Met anyone famous?

I was pumping gas at a self-serve here in my home town of Livermore California when George Foreman drove by in a very expensive sports car. I jumped into my very tacky looking Toyota Chinook and followed him to a Vet's office where he was taking his dog. As he was going into the office, I called out "Hey, George!"

He stopped and he, my son (about 6) had the nicest talk. He asked my son if he minded his Mom and Daddy, and if was a good boy. He was wearing a big picture badge showing him as the Wold's Champion Heavyweight (which he was at the time). He took the badge off and gave it to my son. He was very pleasant and boy, was he huge!

I apologized for calling him by his first name and he said I could call him George any time. He shook my hand and my son's hand, reminding him to be a good boy.

What a nice guy!

Warren
 
Having worked at the "Crystal Grand Music Theater", I've had the opportunity to meet quite a few names. Willie Nelson was one of the best, as well as The Oak Ridge Boys. Bill Cosby, Statler Bros., Beach Boys, Jeff Foxworthy, Charley Pride and many more that I can't think of right now.

My only movie star was Patrick Swayze. Met him at the "Shark Club", in Vegas, one morning at 4:30. I was working, he was partying, but I got his autograph on a quarter coin bag. Needless to say that coin bag did not go back to my place of employment.

Almost forgot, I played a couple rounds of golf with Evil Knieval. It was not unusual for him to bet $1000 per hole, or more. I did not get involved in those bets. I was an 18 HDCP while he was about a 2-3 HDCP.

Karl
 
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Great post.........it sure got me thinking.........these are some I can remember:

Baseball - Mike Shannon, (Lives about 2 miles from me) Dal Maxville, Stan Musial, Ozzie Smith, Jason Isringhausen (He attends our church, see him all the time), David Eckstein, Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Sammy Sosa, Gary Carter, Jimmy Edmonds, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Whitey Herzog, Tom Herr, JD Drew, Tom Maddux, Jack Buck, Joe Buck. (I am sure there are a few I forgot.)

Football - D'marco Farr, (Rams), Dan Hampton (Bears), Kurt Warner (Rams), Marshall Faulk, Dan Dierdorf, Conrad Dobler.

Golf - Fred Couples, (A VERY nice guy) Mark O'Meara, (I have his autographed Golf Glove), Lee Trevino, Tiger Woods, (He actually gave me a high five, and said, "How'd I do today", at which I told him he plays a game I am not familiar with, and he just laughed. It was true............I play Golf, but I don't play the Golf HE plays, the dude is awesome to watch.) Hale Irwin, Bob Goalby, David Duvall, Natalie Gulbis, Nancy Lopez (Nicest gal in the world too), Kate Golden.

Actors - Hal Holbrook, Chris Mitchum (Robert's son).

Motor Sports - AJ Foyt, Jack Roush, Bob Chandler (Bigfoot Truck), John Force, Tony Shumacher (He gave my son a Top Fueler piston, autographed), Kenny Wallace, Rusty Wallace, Mike Wallace, Ken Schrader, Steve Kinser, Mark Kinser.

Hockey - Curtis Joseph, Brett Hull (He autographed a puck for me), Tony Twist (He owns a bar in St. Louis), Bernie Federko.

Music - Cher (I played frisbee with her for a few minutes, LONG story), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), BB King, Chuck Berry, Tom T. Hall, Gretchen Wilson, All of REO Speedwagon, Cheryl Crow.

Notables - Alan Lacer, Bill Clinton, John Edwards, John Kerry.

I also met a Space Shuttle Astronaut once, but I can't remember his name for the life of me. Probably forgot a few too, but is sure is neat to meet these people, if only for a hello and handshake.
 
I had a few friends in the record industy back in the 1980s, so I got lots of free concert tickets, and an occasional backstage pass. Met a few rock and country acts back then:

Alabama
Styx
The Who
T. Bone Burnette
Oak Ridge Boys
Billy Squier

Also a few chance encounters in public. In the mid-1970s, I saw the Statler Brothers standing in the parking lot of a gas station while their tour bus was being refueled. I said "hello" and chatted for a moment with them - really nice guys.

Last year I saw Brian Setzer and his wife standing in line ahead of me at a Jamba Juice stand in downtown Minneapolis. I later found out that they now live in the area and Brian has a recording studio here.

