A Fortunate Life

by Robert Vaughn

A remarkable and delightful memoir of a life spent in the uppermost circles of acting, politics, and the worldRobert Vaughn was born an actor. His family worked in the theater for generations, and he knew from the very start that he would join them. In his fifty-year career, Vaughn has made his mark in roles on stage, in film, and on television the world over. In A Fortunate Life, he describes some of the one-of-a-kind experiences he's enjoyed in his celebrated career. A Fortunate Life reveals the details of his early years in Hollywood, when he found himself appearing as often in the gossip magazines as on screen, and he recounts insider stories about such legendary figures as Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Charlton Heston, Oliver Reed, Jason Robards, Richard Harris, Yul Brynner, Elizabeth Taylor, and many more. Vaughn's work in The Young Philadelphians, The Magnificent Seven, Superman III, and many other films won kudos from critics and peers alike. Worldwide recognition came when he starred in the smash hit series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and he vividly describes the extraordinary experience of becoming, quite suddenly, one of the world's brightest stars. Vaughn warmly recalls his romances with stars like Natalie Wood and his adventures with friends like Steve McQueen and James Coburn, but equally important was his involvement in the politics of the 1960s. The first actor to publicly speak out against the war in Vietnam, he served as national chairman of Dissenting Democrats, the largest antiwar organization in the U.S. He gave hundreds of speeches denouncing the war, debated William F. Buckley on national TV, and helped persuade his friend Robert F. Kennedy to run for president in 1968---only to see the race end in tragedy. With a wealth of moving, wonderfully entertaining and often jaw-dropping stories from the worlds of acting and politics, A Fortunate Life is a must-read for fans of Robert Vaughn and anyone who wants a glimpse behind the scenes of classic Hollywood.

Genres: Biography, Autobiography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, Film, Tv

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2008

About the author

Robert Francis Vaughn (November 22, 1932 – November 11, 2016) was an American actor noted for his stage, film and television work.

His best-known TV roles include suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s series The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s series The Protectors; and formidable General Hunt Stockwell in the 5th season of the 1980s series The A-Team.

In film, he portrayed quiet, skittish gunman Lee in The Magnificent Seven, Major Paul Krueger in The Bridge at Remagen, the voice of Proteus IV, the computer villain of Demon Seed, Walter Chalmers in Bullitt, Ross Webster in Superman III, and war veteran Chester A. Gwynn in The Young Philadelphians which earned him a 1960 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

He had many roles in TV, movies & stage & wrote several books. For a full listing of acting credits please see Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly good and interesting autobiography; from Vaughan's childhood and early days on the stage; to his early career, through to 'The Magnificent Seven' and Steve McQueen anecdotes; his time as the world's most popular actor when he starred in 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' with David McCallum; his time as a anti Vietnam war campaigner; his amazing links to Robert Kennedy and the Kennedy's Democratic Nomination campaign and subsequent assassination; and the heart rending story of Vaughn working in Prague during the Soviet clamp down of the socialist democratic uprising in 1968. Much more about 1960s politics than people would expect and a pretty good read as a result. 8 out of 12.

[Sean Peters (A Good Thriller) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another autobiography, but was it good?

No not really to write a great book, it takes skill, to write a book that is interesting keep in fun and interesting.

At the height of his television fame on The Man From UNCLE, Robert Vaughn was one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, with countless adoring female fans. His affairs with famous celebrities, including Natalie Wood, made front-page news. But Vaughn is not just a handsome face – he is a talented stage, television and film actor, but also very involved in politics, so over half the book is about his involvement in causes his opinions on politics.

This took away my enjoyment of the celebrity side, the great actors he worked with especially The Magnificent Seven, yes a little about Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner, a little on his earlier friendship with James Coburn, not much.

Then he mentioned very often my old friend, my good friend but never mentioned before in the whole book. Also mentions he guest starred on many series, does not talk about them.

