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Full Frontal Nudity: The Making of an Accidental Actor
IN 2008, as he attempted to enter Canada to film a television series, Harry Hamlin—the former star of L.A. Law and once People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive—was detained at the border for unresolved narcotics convictions. And so begins Full Frontal Nudity, a laugh-out-loud-funny memoir in which Harry digs deep into his past to recount the wacky experiences of his childhood, the twisted path that led to his alleged criminal behavior, and the series of fortuitous mishaps that drove him to become an actor.
Harry was reared in suburban California in the late 1950s by a gin-gulping, pill-popping housewife mother and a rocket scientist father with a secret life. On its surface, his childhood was not unlike his peers’, except that he was kicked out of the fourth grade for writing a book report on Mein Kampf and, when he was eleven, his parents gave him a subscription to Playboy for Christmas. Curious by nature, chock-full of boyish charm and good looks, Harry experimented with mystical religion and set off for Woodstock, only to narrowly avoid lighting the whole of Yellowstone National Park on fire. At eighteen, he was ready to matriculate at Berkeley and become the architect he always wanted to be. But fate—this time in the form of a large Hells Angel, a few purple microdots, and an evening in the tree houses of La Honda—got in the way.
Sharp and bawdy, Full Frontal Nudity spans the years from Harry’s childhood through his time at Berkeley (which he was asked to leave after he was accused of running a brothel), to Yale, then on an extended vacation in the Yucatán, and finally to the American Conservatory Theater, where Harry played his first lead role—as the buck-naked star of Equus .
Full Frontal Nudity is an uproarious memoir that captures an era and describes the unlikely origins of a star.
Harry was reared in suburban California in the late 1950s by a gin-gulping, pill-popping housewife mother and a rocket scientist father with a secret life. On its surface, his childhood was not unlike his peers’, except that he was kicked out of the fourth grade for writing a book report on Mein Kampf and, when he was eleven, his parents gave him a subscription to Playboy for Christmas. Curious by nature, chock-full of boyish charm and good looks, Harry experimented with mystical religion and set off for Woodstock, only to narrowly avoid lighting the whole of Yellowstone National Park on fire. At eighteen, he was ready to matriculate at Berkeley and become the architect he always wanted to be. But fate—this time in the form of a large Hells Angel, a few purple microdots, and an evening in the tree houses of La Honda—got in the way.
Sharp and bawdy, Full Frontal Nudity spans the years from Harry’s childhood through his time at Berkeley (which he was asked to leave after he was accused of running a brothel), to Yale, then on an extended vacation in the Yucatán, and finally to the American Conservatory Theater, where Harry played his first lead role—as the buck-naked star of Equus .
Full Frontal Nudity is an uproarious memoir that captures an era and describes the unlikely origins of a star.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 5, 2010
7 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 2, 2010
At first I was going to give this 3 stars but I decided that any book that I had intended to skim but ended up reading word for word was worth another star. I planned on quickly going over this, picking out the interesting tidbits and skipping anything mundane, but Harry's memoir of his college years in the early 1970s turned out to be entertaining, interesting, and surprisingly well-written (no idea if a ghost writer was involved). This TV actor may only be on your radar as being on LA Law and People's sexiest male in the late 80s (and most recently the spouse of Oregonian Lisa Rinna of Dancing with the Stars), but he attended Berkeley and graduated from Yale trained in classic drama. However, his exploits, misadventures, and relationship stories kept my interest and it was pretty amazing how he stayed alive and out of a major or Mexican prison. Definitely a cut above most celebrity memoirs and I'm looking forward to the next installment.
Added note: I always wonder how anyone who writes a detailed memoir of their early years can remember so many details from 30-40 years ago, but at one point Harry mentions he wrote detailed journals. But I'm still suspicious...
Added note: I always wonder how anyone who writes a detailed memoir of their early years can remember so many details from 30-40 years ago, but at one point Harry mentions he wrote detailed journals. But I'm still suspicious...
September 4, 2011
An unusual celebrity autobiography in that it's about all that came before the celebrity. Hamlin bares all, and his story abounds with irony, humor and strength. The glimpse into late 60s Berkley from the perspective of an almost-hippie breathes life into that time in history when there were so many varieties of youth finding their way at once. Some leaned far to one side or the other, but lots of them were just trying to figure it all out while they were standing smack dab in the middle of that societal upheaval.
