Daniel Radcliffe, 37, is a British Tony-winning actor known for his lead roles in eight “Harry Potter” films and the movie “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.” He co-stars in the NBC comedy series “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.” He spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo above of Daniel Radcliffe by Paul Mobley/NBC/GETTY IMAGES

As a child, I loved sleight-of-ha…

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When Bob Seger turned 30 years old in May 1975, he found himself caught between nostalgia and a dream. Mr. Seger pined for his high-school years, cruising around in fast cars with friends in Ann Arbor, Mich. But he also yearned for the rock stardom that had eluded him after 14 years of performing and eight sluggish-selling studio albums. For his ninth L…

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Christopher Lloyd, 88, is an Emmy-winning actor known for the “Back to the Future” films, TV’s “Taxi” and the “Nobody” movies. He’s the author of “In My Own Time” (Grand Central), a memoir. He spoke with Marc Myers. [Christopher Lloyd in January 2026 by Peter Yang]

My parents’ wealth was inherited. My mother’s father was Lewis Henry Lapham, who helped fo…

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Malcolm Gladwell, 63, is host of the podcast “Revisionist History” and the author of nine nonfiction books, including “The Tipping Point” and “Blink.” His latest is “The American Way of Killing” (Little Brown). He spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo above of Malcolm Gladwell in 2024 by Shannon Greer]

I first read my mother’s memoir when I was 12. We had only o…

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Michael Douglas, 82, is an Oscar- and Emmy-winning actor known for the films “Wall Street” and “Fatal Attraction.” He is the author of “One Helluva Ride” (Grand Central), a memoir. He spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo above of Michael Douglas by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images]

Being the eldest son of Spartacus wasn’t easy. My father, actor Kirk Douglas, the gl…

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Alice Cooper is lead singer of the namesake band that pioneered shock rock in the early 1970s. He’s touring in the U.S. this fall and is the author of “Devil on My Shoulder,” a memoir (Da Capo). He spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo above of Alice Cooper in Phoenix in 2025 by Jenny Risher]

At age 13, I developed a sharp pain in my stomach. When I finally saw …

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Drama was baked into nearly everything David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young did together. Old grudges, bitter girlfriend issues, substance abuse and competitive egotism created friction that led Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to disband in 1970 after releasing just one studio album, “Déjà Vu.”

In 1974, they reunited for a successful s…

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Zoe Kazan is an actor and writer known for roles in the films “She Said,” “The Big Sick” and TV’s “The Plot Against America.” She wrote and was a co-showrunner for the Netflix miniseries “East of Eden.” She spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo above of Zoe Kazan in New York in 2026 by Ruven Afandador, courtesy of Netflix]

Most of the adults I knew growing up in

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Robert Herjavec is the founder of the Herjavec Group, a Canadian information-technology and computer-security company. He returns as an investor on ABC’s new season of “Shark Tank” on Sept. 30. He spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo above of Robert Herjavec by Maarten de Boer, courtesy of Disney.]

At age 5, I had no clue my father, Vladimir, had been arrested …

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Dave Winfield, 74, is a former Major League Baseball right fielder who played for six teams and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001. He is the author of “Touching All the Bases” (Matt Holt), a memoir. He spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo above of Dave Winfield at the Baseball Hall of Fame in July 2025 by Jim McIssac courtesy of Getty Images]

…

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Judith Light is a Tony- and Emmy-winning actress known for TV’s “Who’s the Boss?,” “Poker Face” and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace.” She co-stars in “The Terror: Devil in Silver,” on AMC and AMC+. She spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo above of Judith Light by Presley Ann, courtesy of Photo/Shutterstock]

Growing up, I was what some would call “too much…

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Bobby Flay is an Emmy-winning celebrity chef, cookbook author and restaurateur. He stars in the Food Network’s Bobby’s Triple Threat and the new series Bobby Flay’s The Line. He spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo above of Bobby Flay in New York courtesy of the Food Network]

My earliest inspiration for preparing food in the kitchen was making deviled eggs with…

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Adam Scott is an actor known for TV’s Severance, Big Little Lies and Parks and Recreation. He stars in the films Hokum and The Whisper Man on Netflix. He spoke with Marc Myers. [Photo of Adam Scott in Austin, Texas, in March 2026 by Robby Klein/Getty Images]

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California was exciting when I was growing up—but not for the r…

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Underestimated initially as a country singer, TV personality and actress, Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80, defied expectations throughout her seven-decade career. From the late 1960s onward, she took special delight in winning over audiences with a playful personality, folksy naturalism and eager singing voice. On stage, she gracefully offset t…

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The Brink of War co-star on his famous father, Irish actor Richard Harris, on coping with a double rejection and his house in Ireland. The British actor is known for TV’s Mad Men, The Crown and Chernobyl series, and the movie Reawakening. [Photo above of Jared Harris in London by Rory Lewis/NEWS LICENSING/REDUX

If you have a WSJ.com subscription, you ca…

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The second time was the charm. In 1973, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tom Scholz, founder of the Boston-area band Mother’s Milk, sent out a demo tape of songs to two-dozen or so record companies. All passed, so the following year Mr. Scholz shuttered the band. Then he and and lead vocalist Brad Delp refined six songs, playing all the instruments …

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The Don’t Say Good Luck co-star on studying Lenny Bruce and Woody Allen albums, his Liar character and his love for old movies. The actor and comedian is known for Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld and the film A League of Their Own. He co-stars in the upcoming films Redemption and Don’t Say Good Luck, due Aug. 14 on Netflix. [Photo above of Jon Lovitz in L…

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The actor recalls his battle with perfectionism, his mom’s encouragement and his ‘Spellbound’ revelation. He is known for his roles in TV’s “10 Things I Hate About You” and the films “Adopt a Sailor” and “The Unholy Trinity.” He has co-starred in four “Star Trek” series, including Season 4 of Paramount+’s “Strange New Worlds.” [Photo above of Ethan Peck…

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Tim Robbins, 67, is an Oscar-winning actor known for “Bull Durham,” “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Mystic River.” He co-stars in the Apple TV series “Silo.” His father was a member of The Highwaymen, the popular early -1960s folk group. [Photo above of Tim Robbins in Los Angeles in 2024 by Michael Buckner/DEADLINE/GETTY IMAGES]

If you have a WSJ.com su…

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“A year before Sire Records founder Seymour Stein coined the term “new wave” to describe the pop-flavored punk bands emerging in 1977, Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers had already launched the movement. When the band’s self-titled first album came out 50 years ago this month, its approach was considerably less strident than that of most punk group…

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