In fact it was okay but lacked a lot, it felt like he was a very serious man involved in many different causes, supporting politicians not enough about the industry I love "The Film World".

Just think he made The Towering Inferno, with so many great stars, hardly mentions the film?

Just three stars for me, I do not want politics ramped down my throat.

[Cateline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fortunate Life by Robert Vaughn


I wish that Mr. Vaughn wrote fiction. His prose is that good. It's smooth, articulate and entertaining. This is not a "kiss and tell" by any stretch of the imagination, although there is a laid back telling of a few tales. He remains a gentleman throughout and treats his ladies as Ladies. No, this book is more a homage to his parents and grandparents and the good basis they gave him. But that is hardly all it is, either. Our Man From U.N.C.L.E. is far more than "just an actor". He is a responsible human being that has lived his life in such a way as not to have hurt those around him, and has tried to make the world a better place. The book goes into his philosophical and political beliefs and he backs it all up with passion, but never in an overbearing manner. The reader never feels browbeaten or burdened with Vaughn's views.

His life has juxtaposed with so many of the giants of the time. Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jack Kennedy. Entertainment people, Lee Strasberg, Yul Brenner, Richard Harris, even the wonderful Jack Barrymore. A cast of thousands. :) As with Vaughn's beliefs, the reader does not feel inundated with names. And, importantly context is kept throughout. The reader always knows where we are in the stream of time.

A lovely book, written by a lovely man.
Recommended.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A debate drew my attention on YouTube, from the 1960s television series Firing Line with William F. Buckley. Interviews and debates on U.S. 20th Century politics. The debate was between Buckley and Robert Vaughn on the Vietnam War. I was intrigued. I was not aware of Robert Vaughn being anything other than an actor with an impressive film career. I was impressed to say the least. Vaughn was cool, calm and articulate, and very well informed on the colonial history which preceded the Vietnam War. A war he strongly opposed.
In the late 1960s Robert Vaughn was busy with film and television success, and he also wrote his Ph.D thesis on a study of show business blacklisting in the 1940s, '50s and '60s, later published in 1972 as Only Victims. This is an impressive detailed work which I also bought and read. Vaughn is a very good writer. A natural.

This memoir, A Fortunate Life is also very interesting reading. The chapters on his involvement in politics are absorbing.
1968, the year Robert Vaughn was famous as Napoleon Solo. The year of the debate with William F. Buckley.
Chapter ten, Annus Horribilis, 1968, the bombing of North Vietnam, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the assassination of Robert Kennedy.
Chapter twelve, Still Unresolved? is an in-depth inquiry into RFK's assassination. Vaughn recommends further reading with Nemesis by Peter Evans.

A Fortunate Life opens with a beautiful short Introduction and is followed by the opening line of chapter one, "If you do the thing you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life." This line I know well and one I have followed from the day I discovered a pencil and paper.

I came away from Robert Vaughn's memoir still a fan of the actor, and more importantly, with admiration for the man.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fortunate Life is well written, penetrating and hilarious, too. Vaughn is an actor who worked with all the big names during Hollywood's golden age and stage legends such as Gielgud and Olivier, not to mention being the Man from UNCLE. He writes brilliantly on Hamlet and stage theory a la Chekov and Stanislavsky, so I think that heatre buffs will love this. He's also had a lifelong interest in politics and gives us his take on the crucial watersheds of American involvement abroad in the 20th century. Last, there is an intriguing chapter on research he did to solve the mysteries of RFK's assassination. I couldn't put it down!

[Spiderorchid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting, but a bit odd for an actor autobiography. Basically, this book is split into two very different parts and Vaughn made some curious choices about what to include.

The first half of "A Fortunate Life" is exactly what you'd expect from this: Robert Vaughn writes about his childhood and early fascination with acting, his beginnings in the industry and adds many amusing and informative details about the movies and tv shows he was in, his co-stars like Steve McQueen and classic Hollywood stars he got to meet when he started out in movies at the end of the Golden Era. There is also a lot of information about the theater work he did and quite a bit about acting theories of the time. And of course, as with most actors of his generation, the inevitable parade of love interests (I'm never sure if I should believe in that busy love-life, but it was certainly part of the image and the stories are fun). This writing style keeps up right until the mid-1960s and the start of "Man from UNCLE".

