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Cary Grant

A Biography

A Biography

By Marc Eliot

By Marc Eliot

By Marc Eliot

By Marc Eliot

By Marc Eliot
Read by Marc Eliot

By Marc Eliot
Read by Marc Eliot

Best Seller
Paperback $25.00

Sep 27, 2005 | ISBN 9780307209832

Ebook $11.99

Feb 04, 2009 | ISBN 9780307554970

Audiobook Download $22.50

Sep 03, 2004 | 927 Minutes

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    Cary Grant by Marc Eliot
    Paperback $25.00
    Sep 27, 2005 | ISBN 9780307209832

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    • $25.00

      Sep 27, 2005 | ISBN 9780307209832

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Feb 04, 2009 | ISBN 9780307554970

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Sep 03, 2004 | ISBN 9781415917305

      927 Minutes

      Buy from Other Retailers:

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    About Cary Grant

    Rigorously researched and elegantly written, Cary Grant: A Biography is a complete, nuanced portrait of the greatest star in cinema history. Exploring Grant’s troubled childhood, ambiguous sexuality, and lifelong insecurities, as well as the magical amalgam of characteristics that allowed him to remain Hollywood’s favorite romantic lead for more than thirty-five years, Cary Grant is the definitive examination of every aspect of Grant’s professional and private life and the first biography to reveal the real man behind the movie star.

    About Cary Grant

    “Everybody wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.”
    —Cary Grant

    He is Hollywood’s most fascinating and timeless star. Although he came to personify the debonair American, Cary Grant was born Archibald Leach on January 18, 1904, in the seaport village of Bristol, England. Combining the captivating beauty of silent-screen legend Rudolph Valentino with the masculine irresistibility of Clark Gable, Grant emerged as Hollywood’s quintessential leading man. Today, “the man from dream city,” as critic Pauline Kael once described him, remains forever young, an icon of quick wit, romantic charm, and urbane sophistication, the epitome of male physical perfection. Yet beneath this idealized movie image was a conflicted man struggling to balance fame with a desire for an intensely private life separate from the “Cary Grant” persona celebrated by directors and movie studios.

    Exploring Grant’s troubled childhood, ambiguous sexuality, and lifelong insecurities as well as the magical amalgam of characteristics that allowed him to remain Hollywood’s favorite romantic lead for more than thirty-five years, Cary Grant is the definitive examination of every aspect of Grant’s professional and private life, and the first to reveal the man behind the movie star.

    Working with the most talented directors of his time, Grant starred in an astonishing seventy-two films, ranging from his groundbreaking comedic roles in such classics as Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks) and The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor) to the darker, unforgettable characters of Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspicion and Notorious, culminating in the consummate sophisticates of An Affair to Remember (Leo McCarey), North by Northwest (Hitchcock), and Charade (Stanley Donen). The camera loved Grant, and his magnetism helped illuminate his leading ladies, some of the most glamorous women ever to grace the silver screen: Mae West, Irene Dunne, Katharine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, and Sophia Loren, among others. Yet, because of his pioneering role as an independent player, Grant was repeatedly denied the Oscar he coveted—a snub from the Academy that would last until 1970, when he graciously accepted a special lifetime achievement award.

    Grant’s sparkling image on-screen hid a tumultuous personal life that he tried desperately to keep out of the public eye, including his controversial eleven-year relationship with Randolph Scott, five marriages, and numerous affairs.

    Rigorously researched and elegantly written, Cary Grant: A Biography is a complete, nuanced portrait of the greatest Hollywood star in cinema history.

    About Cary Grant

    Bringing up Baby. The Philadelphia Story. North by Northwest. An Affair to Remember. When Cary Grant passed away at age 82, fans from every generation mourned. Nearly 20 years later his star shines just as brightly from television and revival-house screens; his name remains synonymous with effortless charm. But perhaps the most remarkable fact about Grant, as renowned biographer Marc Eliot shows, is that his personal life was every bit as interesting and dramatic as that of any character he ever played. The new details Eliot has uncovered—on everything from the former Archibald Leach’s troubled childhood to his ambiguous sexuality to his dabbling with LSD—will satisfy even the fan who has read everything previously available. Equally compelling is Eliot’s incisive exploration of the magical amalgam of talent, looks, and charisma that made Grant a star.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

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    See all books by Marc Eliot

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    About Marc Eliot

    Marc Eliot is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books on popular culture, among them the highly acclaimed biographies of Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, the award-winning Walt Disney: Hollywood’s Dark Prince, Down 42nd Street, Take It from… More about Marc Eliot

    About Marc Eliot

    Marc Eliot is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books on popular culture, among them the highly acclaimed biographies of Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, the award-winning Walt Disney: Hollywood’s Dark Prince, Down 42nd Street, Take It from… More about Marc Eliot

    About Marc Eliot

    Marc Eliot is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books on popular culture, among them the highly acclaimed biographies of Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, the award-winning Walt Disney: Hollywood’s Dark Prince, Down 42nd Street, Take It from… More about Marc Eliot

    Product Details

    Category: Arts & Entertainment Biographies & Memoirs | Movies & TV | Performing Arts

    Paperback | $25.00
    Published by Crown
    Sep 27, 2005 | 464 Pages | 6-1/8 x 9-1/8 | ISBN 9780307209832

    Category: Arts & Entertainment Biographies & Memoirs | Movies & TV | Performing Arts

    Ebook | $11.99
    Published by Crown Archetype
    Feb 04, 2009 | 448 Pages | ISBN 9780307554970

    Category: Arts & Entertainment Biographies & Memoirs | Movies & TV | Performing Arts | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $22.50
    Published by Random House Audio
    Sep 03, 2004 | 927 Minutes | ISBN 9781415917305

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    Praise

    “A fascinating and thorough portrait. . . . Eliot does a good job of cracking the screen fantasy.” —Esquire

    “Highly readable. . . . Glimpses of the debonair leading man’s dark side are the most intriguing elements of this welcome biography.” —People (3 stars)

    “Keeping the actor’s astonishing career firmly in view, Eliot assembles a portrait that shows the dark shadows behind the gleaming facade, while also revealing Grant’s own shrewdness in maintaining that fictional persona.” —Washington Post

    “Eliot gives us a Grant we’ve never fully glimpsed before.” —Vogue

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