Celebs both well known and obscure that you have more than just met

[zymurg]

I will start with one fairly obscure celebrity: Sean Flynn. He was the only son of Errol Flynn. He left Duke to pursue an acting career. I met him on a film set in Ceylon. I was hired as an extra. The film was made in the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens; I was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya. I worked two days. I played
an un-named captured officer. I was told to turn my face from the camera. Flynn remarked to me in French: "We came 6,000 kilometers to film in a garden. I had many beers with him at a hotel in Kandy, the city closest to the garden. Flynn achieved his greatest fame as a war correspondent in Viet Nam. He worked first for Paris Match and later for Time. He was captured by the Viet Cong in Cambodia along with another journalist. He vanished; his body was never found. His mother had him declared legally dead in 1984.

My second choice is Sam Irvine, the chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee. He was a friend and associate of my maternal grandfather, Jerome Rogers. He was treasurer of the Morganton, N.C Board of Education when Irvine was president. I went to Washington as a U.S.Senate intern. I worked out of Tom Dowd's office, but my grandfather gave me a letter of introduction. This was years before the Watergate Investigation, but I returned during the Investigation involved in a technical education
program. My Grandfather wrote to Irvine to get me a seat at the hearings. Before the hearing, Irvine spoke to me. He said he remembered me; I am somewhat dubious about that. However, he was gracious, and he had a great sense of humor.

 

[Huskybass]

I played 3 on 3 hoop behind the Jungle with Earl Kelley. He was pretty good.

 

[MDHuskFan]

I was at a table at a twin peaks in Atlanta after Matt Kemp got traded there.
my friends left me so I was at a table by myself with my waitress friend. Some random Guy walks up and asks if him and his 2 friends could sit there. I said sure,I was already pretty hammered. One of the friends was Matt Kemp. Asked how was Rihanna, he refused to answer, then we shot the ish and watched football. Overall SUPER cool dude, not stuck up or anything. Paid my tab and let me get a picture.

 

[storrsroars]

Mine are on the obscure end. I worked closely with a 4x SB champ/Pro-Bowler on his coffeehouse, the first in Pittsburgh's historic Black 'Hill District'. At first it was hiring and training staff, which was hysterical at times since none had any experience and only one actually drank coffee. After it was open and running, I used to go up a couple of times a month and hang out as JT basically lived there. We could shoot the breeze for an hour or so, and never (except once) discussed football. I was the "who's the white guy?" guy whenever his former teammates or current Steelers would show up.

Also developed a close working relationship and friendship with a multiple-time James Beard semi-finalist, helping him create a fine dining coffee service for his first restaurant, involving microlot coffees and brewing at the table. He'd been heavily into modernist cuisine in his previous gig, and taught me how to make alginates, foams and other goofy stuff, which I used in developing signature drinks for barista competitions. Wish I could afford to eat at his current place more often than I do, but if you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it.

 

[auggie22]

Marshall Faulk’s cousin walked me back to the strip one long morning, to protect me and also I think to try and sell me drugs.

But the closest I came to a good story was in NYC one night, my buddy and I were meeting people at a bar later that night and he wanted to pre-game at a bar. I was wiped out so I told him I would meet him later but never did. This was years ago when the TV show 24 and Lost were popular.

While he was pre-gaming alone, In a mostly empty bar, Kiefer Sutherland stumbles over to him and asked if he wanted to play pool. They drink, smoked cigarettes and played pool for hours, until the person Kiefer was meeting shows up - it was the older brother from Party of 5 (who was also one of the stars of Lost). He chatted with them some more and then met us out for the evening. Said they were super cool and super drunk.

 

[RichZ]

Several lifetimes ago, I used to service Durward Kirby's wife's typewriter. He was to Gary Moore as Ed McMahon was to Johnny Carson. His wife was very nice, but she pretty much stayed drunk all the time. Probably as a means of coping with him, as he was a total Insert your preferred word that won't make it past the filters here.

