Biographies R to S

See also: Film: Biographies: Backlist, Directors and Producers

Shootin' the Shit with Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
In freewheeling conversations with his friend and producer Scott Mosier, Kevin Smith rants about: how the final Harry Potter book should have ended, the possibility that Helen Keller was faking it, the horrifying tale of Kevin vs. steak tartare, and several other off-the-wall topics. This is Kevin Smith at his defiantly lewd and breathtakingly rude best. Softcover, 363 pp. $18.95.

Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice
David J. Skal
In this engaging biography, noted Hollywood author/writer David J. Skal draws on more than thirty hours of newly released Rains interviews to create the first full-length biography of the gifted actor. Skal's layered depiction of Rains reveals a complex, almost inscrutable man whose nuanced characterizations were, in no small way, based on a more shadowy part of his psyche. With unprecedented access to episodes from Rains's private life, Skal tells the full story of the consummate character actor of his generation. Hardcover, 290 pp. $41.95.

Secret Dreams: A Biography of Michael Redgrave
Alan Strachan
Of all the great actors of the twentieth century, Michael Redgrave was perhaps the most wide ranging in his talent and yet the most private, with a personal life of utmost complexity, often secret in its details. Using Redgrave's diaries and archives -- made available for the first time -- Alan Strachan has uncovered the full story of an extraordinary talent and an unorthodox life. Softcover, 592 pp. $19.95.

Ghost Light
Frank Rich
Written with humour and eloquence, Rich's memoir is a moving account of a childhood transformed by a passion for theatre. A joyous and triumphant coming-of-age story in which the stagestruck daydreams of a young boy blossom into a lifelong love affair. Cassette tapes $38.95.

Alan Rickman
The Unauthorised Biography
Maureen Paton
Widely known for his substantial work in film, Alan Rickman is also one of Britain's greatest theatre actors. No matter whether he is performing on stage, screen, or television, Rickman has always shown great versatility by personifying the villian, the comic actor, and the romantic lead. In this detailed biography, Maureen Paton encompasses the private, professional and political life of this most enigmatic, charismatic and intensely private actor. Softcover, 296 pp. $23.95.

Diana Rigg: The Biography
Kathleen Tracy
Diana Rigg biographer Kathleen Tracy reveals the fascinating professional and personal life of this rebellious, outspoken icon of feminism -- from her childhood in India and early days with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London to her tenure on The Avengers, her role in the Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service and her distinguished stage career. Softcover, 281 pp. $23.95.


Paul Robeson: A Biography
Martin Duberman
Passionate and enormously talented, Paul Robeson lived one of the great lives of the twentieth century. Martin Duberman's classic biography is a monumental and powerfully affecting portrait of one of this century's most notable performers, political radicals, and champions of racial equality. Drawing on a vast archive of family papers and interviews with friends and relatives, as well as FBI files, Paul Robeson charts the heroic and tragic course of Robeson's life. Softcover, 804 pp. $33.95.

Little Caesar: A Biography of Edward G. Robinson
Alan L. Gansberg
With his compelling combination of aggression and vulnerability, Edward G. Robinson defined, for the huge Depression-era moviegoing public, the idea of the snarling, immigrant antihero. This stunning biography penetrates Robinson's easily caricatured screen presence, to reveal a sensitive and complex man who was at the very heart of the troubling politics of Hollywood. Softcover, 305 pp. $29.95.

Astaire and Rogers
Edward Gallafent
From Flying Down to Rio to The Barkleys of Broadway, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made ten films together, dancing their way into Hollywood history and the hearts of the American moviegoing public. This is the first book to pay tribute to the genuine cinematic contribution of these magnificent performers. Illustrated throughout with black & white photographs. Softcover, 256 pp. $26.95.

King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West
Raymond E. White
Raymond E. White presents Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in the most comprehensive and inclusive account to date. Par narrative, part reference, this impeccably researched, highly accessible survey spans the entire scope of their carrers and highlights their place in twentieth-century American popular culture. Softcove, 530 pp. $33.95.

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I Shudder
Paul Rudnick
Charming and touching, I Shudder is rendered in Paul Rudnick's gorgeous, zinger-laden prose and reminds us of our need to keep our tongues sharp in the midst of life's many obstacles and absurdities. Hardcover, 318 pp. $31.50.

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.

