The best-known book collector–actor is probably John Larroquette. He won four Emmys playing a boorish prosecutor on the 1980s sitcom Night Court and now stars as a defense attorney in a series of made-for-TV movies. He was at the fair, but I’m told that he’s not really adding to his collection of modern first editions. Taking his place among TV star–collectors may be Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. She once told an interviewer, “I cannot go into the Heritage Book Shop without buying something. I joke that it’s my church. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I can go in there and look at these books and get completely lost in the old, illustrative art.” At just 29 years old, you have to appreciate her enthusiasm.

There were lots of screenwriters and producers at the fair. One inconspicuous-looking fellow told a dealer that he was looking forward to attending the Academy Awards. “I think we might win something this year. We helped finance Brokeback Mountain,” he said. I tried to figure out who he was later on, but the film had ten producers—a testament to Hollywood’s wariness about investing in a film about gay cowboys. In the end, he lost out to Crash. Bookseller Larry McMurtry (see “Quotes & Comments,” FB&C 20) and co-writer Diana Ossana did, however, take home an Oscar for their Brokebackscreenplay.

Ricky Jay is probably the most accomplished actor-collector. He’s a magician who has played memorable roles in several David Mamet films. Last year, a San Francisco museum exhibited his freak-show–broadside collection. The accompanying book Extraordinary Exhibitions is a perfect example of how someone with insight and imagination can take seemingly random bits of paper and turn them into a compelling collection.

Another character actor, Michael Lerner, attended the fair. I always think of him as the show-stealing movie executive in Barton Fink. There’s a great scene where he introduces himself to a new screenwriter. “The writer is king here…We’re only interested in one thing…Can you make us laugh? Can you make us cry? Can you make us want to break out in joyous song?” I think only a book lover could have delivered those lines with such conviction.