Michelangelo Capua – författare

At the peak of his career in the 1950s, Montgomery Clift was the symbol of a very talented yet rebellious generation of movie stars. His acting combined the personal and the professional, and his seventeen movies show his superb craft and extraordinary sensitivity. Yet there was much more to his life than his talents as an actor--more than most people knew.This book is a biography of the extremely handsome, acutely intelligent, but tormented Montgomery Clift. His life has been described as "the longest suicide in the history of Hollywood," and this biography shows the accuracy of that description. It covers Clift's sheltered childhood, his discovery at the age of 12, the early critical acclaim that brought attention from such noted directors as Elia Kazan and Antoinette Perry, his development as a professional actor and work with many of Hollywood's greatest directors (including Kazan, Fred Zinneman, Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston), and the devastating car accident that disfigured his face and caused him to turn to drugs and alcohol. Throughout the book, attention is given to Clift's self-destructive personality--which created problems that even close friends like Elizabeth Taylor could not help him solve--and his closet homosexuality, which contributed to his intense insecurity. Richly illustrated.

This biography of the beautiful and tortured actress, from her birth and childhood in exotic India to her premature death in 1967, gives special attention to her development and career as a stage and film actress (which culminated in one Tony award and two Oscars). Her ambitious personality and manic-depressive illness, including the sexual compulsion that haunted her life, her romantic and tragic marriage to Laurence Olivier, and her performances in, for instance, ""Gone With The Wind"" and ""A Streetcar Named Desire"", are all detailed.

Known as the bald cowboy in The Magnificent Seven and the sexy, charismatic male lead in The King and I, Yul Brynner was a Hollywood paragon of masculinity. Beyond his distinctive appearance and distinguished acting career was a life of intrigue and concocted tales surrounding his youth. Born Youl Bryner in Russia, he played gypsy guitar and worked as a trapeze clown until a severe injury motivated him to pursue his interest in theater.This biography takes readers through Brynner's formative years in Russia, France and China and describes his journey from sweeping stages in Parisian theaters to a versatile career in theater, television and film, reaching a stardom that began and ended with the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I. With accounts of his personal and professional successes and failures, the book includes his four marriages, his numerous and notorious affairs with such stars as Judy Garland, Joan Crawford and Ingrid Bergman, and his 1985 death from lung cancer. A filmography details his movies and plays, and appendices outline his work in documentaries, music and soundtracks, radio programs and television.

William Holden was a Hollywood star whose career spanned four decades, more than 70 films and three Academy Award nominations. "Golden Holden" won an Oscar for his role in Stalag 17 and, after films like Sunset Blvd., he became one of Hollywood's most powerful stars in the late 1950s. His personal life included international adventures and romances with such stars as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, yet he suffered from alcoholism and clinical depression. This biography covers his entire life and career, from boyhood through his greatest successes, short decline, re-emergence in The Wild Bunch, and his legacy of support for African wildlife.

Blessed with a natural beauty, Scotland-born actress Deborah Kerr (1921-2007) provided the cinema with memorable studies of English gentility. A star in British pictures before she was 21 and a Hollywood fixture from 1946 on, she projected a cool reserve and stoic nobility, often hinting at passion and insecurity beneath the surface. Frequently portraying selfless, sympathetic women, she was brilliant in such roles as Anna Leonowens in The King and I (1956). And in a fascinating departure from her normal range, her portrayal of the sexually frustrated Army wife in From Here to Eternity (1953) resulted in the screen's most famous "clinch"--the beach scene with Burt Lancaster. Though she never won an Academy Award despite six nominations, Deborah Kerr received an honorary Oscar in 1994.

For the first decade of her career Leigh appeared as the stereotypical "nice girl." She was cast opposite some of the industry's biggest names including Robert Mitchum in Holiday Affair, Stewart Granger in Scaramouche, James Stewart in The Naked Spur, and Charlton Heston in Touch of Evil. Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho supplied her most memorable role: Marion Crane, who is murdered before the picture is half over. The part earned Leigh an Academy Award nomination. From 1951 to 1962, Leigh was married to favorite co-star Tony Curtis. They had two daughters, Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis, both of whom followed in their parents' professional footsteps.This book reveals and reflects upon Janet Leigh's life and career and also extensively analyzes her films and television appearances.

