Have you ever met an actual celebrity?

I met a famous movie star. She was shorter in person and was a turn off.

Sort of. He was a co worker. We (him, his wife and myself) went and saw the first Star Wars movie when it came out. A real nice guy. He was the bass guitar player in a band called “Every Mother’s Son” which had a hit back in the early ‘60’s called “Come on down to my boat, baby.”

George Foreman

Eddie Fisher

Blythe Danner.

Tommy Hilfiger

Donna Karan

Carolina Herrera

Jhane Barnes

A few pro football players

Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald and Daisy Duck.

I’ve met a few pro race car drivers, but I don’t remember all of their names. I knew Rafael Matos before he went pro. He used to fix my husband’s shifter kart.

I grew up with Mark Bryan from Hootie and the Blowfish.

I’ve seen many celebrities in restaurants and on the city streets.

I’m drawing a blank on others I’ve actually met.

In December, 1956 Elvis Presley appeared at our Cub Scouts’ function and signed an 8X10 color glossy of himself for me.

I posed with Jayne Mansfield when I was 15, which was 2 years before baby Mariska was born.

In December, 1967 we saw the Animals at the Whiskey A GoGo.
After their gig, the bassist and major Jimi Hendrix advocate, Chas Chandler, rushed up to where I was sitting and shook my hand.
I didn’t know him then and I still don’t personally know Chas, so the only explanation I can give for that is that I emanated such strong “I love Hendrix” vibes that they drew him to me like some majorly strong stoner tractor beams.

Sometime in the middle 70’s I was at a laundromat.
Somebody grasped my hand and started shaking it.
I looked up and it was Jon Voight asking me to vote for I don’t remember whom.
I said, “I’ll vote for him if you read my screenplay about a paralyzed Vietnam war vet”. ;~)

I was shopping at a Whole Foods in Sherman Oaks. I saw this guy wearing a hat that caught my attention.
I forgot what I asked him and what he replied, but Geena Davis joined our conversation.
Either she was fascinated with our conversation or she was with him; probably the latter. ;-)
I wound up asking her if there was going to be a “Thelma and Louise” sequel. She replied, “No, they were pretty much squished”.

I saw James Cromwell at a local health food store.
He was wearing a t-shirt advocating a Native American cause.
I said, “I like your t-shirt. I think the de facto genocide committed against Native Americans is shameful.”
He replied, “It wasn’t de facto, it IS genocide.”
I stood corrected and about 8 inches shorter than him.

I saw Jay Leno at the aforementioned Whole Foods in 2007(?).
I asked him if it was true that Conan was going to take over the Tonight Show in 2009.
He mumbled something as he made his escape.

I saw Leno’s band leader, Kevin Eubanks at a health food restaurant in West Hills.
I said, “I remember Jay making fun of your gesture of shooting a basketball. Where does he get off making fun of you? I mean, how strong is Jay’s game?”
He LHAO so I LMAO too. :-D

Rude jerk that I was in January, 1978, I cut in front of whom I thought was just some “big fat guy” at a food counter in O’Hare airport, near Chicago. After I got my dog, I looked at the guy’s fist as it was resting on the counter and I thought, “Wow, his first is as big as my whole head!” I looked at him, and I thought he looked familiar. I later realized that it was Dick Butkus.

Joe Perry of Aerosmith
I sold him a pack of smokes at my very first job (I was fifteen).

Elton John
I designed the stage set for a concert that he and Stevie Winder performed at. I was on stage when he came out to warm up on the piano.

Nancy Kerrigan
I designed the sets for her ice show in South Carolina, “Footloose on Ice” (I kid you not). She and her husband came to the initial meetings.

Mike Tyson
I literally bumped into him walking down Newbury Street in Boston.

I’ve told this story before, but I met Brad Pitt at a gas station once. He was pretty cool about it.

I’m good friends with an Academy Award winner. (I won’t say the name as he’s kind of private).

I bumped into Paul Daniels and Billy Connolly in Glasgow, Richard Baker in Rose Street at the Edinburgh Festival in the 1990’s and Prince Charles in Culross in 1996.

While visiting Hyde Park, we saw Eleanor Roosevelt. My mother went up to meet her.

Strom Thurmond
Richard Nixon
Dustin Hoffman
Robert Redford
Paul Newman
Fritz Hollings
Jim DeMint
Bob Ingilis
Willie Nelson
Nancy Welch
Kenny G
Tom Kennedy
Kim Bassinger

I’ve seen several in person, and been introduced briefly to at least a couple (e.g. Karl Malden, Wolfgang Puck) . . . but not really met in the sense of having a conversation with me and them, unless you count people who were extras.

I have met Elvis. We chatted a bit after his debrief at Gamma Hydra.

