Flavorwire

Acting and writing are not so different. Both require discipline, facility with language, and the ability to disappear into a world that is not quite reality. And with more credibility than the all-too-frequent actor/musician vanity crossover, the actor-as-author subset has its own self-congratulatory cachet. With a slew of new books by better known screen personalities hitting stores this fall, here’s a tribute to ten thespians who have taken on the literary arena.

Steve Martin

Steve Martin’s makeover as a New Yorker-touting literary figure might seem a little self-serious for an actor best known as a comedian, but his dedication is evident in his sheer prolificacy. In addition to essay collections, plays, children’s books, and his 2007 memoir Born Standing Up, Martin has published two well-received novels (including this month’s An Object of Beauty) as well as a novella that was adapted for the screen (in which he also starred, incidentally).