And then we get a drastic shift in content. The second half of the book still mentions the movies and tv shows Vaughn was involved in after "UNCLE", but mostly in passing. The main focus of the rest of the book is politics, with most of it devoted to his involvement with Robert F. Kennedy's circle and the obviously extremely traumatic event of his assassination that seems to have haunted Vaughn for the rest of his life. Another focal point are the political events in Prague in 1968, where he was filming at the time.

The book's last chapter goes back to movie anecdotes, but it feels curiously rushed and more like a list of names and some strange events that happened on set of some obscure B-movies that the actor did in the 1970s and '80s (with the exception of some very nice words about Blake Edwards' hilarious "SOB"). There is practically no mention of the BBC show "Hustle" that Vaughn was filming at the time he was writing the book (he was part of the main cast for all 8 series of the show) or the interviews etc. he did with David McCallum for the "UNCLE" anniversary at around the same time.
And while his wife is mentioned a few times, she also stays very much at the fringes of the narrative. No stories about his children, either. While it is perfectly understandable that Vaughn chose to keep his family life private I did find it a bit strange that he skipped over much of his career past 1968 - he might not have been an A-List star but it was a respectable career with a solid hit in "Hustle" to round it out at the end. It feels as if his political interests eclipsed his work as an actor for him and he didn't find it worth mentioning any more. Which is sad for those of us who are there to read about the acting. Nevertheless, what he has to say about politics is very interesting and thoughtful.

In conclusion, this book is a great actor's memoir for the first half and an interesting essay on US politics in the 1960s in the second half. If you are mainly interested in Robert Vaughn's early career, you will find this a satisfying read. If you know him from his later work, there isn't much about it here.

[Miles Nilsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fortunate Life

In his entertaining, gossipy, and eminently readable memoir, Robert Vaughn admits at the outset that he 19ll drop names, and he does. Names of people he got drunk with, had sex with, and even acted with. His stories are well-told and frequently ribald. When he does wax abstractly philosophical in the middle of the book, he mercifully ends the offending chapter by assuring the reader that he won 19t do it again, and he doesn 19t.

Reading a memoir always makes me wonder whether and to what extent the author is being self-serving. What if only half of it were true? Would it still be a good story? If so, maybe it IS worthy of my guarded credulity. (One of my favorite memoirs is 1CExploding Star 1D by Fritz Molden; if you can get passed the slightly disorienting first chapter and suspend disbelief at the amazing adventures of its author 14all before he was 23 years old, it is a great, great read.) Vaughn, of course, leaves us guessing about some aspects of his character. He certainly protests his heterosexuality, but he has had some interesting male bonding experiences. My favorite is an evening spent in New York with Christopher Plummer. The two men hired a prostitute, took her to a hotel room and, aside from feeding her, ignored her in favor of discussing 1CHamlet 1D all night, standing on the balcony and reciting lines from the play (Who took what parts, or did they take turns playing the melancholy Dane?) while the hooker was paid merely to sit inside and enjoy room service. Was she the beard for each man 19s tryst with the Danish Prince? Perhaps this incident really bespeaks Vaughn 19s first love: the theater in general and 1CHamlet 1D in particular. (Each chapter of this book begins with an epigrammatical quotation from 1CHamlet. 1D) Vaughn certainly has had relationships with many, many women, including his wife of almost forty years, Linda. To be sure, he admits to knowing many bisexual men, including Judy Garland 19s fourth husband, who sat by at a Hollywood party and watched as a drunken Judy groped Vaughn on the dance floor. (This same man advised Vaughn that he should do the play 1CStreet Car Named Desire, 1D and when Vaughn demurred that trying to fill Marlon Brando 19s shoes would be too daunting, the fellow said, no, he meant Vaughn should play the heroine, Blanche DuBois.) From a story Vaughn tells about Bette Davis, we might wonder if she had designs on him as a potential boy-toy. Vaughn 19s assessment was rather that Davis just wanted him to go on a bar crawl with her, and he told her he was not up for that. This may have cost him a regular role in a TV series several years before 1CThe Man From U.N.C.L.E. 1D At the time, Bette Davis was considering doing a TV series, and Vaughn would have had second billing, playing her son. Perhaps that never happened because Vaughn excused himself and didn 19t spend the evening with her. He never saw her again.

