Did your grandparents ever mention unexpectedly famous people they had known?

[2catsandhappy]

As a young girl, whenever the WW2 came on tv, my late Nan would tell us that she knew Violette Szabo from when Violette was in London.
It meant nothing to me then, only in later years did the name mean anything.
No idea if Violette was a child or an adult. I presume adult as Nan was an adult in London. I have the vaguest idea they were sometime neighbours.
Anybody else had an unexpected name crop up in conversation with grandparents?

This is brilliant and the stuff you read in biographies.

One of my elderly relatives worked in theatre in Glasgow for many years. (Behind the scenes).

She met loads of people but her absolute favourite was Rikki Fulton (who will be well known to Scottish posters for Scotch and Wry, Francis and Josie, Reverend I M Jolly on Hogmanay tv, Local Hero film etc). Said he was the nicest chap ever, always had time for a chat, remembered things from previous chats, asked after her family etc. He even sent flowers when she retired which made her day.

She also met a young Billy Connolly and said he was genuinely funny, warm and lovely too.

Loads of other stories but those are probably the 2 best known names.

Did you hear the amazing interview some 20 years ago with the wife of a guy who admitted in his death bed, aged 80+ that he had shot down Guy Gibson in a friendly fire case of mistaken identity!? Gibson had gone missing over the channel with no enemy aircraft in the area. This guy had been so horrified when he realized that that must have been the plane he had shot down, believing it to be German, that he carried the secret for 60 odd years. (He went onto become Mayor of Holy head, if I remember correctly.)

My mum was madly in love with Richard Todd after seeing the film, and I grew up hearing about Gibson regularly. An amazing man. Have also known about Violette Szabo since early childhood - Carve her Name With Pride bizarrely became my millennial son's favourite film when he was about 10!

Johnny Ball filmed something at my school in about 1989 with the actress that played Debbie ( Damon Grants girlfriend in Brookside) i have no idea what it was and it wss never explained to us i just remember them locking the main corrridor off whilst they walked up and down it
I thought i must have imagined it but people i went to school with confirmrd it happened but nobody knows why ?

My great grandpa took dancing lessons with Gene Kelly in the same class, when he was a boy in the states. He casually mentioned that when we were watching Singin in the Rain one afternoon. My mum didn't even know that. 😂

Just remembered that my maternal grandfather was manager of a fancy hotel in the south of France when Laurel and Hardy were staying there making their last film. Have photos of him with them and the cast and crew.

My great grandmas full cousin was Sandy Powell. No one will know him now.

My grandma and great grandmother lived in Swindon, next door but one to Diana Fluck during WW2. Diana used to baby sit for my aunty Pat - Diana went on to become Diana Dors. My grandma was gutted when she died at only 52.

My grandad knew Paul Daniels.

Chris Rea grew up just 4 doors down from my grandparents/mum so my family knew him, his parents and siblings. His dad used to bring me an ice cream cake every year for my birthday.

My step-nan’s uncle was an England football player in the 30’s and then managed Wolverhampton Wanderers for 16 years.

Yes that's a great mystery about how my mother-in-law exactly knew Tom Jones in the early 60s
She won't be drawn on it anymore

My grandma used to drive round Duncan Goodhew's (swimmer) mum .

My mum has a picture of my great grandmother (who was a dancer - hoofer - in the touring music halls in the early 1900s) next to a young Charlie Chaplin. When I asked about it, I was told 'oh yes, Charlie and Stan Laurel toured with her before they moved to the US and became huge stars. There are family rumours that there may have been some kind of romance between my great-gran and Charlie! Never confirmed but the picture of them, both very, very young, is lovely (and he was SO good looking, I don't doubt it at all)!

If it's any comfort, I've got one I can't post either!

Not my grandparents....but my lovely late Uncle Tim was a teenager in the 1930s when his big sister brought home her new boyfriend, a dashing RAF airman. It was Guy Gibson, of bouncing bomb fame. Uncle Tim was utterly enthralled by him, and himself ended up as a Wellington bomber pilot in WW2. Lived to a ripe old age, long enough to entertain my DCs with his many hair-raising stories.

This is the crapest claim of Fame ever 😁😁

My Grandad knew Duncan Edwards of the Busby babe’s fame.. My grandad was a hard man and towards the end of his days I took him to the Utd museum . He cried in the Munich room which I wasn’t expecting it was an emotional day.
Recently took my boy with his grandad (my dad) and it really got me x

My late dad knew the Richardsons. My grandparents lived a few doors down from Jim Davison in SE London. We lived next door to an actor who was in the best British gangster film of all time.

My granny knew Unity Mitford.

It was during the war and she was recovering from shooting herself so she was very meek apparently.

My Granny was nursing in the hospital near their country estate, Unity would be sent down with the eggs and other nutritious things from the home farm to supplement the meagre rations for the hospital catering.

Yes but my mum and dad. My Dad casually mentioned he was in a card game with Elton John. My mum was in the same primary school as Ronnie Wood and after a school assembly where they played musical instruments my grandad said - he’ll go far! Plus my mum casually dropped in conversation my cousin in Australia played guitar in Madonna’s band!

She must know my DH and or his brother. His brother went on to work for frank williams and my DH played in a well known band in the area.

Love this 😄

My grandmother had an Irish family stay with them
after the war. One of them ended up a very famous actress.

Oh wow! And he really was dashing, wasn't he?!

My grandfather (long dead) grew up in the same road as Charlie Chaplin. My great-grandparents used to party with the then Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra. The family weren't happy though because through their partying they frittered away all the inherited money.

my granddad was a member of the British boxing association (or something like that) and on of the dinners sat on next table to Mohammed Ali's table. Sadly no photos my granddad said he was a very clever and impressive man and chatted with everyone

he didn't have such kind words for Henry Cooper ... who was a loud mouth apparently

my aunt dropped into conversation a few years ago about a lovely American gay couple who live close, how nice they are and how Dave goes out often and clears the area of rubbish. She was talking about David (not Dave) Sedaris 😀

You win!!