Paul Dooley has been an actor for sixty-five years and has portrayed fathers in more than twenty-five movies. He is best known for his roles as the father in Breaking Away, Sixteen Candles, and Run Away Bride. While he was the on-screen dad to Julia Roberts, Molly Ringwald, Toni Collette, Robin Wright, and Helen Hunt, his personal life held a painful secret. In Movie Dad, Dooley reveals that before he became a father to Hollywood actresses, his own fatherhood was jeopardized when his ex-wife kidnapped his two children, Robin and Adam. His touching biography shows the shock and denial he experienced when he read the letter his ex-wife left that said, "I'm leaving. I'm taking the kids. We're not coming back." What followed was private detectives, court, and frantically looking for his children. When he only found dead-ends, he threw himself into work, and after twenty-five years as an actor, he was in the movies overnight. The success he found as a father on-screen is a story of wry irony, which he tells in Movie Dad.
Paul Dooley has been an actor for sixty-five years on film, TV, and the stage and has appeared in hundreds of movies, shows, and plays. He is best known for his roles as the father in Breaking Away, Sixteen Candles, and Run Away Bride. Other films include Hairspray, Insomnia, Strange Brew, and Wating for Guffman. His TV roles include The Good Doctor, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Grey's Anatomy, thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, and Star Trek.
I would highly recommend this book even if Paul was not a friend of mine and didn't have nice things to say about me.--Alan Arkin, actor, director, writer This book captures the extraordinary life of this legendary character actor. What a life! It's a really fun read.--Bryan Cranston I've always enjoyed Paul Dooley's work. Now that I've read his autobiography I have even more reason to admire him.--Leonard Maltin, film critic & historian Paul Dooley isn't just a wonderful actor and all around funny person he's a masterful storyteller. His transformation from a quirky little kid in a tiny West Virginia town to one of Hollywood's most iconic character actors is filled with unforgettable encounters with everyone from Carol Burnett to Buster Keaton to Robert Altman. His ongoing search for a meaningful relationship is touching, endearing and every bit as compelling.--Bob Balaban, actor, director Paul Dooley opens his heart in this memoir and out tumble stories that are as honest as they are hilarious. You meet a young man from the humblest beginnings as he learns to become both a comic artist and a person. You cheer for him as he succeeds in both-- in ways that are surprising, funny and moving.--Alan Alda, actor, writer, director Paul Dooley, for whom I wrote the part Wimpy in the film, Popeye, herein unwinds a sweet and charming memoir of an almost accidental career. We and he are lucky that it all worked out.--Jules Feiffer, cartoonist, author, screenwriter What a thrill to be able to read about the life, times and experiences of someone I actually know, have worked with, and admired. You don't have to be an aspiring actor to enjoy Paul Dooley's wonderful book MOVIE DAD.--Joe Mantegna, actor
