Bryan Batt

This biography is actually about TWO people - Batt, and his mother. If his photo or name is unfamiliar to you, Bryan Batt stars in AMC's "Mad Men" as Salvatore Romano. In one interview about this book, Batt commented that he was fed up with memoirs by people complaining about their parents, so he decided to write a book about how great his mom has been. Batt was raised in New Orleans and after a New York trip with his mother to see "Cabaret" he was determined to become a song and dance man. Along with the story of how he became an actor on Broadway, we also learn about his mother and his life in New Orleans while growing up. You can practically hear her southern accent drip off the page. Batt was living and working in New York City when the terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and he describes some poignant moments of what life in NYC was like for a few days. Batt has some stories about Hurricane Katrina as well. A quick read, very interesting and entertaining. This reviewer was disappointed when the stories ended.… (mere)

This memoir of Bryan Batt's life with his southern belle/steel magnolia of a mother is heartwarming and inspiring. Be warned that there is very little showbusiness except for where it relates to family life- no Jeffrey the movie, no Forbidden Broadway, no Joseph and the Amazing Technocolor Dreamcoat, Sunset Boulevard, Scarlet Pimpernel, or Saturday Night Fever, no Mad Men in between the audition and the premier of season three. Although between the title and Bryan's habit of calling it a "momoir," it's clear where the focus is going to be, I was still a bit surprised when I realized the years of his career between Jeffrey on stage and Beauty and the Beast had been skipped entirely. But put all of that aside and focus on what you will find in this engaging read, meeting the indominable woman who turned a sometimes wild little boy into the "sweet" (her word) man he is today.… (mere)