David Bret has spent 30 years writing about the famous, but now dishes the dirt on himself, holding nothing back when discussing the ones he loved, those he did not. Born in France, adopted by a British couple, he suffered physical and mental abuse at the hands of a Machiavellian father, a serial adulterer whose cruelty knew no bounds. Unable to find love at home, he searched for solace in the arms of lovers of both sexes. Initially, these were ordinary men and women. There was a platonic relationship with Peter Sutcliffe, before he became The Yorkshire Ripper. When starting to gain plaudits as a biographer, his intimates became more celebrity orientated. Marlene Dietrich, Dorothy Squires and the French chanteuse, Barbara, took him to their hearts, as did others. In these very candid memoirs, Bret recalls his eccentric family, celebrity friends and lovers, but is unsparing towards the father he got away from only when his mother chose suicide rather than to continue suffering.
From the acclaimed author of Joan Crawford comes a riveting and uncensored biography of Clark Gable. The archetypal male of his era, Gable was named “King of Hollywood” in 1938. But as David Bret reveals, the star was not quite who he seemed. One of Gable's best-kept secrets was his bisexuality. Bret recounts Gable's failed marriages to women who turned a blind eye toward his affairs with actors Earl Larimore and Rod La Rocque, among other men. Bret also reveals how a pseudo-scandalous paternity suit and the actor's wartime accomplishments were no more than elaborate publicity stunts created by studio chief Louis B. Mayer in order to exaggerate Gable's masculinity and heroism in the public eye. With passion and accuracy, Bret uncovers the truth behind one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
Jean Harlow was an enigma, the original Blonde Bombshell, completely uninhibited. She made no secret of the fact that she never wore underwear, bleached her pubic hair to match that on her head – and was never afraid of showing this to journalists, if they asked. On the screen she epitomised the fun-loving, wise-cracking tart-with-a-heart yet away from the spotlight she was nothing like the public perceived her to be. In this new biography, David Bret uncovers an unhappy upbringing by an unloving mother and sexually abusive step-father, her love of older men and the mistreatment she suffered at their hands, her progression from movie slut to screwball comedy star, her special relationship with William Powell, how she was ripped off by the studios, and more. Jean Harlow: Tarnished Angel is a compelling portrayal of the enigmatic star. David Bret was born in Paris. His acclaimed books include biographies of Marlene Dietrich, Morrissey, Freddie Mercury and Edith Piaf among many others.
With her bobbed, blonde hair and flashing smile, Doris Day was portrayed as the girl next door – a virginal girl that you could take home to your parents. In real life, she was not quite the happy-go-lucky blonde with the bubbly personality promoted by Warner Brothers who simply wanted to market her as a commodity. Married young, to a violent bully, and with a child, Day had to work hard, touring with bands, to get her start in showbusiness. A reluctant star, all Doris Day wanted to do was settle down to a happy, simple life but somehow managed to always attract the wrong kind of men – thugs and crooks who took their anger out on her. And yet this didn’t stop her from enjoying sexual exploits with a number of leading men. She worked hard – not to become a success but for a job – and yet her manager managed to defraud her of millions. How could this happen to such a smart lady – perhaps she was too trusting? In this revealing biography, David Bret takes a fascinating look at the trials and tribulations behind what seemed to her adoring fans to be the perfect woman. From her German Jewish parents to her donation to an airlift of cats and dogs in Louisiana, as well as full discography and film lists, this is a captivating look at a resilient American icon. David Bret was born in Paris and is a leading celebrity biographer. His many acclaimed books include biographies of Marlene Dietrich, Gracie Fields, Freddie Mercury, Tallulah Bankhead, Maria Callas, Rudolph Valentino, Edith Piaf and Joan Crawford. He lives in Yorkshire.
In the first biography of Joan Crawford to give the full, uncensored story, bestselling author David Bret tells Crawford's rags to riches climb, from working in a Kansas City laundry to collecting an Oscar for her defining role in Mildred Pierce, and on to her devotion to Christian Science and reliance on vodka. He discusses the star's legendary relationship with Clark Gable, her countless love affairs, her marriages -- three of them to gay men -- and her obsession with rough sex. Bret divulges what really happened that led her to disinherit two of her four children, earning her the nickname "Mommie Dearest," as well as how her loathed mother forced Crawford to work as a prostitute, appear in pornographic films, and sleep her way to the top. Bret analyzes Crawford's films, many of which were constructed purely as vehicles where actress and character were often indistinguishable. Overtly generous towards her coterie of gay friends, she was heartless towards her enemies, particularly Bette Davis, her co-star in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, with whom she shared a lifelong feud. Drawing on a wealth of unpublished material and interviews, David Bret presents a unique, fascinating portrait of a single-minded, uncompromising woman.
