Torn writing memoir to rebuild reputation
Embattled actor RIP TORN is writing his autobiography in a bid to show fans he's more than just the alcoholic he's been portrayed as in the press.
The Men In Black star, 80, embarked on a career in Hollywood after graduating from Texas A&M University, landing roles in films such as Payday (1972), The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) and Cross Creek (1983), for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
But Torn, who also enjoyed several stints on Broadway, has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late, following his arrest for a drunken bank break-in last year (10).
The actor was sentenced to probation and ordered to enrol in a treatment programme after he was found sprawled on the floor of the Litchfield Bancorp building in his hometown of Salisbury, Connecticut clutching a revolver. The star reportedly told cops he thought the building was his home.
However, Torn is working on rebuilding his reputation and is opening up about his life story for a new book.
He tells New York Post columnist Cindy Adams, "My life story. I'm writing it, needing a typist and (publishing house) Simon & Schuster's interested, but I'm looking for a title.
"I started acting with my sister Patricia in Texas. My father was a lobbyist. I was (sic) an honours student. Stuff said about me these days doesn't jibe with what I really am..."