Living in Southern California most of my life, I’ve of-course encountered many celebrities in various places. They’re mostly just ordinary people, who have places to go and things to do.
The vast majority of the celebrities I’ve met have been exceptionally friendly and cordial. That includes Loretta Swit, Peter Falk, Barbie Benton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Blake, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Wagner, Roy Clark, Larry Hagman, Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kucher, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Jay Leno and many others. My impression of these and most celebrities I’ve seen has been very positive. However there have been a couple bad impressions…
1 – Brandon Cruz – Brandon was a popular child star, best known for his role in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, but also appearing in TV shows such as Kung Fu, Gunsmoke and The Incredible Hulk. He also appeared in the movie: The Bad News Bears and was a lead singer for the punk band: The Dead Kennedys. I actually attended the same high school as Brandon. He had a small entourage of fans, that would fawn on him. I personally just treated him like another kid in school, and he seemed to resent that. I also observed him regularly picking on and bullying other kids in school. He would sometimes show off in school, demonstrating his martial arts skills and trying to intimidate other kids. Hopefully he grew out of that stage, as he matured and became an adult.
2 – Dabney Coleman – Dabney starred in movies such as 9 to 5, War Games and On Golden Pond and had TV appearances on many TV shows, such as NCIS and Columbo. Mr. Coleman (same last name as me, but no relation) was at a benefit I attended, and I got to meet him personally. I actually enjoyed his performances in several films, and he always played the quintessential jerk. I found him to be rude, short and pretty much similar to the characters he plays. I guess for some people, it’s not really acting…
The nicest celebrity I met was probably Peter Falk. He was warm, genuine, open and engaging. When I reached out to shake his hand, I thought I was never going to get it back. He was a wonderful person…