 

[McLovin]

Stephen Strasburg lived with a family friend while he played college summer ball in Torrington. Got to meet him a bunch then. Went to a Padres game with him out in San Diego when he was in college at SDSU and he also introduced us to Tony Gwynn who was his college coach. After he got drafted he came to our beach house and we took him out on our boat. He is a cool dude (and now a really rich dude).

Karl Ravech was a neighbor and he used to host an annual halloween party at his house for the kids in the neighborhood. Rece Davis went to our church and I've done the "peace be with you" thing with him.

Also these 2 don't meet the OP criteria, but funny encounters...

Once in LA we got one of those star houses maps outside the Chinese theater. We stopped outside of Larry Kings house and he came out and yelled at us to get moving (with some expletives).

Shawn Johnson lives in Nashville (where I live now) and I saw her in Target buying furniture with her mom while she was massively pregnant.

Thats all I can think of.

 

[VKong]

Living in NYC I've had a couple of encounters...

Drank at a bar with Bryan Greenberg from HBO's How to Make it in America. He was really cool, we actually were watching college basketball and talked UConn.

Hung out with the late celebrity chef Carl Ruiz a couple of times at bars on the UES. That dude partied hard.

My 3 favorite interactions, which were much shorter conversations and picture opps, were with Victor Cruz, Thierry Henry (while on NYRB) and Stevie Van Zandt. All great guys from what I could tell.

From UConn - I hung out with Bu Willingham and had a couple beers at the South Street Seaport. I walked by wearing an older Huskies logo t-shirt and he was like "let's have a beer" haha.

 

[QDOG5]

Not exactly in line with the thread but I had a brush with Geno Auriemma one time. I'm with my family at a Cubs game about 15 years ago. Good seats behind home plate. I see Geno a few rows in front of us. I point him out to my family. I realize he is probably going to sing Take me out to the Ballgame. After Harry Caray died the Cubs have celebs sing it. So he leaves mid 6th inning and I tell my twin boys(they were about 10 at the time) that when he comes back to yell "Hey Geno .... don't quit your day job". So my boys say it and it gets a good laugh in our section. Geno looks pissed and I think he's going along with the joke. Nope. He IS pissed. He asks my boys who told them to say that and they rat me out immediately. I want to tell Geno I'm a big fan but I think that moment has passed. I think I'm in for a tongue lashing but Geno just waves me off and goes back to his seat. I'm happy to say I survived Geno's death stare.

 

[mauconnfan]

Ed Harris. He was in Meriden filming Jacknife for quite a while. The film ended up using my brother and another coach from Maloney at the time to help prepare for the basketball 2 on 2 you see in the film with both Harris and DeNiro. If you see it or have seen it my brother in the tall red head in the hat and the other guy on his team was Howie Hewitt, great coach from Maloney who just retired and our neighbor when in Meriden. They became friends and I was invited to a couple of "outings" which resulted in some big partying nights with Ed, great guy. He actually came back years later to a party Howie had with family and friends also. Really down the earth guy lots of fun, enjoyed his nights out. The Top Hill (not there any longer) was the selected place for a few veining get togethers LOL.

By the way Ed was ok I guess, not a hoops guy but he did make the baseball team at Columbia as a catcher or so he said. DeNiro was plain awful, clueless trying to play.

 

[SubbaBub]

I am not Makers Muppet.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Went to a wedding where Rik Smits was in the wedding party. Of course our indoor dim lighting pic with him came out looking blurry and unrecognizable.
John Gwynn subbed in our golf league a few years back.

 

[Scot-e]

Don Henley - kings of leon -cage the elephant- my morning jacket- Manchester O- Elton john- silver sun pickups- butch walker- basically lots of music people.

