I'll Be Damned
How My Young and Restless Life Led Me to America's #1 Daytime Drama
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4.4 • 51 Ratings
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
In this startling candid and poignant memoir, the legendary Emmy Award-winning star of The Young and The Restless, America's #1 soap opera, chronicles his amazing life, from his birth in World War II Germany to his arrival in America to his rise to humanitarian and daytime superstar for the past thirty-five years.
For nearly four decades, fans have welcomed the star of television’s number-one daytime show, The Young and the Restless, into their living rooms. While they’ve come to know and love the suave Victor Newman, few truly know the man behind the character, the supremely talented Eric Braeden. I'll Be Damned is his inspirational true story—a startling and uplifting tale of war, deprivation, determination, fame, and social commitment that spans from Nazi Germany to modern Hollywood.
Braeden’s journey from a hospital basement in Kiel to the soundstages of Los Angeles has defined his remarkable actor's life, teaching him more about joy, heartbreak, fear, dignity, loss, love, loneliness, exhilaration, courage, persecution, and profound responsibility to the global community than he could have hoped to learn in several lifetimes. Growing up in the years after Germany’s defeat, Braeden knew very little about the atrocities of his parents’ generation, until he arrived in America as a teenager—a discovery that horrified and transformed him. Trying to redress the wrongs of his homeland, he has dedicated his life to humanitarian work—even forming the German American Culture Society—working for decades to show the world that what we share as humans is far more important than what separates us from one another.
Told with openness, candor, humor, heart, and occasional raw vulnerability, I’ll Be Damned reveals a man committed to making the world a better, more loving place. Filled with sixteen pages of photos from his decorated life and career, I’ll Be Damned will be a treasured keepsake for Y&R fans, and is an inspiring testament for anyone who loves a powerful Hollywood biography.
This startlingly candid celebrity memoir reveals the stories behind the superstar:
A Survivor’s Journey: From a harrowing birth in a Kiel hospital basement during an air raid to the poverty of post-war Germany, Braeden’s early life was a battle for survival he never forgot.The Man Behind Victor Newman: For decades, he's been the ruthless tycoon on America's #1 soap opera. Discover the thoughtful, fiercely loyal, and complex man behind the iconic character.A Bridge Between Two Worlds: Horrified to learn the truth of the Nazi era after arriving in America, Braeden dedicated his life to humanitarian work, founding the German American Culture Society to promote understanding.Candid Hollywood Stories: Filled with heartfelt, humorous, and sometimes raw anecdotes, this memoir shares the true stories from a decades-long career on the soundstages of Los Angeles.
Customer Reviews
Great Read!!
This is a really interesting book and I learned a lot about Eric Braeden and about Germany and his life.
I’ll Be Damned
I have always loved the show Young & Restless, but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about the life of Eric Braeden (Victor Newman)! You have accomplished so much in your lifetime & you have so much to be proud of! Thank you for all you have contributed in your lifetime! Everyone should read your book!
Absolutely Wonderful
(I voluntarily reviewed this library eBook)
I am one of those people who can almost tell you where I was the day I saw the suave, cavalier Victor Newman on Young and the Restless over 40 years ago. And I also remember an exchange student from Germany telling a bunch of us that the last time she'd been back in Germany, that Eric Braeden, virtually unknown in his home country, had passed her sitting on the grass in front of her house. SHE knew who he was, and after a short conversation where she got his autograph, they parted company. I'll never forget her face...it mirrored the rest of ours....
Victor Newman was supposed to be a three month stopgap gig for Braeden while he pursued other acting jobs. However, by his own admission, fourth plus years have gone by and he still loves him, as do all of us Y+R diehards. He's the "guy you love to hate with the heart of gold". However, this memoir gives us a "backstory", much as he requests history on all the characters he's ever played.
Hans Jorg Goudegast was the third of four boys born to an upper middle class Germany family. His father was the mayor of a small town, dying early in Hans' life. Forced into poverty, his mother did what she could. Hans excelled in acting out and got himself into trouble a time or two. After graduating, he came to America and rarely looked back.
Typecast in shows and movies, he'd been told that he was "too German" and chose to change his name professionally to Eric Braeden to honor his hometown. With that came more opportunities in film. Now married, when the guarantee of a steady income to support his family, he signed on as the now iconic character. And he doesn't take it for granted, working and supporting his cast mates and his audience.
Braeden obviously loves what he does. He recounts stories around Young and the Restless, but also his respect for producing directing and performing outside of the walls of Genoa City. He has chosen and been connected with notable artists over his career. He waxes almost poetically around his friends and cast mates, especially the late Jeanne Cooper, who, in her own memoir did the same for him, and George Kennedy who in one of his last appearances guested as Victor's father.
IF you have grown up with the Newmans and the Abbots, this is a MUST read. If you are a student of memoir, this is a fine example. All I know is it made me laugh, cry and understand why Eric Braeden is who and how he is.