A Life in Parts
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Narrated by:
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Bryan Cranston
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Written by:
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Bryan Cranston
About this listen
Winner of the 2017 Audie Award for Narration by the Author
A poignant, intimate, funny, inspiring memoir - both a coming-of-age story and a meditation on creativity, devotion, and craft - from Bryan Cranston, beloved and acclaimed star of one of history's most successful TV shows, Breaking Bad.
Bryan Cranston landed his first role at seven, when his father, a struggling actor and director, cast him in a United Way commercial. Soon Bryan was haunting the local movie theater, memorizing and reenacting favorite scenes with his older brother. Acting was clearly the boy's destiny - until one day his father disappeared. Suddenly destiny took a backseat to survival.
Seeking something more stable, perhaps subconsciously trying to distance himself from his absent father, Cranston decided on a career in law enforcement. But then, while a young man on a classic cross-country motorcycle trip, Cranston one day found himself stranded at a rest area in the Blue Ridge Mountains. To pass the time, he read a tattered copy of Hedda Gabler, and in a flash he found himself face-to-face once again with his original calling. Suddenly he thought this was what he wanted to do, what he would do, with the rest of his life. Act.
In his riveting memoir, A Life in Parts, Cranston traces his zigzag journey from his chaotic childhood to his dramatic epiphany and beyond, to megastardom and a cultlike following, by vividly revisiting the many parts he's played on camera and off. With great humor and much humility, Cranston chronicles his unlikely rise from a soap opera regular trying to learn the ropes and the politics of show business on the fly to a recurring spot as Tim Whatley on Seinfeld, finding himself an indelible part of popular culture. He recalls his run as the well-meaning goofball, Hal, on Malcolm in the Middle, proving to writers and fans that he was willing to do anything, anything, for a laugh, and he gives a bracing account of his run on Broadway as President Lyndon Johnson, pushing himself to the limit as he prepared, physically and mentally, for a tour de force that would win him a Tony to go along with his four Emmys.
Of course Cranston dives deep into the grittiest, most fascinating details of his greatest role, explaining how he searched inward for the personal darkness that would help him create one of the most riveting performances ever captured on-screen: Walter White, chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin.
Discussing his failures as few men do, describing his work as few actors can, Cranston has much to say about innate talent and its benefits, challenges, and proper maintenance, but ultimately A Life in Parts is about the necessity and transformative power of hard work.
©2016 Bryan Cranston (P)2016 Simon & SchusterYou may also enjoy...
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What the critics say
What listeners say about A Life in Parts
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 2017-12-16
Amazing
A very interesting walk through his acting career and life. Some amazingly hilarious moments too. Loved it.
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- Anonymous User
- 2022-04-18
Great insightful look into an actors life
My wife snd I listened to this in a recent road trip. It gives a wonderful look at the trials and tribulations of an actors journey and becoming a star. It also adds insight into the movie industry and creation of a tv series and a movie. Great audio book.
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- Anonymous User
- 2022-03-04
Pieces of a puzzle
To most Bryan Cranston is Walter White. This book gives the background of how he got to be Walter White. Great stories told with great interest.
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- Anonymous User
- 2022-09-29
What more can you say about Mr. Cranston.
Cranston has to be the best narrator on Audible and for him to narrate his own book is phenomenal. My favourite audio book by far.
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- Anonymous User
- 2023-11-14
Thank you Bryan
Inspiring. Simply a delight. Thank you Bryan for sharing these parts of your life. As an aspiring actor myself, I found a lot of comfort in your words.
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- Anonymous User
- 2020-03-17
Exactly what I was looking for
It was great listening to Bryan narrate his biography! He takes you on a colourful journey throughout his life. If you're on the fence about the purchase, don't hesitate. Get it!
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- rjk
- 2018-01-10
Captivating!!
Bryan Cranston is such a exquisite storyteller and his stories are so captivating. Highly recommended if you're looking for a book that will make you laugh and open your mind to another world for a while
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- Anonymous User
- 2022-02-13
I recommend this
A little boring in parts, but overall good book to read. I recommend this book
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- Anonymous User
- 2022-02-20
awesome ❤️ 👌
I loved it his voice brought me back to my breaking bad addiction days. thanks for that
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- Anonymous User
- 2023-01-25
Excellent listen by the author. Deep story telling
Deep and honest story telling by the author - Bryan brings the listener into his world authentically. This isn’t simply listing dates and projects, but his stories that span from childhood to present day illicit several emotions, tears at times, laughs at his shenanigans, disgust and stomach turning descriptions, sadness and hope at others, and overall delight at his approach to life and acting. It’s a good one.
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