Honestly, WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE? I've been a huge fan of Jeff Hiller particularly in Somebody Somewhere, and this was a delightful journey into his mind. What a charming book overall. This book made me want to be Jeff's friend! Truly a memoir worth your time.

I received an ARC of Actor of a Certain Age by Jeff Hiller from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book — it was sweet, brutally honest, and laugh-out-loud funny. Jeff’s storytelling feels warm and human, even when he’s sharing the messier or more vulnerable moments of his life. There’s a charm in the way he blends humor with sincerity that made the pages fly by.

By the time I finished, I not only felt like I knew him better, but I also wanted to go back and rewatch Somebody Somewhere all over again. Fans of heartfelt, witty memoirs will enjoys this book.

Really enjoyed this memoir. The writing was snappy and easy to read. Nice to learn more about Jeff though I was confused as to why no mention of his role on Nightcap as Phil. Also a bit confused by the “very The Hills Have Eyes” comment as I think it’s referring to the unusual look of Michael Berryman who was for sure a unique looking actor but also a great person. Some research may have allowed for a nicer mention here. This book seems to be written with the dates aligning with a 2026 release which was a bit confusing at times. Also the arc I received sadly had no photo section

If you’ve ever watched Jeff Hiller in just about any of his roles, I defy you not to read these autobiographical essays in his voice. Reading Actress of a Certain Age felt like I was listening to him tell me each hilarious, touching, or mortifying moment while sitting across the table from each other.

It’s tough for Jeff (may I call him “Jeff?” Are we that close now?) to not make an indelible impression as an actor. People may find his voice, face, or demeanor memorable. Here he opens his heart to us, showing himself as a whole human instead of solely an actor who makes us giggle or tear up with him. He also shows off his impressive knowledge of celebrity autobiographies and their tropes, which is when I decided I needed to buy copies of this for multiple (celeb auto-bio-reading) friends of mine. And yes, that’s in the first chapter. That’s how long it took me to fall in love with this book and with Jeff, and to know how much this would bring to others in my orbit.

Perhaps because we’re close in age, or because I live in New York City, these stories came to life more than I could have imagined. Jeff’s fascination with Patty Simcox and how she held her books, so easy to visualize for me as he addresses using this to cover the chest weight (ok, “boobs,” as he calls them) from pre-pubescent overeating.
I can still feel the dankness of walking down the stairs to UCB theater. Jeff’s behind the scenes account of his time there was a treat - realizing he excelled at improv and dedicating so much energy to the teams and performances he was a part of (despite the lack of help it gave his bank account).
And let me tell you: the alliances and enemies made in line for Shakespeare in the Park tickets is REAL.

Christian commune days… well, not as easy to relate to. I do know that I waited for the moment Jeff would be able to come out as his real self to those around him at that time and had so much love for how some of his best friends reacted.

Whatever drew you to look up reviews of this collection of essays, don’t stop now. Grab the book and thank me later.


PS As I think he’d appreciate me dropping this in here, in a “before he was a big deal” sort of way: I’ve been lucky enough to not only see Jeff on TV and film, but in person at UCB, as well multiple times in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (on and off Broadway). While Somebody Somewhere could be considered the pinnacle of his career thus far, you haven’t LIVED until you’ve seen him and fellow theater actors try not to break character as he mistakenly flings part of a Twinkie across a Broadway stage.

PPS I tried to pop over to the location of Harlem apartment that Jeff mentions in one of these essays, just a few blocks from me, and found that the intersection doesn’t exist. Really! It happens that the particular area of St Nick that’s mentioned skips 142nd as a numbered block so… I just wandered back and forth a few minutes thinking this was a joke played on me for being the kind of weirdo who would try to find the cross streets mentioned in a celeb autobiography/essay collection. Is that it?

I adore Jeff Hiller from his stage work and especially his guest appearances on 30 Rock, so I was thrilled to get to read this one! Hiller tells the far more common story of stardom: it doesn't happen overnight and it doesn't happen for everyone. I loved the chapter titles being the titles of other celebrity memoirs and then at the end, there's a footnote telling when those stars got their big breaks. It's an important reminder that age is just a number--even in show business--and everyone's path is different.
I enjoyed the anecdotes about growing up gay in small town Texas. The bullying and safe space with parents conversation is such an important one to have. Every child deserves a safe space.
I highly recommend this book even if you somehow have no idea who Jeff Hiller is. It's funny and heartfelt and a great meta-tribute to celebrity memoirs as a genre.

