Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-04 14:16:33
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Hugh Bonneville
- ISBN：1408716836
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Summary
Hugh Bonneville is one of Britain's most accomplished actors， familiar to audiences worldwide for his roles in Notting Hill， the Paddington films and Downton Abbey。 From getting his big break as Third Shepherd in the school nativity play， to mistaking a Hollywood star for an estate agent， Hugh creates a brilliantly vivid picture of a career on stage and screen。 What is it like working with Judi Dench and Julia Roberts， or playing Robert de Niro's right leg， or not being Gary Oldman， twice？ A wickedly funny storyteller， Hugh also writes with poignancy about his father's dementia and of his mother， whose life in the secret service only emerged after her death。 Whether telling stories of working with divas， Dames or a bear with a penchant for marmalade， this is a richly entertaining account of his life as an actor。
Reviews
Bloss ♡
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I’m going to put this aside。 I really should have known better: I have no interest in celebrities， film/television， or acting。 I enjoyed Downton Abbey and Paddington but I’m not really interested in the mechanics or seeing behind the curtain of either。 Hugh Bonneville is a wonderful character in both programs so I thought I’d chance it; but alas film just bores me to tears。 Though this book does have a candid/engaging writing style and short chapters， it’s just not my thing。 I will eschew rating I’m going to put this aside。 I really should have known better: I have no interest in celebrities， film/television， or acting。 I enjoyed Downton Abbey and Paddington but I’m not really interested in the mechanics or seeing behind the curtain of either。 Hugh Bonneville is a wonderful character in both programs so I thought I’d chance it; but alas film just bores me to tears。 Though this book does have a candid/engaging writing style and short chapters， it’s just not my thing。 I will eschew rating it as I don’t think it’s fair to rate a book I abandoned because the subject matter didn’t interest me。 。。。more
Emma Dargue
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This was truly brilliant -one of the best autobiographies I have read。 Funny and moving in equal measure Hugh Bonneville has a real ability in writing。 Detailing his career but also his love for family friends it's an amazing autobiography。 This was truly brilliant -one of the best autobiographies I have read。 Funny and moving in equal measure Hugh Bonneville has a real ability in writing。 Detailing his career but also his love for family friends it's an amazing autobiography。 。。。more
Graham Sillars
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My husband and I listened to this glorious book via audiobook。 It is absolutely glorious。 We also me Hugh recently at a launch event for the book。 Such a warm and generous man。 If you get the chance pick this book up or listen to the audio… Hugh reads it himself！
Nicola Harrison
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Loved this book。 Beautifully written especially the parts referring to his family as struck a personal cord。 Had my phone to hand to check out the actors and directors along the way。
Bette
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A delight from start to finish， Especially as read by Hugh Bonneville himself。 A poignant ending。
Dustin Thompson
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As lovely as I thought it would be。 Like spending a weekend at his country home， hearing fascinating behind the scenes stories。 If you're a fan of British Theatre， Notting Hill， Downton Abbey or Paddington， this book is for you。 As lovely as I thought it would be。 Like spending a weekend at his country home， hearing fascinating behind the scenes stories。 If you're a fan of British Theatre， Notting Hill， Downton Abbey or Paddington， this book is for you。 。。。more
Zibby Owens
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This memoir is about the actor's life， including his father's dementia and his mother's hidden career in the secret service， which he did not find out until she died。 This is a very entertaining book about his life。 He did an excellent job weaving in his family story with the trials and tribulations of becoming an actor。 The author shares how he went from being a school actor to an actor in Downtown Abbey。The author wrote about his parents beautifully and added humor to show us their relationshi This memoir is about the actor's life， including his father's dementia and his mother's hidden career in the secret service， which he did not find out until she died。 This is a very entertaining book about his life。 He did an excellent job weaving in his family story with the trials and tribulations of becoming an actor。 The author shares how he went from being a school actor to an actor in Downtown Abbey。The author wrote about his parents beautifully and added humor to show us their relationship by writing， "The only time they fought was in the car， and I thought they were getting divorced。" That was a hilarious scene。 He also put in a lot of behind-the-scenes moments。 I think the funniest one was with Martin Scorsese。 To listen to my interview with the author， go to my podcast at:https://www。momsdonthavetimetoreadboo。。。 。。。more
Joanna Purdue
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Beautifully written， Hugh comes across as a genuine three dimensional person with a wicked sense of humour ， an honest vulnerability， great kindness， and a great memory。 Touching， informative， witty and with brilliant anecdotes without being too ‘luvvy’。 I don’t read much autobiographical stuff， but this really is superb。 Truly。 6 stars！
Te Riu Warren
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Great read。 I listened to the narrated version on Audible， even better！
Louise Bath
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This is， without doubt， an utterly delightful book， in the best possible non-sentimental way。 It's a book where you feel that Hugh Bonneville， very much in the style of his Twenty Twelve/W1A character Ian Fletcher， is actually telling you his life story - and a glorious experience it is， too。Bonneville's story isn't necessarily cosy， but it does have a "feel-good" factor。 I loved his stories of backstage life at the RSC and the National， his encounters with American TV pilots， thankless audition This is， without doubt， an utterly delightful book， in the best possible non-sentimental way。 It's a book where you feel that Hugh Bonneville， very much in the style of his Twenty Twelve/W1A character Ian Fletcher， is actually telling you his life story - and a glorious experience it is， too。Bonneville's story isn't necessarily cosy， but it does have a "feel-good" factor。 I loved his stories of backstage life at the RSC and the National， his encounters with American TV pilots， thankless auditions， and the vagaries of an actor's life。 What he makes *very* clear is just how hard an actor's life *is* in its early stages， and that sometimes not even extraordinarily hard work will bring longed for results; disappointments and let-downs are always part of any actor's life。