Dead Woman Laughing - An Actor's 'Take' From Both Sides of the Camera

by Daphne Ashbrook

Painfully honest, self-effacing and witty; the themes of life, death and laughter come together as Daphne Ashbrook recounts her many on- and off-screen scrapes with mortality. 

Packed with rich anecdotes from her career in TV, stage and film, this conversational book spans a childhood in a theatrical family to pulling back the curtain of Hollywood, revealing the glamor and ridiculousness of a business mired in a struggle between art and profit.
Reflecting on her life and her career, Daphne discovers the surprising patterns and hilarious absurdities that accompany being a modern-day professional actor. The result is an amusing, informative and intimate memoir, enhanced with over 50 color photos from Daphne’s personal and working lives. So pull up a barstool, grab a beer and lose yourself in Dead Woman Laughing.


Genres: Doctor Who

Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2012

Reviews

[Mel]

I didn't realise that Daphne had written a book till I saw them for sale at the signing a couple Saturdays ago. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough cash on me to buy one then so ended up ordering it online. I'm really glad I did.

I've been reading a lot of biographies and autobiographies of British actors and it is very interesting (and a bit depressing) to see how totally different things are in the states. It seems, rather unsurprisingly, that Hollywood is much more sexist, and has almost entirely focused on television rather than theatre. Daphne's book was full of amusing stories of her experiences, candid descriptions of the people she worked with, as well as her near death experiences, both on and off screen.

But what I found most interesting was her talking about her family. Having grown up with an emotionally abusive mother I could easily relate to the vulnerability and feelings of inadequacy she had growing up. It's always sad to realise that other people go through that, while at the same time good to realise you aren't alone. I think the most wonderful part was how determined she was never to let her own daughter feel undervalued and how she supported her, and encouraged her and protected her in a way that she didn't have. You got such a strong sense of how much she loved Paton and how terribly proud she was of her.

I'm really glad I read this and definitely recommend it.

[Tony]

Dead Woman Laughing is a very personal account of Daphne Ashbrook's life through her childhood, to her role in the Dr Who TV Movie and beyond. Daphne does not sugar coat anything, she tells it as it is, the good, the bad and the ugly. It is straight from the heart. Being an actor is never easy, being a woman actor in the 80's was definitely not easy in a male dominated environment, where good roles for woman were few and far between.
When you read this, you really get to know what life was like growing up, not easy for Daphne by this account, and trying to make it in Hollywood.
A good read and an increased amount of respect for Daphne for her honesty and her determination.

[Leigh]

I got this at a 2016 convention where I had it signed by Daphne, lovely lady ❤️ And wanted to reread it after a rewatch of the 1996 Doctor Who movie and read of related books (Gary Russel’s novel and Regeneration, Yee Jee Tso’s Time and Spaces) And a great autobiography, Daphne’s led a very interesting life and I’d definitely recommend it to any fans of the Doctor Who movie or Daphne in general!

[J Leeder]

A well written entertaining memoir of life in TV and Movies.