Showing titles in Actors

Once upon a time a girl said, ‘In India, real people don’t become movie stars’. The same girl became the biggest crossover star. That very girl can’t walk around in New York City now ‘without being mobbed’. That’s Priyanka Chopra for you. The quintessential ‘Girl Uninterrupted’. She came from a small-town middle-class family in North India. During the Miss India contest, she was grilled by none other than Shah Rukh Khan. She prevailed and won the hearts of millions.

Although she came of age in an era when Hollywood studios were looking for blonde bombshells like Marilyn Monroe, and she followed that path to instant stardom, Jayne Mansfield had one of the most unique Hollywood careers in the 1950s and 1960s.

Buckle up for the ride through the lesser known side of Hollywood. The side you don't see on the screen and have only heard about on the news. In this book we will take a deeper look into the lives and deaths of ten of Hollywood's most famous and infamous deaths. You already know their names and their movies - now learn what drove them to death's door and what finally pushed them through.

In 1986, Paul Newman and his closest friend, screenwriter Stewart Stern, began an extraordinary project. Stuart was to compile an oral history, to have Newman's family and friends and those who worked closely with him, talk about the actor's life. And then Newman would work with Stewart and give his side of the story. The only stipulation was that anyone who spoke on the record had to be completely honest. That same stipulation applied to Newman himself. The project lasted five years. The result is an extraordinary memoir, culled from thousands of pages of transcripts.

In the first full biography of actor Sidney Poitier, Aram Goudsouzian analyzes the life and career of a Hollywood legend, from his childhood in the Bahamas to his 2002 Oscar for lifetime achievement. Poitier is a gifted actor, a great American success story, an intriguing personality, and a political symbol; his life and career illuminate America's racial history.

For two moviegoing generations, Cary Grant was class—an effortless embodiment of gentlemanly grace and humor. But Cary Grant’s greatest achievement was in creating himself and the irresistible character he became. In this savvy, fascinating portrait, McCann tracks the transformation of a life and looks closely at the sources of Cary Grant’s charms, which did not come easily. Generously filled with anecdotes about fellow actors and directors, a realistic portrait of a complicated man emerges.

It was one of the most famous romances of the 20th century - Europe's most eligible bachelor, Prince Rainier of Monaco, and America's most beautiful movie star, the Academy Award-winning actress Grace Kelly, fell in love against the backdrop of the closest thing the modern world has to a magical kingdom, the French Riviera's Principality of Monaco. Grace of Monaco takes listeners beneath the surface glitz and the glamour of Monte Carlo for a never-to-be-forgotten portrait of the House of Grimaldi.

Returning to her parents’ birthplace in 1994, Pamela Nomvete became a household name as Ntsiki Lukhele, “the bitch”, on a South African soap opera called Generations. Dancing to the Beat of the Drum details the traumatic personal crisis Pamela went through as her success grew—a crisis which took everything she had worked for from her—and how she came to re-evaluate her priorities and reconnect with the spiritual side of her life, something she had long neglected.

For more than 20 years, Englishman Richard Gregson was one of the most powerful film personalities in Hollywood and London. As the agent for Robert Redford, John Schlesinger, Alan Bates, Frederic Raphael and producer Jo Janni, he saw the industry from many angles and met ‘anyone who was anyone’ in Hollywood including Frank Sinatra and members of the Mafia.

Covering more than 30 years of Reagan's film and television work, Marc Eliot sheds new light on Reagan's bachelor life, his two marriages, and his two runs as the president of SAG. It also examines his personal relationship with superagent Lew Wasserman, the crucial player who helped develop Reagan's movie-star persona, which would prove essential to his eventually becoming President of the United States.

Harry Houdini's story is the classic American tale of an immigrant who from impoverished beginnings made it big in the United States. Born in Hungary as Erik Weisz, he was brought up in Wisconsin, USA and first developed his acts at the age of 17 after a childhood in poverty. Captivated by magic shows, he began performing tricks on stage with one of his brothers, and then with his wife. From being bound in chains to massive locks and straight jackets, Houdini found fame with his dramatic escapes.

Julia Jean "Lana" Turner (February 8, 1921 - June 29, 1995), born in Wallace, Idaho, was an American actress. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized personal life. In the mid-1940s, Turner was one of Hollywood's highest-paid American actresses. She was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for 1957's Peyton Place. The following recording is from a 1981 television interview.

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

Considered by many as lucky to have been in The Beatles, Ringo Starr epitomizes the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. World-famous pop star, acclaimed film actor, the voice of an internationally successful children's TV series and husband to a glamorous movie star - at face value he seems to have led a charmed life. Yet behind the sunglasses and the ready quips loom the horrors of his health problems, alcoholism, and deprived family background.

Barbara Stanwyck, born Ruby Catherine Stevens (July 16, 1907 - January 20, 1990), was an American actress, model and dancer. During her 60-year professional career, Stanwyck was known for her strong, realistic screen presence and versatility.

Few figures in Hollywood's history have been as acclaimed and controversial as director Roman Polanski, whose legendary films would stand out if not for the fact that they're often eclipsed by the turbulent life he's led. The son of Polish parents, Polanski survived World War II despite having both parents transferred to concentration camps during the Holocaust, but his mother was killed at Auschwitz. Despite the terrible ordeal and the loss of his mother, Polanski would grow up to become one of Europe's best directors.

Peter Kay returns with his most entertaining autobiography yet! 'Think of this autobiography as a twelve-month subscription to my memories and meanderings across the calendar year. With each month reflecting a different phase of my life, complete with dodgy decisions, bizarre plot twists and more than a few laugh-out-loud moments.' Take a whistlestop journey through his life, in a year. From hitting the gym in January, falling in love in February and a nostalgic trip to Ireland at Easter, to buying his first house in May.

The incredibly versatile Allison Janney has taken her place among a select group of actors who combine a leading lady’s profile with a character actor’s art of performance. Currently starring alongside Anna Faris in the CBS/Chuck Lorre sitcom Mom, Janney also received rave reviews for her turn as Margaret Scully on Showtime’s groundbreaking drama Masters of Sex. Janney won Emmys for both roles in the same year, a rare feat in Emmy history.

The heroine of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music tells her life story from the music halls of London to Broadway stardom. Over the years Julie Andrews has been much interviewed in the press and on television, but she has never before revealed the true story of her childhood and upbringing. In Home she vividly re-creates the years before the movies. An idyllic early childhood in Surrey was cut short when her parents divorced and her mother remarried. The family moved to London, and there are vivid scenes of life during the Blitz.

Wer war sie wirklich? Alice Schwarzers hervorragendes Porträt bringt uns den Weltstar und vor allem den Menschen Romy Schneider nahe und zeigt, warum ausgerechnet sie zum Idol für Millionen Menschen werden konnte. Die authentische und sehr ergreifende Lebensbeschreibung, gelesen von hervorragenden Schauspielern.