A readable, engaging and insightful account. Chicago TribuneBreezy, high-spirited, interesting... New York NewsdayIn Beginning, Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh charts the ups and downs of a life in acting - a young career that has made him the most acclaimed actor of his generation. Opening with his childhood in working-class Belfast, in a neighborhood of drinkers and dreamers, Branagh describes the fires of early ambition that drew him to the stage and to the plays of Shakespeare. At age twenty-four he founded his own actor's troupe with the goal of performing those plays; at twenty-eight, he directed and starred in the movie of Henry V, the role that won him international fame. Beginning is crammed with colorful anecdotes and insights into the actor's and director's craft, including: Stories about Olivier, Gielgud, Finney, Jacobi, and a private audience with Prince Charles to research the role of Henry VAd-libbing Shakespeare when props are missingThe differences in performing on stage, television, and large-screen filmsA near-miss in landing the role of Mozart in the film Amadeus: an actor's dream turned nightmareRaising millions from scratch and filming Henry V in seven weeksWritten with great humor and a natural storyteller's gift, Beginning is an intriguing book for anyone interested in theater and film.Kenneth Brannagh has received Academy Award nominations for both his acting in and direction of Henry V. His varied stage and screen performances include several major roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, on the screen in A Month in the Country, and in Masterpiece Theater's Fortunes of War. As the founder of the Renaissance Theater Company he has directed King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and many other plays that have toured throughout the world. Now working on new film and theater projects. Kenneth Branagh lives in England.