Since its first publication, Being an Actor has been a small classic of its kind--an essential book on the craft, commitment, and life of an actor. Simon Callow's star has continued to rise; roles in A Room with a View, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and other films have made him a recognizable face to filmgoers. Anyone interested in theater will enjoy Callow's insights.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Callow was told by master performer Michael MacLiammoir that he was "a born writer, perhaps, but not a born actor." He went on to become not only a most versatile actor, but with this book becomes an accomplished commentator on the theater. What makes Callow's memoir of the familiar uncertainties of an actor's life pleasurable is this actor's eccentricity. He revels in spinning tales of failed shows, arrogant directors, Oscar Wilde reincarnations such as MacLiammoir, who became Callow's first mentor, and the craziness of the profession. Stardom doesn't seem to be a preoccupation with him, and the adventure of creating unique characterizations, such as his Orlando in As You Like It, is perhaps his reward, especially when he astonished London with his portrayal of Mozart in the original staging of Amadeus. Callow is opinionated and an outspoken protector of the performer's right to interpret character, but he finds today's actors at the mercy of ambitious directors: the director "has interposed himself between actor and writer, claiming that they cannot speak each other's language." Actors and non-actors alike will find this witty, knowledgeable book delightful. Photos.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“The most honest book ever written about us all.” —Sir Ian McKellen
“The best picture of theatre life since MacLiammóir’s classic All for Hecuba.” —Ulick O’Connor, The Sunday Independent (London)
“Impassioned, intelligent, informative, and quite simply, one of the best theatre books I have read.” —Michael Coveney, The Financial Times (London)
“Pugnaciously candid...His book is a unique account of an actor’s life in mid-career.” —Michael Billington, The Guardian (London)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
“The best picture of theatre life since MacLiammóir’s classic All for Hecuba.” —Ulick O’Connor, The Sunday Independent (London)
“Impassioned, intelligent, informative, and quite simply, one of the best theatre books I have read.” —Michael Coveney, The Financial Times (London)
“Pugnaciously candid...His book is a unique account of an actor’s life in mid-career.” —Michael Billington, The Guardian (London)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
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Deeply Insightful,
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This review is from: Being an Actor (Paperback)
Let's start here: I am not an actor. I took an acting class in high school, once, and have read a bare smattering of plays, but generally enjoy a trip to the theatre. I am, however, a human being, and Simon Callow herein captures, with beautiful lucidity, aspects of the life experience and gained understandings of a young actor in such a way as to be universally understood. His writing style is a delight to read, and the book entire is worth buying for the section on Shakespeare's Sonnets alone!
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This review is from: Being an Actor, Revised and Expanded Edition (Kindle Edition)
What a discovery. Callow is a wonderful and illuminating writer on theater. Looking forward with pleasure to reading soon his books on Welles, Laughton, and more of his autobiographicals.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
When I was eighteen, I wrote Laurence Olivier a letter. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
first readthrough, preview period, first preview Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Drama Centre, West End, National Theatre, New York, Old Vic, Laurence Olivier, Simon Callow, Bill Gaskill, Peter Hall, John Dexter, The Importance of Being Oscar, John Gielgud, Oscar Wilde, Charles Laughton, Maggie Smith, Mary Barnes, Ben Jonson, Total Eclipse, Charles Dickens, David Hare, Edith Evans, Lord Are, Titus Andronicus, Christopher Fettes, Orson Welles New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
When I was eighteen, I wrote Laurence Olivier a letter. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
first readthrough, preview period, first preview Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Drama Centre, West End, National Theatre, New York, Old Vic, Laurence Olivier, Simon Callow, Bill Gaskill, Peter Hall, John Dexter, The Importance of Being Oscar, John Gielgud, Oscar Wilde, Charles Laughton, Maggie Smith, Mary Barnes, Ben Jonson, Total Eclipse, Charles Dickens, David Hare, Edith Evans, Lord Are, Titus Andronicus, Christopher Fettes, Orson Welles New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 49
books:
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46
books
cite this book:
See all 46 books citing this book
- Tales of Days GOne by: Woodcuts by Naoko Matsubara by Charles De Wolf on 4 pages
- Total Eclipse by Christopher Hampton on 4 pages
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol and Other Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) by Oscar Wilde on page 312, and page 316
- Infernal Machine by Jean Cocteau on page 265, and page 267
- Epsom Downs (Eyre Methuen Plays) by Howard Brenton on page 70, and page 71
See all 49 books this book cites
- Shakespeare the Actor and the Purposes of Playing by Meredith Anne Skura on 6 pages
- Shakespeare and the Authority of Performance by William B. Worthen on 5 pages
- Shakespeare, Theory and Performance by James C. Bulman on page 19, page 21, and page 28
- Directors in Rehearsal: A Hidden World by Susan Cole in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Style: Acting in High Comedy (Applause Acting Series) by Maria Aitken in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 46 books citing this book
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