Famous People Who Turn

[Russell Neyman]

With this craft exploding in Western cultures, you would expect to see it begin to appear.in the lives ofnotable personalities -- statesmen, celebrities, athletes -- right? So, I did some digging
These are the famous people who are known to spin wood;

>>Former President Jimmie Carter

>>Actor Tom Selleck (Monte Walsh. Jesse Stone)

>>Political Satirist Jon Stewart (The Daily Show)

>>Actor William H. Macy (Fargo)

Ok, gang, there must be many, many others.

[Russell Neyman]

So, among the thousands of woodturners among us, no one knows of a congressman or rock singer orpro baseball player who rises a wood lathe? Hard to believe.

[Thom Sturgill]

You named the only ones I knew, plus a few. Nick Offerman (Actor) is a woodworker, but I don't think he turns.

[Hayes Rutherford]

John Disanti, actor, turns. Tall urn/ vase type hollow forms.

[Steve Doerr]

I was talking to a dentist last night and he was saying that in high school he did wood working but because of his career choice, he does nothing that might jeopardize his career--ie anything with power tools or sharp instruments. As you think about it, I would venture to say that most professional athletes are in that same community that doesn't want to do anything that would hurt or damage their hands or limbs.

So, I guess the only people of any noteworthiness that turn are those of us that post on the different turning forums:D

[Don Bunce]

Vincent Price was turning spikes to kill vampires in the movie "The Last Man on Earth".

[Darrell Duvall]

297962 Does this count?

[Jim Underwood]

I turn, and I must be famous, because my name comes up when you Google it. Might be stretchin' it a bit to say I'm rich though... ;)

[Russell Neyman]

Vincent Price was turning spikes to kill vampires in the movie "The Last Man on Earth".

Love this note. Made me laugh, LOUDLY!

[Don Bunce]

Dennis Elliot, former drummer for Foreigner, is a woodturner.

[Lee Watermann]

This is great. Come on guys there has to be more.

[Bill Bulloch]

I've heard that there is an Attorney up in Kentucky who is a World famous woodturner.

[allan kuntz]

the famous Homer Simpson made me laugh

[Dan Masshardt]

Does anybody have any links to info about famous people turning? Like an interview or something?

[Bob Bergstrom]

Andy Rooney was featured in Fine Woodworking as an avid woodworker who could also turn. Issue 146.

[Doug Herzberg]

Monsieur Binet in Madame Bovary is famous, but he's not real.

[Don Bunce]

There is an article about Dennis Elliott in issue #84 (sept/oct 1990) of Fine Woodworking. I remember reading that article. What caught my attention was the fact that he bought an $11,000 "portable lathe" (3000 lbs, made by Jim Thompson) after seeing a demo video. I though to myself, what woodturner can afford to do that? After finding out he was the drummer for Foreigner, it became clear....

[Dale Gillaspy]

William H. Macy was in Fine Woodworking several years ago, made the cover. Sorry, but I can't place which issue.

[James Tibbetts]

Macy was on the cover of FWW Woodturning Basics; app. July of 2007.

[Reed Gray]

I have wondered if Mark Harmon (Leroy Jethro Gibbs) was an actual woodworker. He does a lot of it in the show...

robo hippy

[Tracy Tame]

red green ​:)

[Len Mullin]

Yes Reed, Mark Harmon actually is a woodworker, some of his own tools are used on the show. The reason for using his own tools, is because he actually does some planing and other wood work and prefers to use tools he's familiar with. He was being interviewed on some talk show, and he was asked about the tools in that interview. I'm sorry, but, I don't remember what show or episode it was
Len

[Russell Neyman]

Of course, the lathe Red Green used was a Chrysler K-car, bowl mounted with duct tape.

[Chip Sutherland]

There was an article on him in one of the woodturning periodicals several years back. He turns big stuff and carves.

[Russell Neyman]

John Ratzenberger, the actor who played Cliff Claven, the know-it-all postal worker on "Cheers"

[Nicolas Silva]

297962 Does this count?
I have based my life after his teachings, so Yes, Yes it does.

[Doug Herzberg]

John Ratzenberger, the actor who played Cliff Claven, the know-it-all postal worker on "Cheers"

John has been a great advocate for the return of vocational education to the public schools. I don't know much about his politics otherwise, but I think a lot of him for that. And I liked "Cliff."

[William Payer]

I have wondered if Mark Harmon (Leroy Jethro Gibbs) was an actual woodworker. He does a lot of it in the show...

robo hippy


I read an article that said Mark Harmon spent time as a carpenter before he went into acting. A guy on a another forum met him at a garage sale where he was perusing the tools.

[David Reed]

I know of many politicians who can seriously spin the truth. Don't know why that skill couldn't be transferred it spinning a little wood. Except many just don't seem to be that sharp.

