Overview
Beloved former child actor Michael Fishman details his versatile life since his Roseanne success, from becoming a youth baseball coach to bounty hunting, then returning to the screen for The Conners all before the age of forty in his debut memoir.
Michael Fishman grew up in front of the world.
Cast at just six years old as D.J. Conner on Roseanne, he became America’s little brother—visible, beloved, and successful long before he had the language to understand who he was becoming. But even when the cameras stopped rolling, life didn’t simplify. It fractured, expanded, and demanded reinvention.
From D.J. to Dad: Roles of a Lifetime is not a traditional celebrity memoir; it is a deeply human reckoning with identity told through the many roles life demands: child; sibling; provider; black sheep; unhoused teen; crew member; husband; father; coach; caretaker; advocate; artist. Some roles are chosen. Others are inherited. Many are survived.
With unflinching honesty and hard-earned compassion, Fishman takes readers behind the scenes of fame and into the unseen labor of becoming whole. He writes about his early life as a child actor, homelessness in downtown Los Angeles, blue-collar work behind the camera, the quiet dignity of crew culture, the rise and fall of marriage, reestablishing his actor career, and emerging as a director and writer. It's a journey that explores the humility of starting over, and the courage required to remain soft in a hard world. Threaded throughout every chapter is his reflection on a lived philosophy rooted in accountability, emotional intelligence, service, and love as action. This book isn’t just for fans who grew up with D.J. Conner—it’s for anyone who has ever felt unseen, displaced, or forced to rebuild. It is for parents, partners, leaders, creatives, and survivors. Ultimately, it asks a universal question:
Who are you when the role changes—and can you choose to show up with integrity anyway?
From D.J. to Dad is a story about resilience, repair, and the radical power of becoming.
Michael Fishman grew up in front of the world.
Cast at just six years old as D.J. Conner on Roseanne, he became America’s little brother—visible, beloved, and successful long before he had the language to understand who he was becoming. But even when the cameras stopped rolling, life didn’t simplify. It fractured, expanded, and demanded reinvention.
From D.J. to Dad: Roles of a Lifetime is not a traditional celebrity memoir; it is a deeply human reckoning with identity told through the many roles life demands: child; sibling; provider; black sheep; unhoused teen; crew member; husband; father; coach; caretaker; advocate; artist. Some roles are chosen. Others are inherited. Many are survived.
With unflinching honesty and hard-earned compassion, Fishman takes readers behind the scenes of fame and into the unseen labor of becoming whole. He writes about his early life as a child actor, homelessness in downtown Los Angeles, blue-collar work behind the camera, the quiet dignity of crew culture, the rise and fall of marriage, reestablishing his actor career, and emerging as a director and writer. It's a journey that explores the humility of starting over, and the courage required to remain soft in a hard world. Threaded throughout every chapter is his reflection on a lived philosophy rooted in accountability, emotional intelligence, service, and love as action. This book isn’t just for fans who grew up with D.J. Conner—it’s for anyone who has ever felt unseen, displaced, or forced to rebuild. It is for parents, partners, leaders, creatives, and survivors. Ultimately, it asks a universal question:
Who are you when the role changes—and can you choose to show up with integrity anyway?
From D.J. to Dad is a story about resilience, repair, and the radical power of becoming.
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