 |
William J. Mann (born August 7, 1963) is an American novelist, biographer, and Hollywood historian [1] best known for his studies of Hollywood and the American film industry, especially his 2006 biography of Katharine Hepburn, Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn. Kate was named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2006 by The New York Times . [2] William J.Mann also used the pseudonym Geoffrey Huntington [3] [4] under which he wrote the Ravenscliff Series. [5]
Mann was born August 7, 1963, in Connecticut. [6] His father, William H. Mann, was the treasurer for the city of Middletown, Connecticut, and his mother, Carol ( née Soderlind), worked for the Connecticut Superior Court (the state trial court of general jurisdiction). [7]
Mann received his undergraduate degree at Central Connecticut State University in 1984. [7] After working briefly as a Capitol Hill aide, he received his master's degree in liberal studies (with a concentration in history and film) in 1988 at Wesleyan University. [8] [9] [7]
He got his start as a journalist at the now-defunct Hartford Monthly magazine. He freelanced for, among others, Architectural Digest, Connecticut magazine, Men's Fitness, Frontiers (Los Angeles), and The Boston Phoenix. [10] He also wrote for and edited Metroline magazine, a gay-lesbian newsmagazine based in Hartford, Connecticut, before acting as publisher from 1992 to 1995. [7] [10]
Mann's first novel, The Men From the Boys, was published by Dutton in 1997. He continued with a series of novels set in Provincetown, although he has also set his fiction in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. In addition, Mann has written the nonfiction books Wisecracker (1998), a biography of film star William Haines, for which he won the Lambda Literary Award, [11] Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood (2001), and Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger (2005).
His 2006 biography of Katharine Hepburn, Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn, was named one of the Best Books of the Year by Publishers Weekly, that gave it a starred review, saying, "Hepburn's siblings and contemporaries (now free to speak after her death) make major corrections to earlier Hepburn biographies, creating a picture of a complex woman rather than the icon she worked hard to become in the public's eye. This will surely be the definitive version of Hepburn's life for decades to come, as it is an outstanding example of painstaking research matched with splendid writing." [12] In 2009, Mann wrote How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood. "Reading this life is like gorging on a chocolate sundae," Publishers Weekly wrote of the book. [13] "This is a smart book about a surprisingly savvy superstar. It's one of the best Hollywood biographies I've ever read," said Ed Sikov, author of Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis.
Hello Gorgeous: Becoming Barbra Streisand (Houghton Mifflin) followed in 2012. "A fresh exploration of the early years of Streisand," wrote the Washington Post. [14] "Trying to figure out the Barbra Streisand mystique is no easy task, but Mann expertly captures the launch of her remarkable career in the early 1960s when a unique 'star was born.' Mann's meticulous research and insightful analysis go deeper than any previous biography..." said USA Today. [15]
Mann's next book, Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood (HarperCollins, 2014), [16] is the story of how the Hollywood studio system and the Hays Office were established during the early 1920s, told alongside the famous, unsolved murder mystery of director William Desmond Taylor. [17] Tinseltown was a New York Times bestseller and won the 2015 Edgar Award (presented by the Mystery Writers of America) as Best Fact Crime Book of the Year. [18] NPR named it one of the best books of the year, adding "Brings the early days of the movie industry to sparkling life." Rex Reed raved: "Sex! Drama! Scandal! If you have the slightest curiosity about the dark purple scars of Hollywood history, this is the go-to book you cannot miss. . . Epic and fabulous—every page is haunting, every chapter a film noir. I was up all night."
Mann says that he knew he was gay when he was in the fifth grade. He came out privately to friends in his late teens. He was outed in 1991 when the Hartford Courant, covering a gay rights rally at the state capitol, published his name and photo. Although his family reacted negatively to the disclosure at first, within six years his parents were completely supportive. [7]
He met his husband, Dr. Timothy Huber, in 1988. They married in 2004. [7]
William Wyler was a German-born American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959), all of which also won for Best Picture. In total, he holds a record twelve nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director.
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand is an American singer, actress, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment and is among the few performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT).
The Prince of Tides is a 1991 American romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Barbra Streisand, from a screenplay written by Pat Conroy and Becky Johnston, based on Conroy's 1986 novel of the same name. It stars Streisand and Nick Nolte. It tells the story of the narrator's struggle to overcome the psychological damage inflicted by his dysfunctional childhood in South Carolina.
Donnie Wayne Johnson is an American actor, producer and singer. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series Miami Vice, for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his work in the role. He also played the titular character in the 1990s series Nash Bridges. Johnson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1996.
Jason Emanuel Gould is an American actor and singer.
Tinsel Town, Tinseltown, Tinsel-Town or other variants may refer to:
John H. Peters is an American film producer and former hairdresser.
Andrew Scott Berg is an American biographer. After graduating from Princeton University in 1971, Berg expanded his senior thesis on editor Maxwell Perkins into a full-length biography, Max Perkins: Editor of Genius (1978), which won a National Book Award. His second book Goldwyn: A Biography was published in 1989.
Barry Dennen was an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing Pontius Pilate on the original recording and later in the film of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Funny Girl is a 1968 American biographical musical comedy-drama film directed by William Wyler and written by Isobel Lennart, adapted from her book for the stage musical of the same title. It is loosely based on the life and career of Broadway and film star and comedienne Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein.
Christopher Peter Andersen is an American journalist and the author of 35 books, including many bestsellers.
William Wyler was a Swiss-German-American director and producer.
Anne Edwards is an American writer best known for her biographies of celebrities that include Princess Diana, Maria Callas, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Margaret Mitchell, Ronald Reagan, Barbra Streisand, Shirley Temple and Countess Sonya Tolstoy.
Richard Jay-Alexander is an American Broadway producer and director. He served as Executive Director of the New York City office of producer Cameron Mackintosh for twelve years, known for productions including Les Misérables, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera,Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Oliver! and Putting It Together.
Tom Santopietro is an American author and Broadway theater manager. He worked for 25 years in the New York theater scene, managing over 30 Broadway shows.
The Godfather Effect is a 2012 critically acclaimed study of The Godfather films – as well as Mario Puzo's 1969 novel – and their effect on American culture. Written by biographer Tom Santopietro, the book demonstrates how The Godfather was a turning point in American cultural consciousness. With its emphasis on proud ethnicity, The Godfather changed not just the way Italian-Americans saw themselves, but how Americans of all backgrounds viewed their individual and national self-identities, their possibilities, and attendant disappointments.
Alan Bergman and Marilyn Keith Bergman were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated television, film, and stage productions. The Bergmans enjoyed a successful career, honored with four Emmys, three Oscars, and two Grammys. They are in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood (ISBN 978-0-062-24216-7) is a book by William J. Mann published by HarperCollins on 14 October 2014. It won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime in 2015.
Funny Lady is the soundtrack album of the 1975 musical film of the same title, starring Barbra Streisand. Released by Arista Records on March 15, 1975, arranged, conducted, and coordinated by Peter Matz, the album's fifteen tracks are performed by Streisand, James Caan, and Ben Vereen. A sequel to the 1968 musical comedy-drama Funny Girl, the songs extend the semi-biographical account of the life of American performer Fanny Brice. Funny Lady also included songs written by Brice's third husband Billy Rose. New music by Kander and Ebb included "How Lucky Can You Get", the album's only single, released in April 1975.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
