Almost Famous: Recollections by Robin Hawdon

Few people’s careers have spanned as many aspects of the show business world as have Robin Hawdon’s. From stage, TV, and film actor (who came close to being James Bond), to playwright performed in over forty countries, to West End stage director, to mainstream Theatre Director, to prize-winning novelist, his activities include both triumphs and major setbacks.

In the course of such a long career he has either worked with, or encountered, some of the most famous names around. From the British stage, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier, John Mills, Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce, and Michael Crawford. From Hollywood, such as Charlton Heston, Lauren Bacall, Deborah Kerr, Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty, and Judy Garland. From the world of comedy, Kenneth Williams, Frankie Howerd, Terry Scott, Peter Cook, and Dudley Moore. From politics, Harold Macmillan, Anthony Wedgewood Benn, and Chris Patten. And many more.

Here are told stories of those encounters, together with entertaining tales of Hawdon’s lively domestic life spread over four different countries, his reflections on the national characteristics of the French, Spanish, American, and Australian peoples, his joyous indulgence in the delights of their cultures and social eccentricities, and his dramatic exploits in their property markets.

But above all this is about his love of his work, his family, his homes, his pleasures, and life in general.

robin hawdon autobiography book cover
5 out of 5 stars

Amazon Reviews

Extraordinary memoir by one of the England’s best loved playwrightsKelly C Kammerer

Robin Hawdon, one of England’s most successful and prolific playwrights, has written an extraordinary memoir, tracing his life in the theater as both an actor and writer from the 1950s to the present. Full of wisdom and practical tips anyone considering a life in the theater would enjoy, it is also chock-full of charming personal and family anecdotes, often wickedly funny, particularly when relating his experiences with many of the greats of modern English language theater and cinema – the likes of Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Laurence Olivier, Harold Pinter, John Gielgud, Paul Scofield, and many, many more.

Mr. Hawdon, a true renaissance man, has combined a life as an actor and writer with successful ventures into theater management and real estate. He and his wife have homes in England, the south of France and Australia and have lived in South Africa and traveled the world. With self-deprecating humor, he weaves all these elements into a fast-paced memoir that is hard to put down.

Other Books by Robin

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almost famous boob cover
rustle in the grass book cover