I Became An Actor Later In Life Than Most

They say that a cat has nine lives. If there’s any validity in this old wives’ tale, then I must have traces of feline in my DNA.

This past year of isolation has provided me hours, days, and months to contemplate and examine how all the puzzle pieces of my 85 years have intertwined and eventually fit together to form a picture of my life.

Maybe I might best describe myself as a Jack of all trades. When I rewound my life’s reel I uncovered a multitude of endeavors started by varying reasons either out of love, curiosity, or basic survival. The range of enterprises is mind boggling. We can examine each in detail when y’all have a bottle of wine… well, maybe two, and have several hours to spend with me.

So let’s fast forward my reel to 2003. I was 68 years old, reluctantly embarking on yet another chapter of my life. Through a flood of tears I waved goodby to Ben Wheeler, TX and headed cross country to Los Angeles. If I’d had a rocking chair on the roof of my old GMC Jimmy I’m certain everyone watching the scene would have thought that the Beverly HIllbillies were returning.

The only people I knew in this new world were my daughter and my 33 year old grandson. Since being idle was new to me, it didn’t take long to realize I had to find something to do. I located a catalog listing activities for seniors. Staring at the varied and somewhat strange selections, I discarded most. Then because of my love for writing settled on the most logical choice, a Life Stories Writing Class offered at a nearby Jewish Senior Center..

I spent over a year with this fascinating group of seniors, writing vignettes of pieces of our lives. Since the average age of the class members was 80, I was the spring chicken of the group. Four of my compadres were Holocaust survivors. Two had survived through concentration camps,another had escaped to France and become a part of the reconnaissance group to harbor escaped Jews. The other had been a young girl removed from her family and hiding to survive. Their stories describing the horrors they endured were stark and heart wrenching. They taught me the true meaning of courage and perseverance.

Every week I labored for hours digging deep into my memory to produce stories describing tiny parts of my life. I struggled to recall the colors, the sounds, the smell, the taste, the impact of each happening. Sometimes I had to stop because I couldn’t see through the tears. Other times I laughed so hard I was afraid the old Depend wouldn’t handle the giggles. Believe it or not some were published. So, hey, y’all, if there’s anything left in those bottles of wine I recommended earlier take a swig and I’ll be glad to share my escapades.

Sadly all good things eventually come to an end. Our class was moved across town so three of my classmates enrolled in a nearby senior acting class. Hesitant at first, but with some serious nudging and chiding, I joined the trio into my initiation of the dramatic world of theatre. Our instructor, a seasoned actor, had the patience of Job. She brought us monologues and scenes to work on each week but her ultimate goal was to take this motley group into the grand finale, a gala production to be presented for two days in the auditorium of the senior center. Preparation for the event took on a fervent pitch. Our big stumbling block seemed to be getting the octogenarians off book. But what lacked in memorization skills was overshadowed by the enthusiasm for the project. My big scene was playing Thelma of Thelma and Louise. Maybe I didn’t get a Tony, but I did win the Hoochie Mama award when the shirt that I had tied around my waist slipped up exposing my midsection. One old codger returned the second day to get another glimpse. It would take at least one more blog to give you all the schoop on this joyful production.

A still from the Tequila Mockingbird short film Shady Oaks Takedown

As the class was closing our instructor introduced me to her agent, a cantankerous old warhorse whose agency was on its last legs. I spent a month in her one-man office mailing out headshots of heer actors to casting agents. Not being a slow learner, I realized during those 30 days that this gig was a dead end one.

This awakening led me into taking another acting class at Actor’s Edge where I learned that a slate isn’t just an old-fashioned chalkboard. After a few sessions devoted to commercials, the establishment offered a showcase to agents. Due to either fate or blessings, Garry Purdy attended that night. He invited me to audition for his team. They signed me on and thus at age 70 I began my life as an actor. I’ve been lucky enough to be represented by Garry’s Momentum Literary and Talent Agency ever since.

If you’re still hanging in there with me, let’s add one more clip, Tequila Mockingbird, to my reel. The year was 2017. I joined a group of 60 talented actors and crew in a haunting, immersive theater project, Ascension, the grand finale of the Tension Experience, created by Darren Bousman and Clint Sears. That’s where I met the lovely, talented, compassionate Thresa Richardson. We quickly bonded during the months and long, long hours of performances in a warehouse tucked away deep in Boyle Heights. Our days generally ended around midnight but in our limited down time, Ms. T and I shared what was happening in our parts of the world. Not only was Thresa spending her evenings and nights with Ascension, she was also in the middle of producing a short film, Strayed, that she has written. There was a part in the production that she hadn’t yet cast so she asked that I become a member of the cast. Naturally, I accepted because there is absolutely no way you can turn Ms. T down.

We kept in touch after the final performance of Ascension and spent some precious time catching up with each other over multitudes of cups of coffee. One of T’s next undertakings was working with Cameron A. Mitchell and Rookie Morgan on a 48 Hour Film Project. The project involved writing, casting, and shooting a short film within 48 hours which is definitely no easy task. This was the birth of Shady Oaks Takedown and Tequila Mockingbird Productions. T invited me to join with the group in this hilarious adventure of karate and kicking butts. Here’s hoping there’re many more lurking just around the corner.