Loved this memoir. Hiller feels like an old friend and his writing is both hilarious and relatable. Would love to see more from him.

The wit, wisdom, and clarity of Jeff Hiller's memoir is worthy of a New Yorker magazine article. His chapters are named after actors' memoirs and he leaves a footnote of how old they were when they made it big. He is a great storyteller, from his first NYC apartment to almost getting beat up in a Pilgrim costume while handing out candy on an acting job.

Jeff had an ordinary life. He loved his parents, his sister, and couldn't think of any other place he'd rather be than the Lutheran church his family attended. He didn't make friends in school. Was it Texas or because he was 6' 5'" and gay?

Following graduation with a theology major and journalism minor, he worked as a social worker at a free clinic because he believed in service. He auditioned for an improv team and never stopped. He credits his ability to be present in a scene to his years of improv work.

His work ethic is inspiring, and he does not quit. He will discuss a serious topic and deliver a punchline without missing a beat. For example, "I know that aging is better than the alternative (though I have always thought dying young and leaving a good-looking corpse was offensive to those of us who were ugly teens)." So funny and so true.

His story about how he got his agent is cringeworthy, but it worked. One agent remembered his performance playing "an old woman" in an acting festival.Hiller earnestly explained that playing women was his specialty--which explains his photo in a flowered headscarf on the book cover. That was in 2006. He finally landed a hit TV show in 2022 — Somebody, Somewhere.

Read this book, or listen, and catch up on his shows. Hiller is deeply funny.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley for this review

As a lover of celebrity memoirs, it felt very meta to read a celebrity memoir written by a lover of celebrity memoirs. Actress of a Certain Age by Jeff Hiller is both a hilarious and heartwarming memoir that will have you laughing one moment and then crying the next moment, and then laughing because you are crying (as he and Bridget Everett’s characters often do in their TV show, Somebody Somewhere). Through a series of personal essays, Jeff tells a compelling tale of coming out, finding a balance of his religion and queer identiy, the hard work it takes to become an Actor (even when it feels like you are flailing) Jeff reminds us that success is not always linear, and even when we find success, it is not all sunshine and rainbows.

I thoroughly loved Actress of a Certain Age and I would reccomend it to anyone who loves a celebrity memoir or if you want to read 3 different stories about buttholes.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy and to Jeff for writing such a fun and memorable memoir.

Jeff Hiller has written a celebrity memoir to end all celebrity memoirs. Each of his twenty-four chapters is given the title of an actual celebrity memoir, and the age at which the author of that memoir became a celebrity – by which Hiller is expressing his envy and irritation. “It is exceptionally common in celebrity memoirs for an actor to describe their big break after ‘years’ of struggling,” he writes in the first chapter (“Girl Walks into a Bar by Rachel Dratch,” who was thirty-three years old when she was cast in Saturday Night Live.) “I feel no sympathy for the person describing how it was a ‘decade-long slog to success’ when the decade they’re talking about was from ages fifteen to twenty-five.” Hiller, you see, was 45 when he first performed the role of Joel, the Bridgett Everett character’s best friend in the HBO series “Somebody Somewhere,” which gave him the clout to get his own celebrity memoir published, “Actress of a Certain Age: My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success” (Simon & Schuster, 272 pages)

He knows celebrities commonly write about their big break in their memoirs because he’s read hundreds of them. (“I have read not one but two full-length memoirs by Candice Bergen….I’ve also conquered two volumes each from Anjelica Huston, Brooke Shields, and Alan Cumming. I listened to Barbra Streisand’s book – which is technically just one volume, but at forty-eight hours and fifteen minutes, it does a lot to illustrate my commitment to the genre.”)
HIller puts his familiarity to use, informing us of what celebrity memoir cliches he’ll employ, and which he’ll avoid, as he tells his own story, from a childhood as a bullied closeted church-going loner in Texas to his many years of small triumphs and big humiliations in mostly bit parts on TV, movies and commercials, as well as the stage: He got his Actors Equity card by being one of the mortified actors hired to add atmosphere at a Jekyll and Hyde restaurant; his first Off-Broadway show was the Awesome 80s Prom, which subjected him to much audience abuse; he learned his craft through many years doing improv for no pay at the Upright Citizens Brigade. He made his Broadway debut in “Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson” in 2010, thinking he had finally “made it” in New York. Believing that “stupid song” that if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, “I went to LA…and then didn’t work for four years.”

