ED BEGLEY JR. It's Never TOO LATE

The Emmy-winning actor talks about the lessons he's learned and his new memoir

- Katie Bruno

When actor Ed Begley Jr. turned 70, he decided it was time to get serious about passing on his favorite W memories. "I figured I've got kids, I've got grandkids. I should write down some of these stories from my dad's past and mine," he tells Closer. Using a video recorder on his youngest daughter's phone, Ed started telling tales. There were stories about growing up in Hollywood as the son of dramatic film actor Ed Begley. He reflected on his own early adventures following in his dad's footsteps and the many friends (and frenemies) he's made during his successful Emmy-winning career. "Pretty soon, I had 45 pages," Ed, 74, recalls. He kept going, and the result is the St. Elsewhere alum's new memoir, To the Temple of Tranquility...and Step On It! which recently became available from Hachette Books.

Did growing up the son of an actor influence your career choices?

Yes, from around age 3, I said I wanted to be an actor. I was on the set a lot and fell in love with the business - from the technical end to the acting part. I started going on interviews around age 10 for commercials, but I never got any work.

Why not?

Because I hadn't trained. I finally took some acting classes and, lo and behold, I started to work.

Did you have a backup plan in case the acting didn't work out?

Yes, I wanted to be a cameraman. I studied as a budding cinematographer and camera assistant and I got in the union. I even started to work as a cameraman - I loved it. Then I got a call to work on the show Room 222. After that, I became a steady working actor.

Did your dad give you any advice?

He said learn your lines and show up on time, very important things. He showed me how to hit my mark as an actor so the camera would be in focus and the lighting would be right and the soundman could get his boom in. Also a really good thing to know.