 

[August_West]

Ketih Richards (been to his house for a party)
Bill Walton (used to feed me beers in Taper section at GD shows when he was with celtics. I also picked him up hitchhiking)
Kate Moss (in my apartment a couple times for parties)
Al Franken (another multiple time GD show hangout)
GG Allin (crazy man was with him the week he died)
Allen Ginsberg (we frequented the same Alphabet city coffee shop. Leshko's if that means anything) anyway he liked to chat especially to young men ;-)

 

[superjohn]

I slept with Cloris Leachman.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I slept with Cloris Leachman.

We're eskimo brothers.

 

[Dove]

As a GHO volunteer I drove Kerry Collins to the Oakdale Theatre for a concert. Hobnobbed a bit in VIP. Met Chris Dailey.

Last year met Mike of American Pickers. They were shooting in Essex.

 

[JMick]

Andre Drummond and I used to run into each other at Huskies all the time. I spoke with him probably a dozen times and he seemed to remember me.

I also know Elliot Scheiners (music producer/engineer) kid and have been to their house a few times.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

For a half dozen years, Heywood Nelson (of "What's Happening?" fame) was my next door neighbor.

I remember he was always well dressed and he was terrible at sports.

 

[Drumguy]

I stood behind Arnold Schwarzenegger in Paris at Au Pied du Cochon (Pigs feet) way back when he was Mr. Universe. He was pissed he had to stand in line "Don''t they know who I am" he said in his accented English and then left with his girlfriend.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

There's a few, but my favorite is that a reclusive billionaire had his kids go to my school. So low profile to the point where he pays a person to create him a fake internet profile: if you search his name on google, pictures of another person always comes up.

Early on in my career, I had a gig where I tutored three of his kids at their house for like ten hours a week. Great gig and it really helped pay off my college loans while I was living at home.

Anyways, it was cool that this anonymous businessman would be totally comfortable talking with me, even offering glasses of wine on some days when I'd tutor long nights.

On a more familiar bend, I'm friends with Jason Sudeikis' sister. I never met him, but my wife has hung out with my friend, Jason and Olivia Wilde in their Brooklyn apartment.

On the more random bend, I'm neighbors with the Andrew's Honey guy.

 

[superjohn]

There's a few, but my favorite is that a reclusive billionaire had his kids go to my school. So low profile to the point where he pays a person to create him a fake internet profile: if you search his name on google, pictures of another person always comes up.

Early on in my career, I had a gig where I tutored three of his kids at their house for like ten hours a week. Great gig and it really helped pay off my college loans while I was living at home.

Anyways, it was cool that this anonymous businessman would be totally comfortable talking with me, even offering glasses of wine on some days when I'd tutor long nights.

On a more familiar bend, I'm friends with Jason Sudeikis' sister. I never met him, but my wife has hung out with my friend, Jason and Olivia Wilde in their Brooklyn apartment.

On the more random bend, I'm neighbors with the Andrew's Honey guy.

My buddies used to hang out and play basketball with Sudeikis when he did comedy in Chicago, they say he's a good dude. He's a KU guy, so is Paul Rudd.

 

[aburks41]

Carl Pavano is my neighbor at my parents beach house. I taught his kids how to sail a few years back. Interesting guy, but the Yankees fan in me does not exactly like him...

 

[XLCenterFan]

Before I was married I played poker regularly (2-3 times a week) at Foxwoods. I played more times than I can count with former Celt Cornbread Maxwell and the actor James Woods. They don't know my name, but they would recognize me for sure. I'm up on both of them.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Allen Ginsberg (we frequented the same Alphabet city coffee shop. Leshko's if that means anything) anyway he liked to chat especially to young men ;-)

I had the same sense of Barney Frank when I lived in Dupont Circle.

A decent number of celebs through my kids' snooty school and other related activities but my wife's more into the parents scene than I am. Adam Sandler's kid was a close friend of my older kid so I've been over to their house several times and we've socialized occasionally. Ditto for Sara Michelle Gellar who is friends with my wife.