For a Taste of Fame, Be a Celebrity Personal Assistant

July 26, 2007 — -- There's a certain intimacy that comes with servitude, especially when your job is serving the famous.

The people who take care of stars — from changing light bulbs to arranging for the boss' dog to be cloned — see a side of fame others do not, and they sometimes become a bigger part of that life than they bargained for. Just ask the assistant involved in the car chase with his former boss Lindsay Lohan.

The dynamic between famous person and assistant can play out in all sorts of ways. Celebrity assistants interviewed for this piece said that horror stories and hostile interactions with their employers happened less frequently than you might think.

They say when assistants have the same boss for several years, the relationship often transforms from a business-only rapport to friendship.

"Our business relationship is the primary one, but over 21 years we have become friends," said Bonnie Low-Kramen, who has been Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis' personal assistant for more than two decades. "She's very aware that she couldn't do all the things she does in her life if I were not doing my job."

Low-Kramen recalls that her biggest mistake on the job — she handed Dukakis the wrong speech before she went on stage at an event — resulted in a civil conversation, without yelling and screaming, as to whether she had the correct speeches in line for the next events. Still, Low-Kramen, who wrote a book titled "Be the Ultimate Assistant," says she hasn't made the mistake since.

"I'm like part of the family," said John Murphy, whose celeb boss required that he sign a confidentiality agreement, making him tight-lipped about his job.

Nondisclosure agreements are commonplace among personal assistants, who are expected never to repeat anything they see, hear or do for their bosses. If they do, punishments range from getting fired to monetary fines.

Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Jackman and Renee Russo are just a few of the A-list celebrities Anita Ferry has worked with during her 28-year career as a celebrity personal assistant.