This is the story of the actress who became a Hollywood legend by winning the coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, and whose circle included both theatrical and political celebrities, from Winston Churchill to Noel Coward, John Gielgud, and Marlon Brando. But behind the dazzling exterior lay the sinister shadow of another Vivien ......
The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery
Based on author Herbie J Pilato's exclusive interviews with Elizabeth Montgomery prior to her death in 1995, Twitch Upon a Star includes insider material and commentary from several individuals associated with her remarkable life and career before, during, and after Bewitched, including her classic feature films The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell ......
Long before the silver screen placed Mary Pickford before the eyes of millions of Americans, this girl, born August 13, 1860 as Phoebe Anne Oakley Moses, had won the right to the title of the first "America's Sweetheart." After winning first prize at a shooting match as a teenager, Annie quickly gained worldwide fame as an incredible crack shot.
A self-defined "seductress of beautiful women" and the by-product of an immense fortune, lesbian activist Mercedes de Acosta (born in 1892) was descended from Spain's Dukes of Alba and a beneficiary of the best education and best social skills that her parents' Gilded Age fortune could buy. From her perch within the aristocracy of the Belle ......
The first detailed and in-depth researched biography of the acclaimed British actor Dennis Price, charting his rise to fame, his most famous roles, his battle with depression, alcohol and the tax man ... and how he outshone everything and everyone around him.
1966. The year of change. The year of division. The middle of the 1960s, the great dividing line between what America had been, and what it became. All of it, in all its color, glory, and ugliness, came symbolically together on a hot, humid weekend in Austin, Texas. The protagonist? None other John "Duke" Wayne, the larger-than-life movie hero ......
Anita Pallenberg, instantly recognisable as a member of The Rolling Stones rock n roll circus in the Sixties and Seventies, was no docile groupie. Fluent in four languages, she partied with the jet set in Rome, met Warhol, Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti in New York, was at home with London s leading lights of popular culture and went on to star in over ......
The third and final volume of Kevin J. Last's books about Cotchford Farm, Hartfield, East Sussex in three different eras. Semi-Detached Suburban Mr Jones is set in the 1960s and tells the story of Brian Jones, the only middle class member of the Rolling Stones and how he came to purchase Cotchford Farm as a country retreat away from the Stones ......
Presents the inside story of Robert Lindsay, one of Britain's best loved, best known actors. This book describes not only the lasting influences of his childhood, schooling and family, but also how his acting started and then took off with Citizen Smith.
Garry O'Connor's critically acclaimed biography, now expanded and revised, is a warm and revealing portrait of an actor famous not only for his acting gifts but for his eccentric charm. Drawing on archives of the Old Vic and on many conversations with Sir Ralph and those around him, O'Connor has not only chronicled the events of a long, ......
Hefner, the Playboy of the Western World, was a visionary publisher, an empire-builder, an avatar of pleasure, and a pajama-clad pipe-smoker with a pre-coital grin. In 1953, he published his first edition of Playboy, with Marilyn Monroe on the cover and her nude calendar inside. He obtained the rights for $500 with money borrowed from his ......
Born to a vagabond bookie working the U.K.'s racetracks, O'Toole as a very young man "became the most notorious sailor in Her Majesty's Royal Navy," before working as a hawker of balloons, a paparazzo, a newsman, and a steeplejack. He drifted into the London Theatre and studied ballet. Reed thin, toweringly tall, and larger than life, with blue ......
This volume selects from classical sources as well as contemporary ones to provide a challenging and enriching experience for both the dedicated professional and the inquisitive amateur.
Morgan Freeman is a reluctant American treasure. Dignified and wry, humble yet confident, he's a journeyman actor who suddenly found himself an overnight success at 50, an age when many actors, especially those of colour, are forced into retirement for lack of work.
In Mississippi, he stumbled on what would become his life's passion ......
Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman, and Nancy Davis -- All the Gossip Unfit to Pr
Long before two of its members became the most publicized leaders of the Free World, they were part of an amorous, "winner-take-all" love triangle that rocked Hollywood. Published after decades of research, this triple biography focuses on the one of the strangest three-sided love affairs in presidential history.
Benjamin Orr was the co-founder, co-lead singer, and bassist for the platinum-selling rock band The Cars. This first biography of Orr draws together interviews with over 120 of his family members, friends, and music associates, as well as many never-before-seen photos, to reveal an intimate portrait of one of classic rock's greatest talents.
After Betty Grable, but before there was Marilyn, America's penchant for popcorn blondes focused on LANA, the movie star who had it all: Looks to die for, money to burn, the romantic adulation of the world, and lovers who included the world's most desirable men. This expose of "The Ultimate Movie Star," is loaded with information that members of ......
Of all the male stars of Golden Age Hollywood, Kirk Douglas became the final survivor, the last icon of a fabled era that the world will never see again. When he celebrated his birthday in 2016, a headline read - 'Legendary Hollywood horndog turns 100.' He was both a charismatic actor and a man of uncommon force and vigour. His restless and ......
America's most enduring and legendary symbol of young rebellion, James Dean continues into the 21st Century to capture the imagination of the world. In recognition of his enduring appeal as Hollywood's most visible symbol of unrequited male rage, bars from California to Nigeria and Patagonia are named in his honour.
Jack Hawkins was the living embodiment of British ruggedness, resilience, humour, uprightness, and compassion on and off the screen. 'The Cruel Sea', 'Bridge on the River Kwai', 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'Zulu', 'Mandy' and 'Ben-Hur' were just a few of the scores of films which made him a top star. He built his fame not only on his acting ability, but ......
With commentary from key players and close friends including Vivienne Westwood, Paul Cook, Marco Pirroni, Holly Johnson, and her partner behind the SEX counter, Michael Collins - plus a wealth of never-before-seen images - Jordan reveals her outrageous life story.
On paper, Kenny Everett's qualifications did not look promising - not much in the way of education, physique or social skills, just a gift for funny voices, an oblique imagination and a way with a tape recorder. Yet, by an odd twist of fate, when in the 1960's and 70's the British radio revolution transformed the aural landscape, funny voices, ......
My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company
When Harry Carey, Sr., died in 1947, director John Ford cast Carey's twenty-six-year-old son, Harry, Jr., in the role of The Abilene Kid in 3 Godfathers. Ford and the elder Carey had filmed an earlier version of the story, and Ford dedicated the Technicolor remake to his memory. Company of Heroes is the story of the making of that film, as well ......
A celebration of the last great era of the cinematic sex siren - a time when the cultural revolution resulted in unprecedented liberation in the treatment of nudity on screen.
Maggie Mitchell, the First Musical Comedy Star of the American Stage
This, the first biography of the first American musical comedy star, Maggie Mitchell (1836-1918), elucidates her explosive talent, her manifold challenges, and her indomitable perseverance in delighting audiences for forty years. As an icon of respectability in a field often condemned by moralists, she left a legacy of unparalleled achievement.
This hot, two-in-one biography examines the complicated co-dependencies of the greatest but most dysfunctional mother-daughter act in showbiz, Debbie Reynolds and her talented, often traumatized daughter, Carrie Fisher. After years of feuds and separations, they reunited at the end of their lives. Today, their legions of fans like to think ......
How a Nude Centerfold Sex Symbol Seduced Hollywood
In the 1970s and '80s, Burt Reynolds represented a new breed of movie star: Charming and relentlessly macho, he was a good ol' Southern boy who made hearts throb and audiences laugh. He was Burt Reynolds, a football hero and a guy you might have shared some jokes with in a redneck bar. After an impressive but tormented career, rivers of negative ......
