Movie star Philip Seymour Hoffman was once starstruck when he found jazz legend MILES DAVIS swimming in the pool where he was a lifeguard.

The COLD MOUNTAIN star played it cool and pretended he didn't know who the mysterious man was and his indifference earned him an afternoon chat he'll never forget.

The actor recalls, "I was a lifeguard in my early 20s at this place, the Metropolitan Towers... in Manhattan, and no one swam at this place.

"Somebody told me that Miles Davis lived there and so Miles Davis walked in and I didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable so I pretended I didn't know him.

"He was wearing a Speedo (swimming trunks) with sunglasses and he had a towel and he got in the pool with his sunglasses and doggie-paddled about five laps, got out, took his sunglasses off and started talking to me because I don't think that he knew that I knew who he was.

"For about half an hour we sat there and looked out over Manhattan; he told me buildings he owned... accidents he got into, girlfriends, everything except music... and at the end of it he said, 'I'm Miles...' and he walked away."