The titles of the celebrity memoirs are cleverly chosen to correspond with the particular contents of each chapter. In “This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps,” (who was 20 when she became a celebrity), Hiller recounts his incompetence in several jobs shortly after college that wound up harming his clients, first as a volunteer social worker for homeless teens, and then as a public health worker doing outreach to the gay community, which includes a comically gruesome anecdote about his drawing blood from a client for tests. “Inside Out by Demi Moore,” (age 22) is the chapter in which he tells the stories of his coming-out to friends and family. “Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life” by Alan Cumming (33), describes his move to New York, and his disastrous if adventurous first years here, including a hard-to-believe tale of his having made his way through a literal pack of wild dogs, and a gunfight, to wait on the pre-dawn, impossibly long, sometimes communal but suddenly vicious line of theatergoers in Central Park to attend a free Shakespeare in the Park production starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline.

Hiller’s approach makes for a not quite chronological book, which he calls “a collection of essays that sort of add up to a memoir.” But Hiller’s gift for finding the hilarious, as well as the heartfelt, in many embarrassing moments that most of the 24 celebrity titles he cites would probably judge too embarrassing to include, makes this sort-of-celebrity-memoir memorable.

Somebody, Somewhere is one of my unexpected, unequivocal joys from the past few years and is probably in my top five all time favorite TV shows. I do know in my heart that actors are not the same as the roles they play but I loved Joel, as played by Jeff Hiller, so much that I immediately knew I had to read his memoir. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. If you loved Joel, you will love Jeff just as much because they have so much in common. This memoir is an absolute delight - just like Somebody, Somewhere with equal parts humor, heart and irreverence. If you haven’t seen the tv show first of all stop right now and go watch all 3 seasons immediately, but also read this book anyway because this is a terrific memoir. Hiller’s account of growing up gay in conservative Texas, reconciling his faith with his sexuality and following his dreams of becoming a working actor is completely relatable, engaging and endearing. Hiller has read a lot of celebrity memoirs so he knows what we want and what we don’t. Also you will laugh out loud: I literally cackled while reading this in public so choose your reading spots wisely.

Jeff Hiller is such a gem. He's one of those guys that you've seen in a bunch of stuff and can't quite place. Unless you've watched Somebody, Somewhere, then you already know he was meant to be a leading lady. The title is one of the best I've seen in a long while, and I thought it was fun that he borrowed chapter titles from other memoirs. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wish that you knew just where it is that he lives in the city so you can stop by for a cup of sugar. Looking forward to the next!

Jeff, if you ever read this know I am sorry for not knowing who you were before picking up and reading your story.

Oh my goodness! Jeff is a hoot and a holler (that’s hilarious for people not living in the Southern United States).

All the nitty, gritty details and *gasp* not a nepo baby memoir (though I will read them too!), this was a hard fought battle of climbing the ranks within the industry. Years of soul crushing set backs and rejections. Nothing easy comes overnight and nobody is too old to try new tricks.

Truly a thoroughly good read start to finish. Place this at the top of your memoir/non-fiction list for 2025.

It is not lost on me that I need to also listen on audio for the full effect so I will be doing that and throwing out recommendations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read Actress of a Certain Age.

Boy am I late with this review. Jeff Hiller's memoir, Actress of a Certain Age, came out four days ago! But I came here to say it's stunning. If you're like me, not all that enthused by gaudy celebrity memoirs, this one might hit home. Hiller has been through life, alright, and it made him into a multifaceted human being with a down-to-earth story to tell.

Now, who even is Jeff Hiller? Guess what, I didn't know either when Simon and Schuster sent over this galley. So I went to work and binged his show, Somebody Somewhere (or was it Something Someone, Jeff?), Turns out he's one of the most endearing actors I've seen in a long time. Why it takes hardworking and talented people of authenticity decades to land a key role is beyond me, but I'm glad it worked out, so he could tell his story of attaining fame after age forty.

From childhood in conservative Texas to the makings of a career in Manhattan, Astoria (hello!), and LA, this memoir is chock full of comedic relief from Hiller's deeper sorrows, and reading it followed by watching the show made me escape my own.

What a treat to see Hiller in a most authentic light on TV after reading what it took him to make it in front of those cameras. Thank you for writing this!

In gratitude to Simon and Schuster for the Advance Reader's Copy.

Like Jeff, I'm a sucker for a celebrity memoir. I love his character Joel in Somebody Somewhere, and this memoir made me love Jeff as well! (And, as he explains, he and Joel have a lot in common.) He came across as sweet, funny, and self-deprecating. There were some parts that were a little cheesy (the intro and the FAQs) but overall, it was highly entertaining!

