You might remember Alan Cumming from the High Life, but stateside he is best known for his role in "Cabaret” on Broadway, he also continues to appear in the hit series "The Good Wife" as the political force Eli Gold. 

But Alan Cumming has written a book that will shock you; it chronicles a sad, traumatic childhood rife with family secrets and a revelation which changed his life forever.

The book’s narrative is set around a television show; in 2010 producers in the UK approached Alan to appear on a popular celebrity genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? Alan agreed to do the programme.

He hoped the show would solve a family mystery involving his maternal grandfather, a celebrated WWII hero who disappeared in Malaysia.

But as the truth of his family ancestors revealed itself, Alan learned far more than he bargained for about himself, his past, and his own father.

His father would hurt Alan and his brother Tom and terrorised them as youngsters, depriving them of hobbies they loved and robbing them of their self confidence.

“He used to beat my brother and I, he was very blatant and open about the other women he was seeing so he treated my mother with great disdain and he treated us very violently – he was also an incredibly charismatic man and to many he was the life and soul of the party.”

Alan lost touch with his father after he and his mother Mary separated when he was 19, but what he didn’t know was that his father had been harbouring a dark secret for years which comes to light in the book.

Before the filming of ‘Who Do you Think You Are?’  Tom, Alan’s brother came to him with startling news, their father was claiming not to be Alan’s biological father, citing an alleged affair that their mother had around the time of his conception.

This sets into motion a new chapter in Alan’s life that culminates in a surprising way.

Soon after filming had wrapped and the show was due to be broadcast, Alan’s father died.

“You can’t rationalise someone who is irrational, you can’t expect reason from someone who is unreasonable. I’m never going to be satisfied, I’m never going to find out the real story but I can accept that he was not able to give me what I need and that has been liberating”

Alan stars as the political powerhouse Eli Gold in the CBS smash hit ‘The Good Wife’ which enthralls viewers around the world by show casing the exploits of a top Chicago law firm.

After the last season of “The Good Wife” ended with an almighty twist, Alan assured Sean that in the new season, no key cast members are killed off so far...

The name of Alan Cumming’s memoir is ‘Not My Father's Son’ and it is available in all good book shops. 

Listen back to the full interview on Moncrieff here: