There I Go Again: How I Came to Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT, and Many Others

As a young mother in the 1980’s, with six children born between 1975-1990; I watched very little TV. But I never missed St. Elsewhere. At the time I identified with the generation of young doctors, but admired the older characters. During this pandemic, my husband and I are watching again from the first season to the last. Now a retired counselor and a grandmother, my life experience is rich. I have been deeply moved by several of Bill Daniels’ scenes- in tears or speechless. When Ellen couldn’t get out of the car for Steven’s burial. When he stayed in the trailer with Barbara’s other grandfather, and learned how deeply this man loved and sacrificed for his family. The drive for excellence. Expecting the same from the young people he mentored. Bedside scenes with patients. So many more... I know this review is for the book, not a television series. But reading this book written late in Bill Daniels’ life...his personal history, how his career fit into who he was, the long marriage to Bonnie Bartlett, successes as well as self doubt and betrayals..... was fascinating, sad, touching, and both tough and tender. An inspiring story of being genuinely who you are, having such resilience, accepting others with all their gifts as well as demons. Finally— having the humility and depth of feeling to continue to process his journey in therapy as he approached the age of 90! Comparing Mr. Daniels’ book to his role as Dr. Craig in St. Elsewhere... or the teacher in Boy Meets World —- gave me an understanding of where his acting genius came from. He plays his characters as intended by the screenwriters, but he brings those roles to life by bringing who he IS into his work. It is powerful! Watching this show again is a catharsis for me in many ways. Discovering and reading Bill Daniels’ book at the same time has been a bonus. Highly recommend!

William Daniels tells his story too succinctly. Discussing his tv shows and his marriage with actress Bonnie Bartlett, he engrosses the reader and leaves us wanting more. He begins his memoirs running late for the Emmys and segues into his experience on St. Elsewhere. Each show is mainly only given a page or two, some more than others. But basically he doesn't dwell on them too much. He devoted some pages to being the SAG President and I was afraid it would be dull; but it was fascinating. He has a unique way with words and by the end, you wish it would keep going and going. I highly recommend this, which is short in length but long on character.

I had to start reading this biography the minute it arrived. It is wonderfully written and the voice of the William Daniels I have loved for so long comes through on every page. I put it down just long enough to post this review because I noticed only 2 additional copies were available and wanted to be sure to encourage any customers out there to order it for a fantastic read. The seller had classified this as Used-Good Condition and I really can't argue. It is a used book and I expected some wear like the jacket having a roll up at the top. However, I was a bit bummed that there is a scrape mark down the front of the jacket - right over the face of Mr. Daniels. Not a big deal and it certainly is out weighed by the quality of the rest of the book as well as the wonderful content. I am very happy with my purchase which arrived way ahead of schedule and I would certainly shop with this seller again. UP-DATE 7/30/17 - I finished the book and contacted Mr. Daniels on Facebook to tell him how much I enjoyed it. He was charming and at 90 is still very active. He wrote to me after a long day of book signing in California. I decided I HAD to have a signed copy of his book and couldn't really send my original used-scraped version, so I bought a brand new one here on Amazon and I am sending to California for a signature from John Adams, Mr. Feeny and Kitt. Get this book it really is special. Then get a copy of "1776" on DVD at Amazon for dessert.

This autobiography is insightful and well-written. It’s especially nice that William Daniels speaks of other actors that are known only by their voice or their face. Daniels also spends time humbly explaining acting as a profession while also showing the profession as an actor who is down to earth.

Well folks, I didn't do my homework on this one. I knew this book was out there, but I decided to wait for the audio CD to be released. After all, one of the greatest American actors just happens to have one the most perfect speaking voices of our time, so it was worth the wait for the audio version, right? I was in such a hurry to order a copy, that I didn't read the fine print. When the package arrived, I was in for a huge disappointment, as I found out that Mr. Daniels DIDN'T record the narration, but an engineer, by the name of Tom Perkins, did. I later managed to hear a sample of his recording. Tom does a creditable job, but I would have loved to have heard William narrate his own story, and can't understand why he couldn't do it. I wanted to take it all in, while was on the road of long journey; kind of like hearing KITT reading the latest road conditions! So, I returned the unopened CD to the seller. If you don't care about who the narrator is of this bio, then by all means buy it. I'm now back to square one, and will order the book as soon as I receive my refund, and then can imagine Daniels reading it to me. I'm giving the book five stars in advance.

Reading the life and early ages of William Daniells, super interesting

Absolutely loved this book