in Tokyo.  I was walking down the street and there he was, sitting with about 4 other Americans, eating at an outdoor cafe.  I got his autograph.  Lost it somewhere over the years.  

I saw Gary Senise.  We were at Arlington National Cemetery for the laying of the wreath by the president - Veterans Day.   This was while Bush43 was in office.   Gary Senise was introduced as "Lieutenant Dan" and he gave a speech.  Also saw President George W Bush, Laura Bush, Nancy Pelosi, and a few other politicians that day as well.

Saw Donald Trump at a Rally in 2016 near Dover Delaware.  He was late.   

Saw Joe Biden and his wife in church almost 4 years ago.  We were sitting in church waiting for Mass one Saturday night to start and they came in and sat next to us.   Biden is shorter and smaller in real life then he looks like on TV.  

Saw William Shatner, Stan Lee, the cast of Charmed (not Allisa Milano though), Kevin Sorbo, Lou Ferrigno, Michael J Fox at a Comic-Con in Philadelphia about 10 years ago.   Shatner looked bored and tired.  Sorbo was smaller than you'd expect Hercules to be.   

Saw Van Halen in concert in San Antonio Texas back around 1987.  Saw RUSH and Kansas back in the 1970s too.

Saw David Brenner in Philadelphia one morning.  He had written a book and the TV cameras were there to interview him.

[Maxmars]

Have you ever heard of the "6-degrees of Kevin Bacon?"

It's an old iteration of the idea that most of us are peripherally connected to each other via casual contact. 
At some point, people are within 6 hand-shakes of a Kevin Bacon handshake...

My wife and I met him crossing the street in Manhattan... I told him I admired his works, and thank you.... he shook my hand.

And now anyone who shakes my hand is only 'two' handshakes away from a a Kevin Bacon handshake... silly, no?

[Tecate]

I shared an elevator ride with James Hetfield of Metallica at the old Chines Pagoda in Vegas.

Him and the band had a private tour of the cars on the fifth floor exhibit and we were already there so they allowed us to stay.

He was very personable, asked where we were from and what our plans in Vegas were.

He asked us if we bought anything at the car show and I laughed and said no, just a tad out of my price range and he showed me some postcards he got.

Good experience.


Tecate

[KKLoco]

I met Clyde Drexler when I was 10 years old. I told him "You're better than Michael Jordan." I was wrong...

About 12 years ago, Robert Downey Jr. stayed for a week at a resort I worked at, right after he wrapped one of the Iron Man movies. He is every bit as eccentric in person. He came in with an entourage of about 8 dudes and his son, no women. Anything that reminded him of alcohol had to be removed from the house he was staying in. As well as when he would visit the restaurant. Glasses, pictures, everything. They chain smoked in that house the entire week. The cost for smoking indoors alone was $5k.

Also met Don Johnson at the same resort. He was super nice. So was Mandy Moore. Also drove Mark Grace (old Cubs first baseman) to a golf course about 30 minutes away. They approved the shuttle ride because of who he was, and because he was hammered and already had two DUI's. He was super nice too. Alicia Keys came in and never left her room.

This one is my favorite. I met John Glenn at the same resort too. I had no clue who he was. Until one of my co-workers said 'Holy shit that's John Glenn!' I said 'who's John Glenn?' He said 'Only the most famous pilots on the planet.' He then said 'I'm going to talk to him'. I said ' I'm coming'. So we went over there and struck up a conversation. I patiently waited for my opportunity. When I finally got the opening, I asked him 'Have you seen any aliens or craft?' He took a very long pause and said "I haven't, but I have a bunch of friends that say they have.' I thought the response was cryptic and calculated. He saw stuff.

[Nerb]

I once got drunk with the boxer John Conteh when I was about 19.

My local pub in the UK had done a sponsored pool playing marathon lasting 50 hours. Four of us had raised money for The Royal National Lifeboat Institution. It was a nautical pub on the river Thames and I was the captain of the pool team who organised the event and participated.

About a week later, myself and the landlord spent a day going from pub to pub and bar to bar collecting sponsor money promised by his landlord friends. We ended up in a basement bar in Saint Paul's in London.

We saw his friend, got the money and then had a drink....served by John Conteh behind the bar who was dressed to the nines in a beautiful suit and was due to give an after dinner speech.

He never made it... lol. He was much happier sitting and chatting with us and was an incredibly gentle and friendly person who just wanted to chill, and have a laugh. A really genuine person who made people feel special by his presence and attention.

I was young, but managed to keep up as the beer and wine flowed and I remember his wonderful smile to this day.

I still have a great photo somewhere of me handing over the final cheque to the Admirals of the RNLI in their uniforms and me in a suit that made it into the local paper. Then we all got very drunk to keep the celebrations going until the early hours.

The memories of those times are wonderful.

