While on my first trip to Madrid in 1973, we were told to look out the right side of the bus where the limousine of Francisco Franco and Juan Peron was passing us.

Since then I have seen Jose Maria Aznar in an Easter procession just feet from me, Real Madrid player Raul in a barbeque restaurant and Joaquin Sabina crossing Calle Alcala.

Anybody else have a brush with a Madrid celebrity?

Great thread! I was in Madrid in late September and I saw Joaquin Sabina and Guti (Real Madrid) having a drink at EL SOL, I had to say hello! That same week I saw Javier Bardem with his sister, Manolo Tena, Amenabar and a long etc. at the movie premiere of LOS LUNES AL SOL. Great movie, great party afterwards! Over the years I've seen lots of celebrities in Madrid but my favorite encounter was probably with Pedro Almodovar at the 92 Street Y in New York. What a great guy! I'M WRONG, I'M WRONG! My favorite encounter was with Paz Vega en la calle Fuencarral!

I'm surprised Sabina was with a Real player. I hear he is a big Atletico fan.

I was an extra in a movie with Antonio Banderas! But we filmed in LA, not Madrid.

That counts!

While in Tenerife, I saw the fimlming of a Nike Commercial on La Playa de las Teresitas, with Rivaldo, and Ronaldo. They were playing volleyball with their feet.I know they are brasilian, but it was in spain and they are celebs, so there.

In 1995 I was walking up the calle Juan Bravo towards the plaza de España in Segovia when we passed Chris O'Donnell [Robin] who was walking past the movie theater which had the poster from his (then) latest movie [Batman Forever] posted.

Of course my buddy had to pipe up and say, perhaps, the most inane thing he could possibly have thought of at the time: "Hey Chris, are you gonna go see your movie?"

I think he thought my poor friend was mentally ill. Of course he became the butt of our jokes for the remainder of the trip.

Additionally, I caught La Reina Sofía on her national tour in 1990 in Pamplona. She was entering the building at the end of Paseo Zarazate (is that right...it's been a while), near Plaza del Castillo. Talk about security...I saw her light-colored mop and that was about it as she was whisked indoors.

I was so surprised to see the embodiment of Spanish rule with so much security inside Spain. You would've thought there were people in Pamplona that didn't like her or something...

On April 2, 2001, saw HRH King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia when they visited St. Augustine, Florida. Over 5,000 people,were there to hear the king speak from a balcony at Government House,
you can listen to the King's speech at the St. Augustine paper\'s web site.

I lived in Madrid from 97 to 99 (returning for good in 2003) and often encountered celebrities. Spent an evening getting really close to a cute guy at one bar in La Latina when una amiga mia informed me that he was a host on Caiga Quien Caiga. A few weeks later ran into another of the hosts who begged me and my girlfriend to go to his piso for a drink. Another time I was having sushi with two American friends--a very late lunch--and the only other table in the restaurant was Marta and her entourage. As they left she came up to us and in her best English said "this is not the best sushi place in madrid, you must go to this other (name know forgotten)". She must've thought we were tourists because she was very friendly until we said, hey you're Marta...then she backed away quick. Also, I always saw Pedro in La Latina Sunday mornings. I am totally looking forward to more estrella encounters!

Question for Candela:

Who the heck is Marta and Pedro? I'm assuming these two particular ones are famous. If not, there must be a few hundred thousand Martas and Pedros running around Madrid. hehehe.. Next time I see MY friend Pedro in Madrid I'm going to treat him like a celebrity and he'll probably quickly back-off. heehehe.. (just teasing)

Well, when *I* was in Madrid last Christmas/New Years, my ladyfriend & I went to the flamenco club Café de Chinitas and sitting two tables over was one of the hosts, Raymond, of Univision\'s "Lente Loco" (Latin American TV station shown in Miami, New York, California, & Latin America itself) talk/variety show. (see photos at link above) He's a younger guy about 30-something, short-ish, hip, you know the type. I KNEW I recognized him and then was certain when after the show the Argentinian man at my table got up and asked to have his picture taken with him. He was nice and all smiles (the celebrity was) and, I guess, happy to be recognized in Spain where the show is not televised (I don't think).

UPDATE: We saw this guy over last Christmas holiday in Madrid. Well, according to the Univision website and forums there, Raymond has been "released" and "replaced" by another guy. Poor Raymond. He probably had no idea he'd be returning to Univision without a job.. OR, maybe they just didn't renew his contract.

HERE\'S the Univision thread about the change in "personality" on the show. The network started the thread so, as you can imagine, all the feedback is nearly totally positive for the change.

UPDATE #2: I've updated this posting of mine twice now and, upon reading it again, I find it a real "yawner" and am contemplating removing the entire, silly thing. Well, I'll sleep on it. hehehe.. (I'm referring to MY posting here, not the entire, otherwise interesting, thread)

Saludos, MadridMan

Ooops, I meant Pedro Almodovar as someone had mentioned him above. Marta, I can't remember her last name. Bleached blonde pop singer. I've heard her called the Spanish Madonna, hence the one name thing. Who knows maybe she has crashed and burned by now and no one knows her at all!
PS I love this site!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marta Sanchez was the lead singer with Ole Ole in the eighties then went solo. I was working for a company in Puerto Banus selling real estate in an office on the front line of the harbour in 1987 or thereabouts, when I heard a lot of commotion from the terrace of the boutique next door.

She was there looking at clothes and a crowd gathered and they started singing one of Ole Ole's songs. Marta loved this and waved and smiled, until a group of teenage boys wiped the grin off her face by chanting "Sabrina tiene mas, Sabrina tiene mas!", while holding their hands in front of their chests, referring to an Italian (I think) singer, who was in the charts at the time and had a video out featuring her in an outfit which was fighting a losing battle to restrain a rather well endowed figure!!

Incidentally, while I'm here, I should name drop a little bit too and mention that I sold Frank Bruno his house out here about the same time. Frank who, I hear you cry? The Brits all know him as a household name and face in the UK and I'm sure those boxing fans from over the pond will know him too as one of the few British World Heavyweight boxing champions of the world that wasn't American! :p Oh I spilled coffee over singer Rocio Jurado when I was working as a (not very good) waiter too!!

Marta Sanchez is still vivita y coleando...she's well-known by the latino kids at our school here. She has "jumped the charco" and is more successful in Latin America now. And she will always have "más" than Sabrinita in my mind.

Anchovy: We know who Bruno is...I watched him get "set up" by Lennox back in the early 90s...AT one point in the fight, after Lewis popped him a good one (Bruno had been leading the fight until Lewis landed a savage blow), Lewis held his head, let it drop and then uppercut it on the way down...the referee who allowed that sort of nonsense to happen should be banned from boxing. Lewis kicked Bruno's arse that night...long before he would become who he is today.