During his 40-year career, director-producer Anatole Litvak (1902-1974) made films of all genres in Russia, Germany, England, France and the United States. His rootless background was cited by critics lamenting his lack of consistent style, but it also added to his mystique as a chameleon-like realisateur.Litvak directed Hollywood greats like Edward G. Robinson, John Garfield, Kirk Douglas, Ingrid Bergman, Vivien Leigh, Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, Olivia de Havilland, Yul Brynner, Burt Lancaster, Barbara Stanwick and many others. He was twice nominated for Best Director by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences for The Snake Pit (1948) and for Decision Before Dawn (1951). These films--along with Mayerling (1936), Sorry, Wrong Number (1946) and Anastasia (1956)--are considered classics, but his pictures don't offer many clues about Litvak the man. Apart from passing references to his wartime service as combat documentarian, he never discussed his life in print, allowing only brief interviews relating exclusively to his work.This biography fills that void, providing the first detailed portrait of an artist described by film historian Richard Schickel as "an adept, adaptable and prolific man; the kind of director that Hollywood likes best."

Originally a successful painter from Romania, Jean Negulesco worked in Hollywood first as an art director, then as a second unit director. He was later hired as a director by various studios--mostly for ballet and musical shorts--before being assigned to a number of commercially successful films. During his 30-year career, he worked in several European countries yet it was in the U.S. he achieved his greatest success, with Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox.Dubbed "The Prince of Melodrama" by critics, he directed films of all genres, working with stars like Joan Crawford, John Garfield, Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis, Richard Burton, Alec Guinness, Fred Astaire and many others. Negulesco was nominated for Best Director by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1948 for Johnny Belinda--now considered a classic, along with his The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), Humoresque (1946), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and Three Coins in the Fountain (1954). This book--the first on him since his 1984 autobiography--covers his extraordinary life and career, with extensive analyses of his films.

Actor and director John Derek was born in Hollywood, where his striking good looks helped get him a contract with David O' Selznick. Derek's career took off after Humphrey Bogart made him his costar in the cultish noir Knock at Any Doors. Derek appeared in such Academy Award-nominated films as All the King's Men, Run for Cover, The Ten Commandments and Exodus, and worked with directors like Nicholas Ray, Cecil B. DeMille, Otto Preminger and others.He was a competent, dedicated performer even in his last, trivial roles. In the 1960s, his career in decline, he began directing his own films. Although critics panned the string of movies he made starring his three wives--Ursula Andress, Linda Evans and Bo Derek--some were box-office hits, like Tarzan, the Ape Man. This biography covers his extraordinary life and career, with extensive analysis of his films.

Arriving in Hollywood in 1950 to launch her American film career, Jean Simmons (1929-2010) had already appeared in 18 British films and was best known for her portrayal of Ophelia in Laurence Olivier's Hamlet. She soon became a favorite female face working with some of filmmaking's greats and acted opposite many Hollywood A-listers. Two of her most popular films--Guys and Dolls (1955) and Spartacus (1960)--were international box-office hits, and in her seven decades-long career she collected numerous awards and honors including a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and two Oscar nominations as Best Actress.Despite the accomplishments and accolades, radiant beauty, and stunning versatility, Simmons is considered by many to be an underrated artist, too often handed more comfortable leading female roles than those that could've elevated her to the level of super stardom experienced by some of her peers. This, the first full-length biography of Simmons, fills a gap in film and performing arts studies, and includes extensive notes and photographs.

From 1947 to 1955, Jean Peters (1926–2000) appeared in films opposite such Hollywood leading men as Tyrone Power, Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, Richard Widmark, and Robert Wagner, as well as international stars including Louis Jourdan and Rossano Brazzi. Despite her talent and status, Peters eschewed the star-studded lifestyle of 1950s Hollywood, turning down roles that were "too sexy" and refusing to socialize with other actors, discuss her private life in the press, or lead the glamorous lifestyle often associated with her peers. She was seen as a mystery to reporters, who constantly tried to discover titbits about her personal life.In 1957, her marriage to Howard Hughes led to her retirement from acting and her further withdrawal from social events in Hollywood. Instead, she shifted her attention to charitable work, arts and crafts, and university studies in psychology and anthropology. Her status as an enigma only grew as she agreed never to speak of her marriage with Hughes. After her divorce, however, Peters attempted to resume her acting career in television but never regained her previous level of stardom. Jean Peters: Hollywood's Mystery Girl grants an in-depth analysis of each of her nineteen films and is enriched by several high-quality photographs from the author’s personal collection.

From 1947 to 1955, Jean Peters (1926–2000) appeared in films opposite such Hollywood leading men as Tyrone Power, Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, Richard Widmark, and Robert Wagner, as well as international stars including Louis Jourdan and Rossano Brazzi. Despite her talent and status, Peters eschewed the star-studded lifestyle of 1950s Hollywood, turning down roles that were “too sexy” and refusing to socialize with other actors, discuss her private life in the press, or lead the glamorous lifestyle often associated with her peers. She was seen as a mystery to reporters, who constantly tried to discover tidbits about her personal life.In 1957, her marriage to Howard Hughes led to her retirement from acting and her further withdrawal from social events in Hollywood. Instead, she shifted her attention to charitable work, arts and crafts, and university studies in psychology and anthropology. Her status as an enigma only grew as she agreed never to speak of her marriage with Hughes. After her divorce, however, Peters attempted to resume her acting career in television but never regained her previous level of stardom. Jean Peters: Hollywood''s Mystery Girl grants an in-depth analysis of each of her nineteen films and is enriched by several high-quality photographs from the author’s personal collection.

