Famous people you've met

woodworkingboy

woodworkingboy

TreeHouser
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Not talking about the unsung heroes here, but the famous ones you've met. Drop some names 8) ....any impressions to share? Maybe a photo or vid to post.....

I had dinner with the most famous operatic baritone in the world, Jose van Dam, when I was asked to translate at a dinner party given in his honor. He was here to perform with the master conductor, Seiji Ozawa, at the annual big event music festival they have in town. As luck would have it, I sat next to his lovely young fiance, and he was across from her on the other side of the table. He lives in a castle in Belgium, a gift from the king.

A wonderful man, he handled his adoring fans with the utmost graciousness and courtesy, really gave of himself throughout the evening. No need to show off or be arrogant when you're at the top, it told me. It was a great great evening, super fun! I started to lose my translation skills after three or four glasses of wine, but nobody seemed to mind. :D

Performing here:

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I was lucky enough to meet (a few times) due to a chance friendship with a member of the band...Musician , Actor , Jimmy Cliff !... Harder they Come , Many Rivers To Cross ...
 
I was in a local mall getting jewelery for girlfriend at the time (wife now), they were doing a security sweep of the mall so Gorbachev could visit. Bob Dole was there and had to come over and introduce himself to me because I was sporting a mowhawk a the time.
He and I exchanged hair cut jokes, all in good nature and he shook my hand. Decent enough guy.
 
I met Johnny Unitas when I was a kid. My mom worked at a Sheraton hotel he owned. I still have the autographed photo he gave me.

IMG_1357.jpg
 
We had breakfast in a restaurant at Disneyland and Muhammad Ali was a couple of tables away. He already looked like his brain was fading. I felt like I was intruding on his family to go ask him for an autograph so I didn't. That's it for me.
 
When I say `met', I mean a conversation about more than the weather and hello good bye. Non of there were through tree surgery.

David Lynch (Film Director)
Hayden Christenson (Anakin Sky walker)
Sienna Miller (actress and model)
Olivia Wilde (actress)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (actor)
Milla Jovovich (actress)
Roger Spotiswood (film director)
Julian Temple (Film Director)
Iman (super model and David Bowie's wife)
Orlando Bloom (Actor)
Ryan Reynolds (actor)
Scarlet Johansson (actress)
David Blaine (magician)
Natalia Vodianova (model)
Andy Rourke (musician. The Smiths)
Billy Gilespie (musician. Primal Scream)
Jonas Akerlund (director)
AJP Taylor (historian and author)
Sir jacky Stewart (motor sport hero)
Akon (rap star)
Cat Stevens (musician)
Neil Kinnock (politician)
John Moores (richest man in the UK)
Girls Aloud (singing group)
Fish (singer)
Dave Thorpe (world Motocross Champion)
Hugh Hefner (pornographer)
Stephan Fry (writer, comedian, broadcaster)
 
:) handshake meeting shown, got to talk to him for an hour or so later in the weekend while he and his wife and daughter chilled at a mini trade show.
 

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Who is that Paul? I don't recognise him. Was he more famous when he was younger?
 
I know who Alex Shigo is. Wow that's a biggie. I've more time for him than 99% of the folk on my list. What did you chat about? what was he like?
 
pretty cool. we chatted about this and that, he seemed tired, he had given a talk to a small group (where the pic was taken) earlier in the day and had given three auditorium talks over the previous couple days, his wife and daughter were quite chipper. Tree wise we talked about forgetting the 'rules' and looking at things more holistically IE what happened to the tree after it was dealt with (pruned, storm damaged, underwatered etc) and how did it respond, to expect a similar response after like treatment, learning to understand that changing the treatment can change the response. I wish I had spent more time with him but I didnt want to be a nuisance. End result was a stack of his books were sent by his daughter who runs the distribution of them now, to him at his cottage in the east which he endorsed to me then sent up my way. :D RIP Mr Shigo.

RJS, ha! I started typing a short list of a few sports folk and musicians that I have met but I erased it and threw the out the pic, I am more proud of that than any 'celeb' I have met.
 
Paul,
I can see why you're proud of that experience. I remember back in the 1980s when a group of us first heard Shigo speak; it was a major change in the way we looked at trees, their growth, and their care. Life changing in many ways. He graciously spoke to as afterwards.

Lesser brushes with fame:
Iggy Pop was still known as Jimmy Osterberg when he came to my parents' day camp in the early 1960s; usually avoided him or risked getting beat up...
Dallas Green, Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies; still see him occasionally...
Joe Biden - Spoke to him at a Community Days event here 18 years ago. Told him my main complaint of politicians is that they seem to forget they are "representatives" and should represent the interests of their constituency, not just their own "moral and lobbyist-influenced ideas"
 
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  • #18
I was a big fan of Johnny Unitas when a kid. :) He wore those high tops and could really wing it. Seemed like a nice guy when out of uniform.

I built a chair for 'Star Wars' fame George Lucas.....can't say that I much liked the

guy. :thumbdown:
 
Oh, I almost forgot. I also worked for Arnold Palmer at the Bay Hill Country Club for a couple months one summer. He and his wife were both very gracious and pleasant people.
 
Now let me see,,, Paul Newman, Katherine Ross, Bette Davis, Martha Stewart, Jack Hanna, Bob Sharp and Peter Revson . I think that is about it.
 
I first met Alex Shigo when I followed him on the program at National Institute on Parks and Grounds Maintenance in 1989. He was freshly back from studying tree failures following Hurricane Hugo in the Carolinas. Not all 250 persons stayed for my presentation, although I did not see anyone leave during his 2 hours. Also attended one of this 2 day sessions in Portsmouth NH a few years before his death. A very interesting individual.
 
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  • #23
Strikermike said:
Bette Davis
Click to expand...

WOW! When movie stars were really stars.

My uncle had a specialty clothing shop for tall and rotund men, and I worked there one summer. Met a bunch of guys in the NBA. I think there were some famous fat guys too, but I don't remember. Just needing two tape measures to find out trouser size should make you famous. We sold enormous boxer shorts too.
 
... Jack Nicholson was brought into a French place I was a chef at by Saul Bellow who was a regular and our friend ..we all met Jack... Oddly enough I was at Saul's grave today as I was called to look at a tree in the cemetery ...
 
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  • #25
I saw the famous Carol Doda at the Boom Boom club in San Francisco. I feel like I met her because she was pointing at me. :)
 
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