Just Call Me Mike: A Journey from Actor to Activist by Mike Farrell

Synopsis

From its opening pages, Mike Farrell's new memoir reveals the distinctive voice of a man for whom life is an ongoing odyssey of self-discovery, personal commitment, and uncompromising social engagement.

With deep insight and disarming candor, Farrell describes his early years as a timid but restless teenager in West Hollywood, delivering groceries to the homes of Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Jimmy Stewart, and countless other celebrities, while dreaming of having his own career as an actor. In stark but riveting language, he relates his formative years as a Marine recruit, confused, conflicted, and eager to prove himself as a man.

Farrell humorously portrays his professional development from a young soap opera player on Days of Our Lives to the amiable star of two popular television series, M*A*S*H and Providence, to the respected producer of successful motion pictures like Dominick and Eugene and Patch Adams.

At the heart of his story, Farrell narrates his public struggle to be a responsible citizen of the world. From his firsthand accounts of the ravages of war and oppression in Cambodia, El Salvador, Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and the Gaza Strip, to his tireless advocacy against capital punishment, to his deep commitment to environmental causes, Farrell portrays each of these experiences with passion, outrage, and stubborn optimism.

Publishers Weekly

In this honest autobiography, Farrell, who played B.J. Hunnicutt in the TV series M*A*S*H, provides intimate accounts of growing up working-class in the shadows of wealthy Hollywood, overcoming personal demons as he starts his acting career and finding happiness in the popular sitcom and what he describes as a supportive and cohesive cast and crew. Throughout the series, Farrell also began to pursue an interest in politics and human rights that took him to Cambodia, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, and his passionate descriptions of the human rights abuses in those countries show why Farrell currently is considered one of Hollywood's most prominent activists. He moves easily between diarylike descriptions (which sometimes are dry) of his further travels as an activist after M*A*S*H*ended in 1983, and a look at his present-day career as both an actor and producer. Best of all, his chapter on his involvement in the film Patch Adamsis one of the best looks at "game-playing, duplicity, ineptitude, wasted money, manipulation and ass-covering" behind the production of a major Hollywood film. (Mar.)

Biography

Best known for his eight years on M*A*S*H and five seasons on Providence, Mike Farrell is also a writer, director, and producer. Farrell has served on human rights and peace delegations to many countries around the world. As president of Death Penalty Focus, he speaks, writes, and coordinates efforts to stop executions.