From Hollywood Oddity to Literary Success: The Unlikely Journey of an Actor-Turned-Novelist

For many in the entertainment industry, the road to Hollywood is as unique as it is winding. Kirk Fox, whose multifaceted career includes notable roles in “Parks and Recreation,” “Jury Duty,” and “Reservation Dogs,” as well as the recent release of his novel “Palmdale” in June, found his unexpected muse in an unconventional arena.

That muse was tennis.

In a candid conversation with the California Post for their “California Roots” series, Fox revealed, “Tennis was the agent for my first 10 movies.” His initial foray into the film world was not through casting calls or agents, but rather through the connections he forged on the tennis court.

One of his most memorable Hollywood stories involved teaching tennis to Lawrence Kasdan, the esteemed director. “Kasdan was preparing to shoot ‘Wyatt Earp,’ and during our lessons, he asked if I could ride a horse,” recalled Fox. He humorously recounted his confident but misleading reply, “Like the wind.” Reality soon caught up when, on the set, Kasdan realized Fox’s equestrian skills were not quite as promised. To ensure his safety during filming, Kasdan placed him on a much smaller horse, a courteous gesture that kept his tennis pro – and budding actor – from injury.

Fox, who hails from San Diego, where he played tennis at UCSD, also found a very different sort of side hustle from tennis. 

“Everyone I was teaching tennis to wanted me to look into something, so you can call it whatever you want,” Fox explained. “I think at the end of the day, we’re all private investigators. I don’t know anyone that’s not investigating something.”

Years later, Fox channeled his amateur P.I. work into his debut novel, “Palmdale.” 

“It’s about a private investigator who’s teamed up with his daughter that he hasn’t seen in a long time,” Fox said. “And they’re investigating a body that was found in Palmdale, and we traced it back to Bel Air. It’s very noir. It’s a lot of Humphrey Bogart, Mickey Spillane. It’s gritty, it’s dusty.”

Fox wrote some of what ended up in “Palmdale” decades ago, and is now writing a sequel set in San Diego. 

“Every day I write, I just never finished anything,” Fox said. “So I’m still scratching that itch. And I write all my stand up.”

That’s right. Along with acting (Fox will next appear in Sterlin Harjo’s “Reservation Dogs” follow-up “The Lowdown” on FX), he took up stand-up comedy and has now “gone up more than 6,000 times.” 

“My first show was November 10, 2002 at the Comedy Store,” Fox recalled. “I was deep in my 30s and I needed something to do at night.” 

That gig bombed. “I will say it was the last time I talked about religion,” Fox said.

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