Grease actor Eddie Deezen is back in the spotlight after revealing that he approached a teenage girl at a Starbucks and asked her out — only to discover she was 16 years old.
The bizarre encounter has sparked fresh scrutiny of the 69-year-old actor’s troubled recent history, including two arrests in Maryland and a court ruling that found him incompetent to stand trial in one of the cases.
Deezen, who famously played awkward Rydell High student Eugene Felsnic in the 1978 blockbuster Grease and returned for Grease 2, described the Starbucks encounter himself in a social media post that was later deleted.
According to Deezen’s account, he was sitting inside Starbucks reading a Beatles book and drinking tea when a young woman walked in.
He said he found her “absolutely gorgeous” and eventually worked up the nerve to approach her table.
Deezen claimed he introduced himself, told her she was “the most beautiful girl” he had seen in a long time and mentioned his role in Grease before asking whether he could take her out sometime.
The girl then reportedly told him she could not because she was underage.
Deezen said he initially appeared confused and asked what she meant before learning that she was 16.
According to his version of the conversation, he then backed off, telling her, “Oh. I see. Ok. Well, think of me when you watch Grease.”
He claimed the two shook hands before she left.
After the post drew heavy criticism online, Deezen defended himself by saying he had believed the teenager was much older.
“I thought she was a college girl, maybe about 23,” he wrote, according to reports.
The actor also argued that he had simply been attracted to someone whose real age he did not know before approaching her.
But his response generated even more attention after he compared some of the criticism he was receiving to the judgment faced by gay people.
Deezen questioned whether people would react the same way if he had approached an adult man and suggested that attraction between adults can still be condemned in certain cultures.
The latest controversy has also revived interest in Deezen’s previous encounters with law enforcement.
In September 2021, Deezen was arrested following a disturbance at a restaurant in LaVale, Maryland.
Authorities said restaurant employees had asked him to leave but that he refused.
When law enforcement arrived, Deezen allegedly moved behind a woman sitting in a booth and repeatedly refused officers’ commands to leave.
Police said he then threw plates, bowls and food during the confrontation, with one deputy reportedly being struck.
Deezen was arrested and faced charges including second-degree assault, disorderly conduct and trespassing.
The actor encountered more legal trouble the following year.
In April 2022, Maryland State Police arrested Deezen following an incident at a privately owned nursing facility.
Police said he had previously been told to stay away from the property but later returned.
According to reports at the time, a woman opened the door and Deezen allegedly pushed his way inside. He was accused of refusing to leave and attempting to enter a patient’s room.
He initially faced charges that included fourth-degree burglary, trespassing and disturbing the peace.
The case then took an unusual turn several months later.
In August 2022, a Maryland judge found Deezen incompetent to stand trial because of an unspecified mental disorder.
Court records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times at the time showed that he was transferred to the Maryland Department of Health for treatment.
Reports said he was considered a danger to himself or others at that point and was ordered to remain in the department’s care until the court determined otherwise.
The ruling concerned his ability to participate in the legal proceedings and was not a finding of guilt on the underlying accusations.
Deezen had already built a long Hollywood career before his later legal troubles attracted attention.
Along with Grease, he appeared in movies including I Wanna Hold Your Hand, 1941, Midnight Madness and WarGames.
He later found another generation of fans through voice acting, playing Mandark on Dexter’s Laboratory and voicing the Know-It-All Kid in the 2004 holiday movie The Polar Express.
Now, decades after becoming famous as one of Grease’s most recognizable supporting characters, Deezen is once again drawing attention for reasons far removed from the movie that made him famous.
His Starbucks account has spread widely online, with critics questioning the 53-year age gap between the actor and the teenager.
Deezen, however, has maintained that he did not know she was 16 when he approached her and stopped pursuing the date once she told him her age.
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