Vaughn provides some insights into his career and its trajectory, which might be considered disappointing if you only go by how many movies he is in that are worth seeing. It seems telling that he refers to a stage play he did in the 1950s as the best work he ever did on stage. That leaves out the following two-thirds of his life, although he did specify 1Cstage. 1D Even so, most of his screen appearances seem less intriguing than the things he got to do in the theater where he starred in and sometimes directed such vehicles as 1CMr. Roberts 1D and 1CHamlet. 1D It was his 1Cbest stage work 1D in a play called 1CEnd As a Man 1D that brought Vaughn to the attention of then popular starlet Natalie Wood, who sought him out immediately after seeing the play. (They dated for perhaps less than a year before Wood met and married Robert Wagner.) Vaughn himself, especially when discussing his post- 1CMan From U.N.C.L.E. 1D career, keeps saying that he has never even bothered to watch some of the bad movies he has been in. In one instance, he does not even know the name of a movie that he made in Yugoslavia, and he cares too little to Google it for this book. (Vaughn, who speaks some German, recalls the director saying he was going to have to learn his dialog in Serbo-Croatian 14which is similar to Russian 14to which Vaughn replied that they had better write it out phonetically on big cue cards.) It says something about his later career that Vaughn seemingly had to be in these bad movies, that these were almost the only parts he was being offered. That he concludes he has led 1Ca fortunate life 1D is at least partly a case of 1Cprotesting too much, 1D but, in fairness, he makes a good case for his life being fortunate. He had his success, or as he says with characteristic self-deprecation, he has successfully stretched his allotted fifteen minutes of fame into a fifty year career. At seventy-seven, he is not only still alive and reasonably well but has an intact family, works when he wants, and is presumably comfortable in his semi-retirement. (I could be wrong: For all I know, the work he does, making commercials for various law firms, as well as publishing his memoirs, could be things he has done 14along with his earlier string of bad movies 14from financial necessity.)

Vaughn is extremely likable. If you are going to read someone 19s memoirs, that helps greatly. Even his being a Democrat (I too was one, once) does not rub me the wrong way. There is something charming about Vaughn 19s old school Democratic politics. He remains more of a Robert Kennedy Democrat rather than a Ted Kennedy Democrat. Also, having visited and even worked in Communist countries, Vaughn is aware of the essential illiberalism of that system. He was in Czechoslovakia in August 1968 when the Russians invaded. The whole film company was put under house arrest, and their interpreter 14with the unforgettable name, Pepsi Watson 14was disappeared. Shortly thereafter, he worked in Yugoslavia where, he observes, the communist way is to treat everyone the same 14badly. Nevertheless, a good deal of his time in the late 1960s was spent in political activism, opposing the Vietnam War. He was among the first Hollywood figures to speak out against it. Unlike Jane Fonda, however, Vaughn did not embarrass himself by going to Hanoi and sitting on an enemy anti-aircraft gun. He mainly kept his activism within the Democratic party where he sided with senators Robert Kennedy and Gene McCarthy against President Lyndon Johnson. He even debated the godfather of contemporary American conservatism, William F. Buckley, Jr., on television. (Evidently, he acquitted himself well.) The time this activity took away from his acting career seems at least partly to explain why his post- 1CU.N.C.L.E. 1D oeuvre involved so many potboilers. Meanwhile, friends like Steve McQueen and James Coburn eclipsed Vaughn. For example, Vaughn helped Coburn get his big break in 1CThe Magnificent Seven, 1D only to see Coburn become a bigger star. However, one does not detect any bitterness about this.

