I have long appreciated and admired the acting of John Lithgow. I thought he was superb on Broadway in "Requiem for a Heavyweight." His role as the transgendered nurse in "The World According to Garp" was transcendent. And there have been many more memorable roles - onstage, TV and on the silver screen.
This memoir of his evolution as an actor and as a human being is a wonderful example of his skill as a story teller. John Irving gets it right in his blurb for the book: "John Lithgow's memoir is more than an insider's view of his craft. Lithgow likens acting to storytelling, and he's a wonderful writer. I loved this book."
The bulk of the book is taken up with Lithgow's early years at Harvard, New York and London. HE shares wonderful and transparent anecdotes of his relationships with Mike Nichols, Liv Ullman, Meryl Streep, Bob Fosse, Brian De Palma and many other luminaries of the entertainment world.
Lithgow's complex relationship with his father is a thread that weaves itself throughout thew narrative.
This book is a must-read for lovers of acting and storytelling.
Enjoy!
Al
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