From 1947 to 1955, Jean Peters (1926–2000) appeared in films opposite such Hollywood leading men as Tyrone Power, Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, Richard Widmark, and Robert Wagner, as well as international stars including Louis Jourdan and Rossano Brazzi. Despite her talent and status, Peters eschewed the star-studded lifestyle of 1950s Hollywood, turning down roles that were “too sexy” and refusing to socialize with other actors, discuss her private life in the press, or lead the glamorous lifestyle often associated with her peers. She was seen as a mystery to reporters, who constantly tried to discover tidbits about her personal life.In 1957, her marriage to Howard Hughes led to her retirement from acting and her further withdrawal from social events in Hollywood. Instead, she shifted her attention to charitable work, arts and crafts, and university studies in psychology and anthropology. Her status as an enigma only grew as she agreed never to speak of her marriage with Hughes. After her divorce, however, Peters attempted to resume her acting career in television but never regained her previous level of stardom. Jean Peters: Hollywood''s Mystery Girl grants an in-depth analysis of each of her nineteen films and is enriched by several high-quality photographs from the author’s personal collection.

Steve Cochran (1917–1965) was Hollywood’s ultimate contradiction—an intense, rugged leading man with a con man’s charm, a craftsman’s discipline, and a wild streak that made him both irresistible and dangerous. In Steve Cochran: Bad Boy of Hollywood, author Michelangelo Capua paints a richly detailed portrait of a man who was more than just a Hollywood rogue. Drawing from rare sources and packed with revealing anecdotes, this volume reclaims Cochran’s rightful place in film history.With breakout roles in White Heat, The Damned Don’t Cry, and Dallas, Cochran quickly earned a reputation as the quintessential "virile villain"—often cast as a gangster, a racist, or a ruthless playboy. Yet behind the screen persona was a surprisingly nuanced actor, whose greatest performance came in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Il Grido. Though he never quite reached marquee-name status, Cochran worked with such legends as Joan Crawford, James Cagney, Ginger Rogers, Doris Day, Burt Lancaster, and Rock Hudson, under the direction of some of the industry’s finest filmmakers.Off-screen, Cochran lived as boldly as he acted. He built a rustic retreat in the Hollywood Hills and filled it with animals, raced planes and cars, and romanced countless women. His personal life, often tabloid fodder, included three marriages, brushes with the law, and an obsession with freedom that culminated in his mysterious and still-unresolved death at age forty-eight when his body was found aboard his schooner adrift in the Pacific.A compelling blend of Hollywood scandal, cinematic insight, and cultural history, this biography is an essential read and a long-overdue examination of one of classic cinema’s most charismatic and controversial figures.

Steve Cochran (1917-1965) was Hollywood's ultimate contradiction-an intense, rugged leading man with a con man's charm, a craftsman's discipline, and a wild streak that made him both irresistible and dangerous. In Steve Cochran: Bad Boy of Hollywood, author Michelangelo Capua paints a richly detailed portrait of a man who was more than just a Hollywood rogue. Drawing from rare sources and packed with revealing anecdotes, this volume reclaims Cochran's rightful place in film history. With breakout roles in White Heat, The Damned Don't Cry, and Dallas, Cochran quickly earned a reputation as the quintessential "e;virile villain"e;-often cast as a gangster, a racist, or a ruthless playboy. Yet behind the screen persona was a surprisingly nuanced actor, whose greatest performance came in Michelangelo Antonioni's Il Grido. Though he never quite reached marquee-name status, Cochran worked with such legends as Joan Crawford, James Cagney, Ginger Rogers, Doris Day, Burt Lancaster, and Rock Hudson, under the direction of some of the industry's finest filmmakers. Off-screen, Cochran lived as boldly as he acted. He built a rustic retreat in the Hollywood Hills and filled it with animals, raced planes and cars, and romanced countless women. His personal life, often tabloid fodder, included three marriages, brushes with the law, and an obsession with freedom that culminated in his mysterious and still-unresolved death at age forty-eight when his body was found aboard his schooner adrift in the Pacific. A compelling blend of Hollywood scandal, cinematic insight, and cultural history, this biography is an essential read and a long-overdue examination of one of classic cinema's most charismatic and controversial figures.