Perhaps Vaughn 19s years on 1CThe Man From U.N.C.L.E. 1D became a problem for his later career. After playing Napoleon Solo in a spy spoof, no one could take the actor seriously. Being characteristically good-natured, Vaughn says that despite the headaches caused by network meddling and stalking fans, he loved every minute of it. He claims rumors that he and co-star David McCallum didn 19t get along are completely unfounded. If anything, both men were united in their annoyance with the way that each season of 1CU.N.C.L.E. 1D became sillier and sillier. At one point, they did an episode in which they were made to use a weapon that fired cupcakes.

Vaughn 19s informal style, appropriate as it is to the memoir form, is sometimes odd for the reader. For example, he only calls his mother by her given name about three times. Mostly she is just 1CMother. 1D The first time he refers to 1CMarcella 1D I had to ask myself, Who is Marcella? but 1CMarcella Vaughn 1D was his mother 19s name. (He never calls her by this full name; you must find it in the book 19s index.) Several chapters later, Vaughn uses the name 1CMarcella 1D a second and third time; this is in his account of her death. Vaughn was very devoted to his mother, living with her on and off through much of his youth and early manhood. He was 25 before he had his own bachelor pad. Even then, when his mother later developed cancer, he moved back in with her.

Vaughn, I knew 14though I imagine not everyone does, earned a Ph.D. in Communications from the University of Southern California, taking classes the whole time he was doing TV, movies, and politics during the sixties and early seventies. His dissertation was about the Hollywood Blacklist. For those who are not conversant, what happened was that many Hollywood movies of the thirties and forties took a leftist or progressive stance, occasionally overtly sympathetic to Marxism and the Soviet Union. When the Cold War between the capitalist West and communist East took shape following World War II, socialist sympathizers throughout American society were shunned and persecuted in what came to be called the McCarthy Era, named for Sen. Joseph McCarthy, a Republican from Wisconsin, who led the call to root out communists from under every bed and behind every curtain. (It is not often enough noted that an anti-reactionary witch hunt went on in communist countries at exactly same time, eerily mirroring the McCarthy Era. My favorite depiction of this is in the satirical 1969 Hungarian film, 1CI Tanu. 1D) Hollywood studios, fearful of government pressure, proscribed certain producers, directors, actors and writers suspected of being communist sympathizers and put them on a list of those who could not be allowed to work. This blacklist gradually fell into disuse after more than a decade, by which time many of its victims (Vaughn 19s book about the period is entitled 1COnly Victims 1D) had committed suicide, left the country or, in some cases, particularly among the writers, continued to work under pseudonyms. Vaughn not only researched the politics of the period but interviewed people extensively. He learned the art of interviewing well enough, BTW, that he later was able to work in Los Angeles doing celebrity interviews on the radio.

It comes across in this book that his greatest love has been the theater. While his political detractors imagined that he visited Moscow in the mid-sixties in order to advance his status as a 1Ccommie stooge, 1D Vaughn was evidently more thrilled to be walking in the footsteps of Constantin Stanislavski, the influential Russian actor, director and teacher. Vaughn was an acting teacher himself, starting in his twenties. One of his students was Jack Nicholson. (I told you Vaughn is name-dropper.) He recalls Nicholson vowing to quit the acting business in the mid-sixties, and Vaughn told him he was too young to quit. Two years later, Nicholson got his career-making role in 1CEasy Rider. 1D

Vaughn never seems to have considered quitting, regardless of the fickleness of his fortunes. After reading 1CA Fortunate Life, 1D I am glad that he stayed with it and that he decided to write about his remarkable life and times.