With his stunning looks and swashbuckling onscreen panache Errol Flynn was by all appearances the quintessential movie star who had it all. But Flynn's manicured Hollywood persona did little to hide his insatiable appetites off-screen - the binge drinking, brawling and womanising that would forever cement his place as a film legend. In this hard-hitting study, bestselling show business biographer David Bret traces the life and loves of the actor and man. It was Flynn's natural charisma and athletic prowess that made him as the heartthrob star of Captain Blood and The Adventures Of Robin Hood. But Hollywood's prodigal son was never far from controversy and scandal. In a series of extraordinary revelations Bret explores the star's love of underage girls, young men, binge drinking and drug experimentation, as well as his controversial background as a slave-trader in New Guinea, involvement with the Spanish civil war and his support for Castro. This is compelling and engrossing portrait of the original action-adventure star, who packed more into his fifty years than his high-living contemporaries ever could. The gifted, complex and rakish rebel remains without equal as the film icon of the 20th century. 2009 marks the tragic death of Flynn and this book is an excellent tribute to an extraordinary actor. David Bret was born in Paris and is a leading celebrity biographer. His many acclaimed books include biographies of Marlene Dietrich, Gracie Fields, Freddie Mercury, Tallulah Bankhead, Maria Callas, Rudolph Valentino, Edith Piaf and Joan Crawford. He lives in Yorkshire.
A monologue wherein the best-selling biographer David Bret recalls his grandmother's funeral on 4 February 1972, as seen through the eyes of his much-loved Aunty Kate, who had a peculiar way of looking at the world. It was one of the saddest days of Bret's life, yet upon reflection and when recalled by Kate, so unintentionally hilarious. Also featured is a short essay on Bret's grandmother from his forthcoming autobiography, "My Own Story: The Uncensored Memoirs of the Celebrity Biographer.
Morrissey is Britain's most articulate singer-songwriter, a lyricist of aching loneliness and lacerating wit. His latest album, "You Are the Quarry," is one of his best solo efforts since the disbanding of the Smiths. Here, Morrissey's friends and entourage speak frankly about the reclusive pop idol.
In the male-oriented studio system, Greta Garbo wielded a power no other actress has ever possessed, before or since. Be it producer, director, lover or journalist, Garbo called the shots, and when she decided that she was done with the whirlwind of life as Hollywood's darling she withdrew completely, leaving her public begging for an encore that never came. Though there have been numerous biographies of Garbo, this is the first to investigate fully the two so-called missing periods in the life of this most enigmatic of Hollywood stars: the first during the late 1920s, forcing MGM to employ a lookalike to conceal what was almost certainly a pregnancy; the second during World War II when Garbo was employed by British Intelligence to track down Nazi sympathisers. It also analyses in detail the original, uncensored copies of Garbo's films - with the exception of The Divine Woman, of which no complete print survives - and offers substantial evidence that John Gilbert was not, in fact, the great love of her life. Rather her true affections lay with the gay, Sapphic and Scandinavian members of her very intimate inner circle. Using previously unsourced material, along with anecdotes from friends and colleagues that have never before been published, David Bret paints a rounded portrait of Garbo's childhood in Sweden, her rise to stardom and her all-too-brief reign as queen of MGM. Hers is a truly remarkable story, recounted here with warmth, intensity and unique insight.
Acclaimed biographer David Bret has written the most revealing, incisive and definitive life story of Elizabeth Taylor in this sensational new biography. The book is set to strip away the glossy veneer to portray the star as she really was: sometimes arrogant, attention-seeking, avaricious, reckless, monstrous towards her peers, generous, even foolish at times but, above all, through the tumultuous relationships and the personal mayhem, a survivor.
Parsons, Drake and Buckley were three young musicians who died before they had made their mark on the musical world, yet left behind them a legacy that was as rich as it was beautiful. Ex-preacher Parsons was outrageous, outspoken but impeccably polite. He recorded with various bands including The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Byrds and very nearly the Rolling Stones. His light shone brightly but briefly before his mysterious death, and more bizarre cremation, at the age of 26. Almost a polar opposite, Nick Drake was intensely shy with crippling stage fright, who made less than 40 public appearances. Handsome yet fragile, he composed beautiful melodies. He sank into depression in the family home, before overdosing on medication – whether deliberate or not, nobody knows – at the age of 26. Jeff Buckley’ s vocal range spanned an astonishing four octaves. He could sing any style – from Piaf to Gershwin, from scat and jazz to Oum Kalthoum, alongside his own superb realist compositions. In 1997, on the brink of stardom, he never returned from a fully-clothed swim in the Mississippi River. Only in death was the true potential of these talented young men appreciated, their songs still appearing in ads and Buckley had his first number 1 in 2008. With every passing year, their legends grow. And posthumously they have influenced a whole host of singers who now crowd the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. This is their remarkable story. David Bret was born in Paris. His acclaimed books include biographies of Marlene Dietrich, Morrissey, Freddie Mercury and Edith Piaf among many others.