In this memoir in essays, Hiller explores how a man whom he describes as “some dude you’d see in the waiting room at your dentist” can make it in Hollywood. Hiller’s Wikipedia page is filled with roles like “waiter,” “naked guy,” “frazzled salesman,” and “unnamed role,” but fans will know him from Bridget Everett’s charming HBO Peabody Award-winning series “Somebody Somewhere” where he played the role of Joel, the compassionate best friend navigating his relationship with his boyfriend.

Like Hiller, I enjoy a good memoir, and Hiller, who is “committed to the genre” of books by actors about their lives, cleverly names each chapter of his memoir with the title of a celebrity’s book. He does not shy away from discussing his slog to the “lower middle rung of the ladder,” refusing to refer to his life before he was a full-time actor as “‘the good ol’ days’ because the good ol’ days of struggling are romantic only when they are actually days rather than decades.” His book is replete with stories of “the humiliations of auditioning for jobs, the humiliation of networking for jobs, and the humiliations of the jobs I actually got.”

Hiller talks about his childhood in San Antonio where he was the victim of harsh bullying for failing to adhere to gender roles (and he believes that he would not have survived the constant humiliations and lack of friends absent a mother who intervened and supported him), church (which was “a safe space if you had no money, no hope, no friends”), his food addictions (which fail to command the same cool factor as rock stars with drug habits), his love of improvisation, and the email he received from an acquaintance, Everett, asking him to submit a tape for a role she thought would suit him just when he was about to pack it in because he was resigned that acting was a dead-end street.

Hiller’s memoir is funny and warm and self-deprecating. He recalls a humiliating incident that occurred over ten years ago, “but with therapy, I think about it only once or twice a day now.” Hiller recites a host of charming anecdotes that readers will think about long after they close the book. Thank you Ingrid Carabulea, the Marketing Manager for Simon & Schuster, for this truly enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed Jeff Hiller in Somebody Somewhere and I was excited to get a copy of his memoir. I was here for his sense of humor, honesty, and appreciation of celebrity memoir.

Some of the essays worked better for me than others.

3.5 stars but rounding up.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Simon & Schuster & Netgalley.

Hilarious celebrity memoir that playfully references other celebrity memoirs! A wonderful grouping of essays that are self deprecating humor and heartfelt stories of as a queer actor in the 1990s and 2000s. You can’t help falling in love with Hiller. Thanks NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy for an honest review.

5 stars

I loved everything about this book except that it ended.

Jeff Hiller is someone I've enjoyed and admired for so long, and it was a thrill to see him cast in a role that felt like such a good fit. Related note, if you have somehow not seen _Somebody Somewhere_, you've done yourself an incredible disservice that you should correct immediately. It's one of the best shows that's been on in the past few years, and I can say confidently it's in my top 5 of all time. It's a nonstop roller coaster of emotions in the very best way, and Hiller plays a central role in how and why the show is so special.

Now being in a special show does not ultimately result in a special memoir. This is an added bonus. Throughout the essays, Hiller shares so much of himself: his relationship with his immediate family throughout his life, his childhood experiences that were very positive at home and incredibly challenging outside of there, his connection to religion, his feelings about and explanations of aspects of his physical appearance, his work as an actor on stage and screen, his other professional endeavors, his identity, and his general sense of being. You'll also learn that Jeff is a December baby and exactly how old he ACTUALLY is. These latter two points might sound like strange inclusions, but they come up often and in pretty hilarious ways.

Like the show he may be best known for so far, Hiller also takes the audience through many emotions and experiences in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this and cannot wait to listen to the audiobook next. If you know Jeff Hiller, you'll probably hear his voice in your head even if you do read by sight (I know I sure did), but I can't wait for the real deal.

I love a good memoir, and for me this is an outstanding example. I'm coming out of this read appreciating Jeff Hiller even more now.

I really enjoyed this autobiographical essay from comedian Jeff Hiller.
A funny, raw, moving, and utterly relatable story. That kept me glued to the pages.

A poignant, thoughtful funny memoir comprising essays titled with the titles of other celebrity memoirs. Hiller has not had it easy, He didn't have an easy youth, he didn't have an easy adolescence, he didn't have an easy path to working as an actor but he's made the best of everything. It's a tale of resilience and persistence that eventually leads to Bridget Everett, the friend we all need. This is much more than I expected and I truly enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Here's wishing him more of everything.