Margaret Rutherford: Dreadnought with Good Manners
Andy Merriman
Though primarily know as Miss Marple (in four films!), Margaret Rutherford also brought her idiosyncratic charms to such thoroughly English classics as Blithe Spirit, The Importance of Being Earnest, Passport to Pimlico and I'm All Right, Jack! Even though it was as a comic actress that she enjoyed her greatest success, this book reveals that she didn't set out to be funny and she would have loved to be cast in more serious dramatic fare. In all, this is an immensely compassionate and sometimes shocking portrait of an eccentric, vulnerable, naive, lovable woman, generous to a fault, who delighted audiences with some of the finest comic performances of any British actress. Hardcover, 296 pp. $41.95.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Movies
Dave Saunders
This is the first comprehensive, in-depth study to examine one of modern cinema's most celebrated yet divisive screen presences. Tracing Schwarzenegger's entire film career and life from teenage bodybuilder to Governor of California, Dave Saunders blends close textual readings of the major films with salient historical context and biographical detail, demonstrating continually the importance of broader social and political factors in defining Arnold's unique significance. Softcover, 245 pp. $20.95.

Zachary Scott: Hollywood's Sophisticated Cad
Ronald L. Davis
Throughout the 1940s, Zachary Scott (1914-1965) was the model for sophisticated, debonair villains in American film. His best-known roles include a mysterious criminal in The Mask of Dimitrios and the indolent husband of Mildred Pierce. He garnered further acclaim for his portrayal of villains in Her Kind of Man, Danger Signal, and South of St. Louis. Although he earned critical praise for his performance as a heroic tenant farmer in Jean Renoir's The Southener, Scott never quite escaped typecasting. In Zachary Scott: Hollywood's Sophisticated Cad, Ronald L. Davis writes an appealing biography of the film star. To reconstruct Scott's life, Davis uses interviews with Scott and colleagues, and he uses reviews, articles, and archival correspondance from the Scott papers at the University of Texas and from the Warner Brothers Archives. The result is a portrait of a talented actor who was rarely allowed to show his versatility on the screen. Hardcover, 238 pp. $38.95.

Peter Sellers: A Life in Character
Adrian Rigelsford
Peter Sellers: A Life in Character details his extraordinary career from his first stage appearance as a babe in arm, his early days in show business and the classic radio era, to the heights of Hollywood stardom. It is packed with stories and anecdotes from those who knew and admired him, as well as interviews with Sellers himself. Softcover, 192 pp. $24.95.

Mr. Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers
Ed Sikov
Screamingly funny and desperately unhappy, Peter Sellers broke all the rules of comedy with an explosive talent that made him a beloved figure in the world of cinema. Now, acclaimed biographer Ed Sikov offers a true behind-the-scenes look -- based on dozens of interviews and exhaustive research -- at the work and mysterious inner life of this extraordinarily gifted comic genius. Softcover, 433 pp. $25.95.

Simone Signoret: The Star as Cultural Sign
Susan Hayward
In this remarkable publication, Susan Hayward provides a carefully researched account of the film career and cultural significance of one of the great French actresses of the 20th century, Simone Signoret. Softcover, 289 pp. $38.95.

Alastair Sim: The Star of Scrooge and The Belles of St. Trinian's
Mark Simpson
Alastair Sim was an enigmatic character both on and off the screen. His idiosyncratic style of acting in films such as The Belles of St. Trinian's endeared him to a cinema-going audience desperate to escape the day-to-day dreariness of an invasive, bureaucratic post-war Britain. Drawing on contributions from thirty of his acting colleagues, this biography offers a rare and fascinating insight into the life and contradictions of one of Britain's most respected and best-loved actors. Hardcover, 256 pp. $42.95.

Jimmy Stewart: A Biography
Marc Eliot
Jimmy Stewart's all-American good looks and deceptively easygoing style of acting made him one of Hollywood's greatest and most enduring stars. Despite the indelible image he projected of innocence and quiet self-assurance, Stewart's life was more complex and sophisticated than most of the characters he played. With fresh insight and unprecedented access, bestselling biographer Marc Eliot finally tells the previously untold story of one of our greatest screen and real-life heroes. Softcover, 462 pp. $21.00.

Streep: A Life in Film
Iain Johnstone
Meryl Streep may not need an introduction, but as one of the most celbrated actresses of all time any insight into her life and work is certainly welcome. Here, in the first biography of Streep in 20 years, writer and journalist Iain Johnstone tracks her rise through the New York theatre scene to becoming one of Hollywood's greatest talents. Softcover, 240 pp. $24.95.

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.

The Importance of Being Barbra
Tom Santopietro
A diva among divas--Barbra Streisand, the last genuinely unique show business personality of the 20th century, is the most honoured entertainer in the world today. In Tom Santopietro's witty yet analytical look at this one-of-a-kind career, the myths and personal foibles are stripped away, and the focus lands squarely on the work. This is a full-scale examination for all those who have wondered at the phenomenon that is Barbra Streisand. Hardcover, 228 pp. $16.25.

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Last modified March 19, 2010.
Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars. All prices are subject to change without notice.