Singing to a Bulldog: From Happy Days to Hollywood Director, and the Unlikely Mentor Who Got Me There
Reader's Digest, November 2014
Growing up in 1950s California, young Anson William Heimlich showed very little promise. Clumsy, unsure of himself, and made to feel like a failure by his disappointed artist of a dad, Anson started working odd jobs as a teenager to help support his family. His boss at one of these jobs, an aging African-American janitor named Willie, unexpectedly became a mentor -- and the lessons he taught young Anson proved to be invaluable throughout his subsequent career as an actor, director, and entrepreneur.
In Singing to a Bulldog, Anson Williams (as he came to be known) relates both these lessons and the never-before-revealed stories of the many seminal TV series he has worked on and the famous (and not-so-famous) folks he's encountered during his 40 years in Hollywood, including:
- being directed by Steven Spielberg in his first dramatic role
- getting kidnapped by Gerald Ford's daughter at the White House
- subbing for Sammy Davis, Jr., as a headliner with Bill Cosby
- being humbled by Sunny, a young volunteer for the Cerebral Palsy National Organization
- mentoring Shailene Woodley on the set of The Secret Life
of the American Teenager and many more.
This compelling read has a cross-generational and broad appeal, combining all the fun of a celebrity memoir with the emotional impact of an inspirational bestseller. With Singing to a Bulldog, Anson Williams brings his gift of storytelling to a new medium in a book that is sure to touch readers' hearts and lives as profoundly as Willie once touched his.
| ISBN: 9781621452256 | Publication Date: November 2014
Reviews:
"Singing To A Bulldog is such a meaningful, fun, and
uplifting book. I have such sweet memories of Anson . . . like
millions of others, I loved him on "Happy Days." I am proud to be
a little part of this wonderfully written, revealing, informative,
and entertaining book. Praise and congratulations to Anson."
-- Dolly Parton
"I've always known Anson to be a great storyteller as well as a
true and generous friend. Now he's written the most important
story of his life -- about Willie Turner, the head janitor at one
of Anson's first jobs, whose words of wisdom guided him through a
turbulent time in his life and gave him the confidence to move
forward to a successful career as an actor, television director,
and entrepreneur. Even better, he's made it into a truly
inspirational book of life lessons for the rest of us."
-- Ron Howard
