Phil Appleton

From Airline Pilot to Hollywood Actor

‘The true story of an airline pilot's  remarkable journey of recovery from a devastating illness to a new career as an actor, and finding freedom again’

From flying a jet airliner at 30,000 feet to being locked away in psychiatric hospitals for five months, Phil Appleton lost his health, career, marriage, and home. Over 40 years, helped by encounters with people ranging from SAS soldiers, global superstars, and a terminally ill 11-year-old, he turned his life around in the face of rejection, disappointment, and failure, to be in the best time of his life.

In an engaging, poignant, and entertaining memoir, Appleton relates his experiences of perfectionist parents, a multi-cultural background to becoming a Star Wars pilot, exploring emotions, behaviours, and feelings common to us all.

With honesty, depth, and self-analysis, he gives a unique account of overcoming mental health challenges, finding release from bullying, racism, and discrimination through acting, writing, and exercise, while tackling stereotypes, labels, and mind-controlling drugs.

Offering insights on psychology, character, and self-help, Appleton demonstrates how with determination and patience, an individual may find their own answers to the shared complexities of the human condition.