Fans of television’s #1 rated daytime drama “The Young and the Restless” know Eric Braeden as billionaire Victor Newman. While the iconic part won him a daytime Emmy, a People’s Choice Award, and contributed to his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Eric, born Hans-Jörg Gudegast in Nazi Germany, is a far more complex character in real life than he plays on TV.

In I’LL BE DAMNED: How My Young and Restless Life Led Me to America’s #1 Daytime Drama (Dey Street Books; On sale February 7, 2017), Braeden shares his fantastic journey from his birth in Kiel, Germany, in 1941 to the soundstages of Los Angeles. With unflinching candor, he chronicles this extraordinary life story—that of a German teenager, born at the height of WWII, who arrived in America somewhat oblivious to the atrocities of the Holocaust.

When Braeden was twenty years old, he went to see the Swedish film Mein Kampf. He left that film—a documentary about the atrocities committed by Hitler and the Nazis—an irrevocably changed man, determined to confront his family, filled with rage, shame, and a profound confusion. He writes, “The more I learned, the more impassioned I became, and the more I felt the need to atone on behalf of my country, to find a meaningful way to say, ‘Germans are not all like that! I’m not like that!’” Trying to redress the wrongs of his homeland, Braeden has dedicated his life off camera to humanitarian work.

Now, in this moving memoir, Braeden recounts tales from every stage of his career, from his starring role in “The Rat Patrol” in the 1960s to his first time credited as Eric Braeden in “Colossus: The Forbin Project” to the steps of the winding staircase in “Titanic.” He opens up about his quest to find meaning in the difficult and sometimes frustrating work of his early career, cast in movie after movie as the stereotypical German soldier. He describes travelling around the world with his beloved bride and young son to gorgeous film locations and having the sincere honor of meeting such personal role models as Muhammad Ali and Marlon Brando. And with surprising modesty and humor, Braeden details his thrilling rise to stardom on Y&R, disclosing insider stories and hilarious anecdotes from the set.

Through it all, Braeden demonstrates his dedication to righting the wrongs of his native land, and to fighting prejudice, from his participation on the Maccabees—a Jewish soccer team made up of expats who became lifelong friends—to his participation in the annual March of the Living, visiting the concentration camps in Poland with Christians and Jews to honor the millions who perished there.

Filled with 16 pages of photos from Braeden’s decorated life and career, I’LL BE DAMNED will be a keepsake not only for Y&R fans, but also for those interested in a redemptive story about a life dedicated to humanitarian service.