Acting My Life

Ian Holm is an actor. Over the last fifty years, he has become one of the most respected and widely admired actors of his generation. He has worked on stage, screen, television, and radio. After making a brilliant impact at the RSC in the 1960s, he consolidated his reputation with work for Harold Pinter. He then turned to film and became one of the most accomplished film actors this country has produced. He has been seen in cult and popular classics such as 'Alien', 'Chariots of Fire', 'The Fifth Element' and 'Lord of the Rings'. On stage, his King Lear was reckoned to be one of the best this century, while others might remember him for his portrayal of J.M. Barrie in BBC television's 'The Lost Boys', or for his work in Atom Egoyam's acclaimed film, 'The Sweet Hereafter'. The winner of many awards, Ian Holm was knighted in 1997. Now he has written his story. It is a compelling mix of anecdote and observation, taking in not only half a century of acting, but also his childhood, growing up next to the mental asylum his father ran. Often candid and funny, the narrative combines his personal and professional lives, and talks with insight about his own on-stage break-down (which led to a prolonged absence from the stage), the women in his life, the nervous condition which still haunts him, and his battle with cancer. He has perceptive things to say about the people with whom he worked, and provides a rare, intimate window into the peculiar people who inhabit a strange profession. Ian Holm's story is both honest and touching. His one lifelong commitment has been to his acting, and that same intensity is now brought to his writing.