All in All: An Actor's Life On And Off The Stage

by Stacy Keach, Alec Baldwin (Foreword by)

Overview

Stacy Keach is known for movie roles like Fat City and American History X and the television series Titus, and of course Mike Hammer, but he's also revered in the industry as a serious actor who's passionate about his craft. In his long, impressive career, he has been hailed as America's finest classical stage actor, earning acclaim for his portrayals of Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, and King Lear. He has worked alongside and become friends with the giants of American culture, from Joseph Papp to George C. Scott, from James Earl Jones to Oliver Stone.

Keach’s memoir begins with the riveting account of his arrest in London for cocaine possession. He takes readers through his trial and his time at Reading Jail as he battles his drug addiction and then fights to revive his career. Keach poignantly reveals his acting insecurities and relationship struggles. All in All is full of priceless behind the scenes Hollywood moments and friendships—from his late-night pool and backgammon showdowns with John Huston to his passionate relationship with Judy Collins.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762791453
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/15/2013
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Stacy Keach (Jr.) is a renowned actor on stage and screen. Best known as Mike Hammer, he has won a Golden Globe and multiple Obie and Drama Desk Awards, and been nominated for Emmy and Tony awards. His films include Fat City,The Bourne Legacy, Planes, and the upcoming Nebraska. He recently starred on Broadway in Other Desert Cities.

Table of Contents

Foreword Alec Baldwin ix

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 A Different Kind of Fame 1

Chapter 2 Growing Accustomed to My Face 9

Chapter 3 Tales of the California Reaches 15

Chapter 4 To Be or Not to Be an Actor 23

Chapter 5 Shakespeare in the Park with Joe 30

Chapter 6 Hello to All That 34

Chapter 7 There and Back Again 37

Chapter 8 The Cauldron Bubbles 41

Chapter 9 Blount Trauma 48

Chapter 10 We Soared, in New Haven 52

Chapter 11 On the Road 55

Chapter 12 Caught in a Catch-22 63

Chapter 13 How Can You Catch the Sparrow? 66

Chapter 14 Once Upon a Time in the West 73

Chapter 15 The Treasure of John Huston 81

Chapter 16 Outrageous Fortune Met by Slings and Arrows 92

Chapter 17 One Fell Out of the Cuckoo's Nest 104

Chapter 18 Career Careening, Caribe Capsizes 109

Chapter 19 The European inside Me 115

Chapter 20 You Never Forget the Taste of Human Flesh 120

Chapter 21 From the Shadows 124

Chapter 22 A Memorable High 128

Chapter 23 The Long Ride 133

Chapter 24 The Butterfly Effect 137

Chapter 25 Just Wear the Hat, Kid 142

Chapter 26 I, Mike Hammer 148

Chapter 27 A Soul in Pain 158

Chapter 28 Meet the Press 167

Chapter 29 Family Guy 172

Chapter 30 The Bell Never Tolls for Mike Hammer 179

Chapter 31 Speak the Speech 185

Chapter 32 Thine Own Self 195

Chapter 33 The Knack 205

Chapter 34 Daddy Dearest 212

Chapter 35 Hitting My Stride 220

Chapter 36 The Readiness Is All 231

Curtain Call: The Play's the Thing 239

Acknowledgments 249

Index 252

About the Author 255

Editorial Reviews

This book contains Stacy’s essence, from Hamlet to Hammer, from Richard III to Sergeant Stedenko, from King Lear to Papa Ken Titus. He is a great raconteur. You’ll delight in his tales of meeting Burton (though Liz Taylor made the greater impression) and working with Mitchum, of singing with Judy Collins and gambling with John Huston, of false mustaches and near deadly stunts.. .. Masculine and sensitive, intelligent and leonine, he is a force.” —Alec Baldwin



“A classic actor and a class act all the way, that’s Stacy Keach. Every time I’ve had the pleasure of working with him I’ve thought to myself, ‘What this guy has forgotten about the craft of acting is more than I’ve ever learned.’ But this book reveals he’s forgotten nothing. Wisdom and great stories from a true master of our trade.” —Edward Norton


