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GReedDiamond

(5,471 posts)
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 03:04 AM Sunday

Have you ever been mistaken for a celebrity/famous person?

Way back around 1977, my Korean (and long ago ex) wife and I were mistaken for John and Yoko.

Later, I was "identified" by Guitar Center customers as Joe Walsh (James Gang/Eagles) - in 2 different states (CA and MO).

I have also been stopped in public to ask if I was Neil Young, and another time, Stephen Stills!

It's fucking weird.

Lastly, one time 20 years ago or so, I was with my Japanese girlfriend as we were walking from the parking lot to the entrance of a Chinese food market in the L.A. area, and an Asian-looking guy came up to me and excitedly shook my hand saying "we're so proud to have you here."

I said thanks and kept moving. I have no idea who he thought I was.

Now, nobody pays attention to me!!

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Skittles

(166,089 posts)
1. no, but am constantly mistaken for a local "Karen"
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 03:11 AM
Sunday

a racist one at that.......believe me, there are worse things than being ignored

Haggard Celine

(17,307 posts)
2. I was mistaken for Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) once.
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 03:13 AM
Sunday

I was in a casino in Biloxi and a couple of women came up to me and asked if I was Billy Corgan. The Smashing Pumpkins were playing somewhere close at the time. I told them I was and they asked me for my autograph, so I gave it to them. I wrote "Best wishes, Billy Corgan."

GReedDiamond

(5,471 posts)
4. I wonder how much it's worth...
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 03:20 AM
Sunday

...on ebay?

I knew Dewey Martin of Buffalo Springfield.

Whenever asked for an autograph, he wrote:

"Always know whether you are coming or going."
Then signed his name.

RIP Dewey.

Haggard Celine

(17,307 posts)
6. Yeah, I wonder if they tried to sell it.
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 03:58 AM
Sunday

I don't know what Corgan's handwriting looks like, but it's probably a lot different from mine. He's a lot taller than I am, but we look kind of similar in the face. I was over at my parents' house yesterday and we were watching American Pickers. One of the guys doing appraisals said that about 80% of autographed baseballs are fake. I don't think I would buy autographs, but if I did, I would make damn sure they were authentic.

NBachers

(18,743 posts)
5. In a visit to New York last year, I was walking back to my hotel around 1:00 AM after a glorious New York night out.
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 03:54 AM
Sunday

I walked past a construction site, and one of the guards said, "Hey, you look just like Jack Nicholson!"

I turned around and used my hands to push my hair back over my scalp and said, "Yeah, I get that a lot. It's my Jack Nicholson hairline."

A few steps later, I turned around and said, "Actually, I really am Jack Nicholson."

As I walk down the sidewalk, the guy's yelling after me: "What? No!! Wait a minute!" I just kept walking.

On edit: We were living as a gang of loosely affiliated guys from our Western New York hometown. One of us was a bit tall with long straight red-blond hair. We had other friends at school in Alabama. A few went over to visit them.

The red-blond haired guy - women kept coming up and asking if he was Greg Allman. He played it cagey and said, "We're here kind of undercover, just visiting friends. We don't want a lot of attention." That made it even worse. Of course, he enjoyed the attention, as did the down-stream guys too.

Oeditpus Rex

(42,106 posts)
7. 'Mistaken'? No. But...
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 03:59 AM
Sunday

I've been told a number of times I look like Eric Clapton.

If you remember the "Lou Grant" show, the photographer, Animal, played by Darryl Anderson, could've been my identical twin. The cool part was I was also a photographer, and where he drove a '66 Chevy Impala, I had a '66 Chevy Bel Air.

Years ago, I was at Burger King wearing my Steve Garvey Dodgers jersey (this was before everybody knew what a rat bastard he was). Some stoned hgh school kid thought I was Garvey and wanted my autograph. He'd apparently never seen Garvey before.

GReedDiamond

(5,471 posts)
8. Eric Clapton is God...
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 04:25 AM
Sunday

...so some say.

You should be proud!!

The rest, Lou Grant, Steve Garvey, why the hell not?!

GReedDiamond

(5,471 posts)
11. Nobody really knows how tall Tom Cruise actually is...
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 05:22 AM
Sunday

...that is up to XENU.

But thanks for playing, InAbLuEsTaTe!

Emile

(36,000 posts)
12. Some people said I look like Burt Reynolds and others said I
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 06:10 AM
Sunday

look like meathead Rob Reiner.

boonecreek

(1,137 posts)
15. Back in the eighties,
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 09:40 AM
Sunday

I was checking out at the grocery store while wearing a Cubs jacket. This little kid, maybe about 7 or 8
is grinning up at me and asked me "are you (Cubs pitcher) Rick Sutcliffe?" I had a beard back then. I told him
sorry but no; Sutcliffe is like 6' 8" and I was. 5' 10". I felt bad, he looked so crestfallen.

OldBaldy1701E

(8,403 posts)
16. Yep.
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 10:17 AM
Sunday

Every single time I do anything that gets some attention, I have to deal with so many people saying how much I look like Michael Chiklis.

I feel so sorry for that guy if people think I look like him. I look like warmed over crap. I know he looks better than that!

I also spent a few years (when I was really young) with people saying I was Alan Hale's grandson because of how much we supposedly favored. My nickname in school was 'Skipper'. I even used to wear a Greek fisherman's cap a lot of the time.

catbyte

(37,346 posts)
17. No, but I was usually mistaken for a local when I traveled.
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 11:24 AM
Sunday

I look "racially ambiguous" due to my 70/30 Native to White genes. I remember being mistaken for a Eurasian from Siberia when I went to Russia, somebody asked me for directions in Rome, thinking I was Italian, and I was always mistaken for a local when on Maui.

The only times I didn't get it were when I was in Ireland and The Netherlands, lol.

bif

(25,912 posts)
18. I've been told I look like Christopher Walken
Sun Jul 20, 2025, 11:51 AM
Sunday

Not sure if that's an insult or not. I do have his bags under my eyes and white hair.

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