Ernest Lee "Ernie" Hudson was born on december 17th, 1945 in Bentmore Harbor (Michigan). He is mostly known for his role as Winston Zeddemore in the "Ghostbusters" franchise. But also for his roles as Leo Glynn in "Oz" (1997-2003) and as Police Sergeant Albrecht in "The Crow" (1994).We were going to meet Ernie at FACTS convention! We parked our car and walked towards the entrance of FACTS. Or better said: to the queue. There was a massive queue, it's a popular convention. We're just looking around and discussing what we wanted to do at the convention. Suddenly we see someone with a trolley walking to the side entrance. We nudged each other: OMG, that's Ernie Hudson! He had a big smile, waved and said "Hi guys". With a trembling voice and our eyes wide open in disbelieve we made a noise that should have sounded like hi (but sounded like a squeeking shoe). I hope we did not scare you Mr. Hudson...We were immediately lyrical to have seen the first actor! That's a good start. By the way the queue resolved in just a few minutes at the moment the doors opened. Great organization FACTS!
Of course we went to see Ernie's panel. It was very amusing! He told a lot about Ghostbusters (including the new one), the film industry and his roles. It was great to hear him talk about all these things. Yeah it was... we had great seats. Funny thing was: he had an enormous jetlag., wich made him lean on the desk like he was hanging at a bar. Because of this it was just like he was talking to his friends and it all felt very informal.
I was shocked to hear that he turned down the role of Dr. Webber in "Grey's Anatomy". I love "Grey's Anatomy" and am watching it for years now. How different would "Grey's Anatomy" have been with Ernie Hudson in this role?!
But Ernie has some amazing roles on his name. He played in my all time favourite series: "Oz" (and won a Golden Satellite Award for his role as Leo Glynn). That was enough for me to be excited to see him at FACTS. But, of course, I did my homework and watched some more of his films before the convention. I watched "Congo", "The Crow" and "Ghostbusters". Yeah, I know. Shame on me that I hadn't seen "Ghostbusters" until 2015. It was great to see Ernie in other roles and I was even more excited to see him at a convention. Ernie also talked about his role in "The Crow". "The Crow" stars Brandon Lee as Eric Draven. Brandon Lee died on the set of this movie due to a tragic accident. Ernie talked about this emotional time and the impact it had on him. If you haven't seen this movie already I recommend you go and watch it.
Time for the photo op! We hadn't decided beforehand to get one. But the early morning meeting and the panel convinced us to take a photo. And I'm glad we did. Ernie was really nice and gave us a big hug. Obviously not everything can go flawless.. I kept blinking in the photo and we had to go back 3 times! Of course I was embarassed to go back every time, but Ernie stayed very relaxed and even joked the last time: Maybe all of us should just close our eyes. That helped and kept my eyes wide open. Mission accomplished! Loved the photo. Yes the photo op was hilarious. When we first entered the photo op area I was nervous as hell but because of the "blinking-incident" and Ernie's reaction to it, by the time of the third try I was pretty relaxed.
Ernie was so relaxed and kind, we really wanted an autograph too. So again, we were headed towards Ernie. It might not come as a surprise to you that I chose a picture of "Oz" to get signed. We even talked a bit about "Oz" and I mentioned that this was my favourite serie ever (which is absolutely true). And he asked if the photo turned out fine now :). "Oz" is truly one of the best series ever and I hesitated a lot but I chose a "Ghostbusters" picture. Hey what can I say: I grew up in the 80's and "Ghostbusters" is an 80's classic. After meeting him I can say Ernie is not only a great actor but also a great human being.
Cheerio!
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Mica de Leon (Saturday, 16 July 2016 12:21)
Had to do some googling... Haha. I don't watch the tv that much, and if I do I'd only go for our local channels here in the Philippines and watch for like an hour or 2. That's because we were raised like that. He does seem like a kind person.. I can feel how happy you are meeting him and seeing him up close. The photo op part is funny but glad you were able to get a good photo in the end.
❤ There's More to Mica // www.micadeleon.com
ROBERT LEE (Saturday, 16 July 2016 15:16)
I was wondering who he is, and then yes, Congo. That is the movie with the ape right? If that is, then I watched that long ago and forgot already who the cast of characters were. It must have been thrilling for you to see celebrities you admire though. :)
Bernadette Angelie Pangilinan (Saturday, 16 July 2016 19:45)
I never heard of him before probably because he's not from my country and I don't really watch tv that much. Anyway, I am happy for you 'cause it seems like you had a ton of fun meeting him. From your words, he seems like a very nice guy too. :)
Neonalton (Saturday, 16 July 2016 21:00)
Damn, He age like fine wine, Ernie Hudson always be like a cool uncle you look up to. I am a BIG fan of Ghostbusters, love it!!
Jessica (Sunday, 17 July 2016 05:29)
Award winning actor! I like his multi-talent in playwright and production. You're lucky to have this chance. Knowing a great actor and human being is indeed a memory to cherish.
Zwitsy (Sunday, 17 July 2016 10:20)
I really feel how ecstatic you are to see your admired celebrities. Well, if I am in your shoes, I would definitely be feeling the same thing too! If we talked about ghostbuster, I remember the ones cartoonized. I believe he is indeed a kind man (just as how you get a photo opp of him, well that sums up everything). :D
Ma.Me.Mi.Mommy (Sunday, 17 July 2016 10:46)
Wow, he could have been Dr. Weber! I grew up with Ghostbusters so I've been wanting to watch the newest franchise. Glad for you that you got to meet with Ernie Hudson! :D
Dominic (Monday, 18 July 2016 17:53)
I love Ghostbusters and yeah I remember Ernie Hudson. When I was a kid, I loved their movies but thinking about it now, I was hoping they could do better. So when I heard about the new Ghostbusters movie, I was surprised they made it an all female characters instead of the usual male characters. Anyway, I hope it's still pretty entertaining to watch though.
As for Ernie Hudson, wow, you must really be a fan! Congratulations on having multiple photos with him.
Orana (Tuesday, 19 July 2016 03:34)
What a cool experience! I've never seen Oz, I will look into it. Im a 90´s kid ghosbusters fan too! So much fun. Would have been great to see the photo op shot included in the post too!
theresa (Tuesday, 19 July 2016 06:17)
I'm a big fan of Ghostbusters but not familiar with Ernie Hudson. Good thing you got a great experience seeing him.