[Ralph Lindberg]

The list of famous "dead people" is actually quite long. For many years it was fashionable for the nobility of the Germany's (German and Nordic people) to turn.
(copied from the history of OT)
· King Rudolf I (1218-1291)
· Albert IV, Duke of Austria (1377-1404)
· Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519)
· Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (1552-1612)
· Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (1608-1657)
· Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (1640-1705)
· Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1708-1765)
· Leopold, Duke of Lorraine (1679-1729).
· Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (1712-1780)
· William IV, Duke of Bavaria (1493-1550)
· Albert V, Duke of Bavaria (1528-1579)
· William V, Duke of Bavaria (1548-1626)
· Maximilian I, Elector and Duke of Bavaria (1573-1651)
· Ferdinand Maria, Elector of Bavaria (1636-1679)
· Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (1662-1726)
· Charles VII Albert, Holy Roman Emperor (1697-1745
· Elector Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria (1727-1777
· Otto of Bavaria (1848-1916)
· Archduke Otto Franz of Austria (1865-1906)
· Augustus, Elector of Saxony (1526-1586) – Augustus ruled from 1553 to 1586. He was known to have turned 135 ivory objects. His son, Christian succeeded him.
· Christian I, Elector of Saxony (1560-1591)
· Christian II, Elector of Saxony (1583-1611
· John George I, Elector of Saxony (1585-1656) – He succeeded to the electorate in 1611 on the death of his elder brother, Christian II. His court turner was known to be Jakob Zeller.
· Johann Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Coburg (1564-1633)
· Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg, later King Frederick I of Prussia, (1657-1713)
· Charles I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (1654-1730)
· William I, Elector of Hesse, later William IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (1743-1821)
· Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt (1667-1739)
· Joseph of Hesse-Darmstadt, Bishop of Augsburg (1699-1768)
· King Friedrich II of Denmark (1534-1588)
· King Friedrich III of Denmark (1609-1670)
· King Christian V of Denmark (1646-1699
· King Friedrich IV of Denmark (1671-1730)
· King Christian VI of Denmark (1699-1746)
· King Frederick V of Denmark (1723-1766)
· Sophia Magdalena of Denmark (1743-1813)
· Carl Gustav Wrangel (1613-1676) – Wrangel was a commander-in-chief of the Swedish army and Count of Salmis.
· Charles XI of Sweden, also known as Karl XI (1655-1697
· King Adolf Friedrich of Sweden (1710-1771)
Peter I of Russia (1675-1725)
· King Louis XV of France (1710-1774) – Louis XV was known to be a skillful turner. The ivory casing of a pendulum clock he worked is preserved in the Palace of Versailes.
· King Louis XVI of France (1754-1793)

[Russell Neyman]

NINE kings and a half dozen Roman Emperors? Who Woulda thunk that!

[John Donhowe]

I know of many politicians who can seriously spin the truth. As long as we're stretching the definition, Pete Seeger (and the Byrds): "Turn, Turn, Turn"

[Russell Neyman]

Found this shot of the famous ventriloquist, Edgar Bergen, spinning with his famous puppets "watching".
302039

[Russell Neyman]

...and these of the aforementioned William H Macy, who's pretty good, I hear.

302040 302041

plus the late Andy Rooney.

302042

[Russell Neyman]

This one is a bit of a stretch because it's a woodturner who became a celebrity because of a crime he committed. (I know a few turners who commit crimes with a lathe all the time, but that's a story for another day and another thread.) Anyway, here's a link to an article about a paranoid woodturner who tried to assassinate the British Prime Minister.

http://www.tamworthherald.co.uk/paranoid-woodturner-tried-murder-Sir-Robert-Peel/story-19636598-detail/story.html

[Russell Neyman]

Gonna bump this in hopes of "turning" up someone new.

[Curtis Myers]

red green ​:)

The was an awesome show!

[paul cottingham]

One of the actors from Parks and Rec is an avid woodworker. Nic Offerman, (sp) I think.

[Roger Chandler]

My wife saw an interview someone did with Mark Harmon [Leroy Jethro Gibbs] of NCIS fame....he does a lot of woodworking on that program, so the interviewer asked him if he does it in real life, and he said he does a good bit of wood working.......not sure if he has a lathe or not, but if he builds tables and such, it is likely he turns the legs.

I did not see the interview myself, but the wife mentioned it to me a week ago or so.

[david privett]

a couple of months ago I saw on the forum Fran Tarkenton, I might have misspelled that. Does anyone know if that is the retired Vikings quarter back on here?

[Roger Chandler]

a couple of months ago I saw on the forum Fran Tarkenton, I might have misspelled that. Does anyone know if that is the retired Vikings quarter back on here?I asked him that question, and he replied that he is a different Fran Tarkenton, although he is a fan of the former Vikings QB.