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Actor Daniel Stern spoke to Bill about his Memoir "HOME AND ALONE" - Daniel Stern offers fascinating, wildly funny, and deeply touching glimpses inside his Hollywood highs and lows, and off-screen triumphs too.
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ABOUT DANIEL STERN AND HIS MEMOIR HOME AND ALONE
The beloved actor who appeared in such classic movies as Home Alone and City Slickers takes a deep dive into his incredible life and shares the best and worst of his journey.
In HOME AND ALONE, Daniel Stern offers fascinating, wildly funny, and deeply touching glimpses inside his Hollywood highs and lows, and off-screen triumphs too. Here's a sampling:
* How he nailed but almost lost the role of Marv in Home Alone and his answer to the question he has been asked by countless fans, "So what is Joe Pesci really like?"
* What it's like driving Robert Redford in his Porsche at 100 mph or stripping down for a nude scene in front of a group of total strangers or flying alone with Mel Gibson on the maiden voyage of his private jet.
* How he finally learned to read with ease and joy as the voice of grown-up Kevin Arnold on The Wonder Years, and why he decided to take no billing for his role as the Narrator.
* The disaster of shooting Partners, a well-written cop-buddy comedy that didn't get picked up by CBS but that culminated in the horror of his being sued for $25 million.
* The thrill of getting to perform in the West Coast premiere of his play Barbra's Wedding at Garry Marshall's Falcon Theater, with the inadvertent help of Barbra Streisand.
* The humbling experience of entertaining troops in Iraq as part of the USO Handshake Tour and answering soldiers' most burning question, "What the hell are you doing here in a war zone?"
* How President Obama called him "a funny guy" before making him cry by honoring him with The President's Call to Service Award for his volunteer work with families and kids.
"One thing about Danny is he's always home, but never alone. His brilliant talent as an actor has been on display for decades, but it's his creative drive and curiosity and stretching his many talents that will inspire readers as he opens up about his remarkable life."-Billy Crystal
Daniel Stern has had a job since he was eight years old and moved to New York on his own at 17. He got married and became a father when he was still a kid and is now a grandpa five times over. He started acting in movies at 20, in Breaking Away, and has worked with legends from Robert Redford to Tim Burton. He has found spectacular satisfaction in not only his work in the movies, theater, and television but also as a bronze sculptor, cattle rancher, lemon farmer, and volunteer. Stern has packed a lot into his life, and when he hit 65, he thought, "Whoa! Stop!" Maybe it was time to take a look at the crazy, magnificent journey he's been on and try to gain some meaning from it all.
In HOME AND ALONE (Viva Editions; May 21, 2024; $23.95 Trade Paperback; ISBN: 9781632280930), Daniel Stern invites us to come along for the ride, hang on tight as he relives triumphant, ridiculous, tender, and maddening moments, and get to know the celebrities who are his friends and workmates. Along with lots of hilarious anecdotes and great storytelling, he shares his passion for art, insights into marriage, children, parents, and parenting, and his personal mission of empowering young people. "I was an empowered kid myself," Stern reflects. "There is so much potential in each child-even artistic, dyslexic, little hippies like me. My hope is that by sharing my story, I can inspire the feeling in the reader that, 'Hell, if this guy can build a successful life, anyone can.'"
Born in Connecticut on August 28, 1957, Stern spent most of his childhood in Maryland. He could barely read, thanks to his then undiagnosed dyslexia, but loved stories. In junior high, he found his tribe (Little Jewish Hippies) and, working backstage, got his first taste of theater. It proved addictive. In high school, he made his debut as both an actor and a playwright with Lord of the Flies: The Musical. He went on to land the lead roles in Promises, Promises, a Burt Bacharach musical, and Fiddler on the Roof. He was living the life of an artist-spinning pottery, making metal sculptures, singing in three different choirs, and acting-but flunking every non-art class. So, he dropped out of high school. With only eight months left before he turned 18 and got kicked out of the house, Stern had to figure out fast where he would be going and what a career as an actor would even look like.
With a combination of hard work, desperation, talent, and luck, Stern figured it out. He moved to New York City, started getting cast in off-off Broadway plays, fell madly in love with a smart and beautiful, older married woman (who became his wife and still is, 45 years later), and got his Actors Equity card and an agent. Soon he landed his first film, Breaking Away, which marked Stern's on-screen breakout and the start of a successful acting career that's still going strong.
Through it all, Daniel Stern has kept his commitment to balancing his demanding career with being involved in the day-to-day life of his family and giving back to the arts and education, his community, our country, and our planet. Written with humor and heart, HOME AND ALONE is ultimately a testament to its author: a remarkable actor, artist, and human being.
DANIEL STERN BIO
DANIEL STERN is an actor known for his roles in Home Alone, City Slickers, Breaking Away, Diner, Whip It, Very Bad Things, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Blue Thunder. He also created the (uncredited) role of the Narrator on the iconic TV show The Wonder Years and directed the fantasy baseball movie Rookie of the Year. He currently stars in Apple TV's For All Mankind and is set to direct and star in Everything's Peachy, a film adaptation of his hit Off-Broadway play. Beyond show business, Stern is a bronze sculptor, a cattle rancher, a lemon farmer, and a public servant, notably with the Boys & Girls Clubs, which will be receiving all of the royalties from Home and Alone. He and Laure, his wife of 45 years, are the proud parents of a doctor, a musician, and a California state senator, as well as delight in a growing number of grandchildren.