When it comes to cigars and the cigar industry, we always associate sophistication, power, and prominence. A few months back, we discussed how and why cigars became a symbol status.

The perspective on how we link a “class” or a “status” to simply smoking cigars is quite fascinating.  However, for this piece, we will be going over famous figures in society, sports, and pop culture that are cigar lovers.

There are many celebrities who smoke cigars, but I have to say that this list pleasantly surprised me in regards to finding out some of my favorite famous cigar smokers and their brands.

One of the most special celebrity cigar smokers. You can find a multitude of photos of the 6-time NBA champion Michael Jordan enjoying a cigar. In the recent 10-part ESPN documentary, “The Last Dance”, it was shown that Jordan would enjoy up to 5-6 cigars a day.

Whether it be before a game, after a game, or enjoying one on the golf course. Michael Jordan also has gone on the record by saying he prefers Cuban cigars, specifically the Partagas Lusitania. We have our own alternative for the Partagas Lusitania, which you can buy here.

Although Clint Eastwood is rarely shown smoking a cigar while he’s not on a movie set, “the man with no name” character featured in those spaghetti westerns is seen with a cigar in his mouth at all times.

The stubby, “cheap” cigars he smokes throughout the movies were identified as the popular Italian Toscano cigars, as well as Avanti’s most popular cigar called “cheroots”.

Jeff Bridges, popularly known as “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski, is one of the cigar smoking actors who tries to enjoy a cigar or two a day when he’s not on a film set.

The Academy Award Winning Actor loves to go on long hikes or watching a sunset all while enjoying a smoke from his favorite brands.

Some brands that Jeff Bridges keeps in his humidor at home are Fuente Don Carlos, as well as the Padron Anniversary series.

We couldn’t have a list with cigar lovers from history and society and not have the man who made cigar smoking popular on it.

Mr. Winston Churchill spent a few months in Cuba, and he developed a love and habit of enjoying some of the finest smokes to come out of the country. The brands Churchill fell in love with while in Cuba were Romeo y Julieta and La Aroma de Cuba.

His status in the cigar industry is so legendary that most manufacturers make sizes in honor of Winston Churchill’s name and the profound imprint he left on this world.

Although his reputation in the cigar industry may not be as popular as Churchill, there’s no denying the fact that the 35^th president of the United States was indeed a staple in the cigar world.

John F. Kennedy’s go-to brand when he wanted to enjoy a smoke is the H. Upmann Petit Corona. You’d always see JFK enjoying this historical Cuban smoke whenever he had a free moment to himself.

The Hall of Famer coached the historical Boston Celtics of the NBA from 1950 to 1966. This high temper, fiery coach was never shy to do what he wanted to do and stand for what he believed him.

He may be the only coach across all four major sports to light up a “victory smoke” when his team had the game on lock to win. Auerbach enjoyed smoking a Hoyo de Monterrey on his way to leading his Boston Celtics to 9 championships from 1957 to 1966.

Featured on the cover of Cigar Aficionado, method actor Jack Nicholson had to have a spot on our list due to the fact that he always found the time to enjoy a smoke when he could.

When talking about famous people smoking cigars, Mr. Jack Nicholson comes to mind. He is famous for iconic roles such as “Batman”, “The Shining” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Nicholson discovered his love for cigars while on set in Canada of the 1973’s “The Last Detail” where they could be legally imported from Cuba. Nicholson states he enjoys smoking cigars from Cohiba, Macanudo, Montecristo, and Romeo y Julieta.

While doing research on one of the most notorious gangsters in American history, there were very few pictures of Al Capone without smoking a cigar. Personally, I’ve always correlated the mob with smoking cigars.

Mobsters enjoy the finer things in life such as high-end alcohol, a lobster tail, and some delicious smokes from Cuba. A cigar Capone loved to enjoy, whether it was in or out of jail would be an authentic Cuban 1931 La Corona cigar.

The King of hip-hop is another of the celebrities that smoke cigars, an avid lover of the leaf. He has been interviewed in Cigar Aficionado and appeared on its cover.  He is, like most men on this list, a huge fan of Cubans including Ramon Allones and Montecristo.

Yet Shawn Carter loves cigars so much he went out and developed his own line.  Working with General Cigar, Jay produced the new Cohiba Commodore, a rich tasty medium to full-bodied smoke.

This man has dominated the action world for 40 years and is still going strong.  He has created some of the most iconic action characters such as Rocky Balboa, John Rambo, and Barney Ross from his new Expendables films.

Sly is a true brother of the leaf and believes in the community and camaraderie that comes with smoking cigars. If you were wondering which is the Sylvester Stallone cigar, he claims that his favorite of all time is the Fuente Fuente Opus X.  No one is going to disagree with you there, Rock.