Samuel Garza Bernstein’s life and writing reflect the wild intersections of modern life. He was born to an undocumented Mexican mother who everyone assumed was a white Texan, and a Jewish father who passionately supported the Palestinian cause in Egypt, where the family lived for a year when he was a kid. “I was six-years old in Cairo,” Garza Bernstein says, “Surrounded by hot Egyptians, spinning fantasies and inventing myself.” The family traveled all over the world—occasionally on the lam—and lived in Cairo, Honolulu, Austin, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, and Ft. Collins, Colorado.
His newest book Roddy McDowall: An Actor’s Life has drawn raves from Carol Burnett, Julie Andrews, and Emma Thompson, among many others, and is in bookstores now. He is gearing up for the fourth season of 6-time Emmy Award-winning After Forever, after serving as co-showrunner and co-executive producer of the third season, now streaming on Amazon. His 2025 book, Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild, is a Foreword Magazine award-winner for Biography, and his non-fiction anthology Uncommon Heroes won a Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association. His pilot for The Secret World of Danny Lopez was named a Writers Guild of America television comedy access project honoree but was also a drama winner at the New York Film Awards and a Content London International Drama Summit nominee for Best Pilot Script. He is also a well-regarded story consultant, working with clients in the United States, the U.K., and Europe.
He won Best Screenplay at the London Independent Film Awards for Elephant & Castle and a G.L.A.A.D. nomination for the Showtime film Bobbie’s Girl, which also garnered its star Bernadette Peters an Emmy nomination. Episodic credits range from the CBS drama Judging Amy to Nickelodeon’s Shimmer and Shine. With composer David Snyder he first adapted his non-fiction book Mr. Confidential as a stage musical, developing it at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and then directing its world premiere at Actors Theatre of Indiana.
Garza Bernstein started his career as an actor and singer, most notably performing in several productions of Evita as Eva’s first conquest, the tango singer “Magaldi.” He also served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for trans foster children in Los Angeles County for five years, created and co-chaired a writing mentorship program for public high school students for twelve years, and served as a youth facilitator for the Los Angeles LGBT Center for eight years. He and husband Ronald Shore have been together for over thirty years and split their time between LA and Porto, Portugal. They are currently the hostages of a pair of incorrigible dachshunds.
PRESS FOR RODDY McDOWALL: AN ACTOR’S LIFE:
Ann Pryor, Kensington Books (212) 407.1526 APryor@kensingtonbooks.com
Samuelgarzabernstein.com
samuel@samuelgarzabernstein.com
TCM
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Story-Power on Patreon
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power Patreon Community so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.
Prolific Writers Life
My husband, Barry and I are members and experts at Prolific Writers Life, which offers members a variety of free online work sessions and discounts on coaching with industry experts. They offer opportunities to hone your writing skills, develop your author brand, and connect with a supportive community in live events. You can participate in group chats or send private messages to members through Prolific Writers Chat. If you’ve got a writing project, or are an expert who can help members finish their books, come join the community.
They also offer fun events like Films for Writers, which is free for anyone who wants to attend. It’s like a film club. We watch the movies about writers often with tidbits about their writing life, and then come together on the last Friday evening of every month to discuss the movie. You can check out Prolific Writers Life with a free 14 day trial to see if this the community you have been looking for.
Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters
Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. Celeste and I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.
Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, and the kind of world we want to live in.
Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.
Sage Woman Chronicles 