West Side Story Star Russ Tamblyn to Publish Memoir Dancing on the Edge — See the Cover! (Exclusive)

Russ Tamblyn tells his story in his own words.

The Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor, 88, is set to publish a memoir under the title Dancing on the edge — and PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the cover.

In the book, published by Blackstone Publishing, Tamblyn “skillfully guides readers through his star-studded life and his search for a deeper, more connected existence,” reads the synopsis, from “going to school with Elizabeth Taylor, earning an Academy Award nomination for Peyton Placeleaving Hollywood at the height of his career to become a fine artist in Topanga Canyon and forming a lifelong friendship with Neil Young.”

“He shares the painful breakup of a twenty-year marriage and the joy of finding true love and inspiration as a husband, father and mentor in his own right,” the synopsis adds.

The former actor, dancer and gymnast opens up in an exclusive interview with LJUDIMA about Dancing on the edgewhose cover shows a West Side Story-era Tamblyn leaps before the blazing fire.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Cover of Russ Tamblin’s memoir Dancing on the edge (2024).

Blackstone Publishing

‘West Side Story’ Star Russ Tamblyn Recalls 1960 SAG Strike: ‘Don’t Sell Out Like Ronald Reagan’ (Exclusive)

Asked what the cover symbolized for him, Tamblyn told PEOPLE that it “wasn’t planned” on his part, but that it was a “great photo” that “told the story of my life dancing on the edge.”

“I’ve always been on the edge in one way or another, playing with fire,” he adds. “My life was on the edge in the sense that I took a lot of risks and took risks.”

One such risk was Tamblyn’s decision to temporarily step away from acting at the height of her career and move to Topanga Canyon to focus on fine arts.

“The difference between the performing arts and the fine arts, at least for me, is that in the performing arts I’ve always thought you do whatever you can to make the audience dizzy,” he says. Seven brides for seven brothers actor. “In fine art, you do everything you can to screw yourself up.”

“And there is a big difference, because sometimes you do something for yourself – something that your thinking is great — and if people don’t like it, that’s too bad,” adds Tamblyn, laughing.

Enter Russ Tamblyn story from the west side (1961) i Seven brides for seven brothers (1954).

United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock; Everett

Tamblyn says he began writing the book more than 25 years ago, around the time he received the University of Arizona’s 1998 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Humanities.

According to the actor, Dr. David Soren, an anthropology professor at the school, asked him to write his biography — a draft of which was read and reviewed by Tamblyn’s English teacher neighbor, who told him she thought it was a “great story” but that he had “one thing was missing.”

“And we looked at each other and said, ‘What?’ And she said ‘You,'” he recalls.

Tamblyn says he used a draft of Soren’s biography — which his wife, Bonnie Tamblyn, praises as “very comprehensive” — as a starting point, but that they edited a lot.

“Over the years, it just went and went,” Bonnie says of the process. “And our daughter, Amber [Tamblyn], is the author, and she edited a lot for us. And she brought a more modern perspective to it.”

Russ and Amber Tamblyn in New York on May 21, 2017.

Mark Sagliocco/Getty

11 celebrity memoirs you’ll want to make room for on your bookshelf

Tamblyn, who has retired from acting but has been vocal about his support for the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, tells PEOPLE that his book ends up being “really an autobiography.”

These include stories about his career, family life (including daughter China Tamblyn, who is about 10 years older than Amber, 40, and whom he didn’t meet until she was in her teens), his time in Topanga, and more.

“I wrote really only about my life,” he says. “When I took over, I started writing from the very beginning, when I was about 10 years old and started working. I started from that period.”

“It was also a way for me to keep track of my life,” adds Tamblyn. “I was trying to remember where I went from here and here and here and here. And I did it all.”

Dancing on the edge out April 9, 2024, wherever books are sold.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education