Product Description

Spotted by Gene Kelly in Paris when she was just 17 and a member of Roland Petit's legendary ballet company, Leslie Caron became an overnight sensation when Kelly brought her to Hollywood to co-star with him in An American in Paris. She recalls the days of all-night parties where Judy Garland would try out her songs, Gregory Peck smiled at you on the sidewalk, the Duke of Windsor turned up to watch the filming, and Elizabeth Taylor came to supper. The toast of the town, Leslie Caron went on to star in a series of famous films which she writes about with endearing candour, including such classics as Lili, Daddy Long Legs with Fred Astaire, Gigi, with Maurice Chevalier, Fanny, and the L-Shaped Room. However, her story starts in occupied Paris, and she describes vividly her family's changing fortunes under the Germans and her early successes as a young ballerina in Paris before her move to Hollywood. Never less than frank, Caron talks about the many men in her life - including her second husband Peter Hall and Warren Beatty, with whom she had a two-year love affair; nor does she shrink from describing her more recent battles with alcoholism and depression and - movingly - her triumphant recovery and continuing success in television and films including Damage and Chocolat. With friends that have included Jean Renoir, Vincent Minelli and Rudolf Nureyev, Leslie Caron's story is essential reading for Leslie Caron fans and film fans alike. Leslie Caron starred in classic films such as Gigi and An American in Paris and still works as an actress, appearing in films such as Chocolat and Damage. She lives in France where she has a home in Paris and an Auberge in Burgundy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4682 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Customer Reviews

GREAT BIOGRAPHY
I found very interesting what Leslie Caron wrote about her life and her career. She speaks about her childhood, her love for dancing, her Hollywood and then her European years and the wonderful people she knew since she was a very young girl; also writes about her personal life until now.

I recommend this book. It's very easy to read and Miss Caron did her best doing this job by herself. It's not easy to write a book, even when it's about your own life and experiences, but she could do it and very well.

a sad ending for a hollywood namedropper
Not a great literary event, but an overview of Hollywood from the point of view of a very European starlet with interesting contacts. Alcoholism as it did for many of that war generation takes its toll and makes for a sad ending. You are left wondering whether her children will ever forgive her.