[DISRAELI]

I studied history at a university which naturally brought me into contact with some eminent historians. The most famous was Hugh Trevor-Roper, the Regius Professor. On our first encounter, he said to me "How long have you been at this university?" "Three years." "Then you've been here long enough to know that when you are visiting an officer of the university you should be wearing a gown. Please go away and come back when you are wearing one."

On a friendlier note, my girl-friend for six months was a daughter of one of the Seton-Watson brothers and niece of the other one, and I visited her home.

I've had a couple of "before they were famous" encounters. The novelist and TV presenter Melvyn Bragg, now Lord Bragg, visited my college on a reunion night in 1971, and he spent the night in the other half of the double set of rooms which I was inhabiting. I can report that the next morning he called out from his bedroom to ask the time and said "Oh, God!", twice.

And in 1975, a  young, genial, clean-shaven theology graduate called Tom Wright visited my workplace on his own business and then gave me a lift home.

Does the English novelist John Harding count as famous? The author of "What we did on our holidays", etc. I shared classrooms with him for seven years because we went to the same school in the same year. Every year he was the top of the class and he was the Head Boy in his final year. On the other hand, my grade at English A-level was better than his (he only got a "B"), and since I have outlived him there is still a chance that my own books will outsell his.

[dragonsdemesne]

A few past local mayors and aldermen, Wayne Gretzky when I was a toddler, a few big names in the LDS church, some local TV/radio people, a few authors... maybe some others? That's just off the top of my head.

[Rainmaker]

My family and the family of one of my lifelong best friends were in the music industry, so we grew up around those folks, 80s-90s. His sister went on to become an actress thanks to the family’s connections, so she knows all of the Hollywood crowd while my friend and I know the music side of the industry.

You can get along with most of the big names in entertainment if you tread them like normal people and don’t ask for anything.

The nicest “very famous” person I ever met was Justin Timberlake, unfortunately under business conditions and not to socialize. But he was just a normal guy with normal concerns and was very nice and easy to chat with. To this day I don’t think I’ve ever listened to one of his songs as I’m a punk/hardcore person and always have been.

The most rude person I’ve met was Tommy from Motley Crue, despite him being extremely good friends with the aforementioned best friend of mine. No alcohol was involved, the guy was just a jerk to everyone all day long and that included polite female hotel employees despite him thinking he’s a ladies’ man. Total goofball whom I couldn’t wait to get away from. Alas, he and my best friend are close and had business to discuss.

My mom and her friends were part of what made Aerosmith famous waaaaay back when. My parents’ last house was located through the woods in back of the home of one of the band member’s sibling and down the street from the parents of another band member. Evidently the aging suburban Boston music demographic likes the same types of neighborhoods!

For better or worse, I was in a very serious relationship with Steven from Aerosmith’s niece. The girl was a likely-narcissistic spoiled brat who threw dramatic fits at family gatherings. Conversely, Steven’s daughter (the well-known “Liv”) was an incredibly down-to-earth, practical, frugal person with whom I could have mature conversations about what to do when my girlfriend stormed off in a huff.

We had too many mutual acquaintances to avoid each other after we broke up, and evidently I forgot to tell my parents that we had split up despite her appearance at their house with me occasionally. My dad was infuriated when I asked if he could pick up the little spoiled princess at the airport on a day I got stuck at work, and during the car ride he realized I had broken up with her. That was one of the more awkward things I had to explain to my parents over the years.

[FlyersFan]

This one is my favorite. I met John Glenn at the same resort too. I had no clue who he was. Until one of my co-workers said 'Holy shit that's John Glenn!' I said 'who's John Glenn?' He said 'Only the most famous pilots on the planet.' He then said 'I'm going to talk to him'. I said ' I'm coming'. So we went over there and struck up a conversation. I patiently waited for my opportunity. When I finally got the opening, I asked him 'Have you seen any aliens or craft?' He took a very long pause and said "I haven't, but I have a bunch of friends that say they have.' I thought the response was cryptic and calculated. He saw stuff.

VERY INTERESTING!

[CrastneyJPR]

I met John Prescott once.  A few weeks after the egg throwing thing, back in about 2001/2002? maybe a year or so later.
I'd gone drinking with a friend (old boss) at the Civil Service Social Club, off Whitehall, then went for a meal at Zizzi, and as we were nearly finished we notice JP sat at a nearby table with his wife.  I wanted to talk to him, my friend told me not to (I was very drunk at this point, several pints of beer, and a bottle of wine in), as we were leaving I siddled over and asked him if I could sit with them and buy them a bottle of wine - he replied that he just wanted to sit and have a nice meal with his wife.  my friend persuaded me to leave.  I don't remember much about the bus journey home.

One of The Royal Family came to our school (Worcester Grammar) when I was there, not sure which, maybe Princess Anne.

I saw Humphrey Littleton at a jazz festival in Weymouth, he was standing, so I offered him my seat.

While at University, I ended up going to Norwich Theatre Royal, as The Rocky Horror show finished, and seeing Nicholas Parsons (he'd played The narrator) at the stage door.

I don't get out much.