John F. Kennedy
Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary)
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Chuck Berry
Ricky Skaggs
Randy Sparks
Plus a few others I’ve forgotten about

Roy Orbison in a dusty old Stadium with sawdust on the floor. Was only about three feet from him on stage, not like present day where they are moved further from there fans.
One thing that my sister and I noticed was that Roy Orbison was very heavy, but a clam person.
We were dancing in front of him when unexpectantly a fight broke out beside us between two men with broken beer bottles as weapons threatening each other.
We were only about 14 years of age and never realized the dangers of being there alone.
It was Roy Orbisons other guitar player that stopped to help us.
He asked how old we were then talked with Roy and they told us that we were to young to be there for our own safety to leave now.
We did and never went alone again.
It was a wake up call to us that the world was a dangerous place outside of our neighborhood.
I was reminded of this when I saw last night the Documentary of Roy Orbison and his tragic life events that shaped his personality.
He was a very kind person.

Went to elementary and junior high school with a Disney Mouseketeer. I remember when she paid for a three year old Chevy 4 door, so her mom had a car.

Many… at events and many are disappointing. The cool ones are the ones I remember.

My old girlfriend and I were at an exhibit at the Whitney Museum in New York. A young couple stepped in front of us as we were looking at a painting, then apologized. My girlfriend started talking to the woman as we walked through the exhibit at the same pace. By the fifth painting they were chatting like old friends. My girlfriend said, “Miss Portman, my name is Lea, and this is my boyfriend Peter.” To which Natalie Portman said, “Call me Natalie, and this is my fiance, Ben”.

We spent the rest of our time at the exhibit with them, talking about which of the paintings we liked best.

I used to work out with Samir Soni, before he became a Bollywood star. My Aikido instructor was the voice actor for Visa card and Nissan Altima. Also said hi to Valerie Harper as we walked past each other in Westwood.

Pete Seeger
Phil Ochs
Tony Kushner was at the shiva for my father and I spoke at length to him.

And not to leave them out, Ben and Andrew.

I met Willie Nelson if you count him. Good guy. Gave me a good impression anyway.

I count Willie!!! I met him as well & he’s a really great guy!!!

Never met Willie, but I once walked by his bus when its windows were open, and I was on cloud 420 for a freakin’ week! ;-0

;-0

John Lithgow walking his dog at a park in Bev Hills. We might have exchanged hi-hellos. Kareem Abdul Jabbar at a street in NYC. Eye contact. Not meet merely spotted Cybill Shepherd two restaurant tables away.

Oh – I forgot. I sat one table away from Richard Gere some years ago at Chez Panisse while he was filming in Berkeley.

Yes. And then I inserted a colonoscope into them.

^ Did you at least buy them dinner first?

As far as seeing them face to face, shaking hands, etc. the only one I have met in that way was Linda Blair. I was on a plane with my mom when I was a teen, and Linda Blair was on the plane, too. I went up to her and met her and got her autograph.

As far as just seeing a celebrity in the same room, I had a book signed by Richard Thomas (aka John-boy Walton) when I was around 9. He had written a book of poems and had a book signing when we lived in California. I bought the book and he signed it.

Also around that same time period, I was with my mom on a tour of Universal Studios and we saw Demond Wilson (who played Lamont Stanford, the son of Fred Stanford on “Sanford and Son”) walking past. He winked at my mother.

I saw Bert Reynolds at a mall here in CT, when he was coming to do a book signing. It was very obvious in real life that his hair was fake.

I think that’s it as far as famous people go.

@cookieman i posted them some orange flavour laxative. Does that count?

^ That works.

@LadyMarissa agreed on Willie. Nothing pretentious about him, what you see is what you get.

I went to elementary school with John Elway’s daughter, so I met him a couple times at school events.

Met Brian Jacques at a reading at a local bookstore I went to in middle school. I was by far the oldest kid there.

In high school I pointed out to my family that Richard Kind was sitting near us at a restaurant, & my uncle pressured me into taking my little cousin over to talk to him. He was with his kids, & I really didn’t want to disturb him, & he really didn’t want to be disturbed. Luckily my aunt saw what was happening & rescued me.

I met James Marsters & Phil LaMarr (& a few others, but those two stood out the most) at NYC ComiCon several years ago.

I’ve met Salman Rushdie, David Sedaris, Haruki Murakami, Art Spiegelman, & a few other big-name authors at signings. David Sedaris chatted for a bit; he is such a sweet man.

I know Rachel Maddow very very casually – used to work at a store she frequents.

Alan Weisman is a casual friend.

@janbb Pete Seeger, wow!

A lot of kind ofs. I knew a celebrity’s grandson/another celebrity’s godson pretty well. We were coworkers. I heard he wrote a screenplay that got picked up (apparently when his godfather signed on to be in it) but never seems to have gone forward.

I was at the ceremony where the American victims of the US embassy bombings in Kenya were flown back to US soil. The Clintons were there and it was so hot in the hangar, people were passing out and I thought it was a sniper attack.

When I was a wee tot, I happened to be at Spaso House for a John Denver and the Muppets invade Russia promotion for US embassy personnel. Apparently he liked me, and I’ve got a picture of John Denver holding me, with a bit of a tipsy grin on his face.

I met the guy from the ad: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” We were at a New Year’s ballroom dancing party. He was more spry than my friends and me, despite being twice our ages.

Thanks for the replies.