Man from Margate claims he is constantly mistaken for Mick Jagger and Willem Dafoe
Published: 11:25, 25 July 2024
Updated: 13:19, 25 July 2024
A man claims he is constantly mistaken for Mick Jagger and Willem Dafoe - and is often offered free meals in restaurants.
Kevin Crace, who lives in Margate, says he's been mistaken for a string of famous people for 20 years and is always told “I know you, but I don’t know how I know you”.
The 56-year-old believes he has a “generic famous face” and has had “20 years of being asked for an autograph”.
“I think because I’m a man of a certain age with high, defined cheekbones and long hair, I dress quite left-field and trendy, so I look like a generically famous person,” said Mr Crace.
“The interactions tend to fall in different categories - sometimes I get direct comparisons, like the other day I was in New York and it happened four times in one day with people thinking I was certain celebrities.
“In other cases, it’s people saying ‘I know you, but I just can’t place you’, or ‘I know you but I don’t know how I know you’.
“I’ve had offers of free food from restaurants. I’ve had an art gallery offer to shut so me and my missus could look round it privately and I’ve had so many people ask me for my autograph and selfies.”
Mr Crace said the incident began around 20 years ago and have been a regular part of his life since.
He added: “It definitely happens the most when I’m in America, especially the direct comparisons - I think people in the UK are more reserved.
“One morning while having breakfast I was stopped and asked if I was David Coverdale from Whitesnake and one night at dinner, the waiter asked if I ever played at CBGB back in the day.”
Mr Crace and his partner Claire Wicks, 61, said they’re now used to the intrusions.
He added: “Claire loves it, she thinks it’s very funny - and generally it is very funny to be honest.
“She plays up to it more than me sometimes - I remember once in San Francisco a couple of years ago, a security guard at a shop insisted I was related to Mick Jagger.
“I told him I wasn’t - but he insisted on taking a selfie and as we were leaving, my missus told him I was Mick Jagger’s cousin!”
Mr Crace, who works in the media, says he has been mistaken for Willem Dafoe, Engelbert Humperdink, Bob Geldof, the Gallagher brothers - and even The Rock.
He says he’s only accepted free meals in a restaurant once.
“We went in and one of the workers was like ‘oh my god it’s you’.
"I ended up taking photos with the managers, staff, and chefs.
“But I don’t tend to play up to it - I could do a lot more but it’s just a bit of fun really.
"I'm just used to it now - it's quite an amazing thing really, despite the fact I tend to get compared to celebrities much older than me!"
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Oliver Leonard