Sam Shepard: Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Sam Shepard said elsewhere, not written here

That's a hard one. All of the great writers whom I admire have died. I guess the most recent one would be Márquez.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 21 June 2014 source ↗

Others on this question

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Ethan Hawke Actor, director and novelist

Mike Leigh: his work is important.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 4 April 2015 source ↗

Bryan Ferry British singer

Richard Hamilton – as my teacher at college, he greatly influenced my ways of seeing art and the world.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 October 2010 source ↗

Bear Grylls

I love and admire Julia Roberts, one of our Running Wild guests, for the way she has a few close friends, is loyal to her family, doesn’t believe in all the fame stuff and can laugh at herself.

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 24 January 2026 source ↗

Chris Ware American artist

For intellect: Art Spiegelman. For art: Robert Crumb. For poetry and vision: Gary Panter. For decency: Barack Obama. For genuine goodness: Charles Burns. For genius: Charlie Kaufman. For soulfulness and love: Lynda Barry. For words: Zadie Smith. For unique life's work and superhuman effort expended: Ira Glass, Dave Eggers.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 12 October 2012 source ↗