[Thor Twinkle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best biography I've read so far (tied with Rock Hudson's His Story).
Robert Vaughn is a great storyteller and he doesn't hold back about his life experiences. I usually read these books because I love learning about Old Hollywood and the life of an actor. Vaughn definitely touches on those elements (especially about his beginning in the industry) but I was surprised by the fact that he seemed to prefer to talk about his activism rather than his life on set.
It was still fascinating and I feel like I've learned a lot.
I'd definitely recommend it.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vaughn turned his doctoral research on the Hollywoid blacklist into a very fine book (Only Victims) I wish he had written about this but the book is mostly about memories of heavy drinking restaurants, his women, and celebrity friends (of which he has many) The actor most famous for playing Napolean Solo in The Man from U.N.C.L.E is most interesting when he writes of his childhood and political involvement in the 60's.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of all the celebrity deaths over the last couple of years, I think Robert Vaughn's saddened me most. His autobiography confirmed my feeling that he was a sweet and charming man who enjoyed his life to the full. I'll admit I was more interested in the filming of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. than in Kennedy conspiracy theories, but there's lots of interesting stuff about rampaging around Hollywood with its great and good of the 1950s and a charming account of the loss of his virginity ("we remain close friends to this day").

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Fortunate Life” was an entertaining journey through the life of Robert Vaughn, the actor who will forever be remembered as “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”. The actor's fascination with the theater in all its forms (the stage, radio, television and film) was strongly influenced by his family, in particular, his mother. She taught him the “To Be or Not to Be...” speech from Hamlet at an early age, providing him with a profound respect for all of Shakespeare's work. Mr. Vaughn chronicles his early career in the late 50's and early 60's , performing in numerous television dramas and Hollywood films. Along the way, he tells of his encounters with some of his professional contemporaries (Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, and James Coburn) and his noteworthy romances (Natalie Wood, Joyce Jameson and the woman who would become his wife, Linda Staab). In addition to his talents as an actor, Vaughn was an accomplished scholar . Throughout the book, he would digress from his Hollywood tales and elaborate on Shakespeare, the art of acting, his encounter with the Eastern philosophy of Krishnamurti, and his television debate on Vietnam with William F. Buckley. My recommendation extends to those who enjoy a life story told without the tawdry details.

[D.c. · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than just "The Man From U.N.C.L.E" and one of "The Magnificent Seven," Vaughn grew up in a showbiz family and truly became a man of his times. One of the first in Hollywood to speak out and get involved in the anti-war movement and a fairly close observer of the Kennedy clan, Vaughn's autobiography is fast-paced and entertaining.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Off-beat memoir (not quite the showbiz typical autobiography) with some good anecdotes. R.I.P., Mr. Solo.

[Annie Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equally erudite and hysterically funny, Robert Vaughn describes a life that was not just fortunate but unfailingly interesting.

[A.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sparkling gem of a book, written with wit and eloquence. Vaughn was evidently a highly intelligent, literate, vivacious, and caring man and it was a pleasure to read about his life.

[Mediaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull and somewhat pretentious memoir that strays dramatically from Vaughn's life story to go deep into 1960s presidential politics. Beyond a few pages devoted to his TV work, much of this is either his bragging about his Shakespeare work or leading the anti-Vietnam war effort.

Then, as if the publisher told him that the book had too much politics and can't just end with a bizarre tale of how he knows Bobby Kennedy was killed by Ari Onassis, Vaughn tacks on a final chapter of random stories about different TV or movie productions. It's pretty strange. Vaughn doesn't seem that concerned that a speech he gave led the way to huge riots or a 1968 Democrat candidate fight--in retrospect he seems to have made things as bad as he likes to blame the Republicans for.

The son of two theatrical performers, some of his early history is interesting. And the author makes sure to reinforce his reputation as a ladies man. His conclusion is that every actress he met in Hollywood was "self-absorbed to the point of living on another planet."

