Film Biographies

New & Featured

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years
Julie Andrews
In Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, Julie Andrews takes her readers on a warm, moving and often humorous journey from a difficult upbringing in war-torn Britain to tthe moment in 1962, when Walt Disney himself saw her on Broadway and cast her as the world's most famous nanny. Hardcover, 339 pp. $28.95.

Things I've Said but Probably Shouldn't Have
Bruce Dern
Bruce Dern is one of Hollywood's harderst working actors and most outrageous personalities. His career has run the gamut from B movies to Z movies to be coming an Oscar nominee and has included some of the most indelible performances in modern cinema. He has worked with practically every iconic actor and director in the last fifty years - and he's not afraid to say what he thinks about all of them. Hardcover, 298 pp. $26.99.

It's Good To Be The King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks
James Robert Parish
It's Good to Be the King traces the life and career of little Melvin Kaminsky. It examines the roots of Brooks's need to entertain and how he developed his unique blend of slapstick, satire, and just plain silliness into a winning and flexible comedy style that would stand the test of time. Hardcover, 325 pp. $30.99.

Not the Girl Next Door
Charlotte Chandler
In this fascinating new biography of screen legend Joan Crawford, Charlotte Chandler draws on exclusive and remarkably candid interviews with Crawford herself and with others who knew her, including her first husband Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Crawford's daughter Cathy. As a result, this biography is fresh and revealing, a brand-new look at one of Hollywood's most acclaimed stars. Hardcover, 316 pp. $29.99.

Sacha Baron Cohen: From Cambridge to Kazakhstan
Kathleen Tracy
In Sacha Baron Cohen, biographer Kathleen Tracy traces Cohen's roots as a soft-spoken son of an English clothier and follows his trail to Cambridge, where he ditched the idea of pursuing a Ph.D. for an infinitely trickier comedy career. As we wait to see just what Cohen will come up with next, Tracy gets the man behind the characters--and details the outrageous moves Cohen has made in character as the boorish English hip-hop journalism Ali G, the tender and tactless Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev, and more. Softcover, 278 pp. $16.25.

David Mamet: A Life in the Theatre
Ira Nadel
Breaking through David Mamet's notoriously private persona, Ira Nadel delivers a revealing and insightful biography of the celebrated playwright, director, and essayist. With verve and precision, Nadel delves deep into Mamet's complicated family life, his life before the theatre, and his early career. By using Mamet's plays and other writing as a guide, Nadel is able to find clarity in Mamet's extraordinary life. Hardcover, $29.95.

Nicole Kidman
David Thomson
From brilliant film historian and critic David Thomson, a book the reinvents the star biography in a singularly illuminating portrait of Nicole Kidman and what it means to be a top actress today. At once life story, love letter and critical analysis, this is not merely a book about who Kidman is but what she is -- in our culture and in our minds, on and off-screen. Impassioned, opinionated and strikingly original in its approach and ideas, Nicole Kidman is as alluring and as much fun as Nicole Kidman herself, and David Thomson's most remarkable book yet. Softcover, 286 pp. $18.95.

Clark Gable: Tormented Star
David Bret
Clark Gable was the archetypal Hollywood supermensch, the kind of man red-blooded women lusted after, and whom their envious husbands yearned to be. But David Bret reveals that there was more about Gable then what met the eye. Bret draws on a wealth of unpublished material to examine every aspect of Clark Gable's career and personal life, telling his story as it has never been told before. Hardcover, 276 pp. $32.50.

George Clooney: The Last Great Movie Star
Kimberly Potts
In this long awaited and only up-to-date biography of one of Hollywood's most colorful leading men, pop culture expert Kimberly Potts traces Clooney's life from smalltown boy to big-screen idol. Potts also recounts how Clooney has gained success and acclaim with his shrewd strategy of alternating blockbuster movie roles with les lucrative "passion" projects -- such as Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck -- that reflect his personal ethics. Including essential Clooney photographs, a filmography, timeline and a list of his favorite 100 films, this is the book no Clooney fan will want to be without. Softcover, 256 pp. $22.95.

Five Easy Decades
Dennis McDougal
In many ways, Jack Nicholson's story mirrors that of Hollywood. For fifty years - from J.J. Gittes to the Joker; Easy Rider to Five Easy Pieces; The Shining, Terms of Endearment, and A Few Good Men to As Good As It Gets and The Departed - his life and career reflect the shifting fortunes of an industry that set the cultural pace for America, and then the world. Find out how it all happened, through triumph and trauma, in Five Easy Decades. Hardcover, 484 pp. $30.99.