Hamlin writes very well and in his own voice. He's no faker, and he doesn't bend over backwards to be politically correct. He seems like a decent man who has learned from his past and is making the most of his present. I recommend this to anyone interested in the 60s counter-culture movement and its impact on middle class suburban American kids.
Hamlin writes very well and in his own voice. He's no faker, and he doesn't bend over backwards to be politically correct. He seems like a decent man who has learned from his past and is making the most of his present. I recommend this to anyone interested in the 60s counter-culture movement and its impact on middle class suburban American kids.
April 23, 2011
I LOVED this book. If you have ever watched(and enjoyed) the TV Land show Harry Loves Lisa, you will like this book. Hamlin's wry and funny writing style just seems to fit. He writes, how he was in the show. The book made me laugh and even cry. I certainly hope he has another book in the works, because throughout the book, he says - but that's another story- quite a bit. This reader, for one, looks forward to reading those other stories!
Currently reading
October 7, 2011I know...I can't believe I'm reading this either...but its amazingly a good, easy, interesting read.
November 26, 2019
Really, the "words" for my rating would be "it was ok", but the stars would still be 3 or 4, because it did hold my attention and was interesting. It's not necessarily a book I would have chosen for myself based on some of the content, but it is a biography, and either he is a wildly imaginative storyteller, or somewhere along the way, someone heard the various stories from his life and said, quite wisely, "you need to write those down"! -because boy, Harry has led an interesting life! And honestly, he seemed to be destined to become who he became, because it was almost always right place, right time circumstances (or wrong place, keeping him from wrong choice)...I mean, yes, he is talented. That is not what I am saying at all! I watched LA Law as a teenager or so, and Clash of the Titans for sure!
But given his own original choices, he would not have been an actor...and it kind of kept going from there.
If you find colorful language off-putting, or pre-marital sex, this will not be your book. The sex parts are not fully described or gratuitous, but there is a lot of mention of them. The language is not even that bad---and mostly the moments where it might be startling had more to do the with culture of the time or scenario. but still...that's my caution to you.
I had this book in a stack of multiple biographies I've collected over the years and forgotten about---but in my efforts to declutter my house, I am doing my level best to put down my kindle and get to work reading my hardbacks! (which, I prefer actual books over kindle anyway, but boy, amazon does a good job of reeling you in with those Unlimited deals and authors whose books go for $3.99 and First Reads, etc)
All in all, I am glad I read it, as I felt his commitment to his craft was very inspiring. And it was certainly a page turner. I definitely wanted to finish it (unlike one about the drummer from Blink 182---I really wanted to like that one, but it was just a little too far into another world for me, language, etc-wise. When I was younger, wouldn't have bothered me as much. funny.)
This one just made me feel vaguely like "Toto, we are definitely not in the bible belt anymore"...
but like I said, his commitment inspired. and honestly, he seems like a nice person. Just a different culture.
But given his own original choices, he would not have been an actor...and it kind of kept going from there.
If you find colorful language off-putting, or pre-marital sex, this will not be your book. The sex parts are not fully described or gratuitous, but there is a lot of mention of them. The language is not even that bad---and mostly the moments where it might be startling had more to do the with culture of the time or scenario. but still...that's my caution to you.
I had this book in a stack of multiple biographies I've collected over the years and forgotten about---but in my efforts to declutter my house, I am doing my level best to put down my kindle and get to work reading my hardbacks! (which, I prefer actual books over kindle anyway, but boy, amazon does a good job of reeling you in with those Unlimited deals and authors whose books go for $3.99 and First Reads, etc)
All in all, I am glad I read it, as I felt his commitment to his craft was very inspiring. And it was certainly a page turner. I definitely wanted to finish it (unlike one about the drummer from Blink 182---I really wanted to like that one, but it was just a little too far into another world for me, language, etc-wise. When I was younger, wouldn't have bothered me as much. funny.)
This one just made me feel vaguely like "Toto, we are definitely not in the bible belt anymore"...
but like I said, his commitment inspired. and honestly, he seems like a nice person. Just a different culture.
