Centenarian Releases Century-Spanning Memoir
Alan Shayne, age 100, has released a memoir chronicling a century of life, love, and cultural change. Shayne's story spans Hollywood, LGBTQ+ history, and personal evolution, offering a rare first-hand perspective on transformative eras in American culture.
- Before his career as a television executive, Alan Shayne was an actor on Broadway, sharing the stage with luminaries like Katharine Cornell and even being upstaged in acting class by a young Marlon Brando. - His latest memoir, titled "AND IT ONLY TOOK 100 YEARS…," is not his first book; he previously co-authored "Double Life: A Love Story" with his husband, Norman Sunshine, detailing their five-decade relationship. - As a casting director, Shayne had a significant impact on Hollywood, working on major films including "All the President's Men" and "Catch-22." - Shayne's long-term partner and husband is the artist and sculptor Norman Sunshine, whose work is featured in the permanent collections of major museums. The couple met in 1958 and married in 2011. - During his ten-year tenure as President of Warner Brothers Television, Shayne oversaw the development of numerous hit shows that defined the era, such as "Wonder Woman," "Alice," "The Dukes of Hazzard," and "Night Court." - Shayne and Sunshine's life together navigated the challenges of being a gay couple in a less accepting Hollywood era, where they often could not appear in public together for fear of damaging their careers. - After retiring from Warner Bros., Shayne continued to produce, earning an Emmy nomination for the 1988 miniseries "The Bourne Identity," which starred Richard Chamberlain.
