In this startling candid and poignant memoir, the legendary Emmy Award-winning star of The Young and The Restless, America's #1 soap opera, chronicles his amazing life, from his birth in World War II Germany to his arrival in America to his rise to humanitarian and daytime superstar for the past thirty-five years.
For nearly four decades, fans have welcomed the star of television’s number-one daytime show, The Young and the Restless, into their living rooms. While they’ve come to know and love the suave Victor Newman, few truly know the man behind the character, the supremely talented Eric Braeden. I'll Be Damned is his inspirational true story—a startling and uplifting tale of war, deprivation, determination, fame, and social commitment that spans from Nazi Germany to modern Hollywood.
Braeden’s journey from a hospital basement in Kiel to the soundstages of Los Angeles has defined his remarkable actor's life, teaching him more about joy, heartbreak, fear, dignity, loss, love, loneliness, exhilaration, courage, persecution, and profound responsibility to the global community than he could have hoped to learn in several lifetimes. Growing up in the years after Germany’s defeat, Braeden knew very little about the atrocities of his parents’ generation, until he arrived in America as a teenager—a discovery that horrified and transformed him. Trying to redress the wrongs of his homeland, he has dedicated his life to humanitarian work—even forming the German American Culture Society—working for decades to show the world that what we share as humans is far more important than what separates us from one another.
Told with openness, candor, humor, heart, and occasional raw vulnerability, I’ll Be Damned reveals a man committed to making the world a better, more loving place. Filled with sixteen pages of photos from his decorated life and career, I’ll Be Damned will be a treasured keepsake for Y&R fans, and is an inspiring testament for anyone who loves a powerful Hollywood biography.
This startlingly candid celebrity memoir reveals the stories behind the superstar:
- A Survivor’s Journey: From a harrowing birth in a Kiel hospital basement during an air raid to the poverty of post-war Germany, Braeden’s early life was a battle for survival he never forgot.
- The Man Behind Victor Newman: For decades, he's been the ruthless tycoon on America's #1 soap opera. Discover the thoughtful, fiercely loyal, and complex man behind the iconic character.
- A Bridge Between Two Worlds: Horrified to learn the truth of the Nazi era after arriving in America, Braeden dedicated his life to humanitarian work, founding the German American Culture Society to promote understanding.
- Candid Hollywood Stories: Filled with heartfelt, humorous, and sometimes raw anecdotes, this memoir shares the true stories from a decades-long career on the soundstages of Los Angeles.
