Biographies R to S

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

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.

My Anecdotal Life: A Memoir
Carl Reiner
In this funny and engaging memoir, one of the best raconteurs on the planet, Carl Reiner, recalls his life in show business in short comic takes. Mary Tyler Moore, Mel Brooks, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Johnny Carson, Ann Bancroft, and dozens of other entertainment personalities populate this "literary variety show" that captures the highs and lows of Reiner's prolific career. Hardcover 236 pp. $36.95.

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.

Julia Roberts Confidential: The Unofficial Biography
Paul Donnelly
Complete with black & white stills and a detailed filmography, Julia Roberts Confidential is the essential read for anyone who wants to know everything about Julia Robert's sensational career and fascinating private life. Hardcover, 246 pp. $38.95.

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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Looking at Me
Isabelle Rossellini
In Looking at Me Isabella Rossellini delivers the long awaited and mesmerizing beautiful photo book to compliment her whimsical autobiography Some of Me. In this visual feast we accompany Isabella as she looks at her favourite portraits and comments on them with wit, humour and self-irony. Hardcover, 144 pp. $24.95.

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.

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. $43.50.

Fantastic: The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger
Laurence Leamer
Fantastic is a biography like no other about a man like no other. The life of Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the most extraordinary success stories of our time. An immigrant with a heavy accent from a village in Austria, he became the greatest bodybuilder in history, the number one movie star in the world, the Republican husband of a Kennedy princess, and the governor of the greatest of American states, with a game plan that he hopes may take him to the White House. Hardcover, 421 pp. $32.95.

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. $23.95.

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.

A Grand Guy:
The Art and Life of Terry Southern
Lee Hill
A technicolour whirlwind, Terry Southern blew through 4 decades of partying with a wit, brilliance and success that astonished the world. He knew everyone and did everything --co-wrote Dr. Strangelove with Kubrick,shmoozed with Sartre and Camus, and appeared on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. A Grand Guy is "the intimate portrait of an unequaled satirist and satyrist whose appetite for life was enormous" and an altogether satisfying read in North American extravagance. $41.50.

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.

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. $29.95.

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Last modified February 16, 2009
Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars. All prices are subject to change without notice.