Germans Love David Hasselhoff/Real Life/People

Historical

 * Before and during the Cold War, Americans and their leaders were in love with the first lady of China, then Taiwan, American-educated Soong May-Ling, better known as Madame Chiang Kai-Shek (she and her husband were Time's "Man and Wife of the Year"). She was never quite as popular at home, being the wife of a brutal dictator.
 * US president Rutherford B. Hayes is rather obscure and unremarkable in American history, best known for his Badass Beard and the probability that he stole the election that brought him to office (hence the nickname "Rutherfraud"). However, he is a national hero in Paraguay, having served as an arbitrator after the War of the Triple Alliance in South America that had pitted Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay against them. Hayes' ruling in favor of Paraguay, allowing it to keep a large swath of disputed territory in the center of the country, forever immortalized him in the country's history as their savior. He has a city (Villa Hayes) and a department (Presidente Hayes) named after him, as well as many schools, roads, and even a soccer team.
 * Most Frenchmen have never heard of Frédéric Bastiat; his works are most popular with American libertarians and anarcho-capitalists.
 * The same may apply to his friend and contemporary, the Belgian economist Gustave de Molinari. (They were in the same philosophy club).
 * Saladin is one of the most celebrated military leaders of all time, as a chivalrous Muslim warrior, and a Magnificent Bastard by the Crusaders. Coincidentally, this lionization did not originate in the Middle East, but in Europe. Of course, his fellow Kurds also think highly of him, as he's a very well-known Kurd (who many probably didn't even know was Kurdish at all).
 * The friendship between Filipino national hero Jose Rizal and Austro-Hungarian writer Ferdinand Blumentritt is the stuff of legend here in the Philippines. In turn, Rizal is popular in Austria and Hungary. William Howard Taft's stint as Philippine Governor-General is also memorable here.
 * Voltaire the philosopher was very popular among the Russian aristocracy during the reign of Catherine the Great.

Political
""Who else is as good at working a Chinese room?" a Canadian businessman was asked during a luncheon in Nanjing. "Exactly," he replied, mistaking it for a rhetorical question."
 * Mikhail Gorbachev is thought of in Western nations as a well respected statesman who ended the Soviet Union. In particular, he is practically a national hero in Germany for bringing down the Iron Curtain that went straight through the country. The Russian population has quite a different opinion of the man, seeing him as a weak leader who kept giving the West concessions and ended Russia as a superpower, and those who are nostalgic for Communism -- or even, in many cases, just democratic socialists -- positively HATE him. When he ran for president of The New Russia in 1996, Gorbachev won a grand total of 0.51% of votes. An Urban Legend has it that, during a meeting with voters, he was punched in the face.
 * Lampshaded in a Pizza Hut advert in Russia, where he and his grand-daughter walk into a namesake outlet. The patrons vividly debate his legacy, eventually concluding they're all eating at Pizza Hut because of him.
 * Of course, he ended the Soviet Union inadvertently.
 * Some Epileptic Trees think otherwise, especially Communist diehards.
 * Similarly, Tony Blair seems to be MUCH more popular in the US than he is in his native UK, where his decision to work closely with George W Bush in the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq was met with wide condemnation by the British people, ultimately all but forcing him from office. He has even had to cancel recent public appearances in the UK to publicise his new autobiography due to the "hassle" caused by protesters, and his party are now trying to distance themselves from the Blair era as quickly as possible.
 * He's also very popular to this day in Sierra Leone due to his having (not enthusiastically initially) stopped a civil war there by sending the army in (the army were sent in on a limited mission but decided to intervene aggressively, Blair's role amounted to backing them once he found out about it). Seriously, they build statues to him, you won't find that in the UK.
 * George W. Bush is considerably more popular in Georgia (the country) than in the U.S., due to his pro-Georgian foreign policy and having danced to Georgian music once. Reportedly, he's even sometimes considered a bit of an Estrogen Brigade Bait in Georgia. Figure that one out.
 * He's also really popular in some parts of Africa for the understandable reason that he sent a ton of AIDS relief there.
 * Also in Kosovo and neighboring Albania for supporting Kosovan independence.
 * While his approval rating in America was around 30% during the last few years of his tenure, his approval rating in India stayed around 60%.
 * In a truly bizarre example, current Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty. Often considered bland (or, to his opponents, "Premier Dad", due to his "nanny state" policies) in his home province of Ontario, he is considered "handsome and charismatic" in China. FTA:


