My encounters with the following icons were relatively brief but for me unforgettable and inform my behavior.
In the midseventies I once had lunch with the great English actor Trevor Howard at his house outside of London. We were sitting in his garden. At one point he asked, “Is your driver out there in the car?” I said yes. He said, “Have him come in and join us.” He did. When I left London I gave my driver some money in an envelope. He said, “There could be nothing in this envelope, and I still consider it a privilege to have driven you.” I believe the lunch with Trevor Howard had something to do with his feelings.
Especially memorable was the time I was working with Sir John Gielgud. I was going to see the previous day’s filming and asked if he’d like to join me. When we got to the screening room, he called out to the director, “I hope it’s all right I’m here. Chuck asked me to come.” Of course, it was. Sir John Gielgud’s modesty was wonderful to see.
Another time I went to a reception after a screening of The Heartbreak Kid, the first movie where I played a leading role. Groucho Marx was there, and I was taken over to meet him. He looked at me and said, “Hated the movie, loved my seat.”