North of Hollywood

Yet his book is more than just an ordinary Hollywood insider story. Lenz is a terrific writer with a wicked sense of humor. Also a gifted artist and widely produced playwright, he uses his extraordinary storytelling skills to take you into his personal experiences with actors and entertainers we normally only hear about through the rumor mills, and to reveal real-life experiences of heartbreak, suspense, discovery and joy.

His memoir is fascinating. He doesn't pull any punches. Along with plenty of showbiz anecdotes, he tells us about his marriages (especially his "final" one) and his journey from summer stock through New York, then to Hollywood. He offers us deep insights into an actor's life and living in general. Feeling the shock waves of his stormy family background, including the emotional tremors of nearly losing his daughter who struggled for years with drugs, Rick Lenz is a real life husband and dad—and the absorbing reality of that shines through his words.

Spending time with Rick Lenz is fun, enlightening and authentic. If this weren't a true story it would make a mesmerizing fictional adventure. Bottom line: North of Hollywood is edgy, way out of the ordinary, and, as a bonus, funny.