I've always wanted to meet and interview acting great Ernest Borgnine.

I came close to doing it in September 2001 when Borgnine was, in all places, right here in Michigan City.

That year, he was here for The Great Lakes Museum of Military History's Fifth Annual Celebrity Golf Classic & Reception held at Whittaker Woods in New Buffalo, Mich., which featured a reception held at Mainstreet Theater in Michigan City.

Only problem was I was out of town at the time.

Eight years later, I have another chance for a face to face with Borgnine, and so do Times readers. And I'm giving fans plenty of notice to mark calendars.

Borgnine, who turned 92 in January, will be signing copies of the just-released paperback version of his popular autobiography "Ernie: The Autobiography" (2008 Kensington Publishing - Hardcover $24.95). He'll be at the Borders Books and Music, 830 N. Michigan Ave. at 7 p.m. July 20.

To quote his publicist: "We wept at his Oscar-winning role in "Marty,"(1955) and gasped when he took on Frank Sinatra in "From Here to Eternity" (1953) and were riveted by his compelling performances in "The Dirty Dozen" (1967) and "Bad Day at Black Rock" (1955) and we laughed at his television sitcom "McHale's Navy" (1962). We loved all of Ernest Borgnine's many portrayals, but what did we know about the man behind the famous roles? Now for the first time, he tells us in his own words the fascinating story of his life in this witty, candid, and revealing memoir."

Of course, being (a bit) younger at age 38, I always think of him opposite the late, great Shelley Winters in Irwin Allen's 1972 20th Century Fox disaster movie classic "The Poseidon Adventure" co-starring Red Buttons, Gene Hackman, Stella Stevens, Leslie Nielsen and Pamela Sue Martin.

This is a man with a long and wonderful history in the business and his autobiography is plenty juicy with lost of unbelievable details.

He's heard and done it all.

In fact, when the classic, silly and popular game show "Hollywood Squares" premiered in 1966, Borgnine was the first star to occupy the now famous "center square," later the steady home of caustic comic Paul Lynde.

And much like his co-star Winters, Borgnine has lived in his same house in Beverly Hills since 1965.

He's always equally famous for his marriages.

In fact, right along with Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney and Elizabeth Taylor and Nicky Hilton and Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd, Borgnine ranks along with these undynamic duo's as having one of the shortest marriages ever on record.

He was married to the equally loud and opinionated entertainer Ethel Merman for just 32 brief days. They married on June 26, 1964, and quickly found they disliked one another. After much champagne and celebrating, they had announced the impending nuptials at P.J. Clarke's, a legendary night spot in New York City. They met while starring on Broadway together in Noel Coward's stage musical "Private Lives," and a famed caricature by stage artist Al Hirschfeld even captured the couple during a (brief?) happy moment holding toasting glasses.

It was his third marriage and her fourth.

According to Borgnine, he called it "the biggest mistake of his life."

And because of too much champagne, quipped: "I thought I was marrying Rosemary Clooney."

As for Merman, who died at age 75 in 1984, she described both Borgnine and the marriage both as "a big fat mistake."

She dedicated a whole chapter to the marriage in her 1978 autobiography "Merman."

It was a blank page.

Now, Borgnine, with his new book, gets to have the last word.

Today, he is happily married to his fifth wife, Norwegian-born Tove Traesnaes, who he met in 1972.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or 219.852.4327.

Today's Celebrity Birthdays

Actor-director Clint Eastwood is 79. Singer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary is 71. Keyboardist Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornadoes and the Sir Douglas Quintet is 69. Actress Sharon Gless ("Cagney and Lacey") and original "Mickey Mouse Club" mouseketeer Lonnie Burr are 66. Actors Gregory Harrison and Tom Berenger are 59. Comedian Chris Elliott and actor Kyle Secor ("Homicide: Life on the Street") are 49. Actress Lea Thompson ("Caroline in the City," "Back to the Future") is 48. Singer Corey Hart is 47. Rapper DMC of Run-DMC is 45. Actress Brooke Shields is 44. East Chicago Major Leaguer Kenny Lofton and country bassist Ed Adkins of The Derailers are 42. Actor Colin Farrell is 33. Trumpet player Scott Klopfenstein of Reel Big Fish is 32. Drummer Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy is 29. Liberty Irene Kasem (daughter of Casey Kasem and Jean Kasem) is

19.