“Stacy Keach reveals his truth in All in All, without an actor’s hubris or the temptation to embellish. The result is a deeply moving and inspiring story that transcends a traditional Hollywood memoir in both candor and grace. Bravo!”  —Martin Sheen


“Stacy Keach’s memoir, All in All, is a great read, telling the ups and downs of this wonderful actor’s life. Stacy proves to be a great counter puncher, turning his challenges into gifts.”—Jeff Bridges 
  
“What a life! What a story! A generous and fascinating memoir from the fabulous Stacy Keach! Stacy writes as he acts: openly and honestly with humor and warmth and dash!” —Linda Lavin


“… A quiet, warm memoir from a generous man who’s lived through a rocky relationship with the craft he adores. As a result, it’s partly true and overly forgiving.  Keach aptly displays the skills of the good actor—‘do not let them take their eyes off you; keep em guessing.’” —Oliver Stone

 

"An actor’s autobiography that emphasizes the hard work more than the lush life.Not that the life Keach has led—including romances with some famous and talented women, most notably singer Judy Collins; a high-profile drug bust, trial and jail term in London in 1984; and quality time hanging with celebrities like John Huston, Orson Welles, Paul Newman and others—isn’t worthy of higher billing. But Keach, while sharing plenty of amusing anecdotes and interesting insights about his peers, doesn’t linger on those details. Instead, he takes us into the fertile mind of an intelligent, envelope-pushing artist of stage, screen and any other format where actors ply their trade, and he methodically (and with charming immodesty) lays down the outline of his amazing career, examining the thoughts behind the choices that shaped it. That may sound dull to the average nonactor, but the career in question belongs to one of America’s most talented classically trained actors who has played the most significant roles of Shakespeare—Hamlet, Richard III, Lear and Falstaff (once as a young actor in a fat suit and again 40 years later under the weight of life fully lived)—almost always to great acclaim. While pursuing his first love of theater (from classical to experimental), he also pushed himself to take risky roles in film (memorably in End of the Road, The New Centurions, Fat City, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean and American History X, to name a very few) and developed indelible, often hard-boiled characters for TV (including Mike Hammer for CBS and Ken Titus on the short-lived Fox sitcom Titus). Nonactors should find this relatively short, fast-moving memoir a pleasure to read, but drama, media and film students will find Keach’s insights invaluable, particularly his coda ('Curtain Call'), which shares the fundamentals learned over a lifetime of honing his craft." —Kirkus

“Keach’s chronicle of the actor’s world—with a wealth of insight and a refreshing lack of ego—makes All in All an immensely likable and readable picture of life upon the wicked stage during the last third of the 20th century and up through today.. .. ” —Playbill

From the Publisher

2013-08-15
An actor's autobiography that emphasizes the hard work more than the lush life. Not that the life Keach has led--including romances with some famous and talented women, most notably singer Judy Collins; a high-profile drug bust, trial and jail term in London in 1984; and quality time hanging with celebrities like John Huston, Orson Welles, Paul Newman and others--isn't worthy of higher billing. But Keach, while sharing plenty of amusing anecdotes and interesting insights about his peers, doesn't linger on those details. Instead, he takes us into the fertile mind of an intelligent, envelope-pushing artist of stage, screen and any other format where actors ply their trade, and he methodically (and with charming immodesty) lays down the outline of his amazing career, examining the thoughts behind the choices that shaped it. That may sound dull to the average nonactor, but the career in question belongs to one of America's most talented classically trained actors who has played the most significant roles of Shakespeare--Hamlet, Richard III, Lear and Falstaff (once as a young actor in a fat suit and again 40 years later under the weight of life fully lived)--almost always to great acclaim. While pursuing his first love of theater (from classical to experimental), he also pushed himself to take risky roles in film (memorably in End of the Road, The New Centurions, Fat City, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean and American History X, to name a very few) and developed indelible, often hard-boiled characters for TV (including Mike Hammer for CBS and Ken Titus on the short-lived Fox sitcom Titus). Nonactors should find this relatively short, fast-moving memoir a pleasure to read, but drama, media and film students will find Keach's insights invaluable, particularly his coda ("Curtain Call"), which shares the fundamentals learned over a lifetime of honing his craft.

Kirkus Reviews