Otherwise Engaged: The Life of Alan Bates
Donald Spoto
In 1956, Alan Bates was cast in John Osborne's controversial play, Look Back in Anger. The play changed the course of British theatre - and of Alan's life. During his career, Bates has appeared in more than 80 plays, 45 films and 32 television dramas. Here, Donald Spoto chronicles his artistic achievements against the backdrop of a complicated personal life. This exclusively authorised biography paints a portrait of a complex and remarkable personality. Hardcover, 308 pp. $39.95.

Back to top

The Groucho Letters
Groucho Marx
Donated to the Library of Congress in the mid-1960s, Groucho Marx's correspondence was first crafted into this celebration of wit and wisdom in 1967. Reissued today with his original letters and humor intact, The Groucho Letters exposes one of the twentieth century's most beloved comedian's private insights into show biz, politics, business, and, of course, his illustrious personal life. Included are Marx's conversations with such noted personalities as E.B. White, Fred Allen, Goodman Ace, Nunally Johnson, James Thurber, Booth Tarkington, Alistair Cooke, Harry Truman, Irving Berlin, and S.J. Perelman. Softcover, 319 pp. $19.99.

Brass Diva: The Life and Legends of Ethel Merman
Caryl Flinn
This marvelously detailed biography of La Merm is the first to tell the full story of how the stenographer from Queens became the queen of the Broadway musical in its golden age. Mining official and unofficial sources, Caryl Flinn unearths new details of Merman's life and finds that behind the high-octane personality was a remarkable pragmatic woman, who never lost sight of her roots. Hardcover, 538 pp. $41.95.

The Diary of a Professional Experiencer
Eric Morris
The Diary of a Professional Experiencer is the sixth in a series of books written by Eric Morris. Unlike his other books, this is a very personal account of his frustrations and struggles as he strives to discover how the actor creates reality on the stage or in film. The book chronicles Morris' encounters with many famous teachers, actors, directors, producers, and writers, as well as not-so-famous people, who influenced, challenged, and inspired him on his journey. Softcover, 400 pp. $22.95.

Audrey Hepburn: A Life in Pictures
Yann-Brice Dherbier
There is no need to introduce Audrey Hepburn. She has become such an icon of cinema and fashion with her timeless style, the epitome of beauty, chic and glamour, that her image is now imprinted on the collective conciousness. But behind the style and the glamour of the big screen lay a sensitive woman who never forgot her childhood experience of war, and it is this rare, exceptional woman that we rediscover in this beautiful volume. Hardcover, 192 pp. $60.00.

Christopher Lee: The Authorised Screen History
Jonathan Rigby
Christopher Lee: The Authorised Screen History chronicles Lee's entire career, including his starring role as James Bond's nemesis in The Man With the Golden Gun and his more recent appearances in the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars epics. Compiled with the co-operation of Christopher Lee, and featuring many previously unseen photographs from mhis private collection, this is the definitive guide to one of cinemas last true legends. Softcover, 272 pp. $22.95.

Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn
Donald Spoto
Her name is synonymous with elegance, style and grace. Over the course of her extraordinary life and career, Audrey Hepburn captured hearts around the world and created a public image that stands as one of the most recognizable and beloved in recent memory. With Enchantment, Donald Spoto has written a poignant, funny and deeply moving biography of an unforgettable woman. Softcover, 352 pp. $21.00.

Audrey Hepburn: In Breakfast at Tiffany's and other photographs
Howell Conant
Howell Conant took publicity shots on the set during the filming of Breakfast at Tiffany's in New York City in 1960, as well as at locations such as Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue and in his Manhattan studio. Audrey Hepburn reprised all the fascinating personality traits of the capricious social butterfly Holly Golightly for Conant's camera. These photographs recreate the magic that made Audrey Hepburn the darling of moviegoers around the world and a timeless favourite with film fans of today. Hardcover, 118 pp. $32.00.

The Real Life of Laurence Olivier
Roger Lewis
In this classic biography of Laurence Olivier, Roger Lewis goes beyond the magical illusions the actor created to tell the truth about the man's sexuality, ambition, revenges, power, preoccupations and achievements. Olivier's life and work become a love story - the tale of the relationship with Vivien Leigh, who was destroyed by the extent of her passion for him, as he himself was cast into a frenzy of guilt and disillusionment. Softcover, 347 pp. $25.95.

Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell
Bernard F. Dick
Drawing on personal interviews and information from the archives of Russell and her producer-husband Frederick Brisson, Bernard Dick begins with Russell's childhood in Waterbury, Connecticut, and chronicles her early attempts to achieve recognition after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. This biography traces an extraordinary career and life of a true star of the Golden Age. Hardcover, 289 pp. $38.00.

