Who Am I?

I was born during the height of World War II in Chicago, ‘The Windy City.’  My mother was a radio actress and my father an actor before moving into the business world as an advertising executive.  I was a sportscaster for my high school radio station and was actually the first voice heard over its airwaves.  In college, I was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and took a drama class in order to meet girls, although I fell in love with the stage at that moment.

I moved to Hollywood in 1964 to pursue my acting ambitions.  I flopped around ‘La La Land’ signing contracts with various studios for bit parts in films, but nothing ever materialized into solid roles with well-paying salaries.  Frustrated, I put other skills in my bag to use and became a self-sufficient tradesman in the Hollywood area.  During this period of my life, I was lucky enough to forge a relationship with one of Hollywood’s most promising directors.

This actor and director relationship turned into one of the most successful partnerships in Hollywood history after we made two box office smash trilogies.  I went on to make several successful films and in 2001 made the Guinness Book of World Records as the richest actor alive.