Sharon Gless: In conversation

Sharon Gless, actress, said that she has been “surrounded by movies my whole life.” “And I dreamed that one day, I could do this.”

Gless was raised in Los Angeles’ upper class neighborhood. She grew up surrounded with the glamour of Hollywood. She recalled, “I used to go there at night, they had klieg lights going across the sky in those times.”

Neil McCarthy, her grandfather, was an influential entertainment lawyer in the town. Howard Hughes, Cecil B. DeMille and Louis B. Mayer were some of his clients.

Ben Mankiewicz, Turner Classic Movies host, asked Gless if he wanted his granddaughter to enter the movie industry.

He said, “You should stay away from it. It’s a dirty business! She laughed.

Gless didn’t listen to Grandpa, even though she was late in her career. A talent scout from Universal Studios saw Gless in a small play at 26. This led to a 7-year contract as an actress, with $186 per week waitress pay.

“Someone said, “You don’t want to sign a contract with Universal.” Gless said that nobody will ever hear from him again. “I said, “Nobody has heard of me now!”