Celebrities I Have Met
by ldavis-2 | created - 27 Dec 2014 | updated - 22 Feb 2015 | PublicIn case you were wondering (and you weren't).
In alphabetical order.
1. Adrian Biddle
Cinematographer | V for Vendetta
Adrian Biddle was born on July 20, 1952 in Woolwich, London, England, UK. He was a cinematographer, known for V for Vendetta (2005), Thelma & Louise (1991) and 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992). He was married to Mo. He died on December 7, 2005 in London, England, UK.
1993. Doheny Library, USC. On location for "City Slickers II". Seemed to appreciate someone taking an interest in what he was doing. Real bitter he lost the Oscar to Robert Richardson. Can't blame him. Nice guy.
2. George Brett
Actor | Modern Family
George Brett was born on May 15, 1953 in Glen Dale, West Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Modern Family (2009), Fantasy Island (1977) and Arli$$ (1996). He has been married to Leslie Davenport since February 15, 1991. They have three children.
1983. Had such a crush on him, I crashed the visitor's clubhouse at Fenway Park before the game (you could do that back then).
3. James L. Brooks
Writer | Broadcast News
James L. Brooks was born on May 9, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Broadcast News (1987), As Good as It Gets (1997) and Terms of Endearment (1983). He was previously married to Holly Holmberg Brooks and Marianne Catherine Morrissey.
At the 1997 WGA confab in Santa Monica. Cost me $335. However, for the few moments we chatted, it seemed to be worth every penny. The nicest industry big shot I've ever met.
4. Dan Butler
Actor | Frasier
Dan Butler was born on December 2, 1954 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Frasier (1993), The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and The Fan (1996). He has been married to Richard Waterhouse since September 12, 2010.
2002. Traxx Restaurant, Union Station. While I was eating, I noticed him at a table. I approached with a headshot of my friend, telling him what was a fine actress she is. He took it and said, "You are a good friend". Very nice man.
5. Joel Coen
Producer | The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Joel Daniel Coen is an American filmmaker who regularly collaborates with his younger brother Ethan. They made Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, True Grit, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis, Hail Caesar and other projects. Joel ...
2001. Ate with him and his crew while they were shooting "The Man Who Wasn't There" (their port-a-potties were in my driveway). Seemed offended when I asked about a plot hole in "Fargo". Can't see what Frances McDormand sees in him.
6. Richard Ben Cramer
Writer | Frontline
Richard Ben Cramer was born on June 12, 1950 in Rochester, New York, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Frontline (1983), Dale (2007) and The Supreme Court (2007). He was married to Carolyn White and Joan Smith. He died on January 7, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
1998. Gave him my research for my Joe DiMaggio book assuming he would be balanced. I assumed wrong.
7. Billy Crystal
Actor | Forget Paris
Billy Crystal was born on March 14, 1948 in Manhattan, New York, and was raised on Long Island. He is the youngest of three sons born to Helen (Gabler) and Jack Crystal. His father was a well-known concert promoter who co-founded Commodore Records and his mother was a homemaker. His family were ...
1993. Doheny Library, USC. On location for "City Slickers II". Asked me where the bathroom was. I told him. He thanked me.
8. Elizabeth M. Daley
Director | Starring... the Actors
Elizabeth M. Daley is known for Starring... the Actors (1984), Vestige of Honor (1990) and Right to Kill? (1985).
Rejected me for USC's Film Writing Program twice, but was very nice about it. BTW, that is NOT her photo.
9. Rodney Dangerfield
Actor | Back to School
Rodney Dangerfield was born Jacob Cohen on November 22, 1921 in Deer Park, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. He was the son of Dorothy "Dotty" (Teitelbaum) and Phillip Cohen, who performed in vaudeville under the name Phil Roy. His father was born in New York, to Russian Jewish parents, and ...
2003. Dentist Office of Grace Sun, L.A. Had his teeth cleaned under gas. His wife picked him up. Had on an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt with his gut hanging out. Gross!
10. Blythe Danner
Actress | Meet the Parents
Blythe Danner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Katharine (Kile) and Harry Earl Danner, a bank executive. She has German, as well as English and Irish, ancestry. Danner studied acting and got her degree from Bard College and began her career in Boston theater companies. By 25, she won the ...
1992. Doheny Library, USC. On location for "Cruel Doubt". Real nice lady.
11. Joe DiMaggio
Actor | Manhattan Merry-Go-Round
Joe DiMaggio was simply the greatest all-around baseball player of his era. As a New York baseball legend, "The Yankee Clipper" succeeded superstars Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and preceded Mickey Mantle. In his 13 year career from 1936 to 1951 (which was interrupted by three years spent in the Army ...
1984. A celebrity Pro-Am, Las Vegas. Anyone willing to put up with me back then was a near-saint, and he was one of them. I later sent him a baseball which he signed, my prized possession.
12. Doug Flutie
Actor | Arli$$
Doug Flutie was born on October 23, 1962 in Manchester, Maryland, USA. He is an actor, known for Arli$$ (1996), Listen Up (2004) and Second String (2002). He has been married to Laurie Flutie since August 10, 1985. They have two children.
