Favorite hobbies of famous faces

IF you think hobbies are a pastime of days gone by, think again. Grandad's coin collection may have been a conversation piece for several generations, but today's active men and women are making time for a range of even more stimulating leisure activities.

Hobbyists even come in the form of celebrities and notables with demanding careers and very public lives. For people with famous and public faces, hobbies are a welcome respite--relaxing, recharging outlets to escape and keep sanity intact.

U.S. Rep. Mervyn Dymally (D. Calif.), former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, confesses that he is a "wrestling nut." When he is not engaged in his primary pursuit, which is working for the people in his congressional district, you may find him in his favorite armchair in front of the television set watching a match. "People ask, 'Do you go to Broadway?' and I tell them that [wrestling] is my Broadway," Dymally says, playfully.

Cooking may be drudgery for some, but culinary art is an enjoyable way to spend leisure hours for many. Legendary entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., long admired for his cooking skills, has been known to prepare lavish meals for friends and family. Singer Patti LaBelle loves nothing better than whipping up a hearty meal for her husband and three sons, complete with her own vegetable dish, "String Beans a la Bella." Even workaholic Quincy Jones finds cooking a satisfying activity outside his heady world of music production. Jones is an avid reader and advanced yoga practitioner, yet he places cooking high on his list of preferred hobbies. "There are several recipes that I picked up in the South Seas that are my special favorites," he says.

Some hobbyists are natural-born collectors. Whether it's seashells, stuffed animals or odd-shaped perfume bottles, they just can't resist the urge to add one more "whatsit" to that assemblage of keepsakes. Olympian Carl Lewis may collect gold medals during track and field competitions, but at home he is just as likely to show off his collection of fine crystal from all over the world. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley spends leisure hours listening to jazz from his voluminous record collection. Another music lover, the L.A. Laker's Earvin (Magic) Johnson, has an enviable sound system, and he frequently deejays while entertaining friends. Former Chicago Bear Walter Payton owns a gun collection, complete with an indoor shooting range.

Since retiring from football, Payton has taken up an even more thrilling hobby--auto racing. He competed on the professional circuit last September, after being licensed in time to qualify for the 1988 Pro Sports 2000 Challenge series. Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls scoring sensation, spends a lot of off-season time on the golf course. Another pro-athlete who unwinds in a sporting way is Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson. An outdoorsman, Dawson spends hours at his favorite fishing spot, often accompanied by his wife, Vanessa.

Some poeple prefer more pastoral hobbies, or rather, the less physical kind. Song stylist Nancy Wilson plays a mean game of pinochle and has been known to pull up a chair, along with Dionne Warwick and Leslie Uggams, for games that last way into the night. And actor Bill Dee Williams has become inextricably linked to his talent as an accomplished painter.

More free-spirited types engage in hobbies that literally take them places. Multi-talented Ray Parker Jr. surveys the wide blue yonder from his private airplane. Film producer and screenwriter Robert Townsend rides horseback whenever he gets the chance, but lately work is his main hobby. Soulful vocalist Anita Baker, a Motor City girl at heart, roller skates to her favorite tunes when she wants to unwind.

Watching the world through the camera's lens is a popular hobby among entertainers, including jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, hoofer Gregory Hines and actor-singer Dawnn Lewis, who plays the witty and wise "Jaleesa Vinson" on A Different World. Equally as smart offscreen, Ms. Lewis writes poetry and short stories, and designs and sews her own clothes. She urges everyone to find time and energy to channel into his or her own special hobby. "Take time to pursue your interests," she says. "No matter how frivolous it may appear to be, you never know where it may lead to, how successful it may be."