If you're from Minnesota (where he grew up) or a fan of leftist political history you might enjoy this; for the rest of us it ends up being disappointing and unfortunate.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a joy to discover and read. Vaughn has an interesting story to tell, he tells it well, throwing famous names about in a dazzling display, and he is an entertaining, interesting guide through tumultuous times. He has given a lot of thought to the issues of the day - that day, and this one - and shares these thoughts in a concise, well educated, reasoned fashion. I learned a lot about what went on behind the scenes of great events, and a lot about Vaughn himself. He did not have a truly bad word to say about anybody he worked with, and was generous with his praise and plaudits for his fellow actors. He was a real gentleman, and it was a pleasure to read his book.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there is lots of biographical data in this book, it is not a true, chronological biography. There are different topics for each chapter and more than once the story flashed back and began anew. I did not know he had a strong interest in politics and several chapters seemed more like they belonged in a U.S. history book. He was a close friend of Bobby Kennedy and he had some shocking details about the assassination that I had never heard before and they were challenging to me. There is one place where he says that J F Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1962!! Granted that may just be a typo - but were was the editor?! It made me question many of the dates throughout the book.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend this only if you are a Robert Vaughn fan. It is well written but contains a bit too much about his escapades in the Swinging Sixties.
I had no idea that he had a PhD in Communications. He was a very intelligent and articulate man, but the book could have benefited from a bit more editing.

[Allen Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very few people know at an early age what they want to do for life and then pursue that goal with
the determination of a Robert Vaughn. His record of alternating work while pursuing a BA, MA,
and PhD is admirable indeed, and his ability to portray unlikeable characters, such as that in the
movie Bullit is among the best.

Allen Fuller

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better celeb memoirs I've read. While I was aware of Vaughn's TV and movie appearances, I didn't know about his experiences as a Viet Nam war protestor or about his friendship with Bobby Kennedy. I enjoyed the anecdotes about his fellow actors.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. Some interesting perspective too on the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King and on the divisive debate about America's participation in the war in Vietnam.
My only gripe - the tiny print made it a strain to read.

[Dan H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read if your a Robert Vaughn fan.

Well done. Went too fast. Would like more about the time in UNCLE and bigger movies. But very enjoyable. Glad I purchased it.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read and did not realize he was that involved in politics of the time.

[Lester Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story of shops business

Fans of The Man from Uncle will.love this book about the life of a person in the theatre and the trials and tribulations of being An actor

[Mary Sheeran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Vaughn's Only Victims, his dissertation/book about the effects of the blacklist on theater and film, and having heard Vaughn speak with articulate specificity and knowledge about Vietnam (on various broadcasts including the infamous "Fireline" episode with William Buckley, which he discusses here), I was disappointed with this glib and sketchy memoir. It reads as if it was dictated off the cuff without much reflection, although at times I felt he was trying to imitate Christopher Plummer's vastly superior memoir. Nevertheless, some sections betray an emotional depth not present in most of the book (his mother's illness, his reaction to Robert Kennedy's death, for example) but some of his recollections unfortunately recall the strange disconnect in otherwise intelligent men of the 1960s and 1970s to not see women as full human beings, even while they are supportive of social justice in just about every other avenue. Obviously a skilled actor, his discussion of acting is shallow and simplistic. I was grateful for what he did provide about Vietnam; he deserved credit for being out front in that controversy early. (His work on the blacklist, even published as late as 1972, was still in the forefront of major books about that era, books that he discusses in a later publication of Only Victims.) His reconsideration of RFK's assassination needs more heft; one wonders if it was influenced by his overall political reasonings generated by his work on the blacklist and in the Vietnam controversy. His recollection of some events is at odds with others' and at times his own. Some reviewers elsewhere complained that his U.N.C.L.E. memories were riddled with errors and depended on a flawed book about the show.

Given all this, however, it's a good book to have, but if I'd been the editor, I would have said, "Nice outline; now do the book." Vaughn's is a rich life of both artistic and political gifts. One can be grateful for this much, but it only speaks to a wish that he'd spent more time and perhaps, more serious intent, on this memoir.

