Acteurs

From her days as a youthful minx at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to her post-studio reign as America’s lustiest middle-aged movie queen, Taylor has defined the very essence of Hollywood stardom. Marching through the decades swathed in mink, discarding husbands nearly as frequently as she changed her diamond necklaces, Taylor dominated the headlines as no other star before or since. From America’s sweetheart to America’s homewrecker and then back again, she uncannily reflected (and at times predicted) the always shifting cultural zeitgeist. How to Be a Movie Star is a different kind of book about Elizabeth Taylor: an intimate look at a girl who grew up with fame, who learned early – and well – how to be famous.

Rudolph Valentino was the silver-screen legend who for ever changed America’s idea of the leading man: a frightened young fellow who became the cinematic sex-god of his day. In this definitive retelling of Valentino’s short and tragic life – the first fully documented biography of the star – Emily W. Leider looks at the Great Lover’s life and legacy, and explores the events and issues that made him emblematic of his time. Valentino was reviled in the press for being too ‘feminine’ a man; yet he also brought to the screen the alluring, savage lover who embodied women’s darker, forbidden sexual fantasies. In tandem, Leider explores Valentino’s experience as an immigrant who became a celebrity: the silver screen’s first dark-skinned romantic hero.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy both passed away in the 1950s, yet their films still have the power to reduce audiences old and new to helpless laughter. There has been no comprehensive account of their lives and work, until now. The roots of their comic greatness lay in 19th century variety theatre. Lancashire-born Stan Laurel was steeped in the traditions of the music hall, and found himself touring the USA in the 1910s as Charlie Chaplin’s understudy. American Oliver Hardy had established himself as a ‘fat funny man’ by the time he and Laurel were first paired in 1927.

‘A relentlessly entertaining insight to the most talented actor of his generation.’ Guardian

‘Revealing… comprehensive and impressive… Richard Kelly has done an excellent job.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Highly readable… Essential reading for any admirer of the actor but also for those seeking a front-line account of American cinema over the past 25 years.’ The Herald

A bona fide tough guy with soulful eyes and a laconic style, Robert Mitchum was one of Hollywood’s best-loved actors, star of such moody film noir favourites as Out of the Past, Night of the Hunter and Cape Fear, as well as enduring classics like Angel Face and Crossfire. But, as Lee Server now reveals, Mitchum was one of the few Hollywood icons whose real-life exploits were yet more compelling than his on-screen persona. A hobo in the Depression, he fell into movie acting after stints as a boxer, a beach bum and a songwriter. Despite early Hollywood successes, he was famously busted on a narcotics rap. But even prison couldn’t tame Mitchum’s taste for living on the wild side, and he remained an unrepentant misbehaver until the end of his days.

Un an après sa disparition soudaine, les journalistes Valérie Benaïm et Sandra Freeman reviennent sur le parcours de l'acteur et scénariste Jean-Pierre Bacri (1951-2021)  « éternel bougon » à la scène mais incorrigible optimiste à la ville.

Une biographie à paraître à l’occasion des 40 ans de sa disparition.

Sally Potter has been renowned for her rapport with actors, and for the luminous performances she works with them to produce. Now she strips bare the art and craft of directing actors for the camera, from casting a film to the moment of first screening when the work goes public.