My dad Norman was a tall man who would carry me high on his shoulders up and down the hallway, when I couldn't sleep as a two-year-old. He was the one who always put me to bed. If I cried in the middle of the night, he'd be the one to resettle me. He was a hero in my eyes.
Dad was a Japanese POW for four years in WWII. I remember being at school, and my mum Pauline was called in because I'd told the teacher Dad had been in jail. Mum explained the situation.
No one knew if Dad was dead or alive during this time. When he got back to Melbourne, my Pop held a welcome-back party for him. He gave a speech and told Dad in front of everyone: "It's time to get on with your life and start looking for work."
Pop didn't know how else to behave and Dad went through the rest of his life feeling ashamed. He ended up working as a sales guy in the rag trade on Flinders Lane in Melbourne. He declared bankruptcy and would always fight with Mum over money.
Mum never got over the death of her first husband, Peter Hales. She had two sons with him, Geoff and David. She nursed Peter for seven months and her sons went to different relatives. I think she was really depressed, but never talked about it. Then she met my dad. He was charming and loving and they got married.
I was always an outsider with my brothers. They were good-looking blond boys who used to tell me to "scram" if I tried to change the TV channel. They were endlessly giving me the flick. I think being away from Mum as babies really affected them growing up.
When my brother Geoff and his fashion-editor girlfriend Honey started working for Go-Set magazine, I became really close to him. They decided to do a comic strip with me in it. I was 16.
When I was at Firbank Grammar, I would always notice the Brighton Grammar boys on the way to school. I was nervous around them and no good at small talk.
My first kiss was at 19, with David's friend Andrew, who was an architect. He was cool and we had a little fling. I was a later bloomer.
I got a job for Channel Nine when I was 19 and interviewed Dudley Moore in Melbourne's City Square. He later flew back to Melbourne to see me and he holed up in a motel in St Kilda. I wasn't really attracted to him but he tried to convince me to be his girlfriend.
I started dating theatre producer Michael White after moving to London at 20. We met on a blind date and were together for 10 years.
He was 17 years older than me. He was cool, calm and collected and represented a safe haven. Michael was worldly – it was all I aspired to be. He was a mad party boy but also my rock.
In 1982, I moved to New York and started dating Al Pacino. I had met him a few months earlier at a party in LA when I was with Michael.
Al and I spent a few months together but he wasn't a huge amount of fun. He was shy and neurotic. It ended and I went to live in LA. We didn't see each other for six years.
I married TV producer Chris Thompson in 1986. We had a child, Lola, but split after three years together. Chris reminded me of Aussie blokes: fun, wicked and amusing. Our relationship happened quickly.
Chris had just done 30 days in rehab for cocaine addiction and was sober and on top of his game when we met. He was a brilliant writer who tried to stay sober and never succeeded. It was tough raising a child on my own. Chris was very close to Lola until he died last year.
I reconnected with Al in 1989 and we remained together for seven years. He was more cheerful this time around. I was outgoing and extroverted and he became more of an extrovert.
Al and I never married. We tried to adopt a baby girl called Adelaide while we were together but the mother changed her mind and wanted her back.
I adopted my son Nick at birth – Lola always wanted a sibling. Nick's sensitive and can't take criticism. I don't think many men can. I am really outspoken and have learnt to be more diplomatic. Even the mildest criticism can be taken the wrong way by men.
I am single but wouldn't mind dating again. I actually wouldn't mind being married again. I'm envious of people who have successful marriages. I'm a bit old-fashioned and think it's quite nice to be in a relationship with someone and make that commitment.
A Girl from Oz (Hardie Grant) by Lyndall Hobbs is out now.