Biggest "celebrity" you've seen/met?

[mjr]

To piggyback off of the "political figure" thread, who's the biggest, most well-known "celebrity" you've ever met?

Here's a few I've "met" (or gotten autographs from) that I can remember off the top of my head. Some I've even shaken hands with.

Former Dallas Cowboys players John Jett, Jim Jeffcoat, Preston Pearson, and Darren Woodson

Former Pro Wrestler Kevin von Erich

Former MLB players Rusty Greer and Kevin Mench

Former Funny Car driver Jim Epler

Former Funny Car driver Ashley Force Hood

Pro Stock Motorcycle driver Angel Sampey

And, I've actually exchanged a few emails with Bjarne Stroustrup (creator of C++)

[Ghel]

I've chatted with members of Da Yoopers. Lynn Bellmore, especially, is really personable. She recognized my ex from a previous show we'd attended and gave him a big hug.

[TruthHurts]

Oddly I've only met one, Erin Torpey who was on One Life to Live for like forever.

[Mr Hero]

We had the Dateline crew staying at my hotel so they could cover the aftermath of the theater shooting. I personally checked in Chris Hansen.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I once was next to fomer NFL linebacker Kevin Greene in the iPod aisle at Target.

[EricKei]

Used to deliver pizza to John Goodman, and saw him walking the aisles (years before that) at the local grocery when I worked there.

[Crossbow]

Let's see... Peter Mayhew, Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day, Kevin Sorbo, Marc Singer, Richard Biggs, Dr. Demento, and more authors and artists than I can count or remember.

Perks of being a con goer.

[Food Lady]

I've probably waited on several of those NFL guys, but I wouldn't have recognized them at all. I've waited on a news anchor several times. My local peeps might recognize the name: Stacy Engebretson (unless she changed it when she got married; don't remember). When I was a kid I met the dudes from the Miller's Outpost commercials in a restaurant. I didn't meet Sally Field, but she was in the same room of a building in downtown L.A. that used to be a church but is now a community center and is often rented for weddings or as a filming location. My friend was getting married there and Sally was doing some project. She looks younger in person. We didn't talk to her, but one of our group recognized her and the event coordinator confirmed it was her.

[mjr]

OH!!! One I forgot!

LEGENDARY NHRA driver "Big Daddy" Don Garlits.

I sat across from him (unintentionally) at a restaurant once.

[Rosco the Iroc]

Met and beat R. Lee Emery at the M1 Garand match at Camp Perry.

Jimmy Buffet when he played for the Truman in Dubai not even part of a USO tour our XO knew him, like has his cell # knows, he was in that region on his way to Vietnam to surf. Xo invited him to see the ship and he brought 2 band member's and let our ships band fill in the rest. (there's youtube vids of this) I already liked Buffet but that cemented him in my ok bigwig file.

Went for a smoke on CV-64 a couple of days after we pulled out of Sydney and ran in to Steve Irwin, Shemain being given a tour of the ship. Didn't even know he was on board.

King Abdullah of Jordan after he flew himself onto the JFK in '99.

I've run to a host of local celebs and grilled for a couple big radio DJ's.

[smfrazier]

I've met James Doohan(sp. ?) from Star Trek and the late actor James Best. My wife met wrestler Scott Hall when he was Razor Ramone.

[dalesys]

Had to "fix" the gate intercom at the governor's mansion so it wasn't outsmarting Normie... (circa 1985)

[greek_jester]

I've met most of the main cast of Star Trek DS9, Voyager and Next Gen. I've also met several of the special effects crew, which was absolutely fascinating (if you'll pardon the pun!)

I've met Anthony Stewart Head (BtVS Ruper Giles, the Nescafe Gold Blend guy), James Marsters (Spike, BtVS) and several of the stunt crew specially assigned to certain main characters.

I've met Doug Bradley (Pinhead in the Hellraiser series of horror films) at a small sci-fi event. He's a lovely guy; did you know he's very short sighted and spent a lot of the first couple of films walking into things (in that costume!) until they finally got him prescription contacts? Why is it that actors portraying monsters are often very nice people? So odd...

I met Michael Sheard (Mr Bronson in Grange Hill, Star Wars V Admiral Ozzel) several times, which was interesting. He always seemed nice to me, but I've heard since that he was somewhat grabby with female con-goers.

I met Terry Pratchett at a book signing for the Wintersmith release (again, a wonderful person to chat to). RIP PTerry...

My big star was Peter Cushing (Star Wars IV Grand Moff Tarkin). He was the main star at a UK sci-fi con 20-odd years ago. I ended up chatting to him in the bar for a half hour or so. I have to admit that I hadn't realised who he was until he thanked me for acting "normal" and letting him have a quiet drink! I'm pretty sure he didn't twig I didn't know who he was, though (I hope!)

P.S. I take it you've worked out I went to a lot of cons in my youth? Three guesses what genres I was (and still am) into...!

[April]

I met a Harlem Globetrotter once. He was a HUGE jerk, and I deflated him when he asked "Do you know who I am?" and I said "Nope, sure don't"

And when I was a kid, I met Brian Austin Green at some fair thing.

That's it for me, besides a local sportscaster

[Kaylyn]

I, too, have met a former Harlem Globetrotter, Lou Dunbar, when I was in junior high school and he came to speak with us. He had attended the school when it was the Black high school when segregation was still a thing. He was actually pretty nice. And TALL. First time in my life I was ever struck by exactly how tall someone was, when I was waiting in line to get an autograph and the line had me pushed right up to him.

Recently I've crossed paths with Peter Mayhew at a local convention. Didn't speak to him but he was wheeled past where I was sitting after his panel. My husband met Jim Cummings at the same convention, got a Darkwing Duck fanart print autographed, and he signed it "Let's Get Dangerous" and delivered the line to him in the Darkwing Duck voice as he was signing it. It was the closest my husband has ever been to being starstruck.

A few months ago I went on a trip that took me all the way to Tempe, AZ, going to three concerts in a row on Apocalyptica's tour with Art of Dying. Spent quite a bit of time in the company of both bands, to the point that they were recognizing me and my friend after the first show. Gave a gift of fingerless gloves that I knit myself to my favorite member of Apocalyptica (it's sort of his trademark) and he wore them to all three shows I attended, several shows afterward according to pictures, and in at least one interview since.

Probably the biggest name I've actually met is Weird Al, twice. Also once I attended one of his shows with the same friend that went with me on the Apocalyptica trip, and he sang One More Minute (kinda an Elvis-y ballad for the uninformed) and sat on her lap and sang to her, and gave her a scarf from around his neck which I later got autographed for her.