 * In stark contrast, back home in Canada, several comedy shows have made fun of McGuinty's striking resemblance to Norman Bates.
 * He was also the unfortunate target of the famous "["Memes/Politics|evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet"]" campaign, which he naturally milked for all it was worth.

Contemporary

 * Anna Chapman, the alleged Russian spy, is extremely popular in Northern England. In fact, she's something of a pop culture icon there, which is surprising.
 * Jeff Dunham was more popular in Europe than in the US during his earlier shows.
 * And, of course, because it needs to be said...
 * And in Northern England...
 * Ellen Hollman - after her appearance on Medium as Mallory Kessinger, a Trophy Wife. Well, in the United Kingdom anyway, where she has something of a cult following. IMDB page
 * Annie Burgstede - when she appeared in CSI (the original), as part of the CSI:Trilogy, playing Diane Jasper, a prostitute. As with Ellen above, she has something of a cult following in the United Kingdom(well, to be really technical, North West England and Yorkshire). IMDB page.
 * Stacie Leah Rippy - first of all in True Blood, then The Mentalist. And yet again, she has something of a cult following in the United Kingdom (more so than in the U.S.). IMDB page. Particularly so in Liverpool and Southport, where she is something of a fashion icon. In fact, Jennifer Lawrence is considered to be (but opinion varies) similar to her.
 * In a really bizarre example, Snooki is a pop culture icon there. Yes, travel down the streets of Everton or Wavertree and there will be a fair few Snooki lookalikes.
 * Lior Suchard, the Israeli psychic who recently became immensely famous in the States, was pretty much forgotten in Israel after he won the original version of The Successor (people jokingly remarked back then that Uri Geller’s next trick was to make Suchard disappear).
 * Muhammad Ali, while one of the most respected boxers of all time, was very popular back in the United States, but was huge in Zaire (Now known today as The Democratic Republic of the Congo), after his "Rumble in the Jungle" match against George Foreman held there c. 1974. Google "Ali Bomaye".
 * Miranda Cosgrove has a big following in Brazil.
 * As does Hilary Duff, apparently.
 * You can add Italy to the list of countries that still love Hilary. In fact, there is one exclusive compilation album not available outside of Italy.
 * Bella Thorne has lots of Japanese fans. Some of her tweets are replied by Japanese fans. She even retweets her Japanese fans who did the tweets in English.
 * Tanya Melissa Makse (or Tanya Makse on modelmayhem.com - she shortened her name, this isn't a stage name), a model/actress from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada is extremely popular in Southport, Liverpool, and the outlying backwaters that are Formby, Bootle, Litherland, Ormskirk, Skelmersdale. Along with Wigan, Bolton, Bury and much of Greater Manchester too. Also popular Oop North too.
 * Plus, Britt Morgan (better known as Debbie from True Blood) is also hugely popular in those areas as well too, with redheads trying to copy her style off True Blood, even if it could be considered inappropriate.
 * Piers Morgan has a significant Hatedom in Britain, but in America has a successful TV show.
 * Granted, he also got an immediate Hatedom in the United States since he was filling the shoes of talk show legend Larry King.
 * Porn star Maria Ozawa is incredibly popular in Indonesia. During the 2011 tsunami, Indonesian fans logged onto chat rooms asked if she was alright.
 * In similar note, Sora Aoi was so popular in China that she seriously started a non-porn career recently.
 * Jean Claude Van Damme is apparently this among Arabs. It helps that he starred in a Legionaire, which actually had a positive protrayal of Arabs for a change.
 * Blurring the line between celebrity and political, the movie John Rambo led to Sylvester Stallone's growing popularity in Burma. Specifically, with the Karen rebel group, since the reigning military junta had their own ideas.