Fame is morally neutral -- Edward R. Murrow

These are some of the prominent or very notable people I've met:

A: Lt. Zenji Abe (Imperial Japanese Navy dive bomb pilot)*, Dr. Patch Adams (clown/physician), Anwar ul-haq Ahady (Afghanistan finance minister), Martti Ahtisaari (Finland president & Nobel Peace Prize laureate), Akebono/Chad Rowan (Yokozuna sumo wrestler), HSH Hereditary Prince Albert (Monaco sovereign monarch), Mohammed Ali (heavyweight boxing champ), Adm. Thad Allen (U.S. Coast Guard commandant), Emperor Akihito (Japan), Prince Akishino (Japan), Raul Anguiano (critical realist painter/muralist)*, Kofi Annan (U.N. secretary general), Joan Armatrading (guitarist/singer), Richard Armitage (U.S. deputy secretary of state), Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Philippines president), Taro Aso (Japan prime minister), Azumazeki/Jesse Kuhaulua (sumo stable master).

B: Howard Baker (ambassador/U.S. senator), Lucille Ball (comedienne)*, Pete Barbutti (musician/comedian), Yolana & Ron Bard (psychics), Robert Blake, Jr. (U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka), Wolf Blitzer (CNN journalist), Hans Blix (IAEA director general/WMDC chairman), Louis Boccardi (AP President/Pulitzer Prize board chairman), John Bolton (U.S. ambassador to U.N.), Danny Bonaduce (actor), Debby Boone (pop singer), Hilary Bowker (ABC/CNN journalist), Tom Bradley (Los Angeles mayor)*, John Bredar (Emmy Award winning documentary producer/director), Jerry Brown (California governor), Richard Bryan (Nevada governor/U.S. senator), George H.W. Bush (U.S. president), Richard C. Bush III (American Institute in Taiwan chairman), Robert Byrd (U.S. senator).

C: Howard Cannon (U.S. senator)*, Andrew Card (U.S. transportation secretary/White House chief of staff), Mariah Carey (pop singer), Stokely Carmichael (SNCC chairman/Black Panther Party leader)*, Jimmy Carter (U.S. president), Jean Castarède (Armagnac Castarède president/CNC contrôle d'état), Marilyn Chambers (porn actress), Charo (actress/flamenco guitarist), Michael Chertoff (U.S. DHS Secretary), Fujio Cho (Toyota chairman), Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury (Bangladesh acting foreign minister), Reese Cleghorn (American Journalism Review president emeritus), Bill Clinton (U.S. president), William Cohen (U.S. senator/defense secretary), Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr. (San Miguel chairman/Philippines presidential candidate), Adm. Thomas Collins (U.S. Coast Guard commandant), Howard Cosell (ABC sportscaster)*, Walter Cronkite (CBS News anchorman), Thomas Curley (Associated Press president).

D: “Prachanda” Pushpa Kumal Dahal (Nepal prime minister), William Daley (U.S. commerce secretary), Miriam Defensor Santiago (Philippines senator), David Dellinger (anti-war activist)*, Bo Derek (actress), Yi Ding (actress), Sam Donaldson (ABC News journalist), Yeshey Dorji (Bhutan foreign secretary).

E: Miyeegombyn Enkhbold (Mongolia prime minister).

F: Juan Flavier (Philippines health secretary/senate president pro-tempore), Thomas Foley (ambassador/U.S. House speaker), George Foreman (heavyweight boxing champ), Smokey Forester (Peabody Award winning documentary producer/director), Gary Foster (film producer), Abraham Foxman (ADL chairman/national director).

G: Carlos Ghosn (Nissan/Renault CEO), Mickey Gilbert (actor/stuntman), Dizzy Gillespie (jazz trumpeter)*, Savion Glover (tap dancer), Robert Goebbels (Luxembourg economy minister), Oscar Goodman (criminal defense lawyer/Las Vegas mayor), Katharine Graham (Washington Post publisher)*, Jack N. Green (cinematographer), Dr. Sanjay Gupta (CNN U.S. Surgeon General designate), Carlos Gutierrez (U.S. commerce secretary), H.H. Tenzin Gyatso (The XIVth Dalai Lama/Nobel Peace Prize winner).

H: Jim Hartz (NBC Today Show co-host), Ryutaro Hashimoto (Japan prime minister)*, HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal (Jordan), Sparkle Hayter (mystery novelist/comedienne), Chic Hecht (ambassador/U.S. Senator)*, Christie Hefner (Playboy CEO), John Hendricks (Discovery Channel founder), Hirotaro Higuchi (Asahi Breweries chairman), Hiroshima (jazz quintet), Takafumi Horie (entrepreneur), Morohiro Hosokawa (Japan prime minister), John Hutton (U.K. defence secretary).

