Product Description

Cary Grant is Hollywood's most fascinating and timeless star. Born in Archibald Leach in Bristol, England, he went on to become the movies' favourite romantic lead, remarkably, for over thirty-five years. He starred in no less than seventy-two films, ranging from groundbreaking classic comedies like Howard Hawks' "Bringing Up Baby" to Alfred Hitchcock's "Suspicion" and "North by Northwest". He appeared opposite some of the most glamorous women of the silver screen: Mae West, Katharine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren. But because of his pioneering role as an independent player ,Grant was repeatedly denied the Oscar he coveted. As this new and definitive biography shows, however, Grant's sparkling on-screen image hid a tumultuous private life and a tortured soul: five marriages, numerous affairs and even an eleven-year relationship with Randolph Scott. Above all, as Marc Eliot reveals, Cary Grant always wanted to be the intensely private individual that his Olympian screen reputation could never allow.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16759 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
"* 'Eliot is as good on the movies as he is on the man... I am tempted to say of Cary Grant what Charade's Audrey Hepburn says of Cary Grant: "You know what's wrong with you? Nothing.'" - Christopher Bray, Daily Telegraph * 'A biography of the highest class: we"- written, well-researched but, above all, original and intriguing' - Glasgow Herald * 'He was the best and most important actor in the history of the cinema' - David Thomson"

About the Author
Marc Eliot is the author of over a dozen books, including the New York Times autobiography of Erin Brockovich, an award-winning biography of Walt Disney, and biographies of Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and the Eagles. He lives in Los Angeles and New York

Customer Reviews

Strange Life of a Hollywood Star
Cary Grant, his name conjures up the image of one of Hollywood's favourite leading men but, as this biography shows, his on-screen image hid a tumultuous private life and a tortured soul.
A dysfunctional childhood in Bristol, England; a career as an acrobat & a male escort before Broadway & then the movies; 5 marriages; numerous affairs; an 11 year relationship with fellow actor Randolph Scott; secret meetings with the FBI; experimentation with LSD. He still managed to leave behind a legacy of classic films, which feel as fresh today as when they were made, such as: Bringing Up Baby; The Philadelphia Story; Arsenic and Old Lace; Notorious; Monkey Business; To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest.
Grant was a true professional, an accomplished actor and an astute businessman (becoming the first free-lance actor) but clearly there was much more to his complex character which I had never realised until I read this book.
This is a fascinating look at the man behind the image and the Golden Years of Hollywood.

An intriuging biography
It is about a few years ago since the acting talents and skills of Cary Grant became noticeable to me. I watched a few movies featuring the legend. I became so fascinated about Cary Grant that it prompted me read a biography about the actor.

I am really pleased with the results of the Cary Grant biography reviewed. The biography is an exclusive insight into the Hollywood legend. He is in a different league compared to competing icons the callibre of Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart and Clark Gable. Cary Grant presents an interesting subject for any biographer to study. He has a fascinating life-story to unfold and share with the reader. His social background in Bristol, brief Broadway career, Hollywood career and scandalous private life are the main focal points. The fact that you gain an almost complete picture of Cary Grant makes the biography an intriguing and interesting read. Cary Grant was a complex character who attracted huge controversy whilst acting and making headlines related to the personal life.

Marc Eliot proves the value as a leading biographical writer. He has compiled a superb biography, which is beautifully, vividly and meticulously written with a combination of interesting facts and exclusive pictures of Cary Grant. A great and intriguing read for anyone who loves and admire movie legends. Can anyone match Grant's charisma, charm and style. Only time will tell.

Cary Grant - A Biography - To Far
To begin at the beginning - this is an American publication and it's rather difficult to take the book seriously when the description of Grant's hometown on the jacket cover is 'the seaport village of Bristol'!The book is so full of conjecture and misinformation that it does no justice to the career of one of Hollywoods greatest stars. Certainly Grant had 'feet of clay' and there was a troubled man behind the mask of sophistication and style, but he deserved better than this.
I lost count of the number of factual errors in this book, some so basic that it was clear that the author had done very little real research. The author often quotes from someone like David Niven and completely misinterprets (for his own ends) what he said - two countries divided by a common language!
Even descriptions of scenes from films were often inaccurate and there can be no excuse for this.
We learn nothing new about Cary Grant's private life, although the chapters dealing with Grant's relationship with Randolph Scott purport to be full of new and revealing detail.
I would certainly not recommend this book, it poses as a serious, academic work, when it is really a lightweight 'pop' biography.