Cheers,

Kevin
 
Interesting question - though not one I have pondered before. Now that I think about it:

Walter Jacobsen and Bill Kurtis (while at WBBM in Chicago)

Burr Tillstrom - creator of Kukla and Ollie

John Cusack and Joan Cusack (and Ann) - I was friends with their brother Bill - John was the obnoxious little brother and Joan was the annoyed older sister.:D

Jeremy Piven - went to the same sitter after school.

Mike Royko - Sat at the counter with him at The Billy Goat Tavern while he talked Chicago politics.

Eugene Ormandy - I was waiting back stage during a performance of the orchestra in Saratoga Springs - I got a nod from him as he awaited his big entrance. They played the 1812 overture - the cannons were simulated by shotgun blanks fired into 55 gallon drums - my ears still ring.:eek: My Grandfather (3rd trumpet by then) got a good laugh out of that one.

Kinda an eclectic bunch.
Wes
 
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I have not been in areas very much where the rich and famous hang out but I have met at least 2 of Arkansas's most famous people.

When I was in college and worked for Wal-Mart, I met the company founder Sam Walton. He was famous for just showing up in his stores and not making any fuss at all but to just walk around and talk to the employees. He came into the hardware dept where I worked and asked me about the paint that we had for sale. I had no idea who he was but I told him that the paint was no good for painting a house but it might be fine for barns and fences. He told me who he was and we got into quite a discussion about the quality of the paint we had. He instructed me to dust the paint and see if it sold any better. It didn't and we got Lucite paints in the stores in about 60 days. He came back into the store in about 2 years and called me by my first and last name then told me to go get my name tag on because people needed to know who I was. We again got into another conversation, I thanked him for my wife's scholarship and off he went. I never saw him again because I quit working for the company shortly after that.

I also met another one of Arkansas's famous people. Bill Clinton was the governor of the state when he came to a Chamber of Commerce banquet in the community I lived in then. He came of course to speak and also to present awards to the local people being honored. He presented me a plaque from the Chamber for outstanding young educator. It still hangs on my office wall. We got into a discussion about the Arkansas Teacher Test which was a pet project of Hillary's. He didn't like my stance on the testing program but he was gracious about it anyway. He also came and spoke to the students at school and I talked with him again that day.

I also have met Baxter Black, shook hands with Jerry Clower, sat within feet of the Sr. George Bush while he spoke, and a few others but nothing very remarkable.
 
Motor sports: Buddy Rice, Eddie Cheever, Jeff Gordon

Former Colts players Pat Beach, Duane Bickett, Barry Krauss

from the best sports movie ever--Hoosiers
Hickery Huskers players Brad Long, Kent Poole, Wade Schenck
Bobby Plump--his heroics were the base for Hoosiers

NBA greats Oscar Robertson, Frank Kendrick and Reggie Miller

from the old ABA, Pacer greats Bob Netolicky and Freddie Lewis

Several astronauts from the space shuttle era of NASA

Don Larson--Yankee World Series perfect game pitcher

Todd Lickleiter--Butler Bulldogs basketball coach and
50's era Butler star Wally Cox
 
Let's see...in no particular order:

Alice Cooper, when his group played at the Student Union at DU (for free!) as a rehearsal gig before their (first?) tour in 1970

Clint Eastwood, at his restaurant in Carmel (The Hog's Breath Inn)

Teri Nunn of Berlin (and her bass player, whose name I never got) at a music store near here. I was shopping for keyboards, they were friends of the owner

Floyd Little (running back for the Broncos in the early 70s)

Arnold Palmer

Tommy John (Dodger pitcher, at a local restaurant)

Mark Eaton (Utah Jazz center). Best story of the batch: this was when he was working at a tire store in SoCal, before anybody knew who he was. He was their "smog guy"...helped me out when I was trying to get a smog waiver for a vintage car. The coach at UCLA also saw him there later and offered him a scholarship. He was the kind of guy who defines "tall": 7' 5", looked about a foot taller than that when you saw him off the basketball court.

And of course Sam Maloof...but I also met Don Baer the same day, which sort of offsets it. :eek: :D
 
I don't have as many as the rest of you but here are a few.

Tage Frid
Tiny Tim
Paul Douglas--A meteorologist for a twin cities TV station.
Dan Fogelberg
Phoebe Cates
Rik Mayall

And some others.

There's a bunch of folks I've seen at "The Clinic" including a certain former president, a vice president or two, some foreign dignitaries and numerous entertainers and sports figures. Due to the nature of the situation, I can't actually list those names
 
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