There’s a particular kind of surprise that comes from picking up a book and realizing the name on the cover belongs to someone you’ve only ever watched on screen. It happens more often than people expect. Hollywood has quietly produced a steady stream of writers whose second careers rival their first, proving that a talent for storytelling doesn’t always stay confined to a script. What follows is a look at thirteen actors who traded (or added to) their acting resumes with genuine literary success, backed by sales figures and critical reception rather than just celebrity name recognition.
1. Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks spent decades as one of the most recognizable faces in American cinema before turning to fiction in 2017. His debut collection, “Uncommon Type” was a national bestseller and a best book of the year according to NPR and USA Today, described as “first-rate” short stories by The New York Times. The seventeen stories share an unlikely connecting thread, since each one features a typewriter tucked somewhere into the narrative, spanning a surprisingly wide range of settings and characters.
Hanks didn’t stop there. He is now also credited as the author of a forthcoming novel titled “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece”, which suggests his interest in writing is more than a one-off experiment. For an actor known for playing decent, thoughtful characters, the transition to page has felt oddly fitting to critics and readers alike.
2. Carrie Fisher
Long before she became a permanent fixture in pop culture as Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher was already carving out a literary identity. Her debut novel, “Postcards from the Edge,” was published in 1987 and drew heavily on her own experiences with fame and substance abuse. The book resonated enough that Fisher adapted it herself into a film released by Columbia Pictures in 1990.
Fisher’s writing voice, sharp and self-deprecating, carried through her later memoirs as well. Her 2008 book “Wishful Drinking” became one of her most widely read works, cementing a reputation as a witty and unflinching chronicler of her own chaotic life story. She remained an author almost as reliably as she remained an actress, right up until her death in 2016.
3. Tina Fey
Tina Fey’s jump from “Saturday Night Live” writer to bestselling author wasn’t much of a jump at all, given how naturally her comedic voice translated to the page. Her memoir “Bossypants” was a massive commercial success upon its 2011 release, spending over five weeks at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list and selling millions of copies worldwide. It’s a rare feat for a celebrity memoir to hold that position for so long.
The book traces her path from an unlikely Chicago improv performer to becoming the first female head writer of Saturday Night Live. What set it apart from other celebrity memoirs of the era was its balance of genuine industry insight with self-aware humor, something reviewers consistently pointed to as the reason it held its shelf life so well.
4. Amy Poehler
Amy Poehler followed a similar path a few years after her longtime collaborator Tina Fey, and found comparable success. Her memoir “Yes Please,” released in 2014, quickly climbed to the top of the bestseller charts, arriving with the tagline of being the number one New York Times bestselling celebrity memoir of its year.
The book blends personal storytelling with photographs and career reflections drawn from her years in improv and on Saturday Night Live. Poehler was candid about how difficult the writing process actually was, a detail that reviewers noted gave the book an unusually honest texture compared to more polished celebrity memoirs. It remains one of the defining entries in the wave of comedian-written bestsellers from the 2010s.
5. Steve Martin
Steve Martin has quietly built one of the more substantial literary bodies of work among actors turned writers. His debut novel, “Shopgirl,” published in 2000, was a bestseller and was later adapted into a film that Martin also wrote and starred in, giving him a rare full-circle credit as both novelist and screen adapter.
Before that, his 1998 essay collection “Pure Drivel” had already become a bestseller, showcasing his blend of humor and introspection. Martin’s writing carries the same precise, understated wit that defined his standup and film work, just translated into a different format. Few actors have managed to be taken as seriously in fiction as he has.
6. Hugh Laurie
Before most American audiences knew him as the acerbic Dr. House, Hugh Laurie had already published a novel in his native Britain. “The Gun Seller,” released in 1996, was his first novel and follows former Scots Guards officer Thomas Lang through a conspiracy involving arms dealers and terrorists.
What makes the book’s origin story especially interesting is how Laurie handled his own celebrity. Wary of becoming another “celebrity author,” he initially submitted the manuscript under a pseudonym, only revealing his identity after it had been accepted for publication. The novel’s dry, self-aware humor won over critics who might otherwise have dismissed it as a vanity project, and it remains a cult favorite among fans of comic spy fiction.