Maria Callas called him the greatest tenor who ever lived. Vocally and technically, Mario Lanza was a genius. Like Callas, Lanza's was a phenomenal talent complimented by a more than monstrous ego. Suffering from what would today be diagnosed as bi-polar disorder, he lived virtually his whole life with his finger firmly pressed on the self-destruct button. Too undisciplined to remain in opera, Lanza found himself sucked into the Hollywood whirlpool, engulfed by the opulent lifestyle this offered: easy money, good living, and limitless food, sex and drugs, to which he became increasingly addicted. Lanza took his frustration out of others, frequently launching an uncontrollable temper on those around him and earning himself a reputation as one of the movie stars who were most disliked by their peers in the studio system years. Lanza's scatological pranks were as legendary as his drinking, womanising and gorging sprees, each one followed by crash diets and periods of dark depression and self-loathing which made him virtually impossible to control. Yet he produced arguably the finest tenor recordings of popular music and opera of the last century as well as some classic films, including The Great Caruso and Serenade. In Sublime Serenade, David Bret uncompromisingly but lovingly, and in his unique and celebrated style, tells the Lanza story, from his birth in a poor district of Philadelphia, to his death in Rome 38 years later and his involvement with the Mafia. A must for all music and movie fans alike. David Bret was born in Paris and is a leading celebrity biographer. His many acclaimed books include biographies of Edith Piaf, Doris Day, Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. He lives in Yorkshire.
Dubbed the British Marilyn Monroe' or the British Bridget Bardot', Diana Dors finally proclaimed I'd rather be known as the hurricane in mink'. The actress was best known for her lavish lifestyle; she was a blonde bombshell with a penchant for flashy cars, opulent mansions, glitzy garb and jet-setting living. Diana Dors' rise to fame started with being a GI favourite during the war. However, she was keen to ditch her goody-goody image and announced that she wanted to be like Errol Flynn. It worked she became a huge star, working with the likes of Joan Crawford and famously starred in Yield to the Night, the movie that contributed to the abolition of the death penalty. But despite the glamour, her affairs, sex parties and OTT lifestyle, including an illicit affair with Rod Steiger left her branded as a scarlet woman, unwanted by the Studios. Undeterred, the indomitable Dors simply worked tirelessly to establish for herself a successful career in cabaret. Her life was didn't always smell of roses: her first husband cheated on her, stole from her, beat her and finally died of syphilis. Another lover who she considered faithful two-timed her with Rock Hudson. She finally found love with husband number three, who killed himself 5 months after her death. This is the amazing story of an actress who loved life and lived it to the full, told with compassion and vigour.
In her day, Gracie Fields was one of the highest paid stars in the world. Appearing in a series of films which reflected the spirit of a troubled decade and cutting hundreds of superb recordings, she became an international legend and a national institution, always retaining what she called her ‘common touch’, the image that endeared her to millions and made her into a household name.She led an extraordinary life, working in the UK and Hollywood, opening her own theatre, living in Italy and the US, she paid for troops to travel free in Rochdale, played the first Miss Marple, and much more, appearing on TV into the 70s and 80s. In this the first full-length biography of Gracie, fully authorised by her family, David Bret reveals the real Gracie Fields a complex woman far removed from the mill-girl-to-riches persona she conveyed to her adoring public, as seen by her family and closest friends.Based on sources that include personal war diaries, private correspondence, many first-hand interviews and unique photographs from her private archive, Bret reveals her personal tragedies, great bravery and her often extreme naivety. He also includes details from Gracie’s stepdaughter, Irene Bevan, who reveals, amongst much else, the truth behind Gracie’s three failed marriages and the other romances in her life.Bret tells Gracie’s story with honest and compassion, never denying her talent, that indefatigable genius which enabled her to remain a true daughter of the people for over half a century.David Bret was born in Paris and is a leading celebrity biographer. His many acclaimed books include biographies of Edith Piaf, Doris Day, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow and Clark Gable (all published by JR Books). He lives in Yorkshire.
Joey Stefano (1968-94) Nick Iacona was blessed with ethereal beauty. Sexually abused by his father, he left his Philadelphia home at 15 to hustle in Los Angeles, changed his name to Joey Stefano, and became one of the world's most feted gay porn stars. Yet despite his success he held himself responsible for the traumas of his youth. Much has been written about Joey's drug-taking which saw him dead at 26, and the mistaken theory that his life had been spent with his finger on the self-destruct button. This is untrue. The sex industry was no different than the rock scene in that for many, drugs were a part of everyday life. Joey was one of the unlucky ones. In this affectionate biography, David Bret focuses not on Joey's misinformed failures, but on the wonderful life that he lived, his career, and the priceless legacy he left behind for his fans to remember him by. Includes full listings of all 60 of Joey's films, including music videos.WARNING: Contains adult content of a sexual nature.
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