I don't remember ever not wanting to be an actor. I remember telling my mother once that I wanted to be a lawyer, but I think that was becuase of PERRY MASON. I struggled a great deal in my teens and twenties with my strong desire to serve God, but Divinity School was not an option at the time.
Still, as corny as it sounds, I remember my first stage experience. I will never forget the hypnotic smell of the greasepaint tubes in the makeup room; and, not the roar of the crowd, but the overwhelming presence of "the audience" across the footlights in the dark. Pure opium to a five-year-old boy.
And yes, the first stage I appeared on had the old-fashined foot lights.