Mea culpa, a few years later. Did I even finish this book? I've read it again and I find it an intelligent account of an actor who took his citizenship seriously. I'll still criticize his attitude toward women, and I won't let him off because that was the times and all that. But he writes with affection about his love for his craft. He also details his arguments against the war in Vietnam. I bought the DVD of his duet with Buckley, and it's quite fascinating, even more so because, apparently, in those days, people actually watched this intricately detailed debate about the issues. Which makes me sad. I'm also sad because I can't write Vaughn to tell him all this. He was alive when I read it the first time and flung it to the floor. Now he's gone. Well, I just couldn't read it then, I guess. I have some inkling why. Sometimes, we just can't hear another's voice. Now I could. And "Only Victims" emphasizes his smarts and writing ability. So it goes from two stars to four.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Vaughn has had a long and successful acting career. As well as being The Man from U.N.C.L.E., he was also one of The Magnificent Seven, and in more recent times, was a main cast member on the BBC show Hustle. But in addition to such achievements, he has also starred in countless other films, and appeared on stage many times. In this book, he describes his life, from his childhood with a mother and step-father who were also actors, to his unconventional adolescence, to his ascension to genuine Hollywood star.

However, this book also covers much more ground than just his acting career. With a keen interest in politics (he is a staunch Democrat), Vaughn also describes his friendship with Robert F. Kennedy, and his theories on the truth behind RFK’s assassination. There are fascinating tales of being trapped in Czechoslovakia at the time of the Soviet invasion, and being placed under house arrest while filming in South America. Amongst all of these stories are of course, anecdotes from Vaughn’s lengthy career, in which he talks about many of his friends, famous and otherwise, including Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen.

Vaughn is clearly a highly intelligent and thoughtful man, and he has written an absorbing autobiography. I had only seen him in the aforementioned Hustle, and more recently on stage in a (breathtakingly wonderful) production of Twelve Angry Men, and was large unfamiliar with his earlier work, but the stories from that part of his career made for interesting reading.

I would certainly recommend this book to fans of Robert Vaughn, but also to anyone who enjoys reading autobiographies.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having been a fan of the show in the 60s, and revisiting it while watching "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." DVDs, I was inspired to read Robert Vaughn's autobiography. Having taken up the "family business" of acting, from recitation of "Hamlet" as a young boy to various roles in school, college, local theater productions, Vaughn landed his signature role of "Napoleon Solo". There is no deprecation of it's influence on his life as is sometimes prevalent in show business bios as he viewed it as a basically positive experience. He shares his many encounters with other actors, but this is not a tome filled with scandals and exposes. Vaughn has always been active in political activism which found him rubbing elbows with the Kennedys, as well as others. The narrative dragged a bit when he went into depths of his views on philosophy, but all of these influences have molded him, so their inclusion is understandable. Over all, an enjoyable read and would definitely recommend of MFU fans.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating book. Not your usual Hollywood autobiography, there is much more to Mr Vaughn then meets the eye. A committed and jobbing actor, anti-war activist, investigative reporter, political player and a damn good writer. There was me thinking I was going to read about The Man from U.N.C.L.E and Napoleon Solo and The Magnificent 7 and the likes (which is included) but ended up enjoying a very interesting read about Vietnam, The Presidential elections, conspiracy theories, the invasion of Czechoslovakia and a side of film making that not a lot of stars readily talk about. A hidden gem from an actor I now have much more respect for than before I read this book.

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mix of goals; a light description of his life, but not a lot of detail on his emotions or solid relationships - many names, places, films and people, but not a lot of meat on any of them. Quite a lot of acting methodology and advice, which was interesting and I enjoyed. A lot of politics, which was a mixed bag. His description of the "horrible year" of 1968, with the death of Bobby Kennedy and the rise of Nixon, felt very much like many of our 2016 election feelings - a sense of loss of what could have been. And then he outlines his conspiracy theory over the assassination, which forms an odd mix.

Overall, a solid "good read but not worth searching out"