1985. Prudential Center, Boston, MA. In an elevator with him after his agent announced Flutie signed with the USFL. Nice guy. Even shorter in person.
13. Caitlyn Jenner
Actress | Can't Stop the Music
Caitlyn Marie Jenner was born William Bruce Jenner on October 28, 1949 in Mount Kisco, New York and raised in Sleepy Hollow, New York to Esther Jenner & William Jenner. Jenner played college football for the Graceland Yellowjackets before incurring a knee injury that required surgery. Convinced by ...
1995. Law Office, Beverly Hills. With Kris, who was pregnant with Kendall. His ex was busting his chops over child support for their boys. Got an autograph. Nice guy.
14. Kris Jenner
Actress | The Mindy Project
Kris Jenner was born on November 5, 1955 in San Diego, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for The Mindy Project (2012), Love Advent (2011) and Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007). She was previously married to Caitlyn Jenner and Robert Kardashian.
Where/when I met Bruce. Gave Bruce's attorney some classical music CDs for Kendall. After Kendall was born, she sent me a card *as* Kendall thanking me.
15. Steve Jobs
Producer | Toy Story
Steven Paul Jobs was born on 24 February 1955 in San Francisco, California, to students Abdul Fattah Jandali and Joanne Carole Schieble who were unmarried at the time and gave him up for adoption. He was taken in by a working class couple, Paul and Clara Jobs, and grew up with them in Mountain View...
1990. Tommy Trojan, USC. Promoting his workstation NeXT. Heard he was an egomaniac, but when I told him he was a genius, he actually blushed.
16. John Kerry
Actor | Cheers
John Kerry is an American politician who served as the 68th United States Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 1985 until 2013. He was the Democratic nominee in the 2004 presidential election,...
1984. Boston Public Library. Stumping for the Senate. Bitterly-cold night, but was wearing his shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Shook my hand with both of his. I wanted to talk about homelessness (just moved into a cockroach-infested room near Symphony Hall after living on the streets). He ushered me to a flunky. Would have avoided him like the plague had I known then what I know now. But he does have that *rock star* aura.
17. Callie Khouri
Producer | Thelma & Louise
Raised in Texas and Kentucky by her doctor father and mother. Went to Purdue University to study landscape architecture but switched to drama. Moved to Nashville after college to be with her family before heading to Los Angeles in 1982 to study at the Strasburg Institute. Worked for a commercials ...
1997 WGA confab. I asked why Thelma and Louise decided to go to Mexico, which is notoriously misogynist. She replied, "They were probably acting out of confusion". Huh?
18. Jenji Kohan
Producer | Orange Is the New Black
Jenji Kohan was born on July 5, 1969 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Orange Is the New Black (2013), Weeds (2005) and Tracey Takes On... (1996). She was previously married to Christopher Noxon.
2013 L.A. Times Festival of Books. Came from San Bernardino to pitch her my show because I enjoy her dad's work. Maybe she was having a bad hair day (!), but she hustled herself into the theater as fast as her high heels could carry her saying, "I can't. I'm too busy". Based on the Orange Is the New Black reviews I've read, she did me a favor!
19. Elmore Leonard
Writer | Out of Sight
Elmore Leonard was born on October 11, 1925 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Out of Sight (1998), Get Shorty (1995) and Justified (2010). He was married to Christine Kent, Joan Shepard and Beverly Claire Cline. He died on August 20, 2013 in Bloomfield Township...
1997 WGA confab. Sat with him at a Bruce Paltrow Q & A. Showed him my business cards, which I made myself. He left a few minutes later, obviously not impressed.
20. Todd Marinovich
Self | The NFL on CBS
Todd Marinovich was born on July 4, 1969 in San Leandro, California, USA.
1989. Kaprielian Hall, USC. Found myself in an elevator with him. Told me he turned in a paper. Nice kid.
21. Sarah McLachlan
Soundtrack | Charlotte's Web
Sarah McLachlan was born on January 28, 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is a music artist and actress, known for Charlotte's Web (2006), Sarah McLachlan: Possession, Version 2 (1993) and Toy Story 2 (1999). She was previously married to Ashwin Sood.
1998. Robertson Boulevard, L.A. She and a friend were shopping shawdowed by a bodyguard; surprised he let me follow her into a store. I told her her "interactive" CD froze my computer. She didn't even say, "Sorry". Last $10 she got out of me.
22. Christopher McQuarrie
Writer | The Usual Suspects
Christopher McQuarrie is an acclaimed producer, director and an Academy Award® winning writer. McQuarrie grew up in Princeton Junction, New Jersey and in lieu of college, he spent the first five years out of school traveling and working at a detective agency. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue...
On my birthday at the 1997 WGA confab. I've had better birthdays.
23. Matthew Modine
Actor | Full Metal Jacket
The youngest of seven, Matthew was born in Loma Linda, Ca, to Dolores (Warner), a bookkeeper, and Mark Alexander Modine, a drive-in theater manager. After graduating high school in Imperial Beach, Ca. Modine moved to NYC (1979). Matthew studied with Stella Adler at her Conservatory of Acting. While...