September 15, 2013
Nothing is accidental.
Not Harry's path to acting as a career, nor you being his admirer nor I for picking up this book to pry openly into HH's early life because HH impressed me with his works on films and TV. An overly sanitized and diplomatic account about of HH's escapades as a child but mostly his enviable experiences in Berkley, Ivy League Yale and finally acting school. Not surprisingly, sex, drugs and rock and roll, but mostly sex characterized his young adult life. Readable and interesting read because I was once his big fan when he was Kusak in LA law but also because his story mirrored my own in many aspects. The trial and errors, the good times, the bad times, the influential friends and teachers, the breaks we get in life, the brush with the law and redemntion. All in summation to shape who we are today, our profession, our principles and our faith. No, it is not accidental at all, for anyone. We owe it all to destiny or some would call it God's will. HH's story stopped pretty much after his bold step on to the stage in his birthday suit which was a major fork in his life because it launched his acting career. His autobiography ended prematurely because I think HH has many more interesting tales to tell of the greater part of his life in Hollywood and as a husband and father.
Not Harry's path to acting as a career, nor you being his admirer nor I for picking up this book to pry openly into HH's early life because HH impressed me with his works on films and TV. An overly sanitized and diplomatic account about of HH's escapades as a child but mostly his enviable experiences in Berkley, Ivy League Yale and finally acting school. Not surprisingly, sex, drugs and rock and roll, but mostly sex characterized his young adult life. Readable and interesting read because I was once his big fan when he was Kusak in LA law but also because his story mirrored my own in many aspects. The trial and errors, the good times, the bad times, the influential friends and teachers, the breaks we get in life, the brush with the law and redemntion. All in summation to shape who we are today, our profession, our principles and our faith. No, it is not accidental at all, for anyone. We owe it all to destiny or some would call it God's will. HH's story stopped pretty much after his bold step on to the stage in his birthday suit which was a major fork in his life because it launched his acting career. His autobiography ended prematurely because I think HH has many more interesting tales to tell of the greater part of his life in Hollywood and as a husband and father.
August 24, 2011
I chose this book based solely on the excerpt on the back of the book jacket. I can't honestly say that I have ever seen Harry Hamlin's work; if I have seen him, I didn't register who he is. With that being said, I loved this book!! I literally could not put this book down, which says a lot, in my opinion, considering I wasn't aware of who this man is and therefore, had no prior interest in his life story. His witty and dry humor had me hooked from the get go, and the trouble and shenanigans he found himself in along the way to his dreams of stardom are so unbelievable, one has no choice but to believe them. The chapters are short and concise, making it simple for the reader to ignore all else and merely read all night!
January 22, 2013
I picked this off the library shelf thinking, "Hmmm... what does People's Sexiest Man Alive 1987 have to confess?" Startling nothing, drunkalogue celeb-confessional that is, and that is what made this all the more compelling. It's a tale of an Ivy League hippie more of less responsibly enjoying his good looks and good fortune through a variety of typically young-adult misadventures: hitchhiking through Europe and Mexico, following a sweetheart cross country, discovering his burning passion to perform onstage. Hamlin's got a clear voice and knack for a good story, with a healthy dash of self-deprecation and casual charm. He's no Frank McCourt, but, particularly in the celeb-memoir genre, this breezy beach read stands out for its tender intelligence.
May 9, 2024
Even though this book is only about Hamlin’s pre-Hollywood days, and I was greatly disappointed, I did end up enjoying some chapters. But, if you are picking this one up to read about Hamlin’s groundbreaking role playing gay in Making Love, his gay making role in Clash of the Titans, LA Law, Ursula Andress, Nicollette Sheridan or Lisa Rina they are either only briefly mentioned, or not mentioned at all. If you are interested in stories about Harry’s college years spent traveling cross country, stories about his friends doing drugs, or lots and lots of stories about him having sex- then this is the book for you.
The last 20 or so pages I did find really interesting as he details his early college plays and his acting.
Rating- 3 stars
The last 20 or so pages I did find really interesting as he details his early college plays and his acting.
