Fame and Celebrity

Edie Adams on Ernie Kovacs' fatal car accident on January 12, 1962

Alan Alda on the downsides of fame

John Amos on celebrity

John Aniston on his popularity playing "Victor Kiriakis" on Days of Our Lives

Beatrice Arthur on fame and celebrity

Beatrice Arthur on her public persona and private life

Beatrice Arthur on her huge gay following

Ed Asner on being identified with Lou Grant and his fame

Ed Asner on his celebrity

Tammy Faye Bakker Messner on celebrity

Bob Banner on how fans approached TV star Dinah Shore versus movie star Bette Davis

Rona Barrett on becoming a celebrity herself

Rona Barrett on becoming a celebrity herself

Chuck Barris on getting recognized once he hosted The Gong Show

Chuck Barris on being approached by fans

Sharon Bialy on not casting known celebrities, but having the actors she cast become big stars on Breaking Bad

Lewis Black and dealing with fame and celebrity, and on the trajectory of his career

Linda Bell Blue on the public's fascination with Michael Jackson and covering the Royal Family

Linda Bell Blue on interviewing Charles Manson for KCBS in Los Angeles

Linda Bell Blue on star quality and covering entertainment worldwide 

Linda Bell Blue on covering the death of Michael Jackson

Linda Bell Blue on the biggest story of her career, covering Anna Nicole Smith for Entertainment Tonight

Pat Boone on his first experiences being mobbed by fans

Anthony Bourdain on "celebrity chefs" and dealing with celebrity

Peter Boyle on fan mail he receives

Eric Braeden on how fans took to his Young and the Restless character, "Victor Newman"

Eric Braeden on how fans react to his Young and the Restless character, "Victor Newman"

Eric Braeden on being recognized as "Victor Newman" on The Young and the Restless and encounters with fans

Kevin Bright on how the instant success of Friends affected the cast and creators

Alton Brown on what being on the Food Network has meant for his career and being a "cable-ebrity"

Mark Burnett on reality show contestants and their fame

Ken Burns on his celebrity

LeVar Burton on how fame has affected him

David Canary on how fame has affected him

Jim Cantore on his fans' perceptions of him

Jim Cantore on "The Cantore Snuggle Factor"

Jim Cantore on his celebrity from The Weather Channel

Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner on problems with Roseanne on the set of Roseanne and how fame changed her

Chris Carter on how fame has changed his life

Nancy Cartwright on being anonymous as a voiceover artist and not enjoying some of the perks of celebrity

Dick Cavett on fame

Richard Chamberlain on being a teen idol

Richard Chamberlain on being the first person interviewed for Entertainment Tonight, and the role of celebrity

Esme Chandlee on how MGM handled situations that could lead to negative press; on the protective nature the publicists at MGM had for their stars

Esme Chandlee on working with columnists like Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons

Esme Chandlee on the publicity of Frank Sinatra's romance with Ava Gardner

RuPaul Charles on separating his public and private personas

Michael Chiklis on the fans of The Commish

Connie Chung on being recognized and the response to her from Asian-Americans and women

Dick Clark on first realizing he was famous

Roy Clark on how fame and celebrity has impacted him over the years

Kevin Clash on his dealings with his fans

Bob Claver on working with the kids of The Partridge Family and how they dealt with celebrity

Andy Cohen on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and his first experience with "regular people" becoming stars

Richard Coogan on his fame

Anderson Cooper on dealing with fame and celebrity

Walter Cronkite on first being aware that newsmen could be recognized in public by their audience; anecdote about Eric Sevareid being recognized at the '52 political convention

Walter Cronkite on some of the fringe benefits of fame; anecdote about a jewelry store while filming in Houston

Jane Curtin on dealing with celebrity and fame

Bill Daily on enjoying fame and celebrity

Bill Dana on dealing with fame and celebrity

Ann B. Davis on her celebrity

Phil Donahue on celebrity 

Patty Duke on what fans of The Patty Duke Show said/say to her

Patty Duke on her opinion on fame and getting recognized

Rebecca Eaton on the reception to Downton Abbey, and on the show's fans

Roger Ebert on how his fame affected his work

Hector Elizondo on the fame that resulted from his co-starring on Chicago Hope

Linda Ellerbee on becoming a minor celebrity in Houston, and how she has dealt with celebrity in her career

Kevin Eubanks on Jay Leno's 2009 exit from The Tonight Show and move to a 10pm show (The Jay Leno Show)

Kevin Eubanks on why The Jay Leno Show didn't work

Edie Falco on being recognized on the street for playing "Carmela Soprano" on The Sopranos

Jamie Farr on cross-dressing as "Klinger" on M*A*S*H and reaction from fans from the "Big Mac" episode

Barbara Feldon on celebrity

Ray Forrest on how many people were watching experimental television in the early days and feedback he received

Michael J. Fox on fame and celebrity

Albert Freedman on Charles Van Doren becoming a celebrity because of his appearances of Twenty One and Freedman realizing the power of television

James Garner on public reaction to Maverick and his fame

James Garner on his feelings about the press and doing interviews

Mitzi Gaynor on how celebrity has affected her

Actor Anthony Geary on his celebrity during the time of the "Luke and Laura" craze on General Hospital

Larry Gelbart on how he feels lucky to have had the opportunity to have a soapbox on national television with M*A*S*H where he could speak his mind

Marla Gibbs on fame and celebrity

Melissa Gilbert on realizing she was famous; on her fans

Paul Michael Glaser on dealing with the fame and celebrity that came along with Starsky and Hutch

Sharon Gless and Barney Rosenzweig on getting recognized by and interacting with fans

Sharon Gless on being hugged by fans, and the impact of Queer as Folk

Curt Gowdy on broadcasters becoming celebrities

Jon Hamm on how his life changed when Mad Men became successful and he started to get recognized more; on dealing with celebrity

Don Hastings on dealing with fame and celebrity

Hugh Hefner on fame and celebrity, and on the importance of laughter

Don Herbert on public reaction to Mr. Wizard

Hal Holbrook on fame and celebrity, and on being part of an acting company

Felicity Huffman on the immediate success of Desperate Housewives

Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on receiving their stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy on how they've used their celebrity to champion causes

Geri Jewell on the challenges she faced when her manager stole the money she earned from The Facts of Life and how the show's producer Al Burton tried to help her

Geri Jewell on her experience with "overnight fame" and the impact of her visibility as a person with a disability

Asaad Kelada on working with the young cast of The Facts of Life and how they handled fame

Larry King on playing himself in movies, television shows

Walter Koenig on attending Star Trek  conventions

Steve Kroft on the movement toward more celebrity-driven news

Lisa Kudrow on the sudden popularity of Friends and the cast's appearance on Oprah Winfrey's show

Lisa Kudrow on how fame affected the cast members of Friends; on not being able to go out in public after their success hit

Lisa Kudrow on the "overexposure" of the cast of Friends

Sheila Kuehl on her interaction with fans of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and how they reacted to her character "Zelda Gilroy"

Mort Lachman on working around fame and celebrity, and on Bob Hope's demanding schedule

Jack Larson on the instant popularity of "Jimmy Olsen" on Adventures of Superman and being typecast as an actor

Lucy Lawless on dealing with her fame from Xena: Warrior Princess  and being a feminist icon

Lucy Lawless on how celebrity has affected her

Vicki Lawrence on how Carol Burnett approached fame and celebrity, and on not feeling like a celebrity herself

Jerry Lewis on celebrity

James Lipton on hosting Inside the Actors Studio, and on the fame that resulted

Barry Livingston on how fans reacted to him when he was on My Three Sons

Barry Livingston on how fame has affected his life

Chuck Lorre on Roseanne Barr singing the National Anthem

Julia Louis-Dreyfus on how iconic Seinfeld  became and when she first realized how big an audience the show had amassed

Barry Manilow on how his life changed after his hit single "Mandy" was released, and on the fame that resulted

Randolph Mantooth on his fame

Penny Marshall on how celebrity has affected her

Bob May on the fan mail he received while on Lost in Space

David McCallum on the popularity of his character, "Illya Kuryakin", on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and dealing with celebrity for the first time

S. Epatha Merkerson on her fans

S. Epatha Merkerson on cops and fans approaching her with compliments while she was cast on Law & Order

Diana Muldaur on fame and celebrity

Bob Newhart on how fame has affected his career

Laraine Newman on her fame from Saturday Night Live and who the show appealed to

Laraine Newman on fan encounters during her time on Saturday Night Live

Leonard Nimoy on the ups and downs of fame

Agnes Nixon on the fan mail for All My Children

Bill Nye on reactions from fans

Ed O'Neill on getting recognized by fans

Fess Parker on being recognized from Davy Crockett

Suzanne Pleshette on being a "movie star" who appeared on television

Martha Quinn on how she dealt with sudden fame and celebrity, and on leaving MTV

Martha Quinn on what people who remember her as an MTV VJ say to her on the street, and on being a 1980s spokesperson

