Gavin MacLeod Writes About 'The Love Boat,' Struggles With Alcohol In New Memoir 'This Is Your Captain Speaking'

by UInterviewOctober 24, 2013, 12:00 amNews >

Gavin MacLeod, known for his work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Love Boat, is spilling about his time on some of television’s most significant series and his faith as a Born Again Christian in his new memoir This Is Your Captain Speaking.

In his book, written with Mark Dagostino, MacLeod recalls his countless interactions with some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra. One story he is particularly open about involves his unpleasant interactions with Bette Davis, during which she acted rudely during a dinner party, arguing with another guest and insulting the attendees and hosts.

MacLeod also used his book (complete title This Is Your Captain Speaking: My Fantastic Voyage Through Hollywood, Faith & Life) to write openly about his bouts with alcoholism and his intense relationship with his Christian faith. MacLeod began drinking towards the end of his first marriage in 1972, and he believes that a part of it was that he was very much affected by the death of his father when he was just 13.

“I was ugly when I drank. The fighting was miserable, and very much my fault,” he writes in his book.

MacLeod eventually stopped drinking, married his wife Patti, and became a Born Again Christian. In his book, he explains that he fell into his faith after a three-year separation from Patti. MacLeod married Patti in 1974 and the two divorced in 1982. When he reached out to Patti again three years later, she gave him a Bible, and the couple quickly fell back in love and was remarried in 1985. They are still together.

“I came in and she said, ‘I have something for you,’ and she brings me in a Bible with my name on it… So I said, ‘So you’re a born again Christian, What does that mean?’ and she explained everything. I said, ‘Patti, that’s what I want!’ That was the beginning of me becoming who I am today, a different person,” MacLeod told FOX411.

In an interview with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, MacLeod spoke more about his faith, saying, “I know I’m not alone anymore.”

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Of course, a memoir from MacLeod would not be complete without a mention of his years playing Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat. MacLeod says he is proud of the show, and notes that it’s positivity was one of the reasons it was so beloved.

“The critics hated our show. But I remember when we went to church one Sunday. A lady stopped me, and said, ‘Aren’t you the captain?’ I say, ‘Yes.’ She says, ‘I love the messages you give us, because they’re covered with cotton candy.’ What a great phrase that is. And writing on that level is very hard to do,” MacLeod told CNN.

MacLeod says that the message of his book is that dreams are worth chasing.

“Never give up. Don’t be afraid to risk. And if you have a dream, go for it. Don’t let anybody step on your dream. You have one life; you want to make the most of it.”