I: Kazuo Ichiriki (Kahoku Shimpo owner/Yokozuna Deliberation Council chairman), Nobuyuki Idei (Sony president), Keiko Ihara (F3 racing driver), Takashi Imai (Keidanren chairman/Nippon Steel chairman), Kuniko Inoguchi (ambassador/Japan gender equality & social affairs minister), Antonio Inoki (wrestler/Japanese politician), Hideki Irabu (pro baseball pitcher), Bill Ireton (Warner Entertainment Japan chairman), Hideo Ishihara (Goldman Sachs Japan chairman)*, Rokuro Ishikawa (Kajima chairman)*, Juzo Itami (Japanese film director)*.

J: Rev. Jesse Jackson (civil rights activist), Lt. Gen. JFR Jacob (Goa and Punjab governor), Pierre Jeanniot (IATA director general/UQAM chancellor), Stanley Johnson (author/environmentalist/MEP).

K: Haruki Kadokawa (Japanese film producer/director), Peter Kalischer (CBS News correspondent)*, Shizuka Kamei (Japan construction minister), Isao Kaneko (JAL Group chairman/IATA chairman), Mickey Kantor (U.S. commerce secretary/Morgan Stanley senior advisor), Hamid Karzai (Afghanistan president), Nancy Landon Kassebaum (U.S. senator), Koichi Kato (LDP secretary-general), Tokiko Kato (folk singer/actress), Yutaka Kawashima (ambassador/Japan vice foreign minister), Nannerl Keohane (Duke University president), Gohar Ayub Khan (Pakistan foreign minister), Seyyed Mohamad Khatami (Iran president), Princess Kiko (Japan), Alan King* (comedian), Don King (boxing promoter), Larry King (CNN talk show host), Henry Kissinger (U.S. Secretary of State/Nobel Peace Prize lauerate), Shinichi Kitajima (ambassador/Japan vice foreign minister), Ralph Klein (Calgary mayor/Alberta premier), Yotaro Kobayashi (Fuji Xerox chairman), Yuriko Koike (Japan environment minister), Junichiro Koizumi (Japan prime minister), Alpha Oumar Konare (Mali president/African Union Commission chairman), Tetsuo Kondo (Japan labor minister/INES president), Yohei Kono (Japan foreign minister/LDP president), Andrea Koppel (CNN journalist), Bill Kovach (journalist/author), Nicholas Kristof (New York Times columnist/Pulitzer Prize winning journalist), Akira Kurosawa (Japanese film director)*, Aleksander Kwasniewski (Poland president), Fumio Kyuma (Japan defense minister).

L: Ellen Laipson (Stimson Center president/CEO), Stephen Lang (actor), Paul Laxalt (Nevada governor/U.S. senator)*, Geraldine Laybourne (Oxygen Media CEO), Mike Leavitt (Utah governor/HHS Secretary), Marvin Levy (Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences governor), Jerry Lewis (comedian), Joe Louis (heavyweight boxing champ)*, Annette Lu (Taiwan vice president).

M: Ma Ying-jeou (Taiwan president), Gabriella Martinelli (film producer), Crown Princess Masako (Japan), Matisyahu (Chassidic reggae singer), Akio Matsuzaki (Morinaga chairman/father-in-law of Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe), Michael Maxakuli (world backgammon champion)*, Ed McAlister (WAZA president), John McCain (U.S. senator & Republican presidential candidate), Meat Loaf (rock musician/actor), Shivshankar Menon (India foreign secretary), Angela Merkel (Germany chancellor), Andrew McCarthy (actor), Eugene McCarthy (U.S. senator)*, Empress Michiko (Japan), Herbert S. Miller (The Mills Corporation CEO), Norman Mineta (U.S. transportation secretary), Kevin Mitnick (computer hacker), Hiroshi Mitsuzaka (Japan finance minister), Kiichi Miyazawa* (Japan prime minister), Shigeru Mizuki (manga artist), Walter Mondale (U.S. vice president), Mino Monta (Japanese TV presenter), Monk Montgomery (jazz bassist)*, Airto Moreira (Brazilian jazz percussionist), Minoru Mori (real estate tycoon), Yoshiro Mori (Japan prime minister), James Moriarty (US ambassador to Nepal, Bangladesh), Pat Morita (actor)*, Manouchehr Mottaki (Iran foreign minister), David Mulford (U.S. ambassador to India), Brian Mulroney (Canadian prime minister), Carl Mydans (Life magazine photojournalist)*, David Mylrea (stuntman).

N: Ralph Nader (consumer activist), Hidenao Nakagawa (Japan chief cabinet secretary/LDP secretary-general), Shoichi Nakagawa (Japan trade minister), Hirofumi Nakasone (Japan foreign minister), Yasuhiro Nakasone (Japan prime minister), Crown Prince Naruhito (Japan), Kamal Nath (India commerce minister), Sol Negrin (cinematographer), Andrew Neil (Sunday Times editor/BBC presenter), Binyamin Netanyahu (Israel prime minister), Wayne Newton (singer), William Niskanen (Cato Institute chairman), Seiko Noda (Japan communications minister), Claudia Nolte (Germany family affairs minister), Ken Norton (heavyweight boxing champ).

