Don Cheadle once stole a "finial from a lamp at the White House".

The 58-year-old actor admitted while he's "never" taken anything from the hotel, he did swipe a decorative topping as a souvenir and it's on display in his own home.

Asked about the best thing he ever took from a hotel, he told Empire magazine: "I have never! I would never! But I did steal a finial from a lamp at the White House.

"I don't think anyone's coming to get me for it. After what's been happening there in the past administration?

"I don't think they'd have a leg to stand on. Where do I keep it? I put it on a lamp in my house."

Don also revealed the most famous person in his phone book, and there's another White House connection.

He said: "Obama? I do sometimes text him, about golf stuff."

And despite some famous friends, the AGE-year-old actor admitted he has been starstruck before, including one very memorable event.

He added: "I met the Dalai Lama. I was given an award by the Nobel laureates - me and George Clooney - for work we were doing around the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

"Gorbachev was also there. It was just a room where you're like, 'Why am I here?' "

Although Don didn't have a hotel story about thievery, he did have a tale to tell about a couple of other very unfortunate incidents.

Asked about the strangest place he's thrown up, he replied: "Hmm. There was the InterContinental hotel in Toronto where I almost threw up inside the elevator, but I think I kept it together.

"But the strangest place was in the bathtub - in another InterContinental Hotel, in Manila - because I had food poisoning.

"I got in the empty bathtub because I felt this was about to be a full experience."