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8 Reviews For This Product
Rated 5 out of 5
08
by joe
I absolutely adored this book and could not put it down! It runs through the wonderful fears, hopes and dreams of actors at most stages of their careers and explains the trials and tribulations we all have to go through. I would really recommend it to anyone with a performer in the family to let you really get inside their mind (scary place to be though!) haha! Brilliant book and very enjoyable!
Rated 5 out of 5
08
by Jane Pollard
Simon Callow is a superb actor, he is also a gifted writer and this books allows readers insight into the art and craft of acting, with all its joys and frustrations.
Rated 5 out of 5
08
by Trish F
Birthday prezzie that went down great
Rated 3 out of 5
08
by John Fitzpatrick
This is refreshingly free of the name-dropping celebrity lists and “funny” stories that are so common in the “autobiographies” (usually ghost written) by actors and other members of showbiz.
On the other hand, it certainly remains faithful to its title – “Being an Actor” – and I imagine will appeal more to theater and film professionals than the general reader.
Callow is aware of this and expresses his hope in a preface that non-actors will be interested in how acting is done.
Ten out of ten for honesty but I found the book heavy going and left the show halfway through.
There are some interesting parts of and he writes well but the detailed descriptions of acting styles, rehearsals etc. were too much for this non-actor to endure.
For those interested in more “serious” accounts of an actor’s life, I recommend some of Dirk Bogarde’s autobiographical series, such as “An Orderly Man” and “Snakes and Ladders”.
Rated 5 out of 5
08
by Bobbie Kenny
Excellent.
Rated 5 out of 5
08
by M. E. Gosano
Having bought the first edition of this book which Callow originally wrote in 1983 (and autographed for me), I was eager to read the extra ten chapters that he wrote to bring his acting experiences up to the year 2003 in this new edition.
It is important to note that Callow concentrates in this book on his work in the theatre and hardly mentions his film and TV work. He writes more on those subjects in his other book My Life In Pieces.
If you have read any of Callows other books you will know that he is a good writer and very easy to read. Whilst I had not seen most of the plays covered, Callow is always interesting. The new chapters concentrate mainly on his work but there is also mention of his several partners, his re-circumcision, his sacking by his secretary and his health problems.
The most interesting part I found is what Callow did to prepare every time he was working on the stage. This takes two pages to describe and is fascinating, as is his conditions for good acting. You will learn a lot about acting on the stage if you read this book.
Rated 4 out of 5
08
by gavcat
Bought as a gift which was greatly appreciated.
Rated 5 out of 5
08
by Peter Jones
Classic book by classic actor who is also a clasisc writer, though far too few people know that
by joe
I absolutely adored this book and could not put it down! It runs through the wonderful fears, hopes and dreams of actors at most stages of their careers and explains the trials and tribulations we all have to go through. I would really recommend it to anyone with a performer in the family to let you really get inside their mind (scary place to be though!) haha! Brilliant book and very enjoyable!
by Jane Pollard
Simon Callow is a superb actor, he is also a gifted writer and this books allows readers insight into the art and craft of acting, with all its joys and frustrations.
by Trish F
Birthday prezzie that went down great
by John Fitzpatrick
This is refreshingly free of the name-dropping celebrity lists and “funny” stories that are so common in the “autobiographies” (usually ghost written) by actors and other members of showbiz.
On the other hand, it certainly remains faithful to its title – “Being an Actor” – and I imagine will appeal more to theater and film professionals than the general reader.
Callow is aware of this and expresses his hope in a preface that non-actors will be interested in how acting is done.
Ten out of ten for honesty but I found the book heavy going and left the show halfway through.
There are some interesting parts of and he writes well but the detailed descriptions of acting styles, rehearsals etc. were too much for this non-actor to endure.
For those interested in more “serious” accounts of an actor’s life, I recommend some of Dirk Bogarde’s autobiographical series, such as “An Orderly Man” and “Snakes and Ladders”.
by Bobbie Kenny
Excellent.
by M. E. Gosano
Having bought the first edition of this book which Callow originally wrote in 1983 (and autographed for me), I was eager to read the extra ten chapters that he wrote to bring his acting experiences up to the year 2003 in this new edition.
It is important to note that Callow concentrates in this book on his work in the theatre and hardly mentions his film and TV work. He writes more on those subjects in his other book My Life In Pieces.
If you have read any of Callows other books you will know that he is a good writer and very easy to read. Whilst I had not seen most of the plays covered, Callow is always interesting. The new chapters concentrate mainly on his work but there is also mention of his several partners, his re-circumcision, his sacking by his secretary and his health problems.
The most interesting part I found is what Callow did to prepare every time he was working on the stage. This takes two pages to describe and is fascinating, as is his conditions for good acting. You will learn a lot about acting on the stage if you read this book.
by gavcat
Bought as a gift which was greatly appreciated.
by Peter Jones
Classic book by classic actor who is also a clasisc writer, though far too few people know that