Well, for one thing, you know my dad was a cop.
My dad was a man of great wisdom in his short time here.
My dad is a very quick-witted, sarcastic, dry, humorous guy, whereas my mom's very silly, and that side of the family is very musical.
I can be a rock star with a television show and still have a self-esteem problem. So it's nice to have your dad go, 'Hey Melissa, I'm proud of you - you're doing good.'
My dad photographed a lot of beautiful dancers. My mom was a dancer.
I play tons of authority figures, whether it's the dad or the cop or the boss. I think it's a combination of how I look, who I am.
We lost my dad in 2009 to leukemia. He taught me everything I know, and I love him very much.
That's all there was in our house: poetry and choir rehearsal and duets and so forth; I listened to Dad and Mother discuss things about poetry and delivery and voice and diction - I don't think anyone could know how much it really means.
My dad worked two jobs his whole life, and so I told him he's the reason I have 20 jobs.
I've hung out at dozens of playgrounds, bored out of my mind, with not even a look of comfort from disapproving mothers all around me. Either they think I'm a pedophile or a deadbeat dad. That's what I get for being a single dad - suspicious looks at the playground.
If your dad always has candy, how cool is he? Coolest dude in the world. My kids think I'm cool.
My dad's a photographer. So I suppose he named me Ansel just in case I would take over the family business. I guess I failed him.
I wouldn't be where I am without my dad. He's a genius.
My dad was a jingle writer, and my mom was a jewelry designer and musician.
And my dad drilled it in my head, you know, 'If you want it bad enough, and you're willing to make the sacrifices, you can do it. But first you have to believe in yourself.
My dad used to say to me, 'You look more like me than I do.'
I had the opportunity to go to law school, and my dad, who was an accountant, couldn't believe I wanted to walk away from that and start cooking.
My dad and I used to do movie marathons when I was a kid at the Chinese Theatre, and I just remember thinking, 'One day I want to have a movie here' And then later on, when 'Save The Last Dance' premiered there, that was definitely a full circle moment.
My mother is Italian and my dad's Irish. In my family, we're expressive. Nobody holds back.
My dad taught me how to fish. When I am stand in a trout stream now, and I have the waders on, and I've got a fly rod in my hand, or I am fishing for bass, I think of sitting in a boat with my dad. How can that be a bad experience?
Dad was very into electronics, robotics and computers, so I was interested in what he was doing.
If I didn't already sense that I was different, I certainly was reminded, whether by my parents or by the other school kids. Not just reminded. Told... I was made to believe it wasn't right. If I went a little bit too off - slap! It was Dad's upbringing and it was Victorian, and that's the way he was.
I finished high school, moved to Nashville for college, and set out to break into the music business. Every night when I called home with news of my experiences, my mom and dad would encourage me to keep taking those small steps.
I want to make him the proudest dad to have me and I want to show everybody and nearly be as good as him because he was the best.
Where I come from, you don't really talk about how much you're earning. Those things are private. My dad never told my mum how much he was earning. I'm certainly not going to tell the world. I'm doing well.
I kind of remember when I was young, I used to hang out with my dad sometimes. And I can remember just following him in and out of these domestic situations. Going to the grocery store, we'd go pick up my other brother, or we'd go here, go there.
One afternoon when I was 9, my dad told me I'd be skipping school the next day. Then we drove 12 hours from Melbourne to Sydney for the Centenary Test, a once-in-a-lifetime commemorative cricket match. It was great fun - especially for a kid who was a massive sports fan.
My mother's a psychologist, my stepfather's a psychologist, my stepmother is a therapist and my dad's a lawyer. So it was all prominent in my life. I don't know anyone who doesn't know someone on some form of prescription medicine.
As a five-year-old kid, I used to sit in front of the TV - I never missed 'Dukes of Hazzard,' not once. It was me and my dad's show.
Like my dad, I have a Christmas party most years. I like to celebrate and see as many people as possible.
My mom and dad? Oh, they were a fiery pair. They stayed together for the kids and also because they were hopelessly in love with each other, but they were totally incompatible.
My folks have played everything from rock, disco, pop, funk, and blues. My dad has always brought and played different genres like jazz, classical, and Latin. With all this in my pocket, I feel I have a taste of everything for my influences.
Before, I guess, mum and dad were everything, but now, in my case, I had two new girls and all of a sudden they're completely dependent on you and there's a third generation. It's a funny shift all of a sudden. You have the babies, you have yourself and then you have your parents.
When I was 7, we moved to New York because my dad's job was transferred.
My dad is Scottish, and he read in the newspaper about the plight of the Scottish Freshwater Mussel, which is a real thing - like, a very real, serious conservation issue. And he's a writer, and he was going to do a film about a Glaswegian gangster, and then I stole the idea and turned it into a romantic comedy.
My dad was a great movie companion. He wouldn't diminish 'The Jerk.' If I liked it, he liked it. He could see it through my eyes.