Donald Spoto

Laurence Olivier was the most famous actor of his century and one of the greatest of all time. His looks made him a matinee idol; his talent made him world renowned as an actor, director, and producer. From his stage roles as Hamlet and Archie Rice to his screen roles as Heathcliff and Henry V, his range was unparalleled. But beneath the glamorous image, Olivier was often lonely, confused, and plagued by self-doubts. In this revealing account, Spoto...

Fifty years after her death, Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe still beguiles the world, her image enthralling millions. Many books have attempted to explain her allure and tell her story, but none has succeeded as well as this work by acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto. Spoto's exhaustive research uncovers a conspiracy of silence, allowing him to present the facts, free from often-repeated myths and speculation. Granted access to more than thirty-five...

Crawford was one of the most incandescent film stars of all time, yet she was also one of the most misunderstood. Spoto goes beyond the popular caricature to give us a three-dimensional portrait of a very human woman, her dazzling career, and her extraordinarily dramatic life and times.

A portrait of the acclaimed actress follows Audrey Hepburn from her youth in Nazi-occupied Europe, through her rise to stardom in some of the era's most popular films, to her dedication to UNICEF. With unprecedented access to studio archives, friends and colleagues who knew and loved Audrey, best selling author Donald Spoto provides an intimate and moving account of this beautiful, elusive and talented woman. Tracing her astonishing rise to stardom,...

An account of five generations of the Redgrave family traces their achievements and personal lives while offering new revelations based on the author's insider access as a personal friend of the late Michael Redgrave.