To the temple of tranquility... and step on it! A memoir

You may know Ed Begley Jr. from his long career as an actor, or his long career as an environmental activist, or even from his previous books on environmental activism (Living like Ed, 2008), but get ready to find out the story behind the storied career. In his first memoir, Begley takes readers along a walk down his rambling memory lane. Telling an anecdote here, an anecdote there, he gives readers a picture of a character actor and his career, his relationship with his father, and his many, many, celebrity friendships. Seriously, this guy knows everyone, from Cindy Williams to John Lennon. Begley's storytelling feels both confessional (detailing unflattering substance abuse issues) conversational ("I'm not sure why Jeff Goldblum is still speaking to me.") and at times maddeningly surface level (like the time a dead body turned up in his garbage can). This book will be a must-read for fans of the actor, and those who love inside Hollywood stories. Hand to the reader who just finished Bob Odenkirk's Comedy, Comedy, Comedy, Drama (2022).

The star of St. Elsewhere, Young Sheldon, and a raft of movies looks back on addiction, violence, and celebrity friendships in this rollicking memoir. Begley (Ed Begley, Jr.'s Guide to Sustainable Living) recaps his 54 years in film and television, starting with his salad days in the 1960s and '70s scrabbling for small parts while abusing substances (one vodka-and-Quaaludes-fueled Christmas Eve climaxed with him crashing into several cars at a stoplight beside a police cruiser) and hanging out with a host of L.A. characters including Jack Nicholson and Charles Manson, with whom he once smoked a joint at the Spahn Ranch. After Begley sobers up and scores his breakthrough role in St. Elsewhere, the company gets classier and his narrative becomes more sedate--he works with Cesar Chavez, plays Trivial Pursuit with Bill and Hillary Clinton, and grapples with his 2016 Parkinson's diagnosis. As with many of his characters, Begley's tone is smart, self-deprecating, and mordantly witty ("Here's the funny thing about a group of people beating you," he remarks of a vicious attack he suffered from a street gang. "If they're also stabbing you, you can't feel that"). At times, the name-dropping and reverence for industry figures can feel like an Oscar acceptance speech, but more often, Begley's inside perspective on Tinseltown is humorous and revealing. The result is a captivating Hollywood picaresque. Agent: David Vigliano, Vigliano Assoc. (Oct.)

A true Hollywood insider reflects on his 56-year career as an actor, overcoming a "smorgasbord of addiction," and his lifelong dedication to environmental activism and social-justice causes. Begley seems to have known everyone in Hollywood, from Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando to Bill and Hillary Clinton and iconic Los Angeles artist Ed Ruscha. He met his first wife while drinking with Tom Waits, and Harry Nilsson took him to visit John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Dakota. "As this was my very first real encounter with a Beatle," writes the author, "I was just trying to keep my face from crystallizing and shattering into pieces as it dropped to the floor." He claims his only talent is that "I'm at the right place at the right time," and he acknowledges the role that his white privilege has played in landing roles. Begley was governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 15 years, but his friendships with United Farm Workers activists Cesar Chavez ("my lifetime hero") and Dolores Huerta are equally important to him. He was an early adopter of electric cars and has been an advocate for prison reform and veganism. Begley's self-deprecating charm and good humor are evident throughout the book, but this sets up a curious tension between the author's breezy tone and its extensive name-dropping. One chapter offers background on his life as an "aging hippie riding a bicycle," while another celebrates his work alongside Geena Davis, William Hurt, and Kathleen Turner in The Accidental Tourist. If this life story hits familiar notes about alcoholism ("my consumption was such that it became a source of concern for John Belushi"), eventual sobriety, and redemption, the path is decidedly off-beat. Begley's charming gloss on his career and life is at once a Hollywood tell-all, a cautionary tale, and a work of earnest advocacy. There's more to this celebrity's life than mere show-business success. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.