VANCOUVER, British Columbia  The line stretched out the door of the Vancouver Curling Club on Monday afternoon, the entrance blocked by a bouncer, befitting the rock-star status of the man inside.

Those fans came for Kevin Martin, the most famous, perhaps baldest and most decorated curler in the history of Canada. He only ventures into public wearing a disguise. He retains a publicist and approaches the popularity of hockey icons like Wayne Gretzky.

“I’m just an athlete,” Martin says, and that is what makes him so intriguing. Because he is 43 years old and his hairline is shaped like a horseshoe, he looks as if he belongs in a beer-and-bowling league.

Instead, he is the celebrated skip for Canada’s undefeated and top-seeded curling team entering Thursday’s semifinal against Sweden, which beat Britain on Wednesday.