X Child Stars

About Fred AscherKathy Garver

Best known for her iconic portrayal of Cissy in the long-running classic TV series Family Affair, Kathy Garver has garnered many accolades in film, stage, TV, radio, and voice-over. An ex–child star whose career first took flight with the legendary filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille, she is an accomplished and versatile actress and performer. Kathy is also a UCLA graduate, attended London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and is noteworthy for her award-winning talents. She is a motivational speaker and the author of two previous critically acclaimed and best-selling books. Kathy lives near San Francisco with her family and dog, Coco. One of the original latchkey kids of the 1970s, Knoxville native Fred Ascher’s love of television—and appreciation of the child stars who formed the foundation of so many shows—only grew after he graduated from the University of Tennessee and settled in Southern California. Like so many kids growing up during the ‘70s, a time when Mom joined Dad in the workforce during the afternoons, Fred found solace in reruns of time-proven sitcoms and family dramas. For many years after college, Fred worked in the cruise industry before becoming a successful fundraiser at two of the world’s most prestigious cancer hospitals. Today, Fred is a publicist who represents a number of celebrities while also working to develop talented young people into industry professionals. Writing X Child Stars with Kathy Garver is the culmination of a lifetime working with important people for important causes. Fred sees our child stars as an integral part of our nation’s tapestry, no less so than other cultural milestones. “They are our national treasures,” he says, “and with X Child Stars, Kathy and I show the reader why this is true.”