7. William Shatner
William Shatner’s literary career took a very different direction than most of his peers, leaning fully into science fiction rather than memoir or satire. “TekWar,” published in October 1989, was written by Shatner with assistance from uncredited science fiction author Ron Goulart, following a framed former police officer navigating a future dominated by an illegal digital drug.
The book turned out to be just the beginning. TekWar became the first of nine novels and spawned an entire franchise, including a comic book series, a video game, and a television series. It’s an unusual level of world-building success for an actor’s side project, and it reflected Shatner’s genuine, longstanding interest in science fiction beyond his most famous role.
8. Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews built a writing career that ran almost parallel to her acting one, starting with children’s books in the 1970s before eventually turning to memoir. Her recollections of growing up in wartime Britain and breaking into show business found a wide audience, particularly among readers who’d grown up watching her films decades earlier.
Her memoirs proved that Andrews’ storytelling instincts extended well beyond performance, offering a level of candor about her early struggles that surprised some longtime fans. The warmth that made her such an enduring screen presence translated naturally onto the page, giving her books a tone that felt personal rather than distant or guarded.
9. Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe’s autobiography arrived at a moment when celebrity memoirs were increasingly expected to offer real substance rather than just anecdotes. “Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography,” released in 2011, became one of the better-received entries in that genre, earning strong reader ratings and steady sales.
The book stood out for covering both the highs and genuinely difficult lows of Lowe’s career, including his early struggles with fame and addiction, without leaning on the kind of sanitized narrative many expected from a former teen idol. Its combination of humor and honesty helped it find an audience well beyond his existing fan base, and it remains one of the more frequently recommended actor memoirs of its decade.
10. Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling entered the celebrity memoir space with a distinct voice shaped by her years as both a writer and performer on “The Office.” “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)” became a strong seller and reader favorite, earning consistently high ratings from a wide audience.
She followed it with additional essay collections that continued to draw on her experiences navigating both comedy writing rooms and her own personal life. Kaling’s books helped establish a template that several other comedy writers and performers would later follow, combining career reflection with pointed observations about identity and ambition in the entertainment industry.
11. Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis has spent over three decades building a parallel career as a children’s book author, often in partnership with illustrator Laura Cornell. Titles like “When I Was Little” and “Today I Feel Silly” became staples of children’s bookshelves, praised for tackling emotional topics with warmth and humor rather than talking down to young readers.
Her books have sold in the millions and remain in steady print decades after their original release, a rare feat for celebrity-authored children’s literature. Curtis has been open about how personal experience, including her own struggles with self-image and honesty, shaped the themes she chose to explore in her writing.
12. Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler, best known for playing Fonzie on “Happy Days,” found unexpected literary success later in his career with the Hank Zipzer series, co-written with Lin Oliver. The books follow a young boy navigating school while dealing with dyslexia, a condition Winkler himself lived with for decades before receiving a diagnosis as an adult.
The series resonated strongly with young readers and educators, partly because of its authenticity and partly because Winkler’s own public advocacy around learning differences gave the books added weight. It’s a case where an actor’s personal history directly shaped the direction and impact of his writing, rather than the two careers existing separately.
13. Ethan Hawke
Ethan Hawke has approached fiction with the same seriousness he brings to acting, publishing multiple novels over nearly three decades. His novels and children’s books have been well-received by critics and readers alike, starting with “The Hottest State” in 1996 and continuing through later works like “Ash Wednesday” and “A Bright Ray of Darkness.”
Hawke has described writing as a necessary outlet distinct from performing, one that allows him to explore ideas without the collaborative compromises inherent in filmmaking. His fiction tends to draw on themes of relationships, faith, and personal reinvention, subjects that echo through much of his screen work as well, though the books stand firmly on their own literary merits.
What ties these thirteen names together isn’t just crossover fame. Each managed to produce work that held up on its own terms, judged by readers and critics who often approached these books with more skepticism than curiosity. That so many succeeded anyway says something about the discipline required to write well, and about how often actors bring more to the page than audiences initially expect.