Rating- 3 stars
January 18, 2023
Stepped into the pages slowly and was immediately taken with Harry's writing style, as if you were sitting across from him at a coffee shop having this conversation.
Page by page the emergence of an actor came forth.
Things came together for Harry in the most surprsing of ways.
Cannot give much away other than to say the book flows perfectly with short chapters and many snippets of his life that will sometimes make you laugh right out loud.
Enjoy this one!
Page by page the emergence of an actor came forth.
Things came together for Harry in the most surprsing of ways.
Cannot give much away other than to say the book flows perfectly with short chapters and many snippets of his life that will sometimes make you laugh right out loud.
Enjoy this one!
May 5, 2024
Harry Hamlin writes his memoirs, taken straight from his earliest memories. While this in depth look reads more like a conversation, I feel like he did more drugs than he admits. And I enjoyed the stories of his counterculture days, but would have liked stuff after his graduation.
Or more of his acting.
Also I will never look at camping the same way again.
Solid memoir.
Or more of his acting.
Also I will never look at camping the same way again.
Solid memoir.
January 1, 2021
Interesting and on occasion hard to keep my attention
March 14, 2012
I never really seen much of Harry's work. His LA Law days were during my childhood and probably came on after it was time for me to be in bed. The first work of his I really seen was on Veronica Mars as the killer in season one or I Love Lisa (or whatever that show was called). Therefore, I never really knew him. I do now, a bit. I must say even at the "nasty" or cheesy parts the book held my interest and I just couldn't put it down. His college years are mostly what's highlighted and a few in and outs of both his childhood and his adulthood. Reading about his trek across the Mexican border, his time in jail; all nine days, and his non-frat Frat days are very interesting. I'm interested in going back and seeing more of his work and recommend this book to pretty much anyone that has an interest in reading bios! Enjoy...
March 24, 2011
A friend of mine has a son who lives next door to Harry Hamlin and his family. Through this connection, I have scored a signed promo shot of my old LA Law love and an autographed copy of this book. I liked him a whole lot better when I didn't know too much about him. But, in all fairness, that's true of a lot of the men I have encountered.
July 7, 2011
This biography, written by TV and film star Harry Hamlin, had me laughing out loud. His crazy childhood and outrageous adult adventures kept me entertained throughout the entire book. I particularly recommend this as a beach read because you need little concentration to follow the story line.
August 6, 2011
Would I like this better if I knew who Harry Hamlin is? I doubt it. I'm struggling to get to the interesting bits but so far I haven't found any -- I'm one-third of the way through the book and somehow I doubt I will make it much further.
October 10, 2011
I'm reading this book based on a friends strong recommendation. I would never have selected this on my own, but I have to admit it is entertaining. There are parts where I laughed until tears rolled down my cheeks.
August 11, 2012
Loved this book. I finished it in about 5 or 6 hours while on vacation. It was very interesting and I did not realize what a colorful life Harry Hamlin has led. I had a hard time putting the book down and found myself picking it back up every chance I got.
September 10, 2012
Clash of the Titans and Making Love were the 2 films i crushed hard on Harry Hamlin. I enjoyed being a fly on the wall during his recollection of past memories. I had no idea he went to school in Berkeley and was a drug smuggler at one point. Crazy!
November 29, 2010
Funny autobio of movie star Harry Hamlin.
March 16, 2011
Fun book; autobiography of Harry Hamlin, actor, who grew up during the 60's and 70's and tells of his far-out expriences. Enjoyed his candor.
June 8, 2011
Interesting and funny.
July 5, 2011
Very fun read about the young adulthood of actor Harry Hamlin. The book ends before he hits it big in TV, so I'm hoping there will be a sequel!
Want to read
June 5, 2012I know...I can't believe I'm reading this either...but its amazingly a good, easy, interesting read.
July 12, 2012
Snoozefest!!
November 11, 2013
A fun read. I read this one over a couple of days on summer vacation. Made me laugh several times and didn't require much in the way of intense though. Just what I was looking for.
Read
June 25, 2014123
August 5, 2015
Hamlin writes with a self deprecating sense of humor and no holds barred. Simply enjoy.
Read
March 6, 2013Fun read! HH was indeed a boy of his time.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews