To fans of cinema, Steve Guttenberg needs no introduction. Arguably one of the most well-known names in cinema in the 80s, he’s starred in a host of smash hit movies, including Police Academy, Cocoon, The Day After and Short Circuit. However, he is more than just an actor.
Author of two books already, his autobiographical account of his early career entitled The Guttenberg Bible and a superhero-themed children’s book called The Kids from DISCO, his third tome is a deeply personal account of looking after his father before he passed in July 2022 in Arizona.
As part of the promotional tour of the new book, called Time to Thank, Guttenberg will be hosting a talk and signing session at Zibby’s Bookstore at 1113 Montana Avenue on Thursday at 6pm.
The book is about how Guttenberg had to step into a new role when his father was diagnosed with kidney failure. In it he tracks the weekly 800 mile road trips from Los Angeles to Phoenix to care for his father, Stanley, and the ways in which his time on the road afforded him the perspective to reflect on his life.
"It’s about caring, it’s about family and it’s about love," Guttenberg told the Daily Press adding, "It’s about an extraordinary man in a regular life and it’s about what it’s like to be a son, who loves his father so much, they’ll do anything for him."
In the book Guttenberg recounts his early life in Queens and Long Island through the prism of his relationship with his father. He writes about his early career as a rising Hollywood star, trying to find his way with the encouragement of his parents and the painful and moving work of helping care for an ailing family member at the end of their life.
"He was a US Army Ranger, he was a New York City policeman and he was an electronics executive. He was one of the first guys to get in on the semiconductor business," Guttenberg laughed. "He was a great father, a great husband, a great friend and a great patriot. So it was pretty terrific to be his son. And still is."
On not following in his father’s footsteps and joining the NYPD, Gutenberg said, "I became an actor before I had the chance to become a policeman. And I never took the time to join the service, which I would have loved to do.
"It was a wonderful experience being his son. He was ambitious and he gave me great opportunities, great notes on what to do every day. He really told me to enjoy my life and so that was a big part of our life together," Guttenberg said.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he attended Juilliard and the State University of New York at Albany before enrolling at the University of California at Los Angeles. Guttenberg has been a Santa Monica resident for over 35 years, but he still calls New York his second home.
"I was just there. I just came back from three days ago. I tried to go as often as I can. That’s, that’s my tribe, that’s where I grew up. Those are my people, I love it there."
Guttenberg was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6411 Hollywood Blvd in December 2011 and according to his autobiography, he is tied with Gene Hackman as the Screen Actors Guild member who worked on the most projects between 1980 and 1990. He’s hosted Saturday Night Live and has a tribute in The Simpsons episode "Homer the Great" (S06, E12).
He insists that he’s an equal mix of both his mother, Ann, and his father. "Maybe my temper is more like my father’s, it takes a lot to push me into being angry, but my ambition absolutely comes from both. My mother and father were both motivated, focused people," he said.
From glamorous Hollywood parties to the daily process of dialysis in suburban Phoenix, Guttenberg shares his unique experiences using his trademark wit and empathic charm. This book will appeal to movie fans, road trippers and anyone who finds themselves doing the hard work of caring for an aging loved one.
Time to Thank costs $30 and is available on Amazon and, more importantly, in brick and mortar bookstores. His talk begins at 6pm on Thursday, May 30 at Zibby’s Bookstore at 1113 Montana Avenue and is hosted by actor, producer and Guttenberg’s friend, Jake Steinfeld.