Starring Brian Linehan
George Anthony
The elegant host of talk shows City Lights and then Linehan, Brian Linehan interviewed mmmore than two thousand stars over three decades - eventually becoming as famous as the people he spoke with. George Anthony, one of Linehan's oldest friends and colleagues, reveals all: the wit, the infighting, the insecurity, the famous friends, and the groundbreaking interviews. Deeply personal, Starring Brian Linehan is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, as it traces Linehan's rise to fame, his troubled private life, and his death by cancer in 2004. Hardcover, 342 pp. $34.99.

Back to top

The Tom Hanks Enigma
David Gardner
Despite his worldwide success, Tom Hanks remains a mysterious and enigmatic character. In this wonderful portrait of a dedicated family man and professional, acclaimed journalist David Gardner looks at Tom Hanks' life - his fractured childhood, the breakdown of his first marriage, his moral and political stance, family life, and the highs and lows of his stellar career. With insightful interviews with his close friends, colleagues and family, this book is a revealingly intimate portrait of the much-loved Hollywood star. Sosftcover, 328 pp. $18.95.

Reese Witherspoon
Lauren Brown
The first-ever biography of the Hollywood superstar, including a chronicle of her childhood, her rapid rise to the top, and her high-profile marriage to - and divorce from - Ryan Phillippe. Softcover, 183 pp. $18.50.

Barbra: The Way She Is
Christopher Anderson
She is a global icon, the ultimate diva, the Brooklyn girl made good, the ugly duckling who blossomed into a modern-day Nefertiti, the Oscar-winning actress and bona fide movie mogul, and arguably the greatest female singer who has ever lived. Equally adored and despised, she is one of the world's most recognized celebrities - yet to the multitudes who idolize her, Barbra Streisand has remained aloof and unknowable...until now. Softcover, 436 pp. $18.95.

In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures
Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren has been working in stage, film and television for over forty years and is one of the world’s most admired actors. Her early beginnings were not always glamorous, as she reveals in this delightful memoir. Beginning with the story of her Russian antecedents stranded in England by the Bolshevik revolution, Mirren takes us through a life story that is richly documented with photographs and memorabilia collected from her earliest days to the present. A memoir and a life to savour from one of the great personalities of our age. Hardcover. $37.95.

Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life
Steve Martin
Steve Martin is and always has been a writer. In this subtly intimate memoir, Martin illuminates the sacrifice, discipline and originality that made him an icon and informs his work to this day. While telling his story he also paints a vivid portrait of his times from “free love “ to the Vietnam war and student protests. Whether as a performer, actor or writer, Martin’s memoir reveals the unique qualities that have inspired his creativity. Illustrated with over forty photos from his personal collection. Hardcover, $28.99 $25.99, also on CD $34.99.

Rock Hudson: His Story
Rock Hudson & Sara Davidson
Throughout his career, Rock Hudson kept his private life private. However, when it became known in 1985 that he had AIDS, his first concern was that the public know the real story of his life. Drawing on interviews, his letters, photographs, documents, and unlimited access to his closest circle of friends and colleagues, Sara Davidson has written the only complete, authorized, and accurate book that tells the intimate story of his life and career. Softcover, 234 pp. $20.95.

Becoming Jane Austen
Jon Spence
Jon Spence's brilliant biography of Jane Austen is an intimate portrait of the much loved novelist. Spence paints a vivid picture of Jane's world; her situation and circumstances, their benefits and drawbacks, and the people who influenced her -- family and friends, rejected suitors, tiresome acquaintances and unruly nephews. Becoming Jane Austen shows how her personal experiences resonated throughout her great body of work. Softcover, 294 pp. $18.95.

Considering Doris Day
Tom Santopietro
The biggest female box-office attraction in Hollywood history, Doris Day remains unequaled as the only entertainer who has ever triumphed in movies, radio, recordings, and a multi-year weekly television series. Tom Santopietro uncovers the unexpected facets of Day's surprisingly sexy acting and singing style. Considering Doris Day is a book that grants Doris Day her rightful place as a singular American artist. Hardcover, 388 pp. $31.95.

The Wah-Wah Diaries
Richard E. Grant
In 2006 Richard E. Grant made his debut behind the camera with the acclaimed Wah-Wah, an autobiographical movie about his childhood in Swaziland. The Wah-Wah Diaries are the highly personal story of his first experiences as writer and director: a candid account of the highs and lows of movie-making, of the pain and pleasure of revisiting his early years, and above all of the grit, determination and humour it takes to realize a dream. Softcover, 261 pp. $17.99.

Back to top

Last modified May 8, 2008 .
Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars. All prices are subject to change without notice.