O: Mike O'Callaghan (Nevada governor)*, Makoto Oda (author/activist)*, Toshiaki Ogasawara (Japan Times publisher/Nifco chairman), Sadako Ogata (ambassador/UNHCR high commissioner/JICA president), Chikage Ogi (actress/Japan transport minister), Hiroshi Okuda (Toyota chairman), Ehud Olmert (Jerusalem mayor/Israel prime minister), Lisa Ono (bossa nova musician), Robert "Skipp" Orr (Boeing Japan president), Yoshiko Otaka/Ri Koran/Shirley Yamaguchi (Manchurian singer/actress & Japanese politician), Tamayo Otsuki (comedienne), Ichiro Ozawa (Japan home affairs minister/DPJ president).

P: Helmut Panke (BMW chairman), Gen. David Petraeus (U.S. Central Command commander), Pink Lady (Japanese pop music duo), Thierry Porte (Shinsei Bank president/CEO), Gen. Colin Powell (U.S. secretary of state), Flora Purim (Brazilian jazz singer).

Q: Coco Quisumbing (CNBC Asia newscaster/Manila Times columnist)

R: Fidel Ramos (Philippines president), Dan Rather (CBS News anchorman), Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo (IMF managing director), Lou Rawls (singer)*, Harry Reid (U.S. senate majority leader), Ramon Revilla Sr. (actor/Philippines senator), Bill Richardson (New Mexico governor/ambassador to U.N), Matt Robson (New Zealand corrections minister), John D. Rockefeller IV (U.S. senator), Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal (sports handicapper/casino executive)* Alberto Romulo (Philippines foreign secretary), Bob Rose (Nevada Lt. governor/supreme court chief justice).

S: Yoshihiko Saeki (JETRO president), Ichiro Saita (Kyodo News president)* Bob Sapp (athlete), Shinji Sato (Japan trade minister), Nikolay Saveliev (Russia Maritime Security Service chief), Princess Sayako (Japan), Klaus Schwab (World Economic Forum founder), Susan Schwab, (U.S. trade representative), Hussein al-Shahristani (Iraq oil minister), Marlena Shaw (jazz vocalist), Jerry Sherlock (movie producer), Ven. Eido Shimano (Roshi)(Zen Studies Society abbot), Shonen Knife (Japanese pop music trio), Siegfried & Roy (magicians), Lew Simons (Pulitzer Prize winning journalist), Frank Sinatra (singer)*, H.H. Gaj Singh II (Maharaja of Jodhpur), Manmohan Singh (India prime minister), Ryan Slater (actor), Eleanor Smeal (feminist), Red Smith (Pulitzer Prize winning sportswriter/Baseball Hall of Fame inductee)*, Rodney Smith & Adam Schatz (Shut/Zoo York founders), Kendra Shank (jazz vocalist), Stephen Solarz (U.S. congressman), George Soros (billionaire financial speculator), Sammy Sosa (pro baseball NL MVP), Tony Spilotro (Mafia enforcer)*, David Stern (NBA commissioner), Marty Stouffer (wildlife documentary producer/director), John Strickland (HSBC chairman), Masayuki Suo (Japanese film director/producer).

T: Junko Tabei (first woman to scale The Seven Summits), Robert A. Taft II (Ohio governor), Tsutomu Takebe (Japan agriculture minister), Irene Tanaka (stuntwoman), Makiko Tanaka (Japan foreign minister), Jerry Tarkanian (NCAA champion basketball coach), Lyonpo Jigme Yoser Thinley (Bhutan prime minister), Helen Thomas (UPI White House bureau chief), John Tower (U.S. senator)*, John Travolta (actor), Kiyomi Tsujimoto (Peace Boat founder/Japan lower house member, SDP), Seiji Tsutsumi (author/Saison Group chairman), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize winner).

U: Junichi Ujiie (Nomura Securities president/Tokyo Stock Exchange board of directors)

V: Michael Vatis (founder/director, National Infrastructure Protection Center), Ann Veneman (U.S. agriculture secretary).

W: Wang Yi (ambassador/China vice foreign minister), Tamisuke Watanuki (Japan speaker of the lower house, LDP/NPP), James G. Watt (U.S. interior secretary), Eric Weiner (author/journalist), Joe Williams (jazz vocalist)*, Jonathan Winters (comedian), Wolfman Jack (disc jockey)*, Paul Wolfowitz (World Bank president), Richard Wooldridge (International Herald Tribune president), Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright (U.S. Forces Japan/5^th Air Force commander), Sheryl WuDunn (author/Pulitzer Prize winning journalist).

X:

Y: Ichita Yamamoto (Japan foreign affairs state secretary, LDP), Taku Yamasaki (Japan construction minister/defense agency chief/secretary-general, LDP), Michael Yamashita (National Geographic photographer), Michelle Yeoh (actress), Banana Yoshimoto (novelist), Cassie Yukawa (classical pianist).

Z: Frank Zamacona (Emmy Award winning documentary producer/director), Michael Zielenziger (author/journalist).

* denotes deceased

(note: some of the dignitaries did not hold the position for which they are best known at the time I met them).