Della Reese on continuing to work as she got older, and on using her celebrity for various causes

Del Reisman on Rod Serling's celebrity

Maria Riva on the difference to the public between a movie star and a television actor as she noted when approached by a fan while accompanying her mother Marlene Dietrich in the 1950s

Joan Rivers on her celebrity and how she'd like to be remembered

Paul Rodriguez on the drug scene in stand-up comedy in the 1980s, and on dealing with celebrity

Paul Rodriguez on how he defines success, and on various then-recent celebrity scandals

Andy Rooney on dealing with the fame that resulted from his appearing on-camera

Sharon Gless and Barney Rosenzweig on getting recognized by and interacting with fans

Sharon Gless on being hugged by fans, and the impact of Queer as Folk

Marion Ross on her fame once she was cast on Happy Days

Marion Ross on how the young cast of Happy Days dealt with fame

Marion Ross on the Happy Days fan mail

Pat Sajak on worrying about the "celebrity" part of the business

Isabel Sanford on dealing with fame and celebrity

Lloyd J. Schwartz on how the kids on The Brady Bunch dealt with fame

Paul Shaffer on dealing with celebrity

Judith Sheindlin on dealing with the fame that resulted from Judge Judy

Doris Singleton on still being recognized as "Carolyn Appleby" from I Love Lucy

Doris Singleton on the popularity of I Love Lucy and Lucille Ball

John Singleton on being nominated for Academy Awards for "Boyz N the Hood"

Yeardley Smith on remaining fairly anonymous when The Simpsons first aired because the producers didn't want the actors out there (partially because they didn't want people to know that "Bart" was voiced by a woman)

Yeardley Smith on her relationship to fame and celebrity

Mark Snow on dealing with fame and success, especially as he experienced it during the height of The X-Files

Suzanne Somers on dealing with fame and celebrity, and on her writing

Jean Stapleton on her marriage to producer/director William Putch and maintaining her career

Jean Stapleton on the professional reasons for not giving her age

Jean Stapleton on refusing to reprise "Edith Bunker" or a likeness of her in television commercials

Jean Stapleton on dealing with fame

Jean Stapleton on Bette Davis (who she was with when "Archie" and "Edith's" chairs were being donated from the set of All in the Family to the Smithsonian Institution)

Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on getting recognized from Mary Kay and Johnny

Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on using their real identities on Mary Kay and Johnny; on not wanting celebrity

Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on getting recognized from Mary Kay and Johnny

Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns on using their real identities on Mary Kay and Johnny; on not wanting celebrity

Bill Tush on interviewing celebrities for CNN's Showbiz Today

Bill Tush on the culture of celebrity 

Leslie Uggams on getting recognized on the street after appearing on Sing Along with Mitch and the extra pressure she felt as an African American woman in the spotlight

Tracey Ullman on being recognized (or not) on the street, and on the characters that fans come up to her to talk to her about

Tracey Ullman on the dangers of fame

Timothy Van Patten on his fame after The White Shadow

Robert Vaughn on the fame he and David McCallum experienced

Bob Vila on losing his anonymity 

Bob Vila on his fan mail

Bruce Vilanch on the fan mail he gets

Clint Walker on fame

Joseph Wapner on becoming famous from being on The People's Court

Malcolm-Jamal Warner on meeting his fans and the pitfalls of fame

Dawn Wells on her fan mail from Gilligan's Island fame

Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner on problems with Roseanne on the set of Roseanne and how fame changed her

Adam West on his growing fame and popularity from appearing on Warner Bros westerns

Vanna White on response from fans

Vanna White on knowing she had made it and handling celebrity

Vanna White on "Vannamania" and her fan club

Andy Williams on fan mail that he receives and how people interact with him on the street

Cindy Williams on fan reaction to Laverne & Shirley  and the fame that resulted from being on the show 

Henry Winkler on fame and celebrity

Henry Winkler on handling fame

Henry Winkler on the popularity of his character on Happy Days

Henry Winkler on enjoying the perks of fame, going to the White House

Henry Winkler on respect and camraderie in the acting business

Terence Winter on the buzz surrounding The Sopranos

"Weird Al" Yankovic on dealing with fame and celebrity

"Weird Al" Yankovic on his fanbase and what they expect of him

Kim Zimmer on her first TV role on One Life to Live, where she played a character based on Patty Hearst (who was in the news at that time)

Alan Zweibel on Chevy Chase being the first breakout star of Saturday Night Live