What's best about this book is Bonneville's easy， chatty style， and his knack for telling a good story well; stories such as his meetings with Raquel Welch （she sounds genuinely divine）， Bill Murray， and every well-known British thesp you can think of。 The cast of characters also includes Alan Rickman， Colin Firth， Iain Glen， Anthony Sher - well， you get the idea。 One of my favourite stories is from his time at the RSC， when he shared a house with Holby City's Guy Henry; on Sunday mornings Bonneville would do the potatoes and then read the papers， whilst Henry would prepare a huge roast dinner。Obviously Hugh's descriptions of life working on Downton Abbey and the Paddington films are currently of most interest - these are fascinating and informative， and clearly show that he had a ball working on them。 What's equally nice is his obvious pleasure at meeting up with old friends on new jobs; yes， he name-drops， but there aren't any 'clangs'！This is a warm， frank， compassionate and moving book， such as when Hugh talks about the deaths of his elder brother and mother; but it is also full of life and vigour， and is frequently hilarious: some moments are laugh out loud funny， retold in Bonneville's dry， self-deprecating manner。 I'd love to read more from him。Playing Under The Piano （the title's explained near the start） is book-ended by Bonneville keeping vigil over his father， who is dying from dementia。 I defy anyone not to have a tear in their eye at the end of the final chapter。Hugh Bonneville comes across as a likeable， funny， caring， and hard-working man， and it's a joy spending time in his occasionally deadpan but genial company， hearing entertaining tales of triumph and disaster。 A highly recommended read。 。。。more
Maria
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I was so excited to see this book out and available at my library through the Libby app！ Listening to Hugh narrating the book made it that much more special。 I do not often enjoy memoirs by celebrities but Hugh Bonneville is no normal celebrity。 His acting career ranges from the London stages to LA。 It is a great read！！
bluerose
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Really 4。5 stars。 This was utterly delightful。 I now have several movies to go and watch （and rewatch）。
Elon
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While I was hoping for more Downton and Peru with that title， this was a sweet and funny memoir that I really enjoyed reading。 Engaging stories about Hugh， his family and other celebreties， many I have no idea who they are， but still felt living on the pages。 Some chapters were a bit jumpy between subjects， but it never truly felt like a problem。
Caroline
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Brew yourself a nice cup of tea and settle in with Hugh Bonneville’s memoir。 Amongst his many talents he has proven himself to be an excellent writer。 This book is charming， tender and funny。 It’s filled with lovely stories about his life， from childhood up to the present。 He’s worked on the stage for years with many of Britain’s finest actors。 Hugh makes every story relatable and interesting with his self effacing humor。Some of the best parts are the stories involving his parents。 His admiratio Brew yourself a nice cup of tea and settle in with Hugh Bonneville’s memoir。 Amongst his many talents he has proven himself to be an excellent writer。 This book is charming， tender and funny。 It’s filled with lovely stories about his life， from childhood up to the present。 He’s worked on the stage for years with many of Britain’s finest actors。 Hugh makes every story relatable and interesting with his self effacing humor。Some of the best parts are the stories involving his parents。 His admiration and love for them come shining through the pages。 Like Downton Abbey， once you finish “Playing Under the Piano” you may be tempted to start it all over again！ 。。。more
Books By Your Bedside
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Is there anyone who doesn’t absolutely adore Hugh Bonneville？ I know they say you shouldn’t meet the people you admire but I’d love to meet him。 And by spending time with his autobiography， it’s like I know him。I’m always amazed in a memoir how people can remember things from their past， even down to conversations they had， and Hugh does that brilliantly， providing us with anecdotes about his time on the stage and the who’s who of colleagues。 The majority of us will know him from his TV and movi Is there anyone who doesn’t absolutely adore Hugh Bonneville？ I know they say you shouldn’t meet the people you admire but I’d love to meet him。 And by spending time with his autobiography， it’s like I know him。I’m always amazed in a memoir how people can remember things from their past， even down to conversations they had， and Hugh does that brilliantly， providing us with anecdotes about his time on the stage and the who’s who of colleagues。 The majority of us will know him from his TV and movie work， and wouldn’t necessarily have had the luxury of seeing him on stage， so it was fascinating to hear about that side of his career and his progress to the big screen。I love the little secrets and backstage gossip he gives us， not only from the theatre but from some of his best loved works including W1A， Downton Abbey， Monument Men and Paddington。 It gives the readers something to take away and gives them something extra to think about when watching them。I know this sounds contradictory but go with it。 Whilst I’m aware the whole point of an autobiography is to talk about yourself， but I find a lot of them to be self centred， rather than talk about their life for information sakes， they do it to show off。 But Hugh’s didn’t feel like that。 It felt like chatting to a friend。It’s very natural and not stilted in any way。 It flits and floats from childhood to adolescence to adulthood， from theatre to TV and to film， in and out， back and forth， and whereas this might have been confusing， it wasn’t even thought about。 It just flowed so well。I love additions of photographs in biographies， and I instantly go to them first before I read any of it， and he’s chosen some good ones that just flow so well with the prose。I find memoirs are either very， very good and well accomplished， or are a bit…。。meh， a bit okay。 This was definitely in the first category。 I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone， whether you’re a fan of his or not （but， quite frankly， I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t be）。It’s funny and interesting， entertaining， and a fascinating insight into his personal and professional life。 You can see how passionate he is about his craft。 He’s honest， baring the good and the bad， the happy and the sad。 Overall it’s very funny。 Funnier than I expect a memoir to be。 He’s self deprecating， doesn’t take himself too seriously， and manages to find love and light and humour in everything he does。 。。。more
Felix Price
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What a delightful man。 Probably the best Autobiography of an Actor I’ve read。 Moving and funny :）
Sally Hetherington OAM
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