A Star Is (Not) Born

My love for the theatre was cemented May 1961. I was 10 and in the 4th grade. Our elementary school operetta that year was “The Frog Prince”. I played both the frog and the prince. I had two solos (I still know all the lyrics) and my own follow spot. I was hooked. Applause: good.


Over the next years I had dance lessons, voice lessons, and acting lessons. I did community theater, dinner theatre, local television commercials and radio spots. I won best actor in state UIL competition my senior year in high school. My best friend won best actress. I enjoyed it all immensely.

Houston was home to a lot of talent in those years, Brent Spiner, the Quaids - Randy & Dennis, Patrick Swayze, Shelly Duvall, Trey Wilson, Roxie Lucas, Cindy Pickett, Brett Cullen, and Thomas Schlamme among others. I knew all of them. I've acted with some of them. I am still good friends with most. I have a lot of stories. Some you may read here. Some you won’t. I’m loyal.

I had one semester of drama in college before I changed majors. I might have had some talent but I never had the drive, that fire in the belly. My friends had it in spades. I don’t have any regrets.

But if you were to point a spotlight at me I might just break into a chorus from “The Frog Prince”.