1989. Doheny Library, USC. On location for "Gross Anatomy". Doing my good deed for the day, I showed him how to throw a ball so it would fly straight. Tried to be nice about it, but clearly didn't appreciate my meddling.
24. Anne Murray
Soundtrack | Zodiac
Anne Murray is a major recording star. She has won numerous Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, as well as a number of Juno Awards in her native Canada. Anne lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband and two children. She has sold over 24 million records. She is known for such hits as "Snowbird",...
1984 Pro-Am where I met Joe DiMaggio and Leslie Nielsen. To be fair, I was being something of a pest. Still, she wasn't as gracious as she could have been.
25. Leslie Nielsen
Actor | Airplane!
Leslie William Nielsen was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and raised in Tulita (formerly Fort Norman), Northwest Territories. His mother, Mabel Elizabeth (Davies), was Welsh. His father, Ingvard Eversen Nielsen, was a Danish-born Mountie and a strict disciplinarian. Leslie studied at the Academy of ...
1984 Pro-Am where I met Joe DiMaggio and Anne Murray. Very nice man.
26. Cal Ripken
Cal Ripken was born on August 24, 1960 in Havre De Grace, Maryland, USA. He is a producer and executive, known for The Fan (1996), Sunday Night Baseball (1990) and Marvel & ESPN Films Present 1 of 1: Genesis (2014). He has been married to Laura Kiessling since October 2018. He was previously ...
Fenway Park. Last game of the 1984 season. Caught him as he was leaving with his now-wife. Not as nice pop.
27. Cal Ripken Sr.
Cal Ripken Sr. was born on December 17, 1935 in Aberdeen, Maryland, USA. He was married to Vi Ripken. He died on March 25, 1999 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Visitor's clubhouse at Fenway Park on the last game of the 1984 season. Great guy.
28. Joan Rivers
Actress | Spaceballs
Joan Rivers is an American talk show host, comedian, writer and actress from Brooklyn, New York. She voiced Dot Matrix from Mel Brooks' Spaceballs. She has portrayed in several films and shows such as Shrek 2, Look Who's Talking, The Smurfs and Iron Man 3. She passed away in September 2014 at ...
1983. Las Vegas. A personal appearance. Gave her my jokes; doubt she used them. Seemed offended when she asked if I wanted her autograph and I said no.
29. Carly Simon
Soundtrack | All Good Things
Carly Simon has an unparalleled career that spans five decades of openhearted storytelling both in song and print. Joining the singer-songwriters of the early 1970s, Simon changed the public's conception of pop music to an honest, sensitive and intelligent craftwork. Simon's biggest success came ...
1984. Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard. I was on the street and recognized her as she walked with her kids. I didn't want to act like a *fan*, so I asked what time it is. She turned to me and said, "Noon". Very down-to-Earth.
30. Trish Soodik
Producer | Mad About You
Trish Soodik was born on April 15, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Mad About You (1992), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and Live-In (1989). She was married to Henry Bromell. She died on January 8, 2009 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
Spent the afternoon with her and her family at their home. Had Panda Express (when their food was actually good), and watched the 1990 MTV Awards (puke!) Sweet lady. Even lent me $150. Very sad to learn of her passing.
31. Mark Steines
Actor | Nixon
Emmy award-winning Mark Steines is known as one of the entertainment industry's most dynamic and well-respected television journalists.
From small town Iowa to the red carpets of Hollywood, Steines a three-time Emmy winner, has established himself as one of the most trusted and charismatic figures ...
1992. Howard Jones Field, USC. Chatted as he was going to his car. The most handsome man I've ever seen.
32. Jerry Tarkanian
Actor | Honeymoon in Vegas
Jerry Tarkanian was born on August 8, 1930 in Euclid, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Blue Chips (1994) and The Sixth Man (1997). He was married to Lois Tarkanian. He died on February 11, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
1983. Las Vegas. I walking out of a place as he was walking in. I turned, yelled "Hey, Tark!", and he stopped long enough to shake my hand. Super guy.
33. Tracey Ullman
Actress | The Tracey Ullman Show
Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman) is a multiple award-winning television, stage and film actress who performs as a comedian, singer, dancer, as well as works as a screenwriter, producer, director, author, and businesswoman. She holds dual British and American citizenship.
Ullman's early appearances ...
1997 WGA confab. I said "Hi" as she passed. She not only said "Hi", but introduced me to her daughter. Been a fan ever since.
34. Liv Ullmann
Actress | Viskningar och rop
Liv Ullmann's father was a Norwegian engineer who used to work abroad, so as a child she lived in Tokyo, Canada, New York and Oslo. In the mid-1950s she made her stage debut and in 1957 made her film debut. She really became successful, however, when she began to work for Swedish director Ingmar ...
1985. Boston, MA bookstore. I gave her a fan letter; the bodyguard behind her took a step forward (like I was a threat!). She mailed me a note, which I lost during a misadventure at Logan Airport (don't ask), but I remember she wrote, "Your words made me very happy". Sweet lady.
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