Publication
New York : Simon & Schuster, 2021.
Collection
Call number
Biography G
Physical description
556 p.; 24 cm
Status
Available
Call number
Description
"Born Archibald Leach in 1904, he came to America as a teenaged acrobat to find fame and fortune, but he was always haunted by his past. His father was an alcoholic, and his mother was committed to an asylum when Archie was eleven years old. He believed her to be dead until he was informed she was alive when he was thirty-one years old. Because of this experience Grant would have difficulty forming close attachments throughout his life; he married five times and had numerous affairs. Drawing on Grant's own papers, extensive archival research, and interviews with family and friends, this is the definitive portrait of a movie immortal"--Page 4 of cover.
User reviews
LibraryThing member TimBazzett
I've loved Cary Grant's films for as long as I can remember. Grew up with his movies. Always cool, elegant, graceful - and, usually, FUNNY. Scott Eyman's beautiful, telling biography of this star did little to disabuse me of my awe of Grant's talent. Finding out about Grant's desperately poor
I should perhaps admit that one of the reasons I wanted to read this was that yes, I too had heard the rumors about Grant and his longtime roommate, Randolph Scott (I saw all of his westerns), back in the 1930s. What did Eyman find out? Well, it's kinda hard to say. Maybe the rumors were true and maybe they weren't, but, in the end, who cares? What almost everyone did agree on, however, was what a kind person Cary Grant was. Kindness. Yes. I also learned that Cary Grant was his own creation. In his heart, he never stopped being Archie Leach, the poor boy from Bristol. As Eyman's subtitle indicates, the Cary Grant persona was "A Brilliant Disguise."
CARY GRANT is a long book, nearly 500 pages, so it's a considerable investment of your time. I don't read a lot of celebrity biographies. I usually prefer AUTObiographies. But this is a damn good bio, well-researched (details on all of his films and all five marriages are in there, as well as his great happiness at finally becoming a father in his sixties) and very open-minded. And the narrative of Grant's life flows beautifully. Cary Grant died over thirty years ago, but this book made me miss him all over again. Kudos to Scott Eyman. If you are movie fan or a student of the golden age of film, you will love this book. Highly recommended.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
Show More
beginnings in Bristol, England, was something of an eye-opener, as was learning that he left school at 14 to join a troupe of acrobats - although the latter revelation perhaps does much to explain the actor's physical grace. But yeah, Grant is indeed an icon of film, and Eyman's book will emphasize that. I still remember being on leave from the Army in Germany and traveling to Copenhagen back in 1965 - or '64? - where a friend and I saw a long line snaking halfway around the block outside a theater. We walked up to see what was playing. It was "Father Goose." We got in line. And it was indeed a funny, delightful film. Of course we didn't need the Danish subtitles. (The Danish crowd loved it too.)I should perhaps admit that one of the reasons I wanted to read this was that yes, I too had heard the rumors about Grant and his longtime roommate, Randolph Scott (I saw all of his westerns), back in the 1930s. What did Eyman find out? Well, it's kinda hard to say. Maybe the rumors were true and maybe they weren't, but, in the end, who cares? What almost everyone did agree on, however, was what a kind person Cary Grant was. Kindness. Yes. I also learned that Cary Grant was his own creation. In his heart, he never stopped being Archie Leach, the poor boy from Bristol. As Eyman's subtitle indicates, the Cary Grant persona was "A Brilliant Disguise."
CARY GRANT is a long book, nearly 500 pages, so it's a considerable investment of your time. I don't read a lot of celebrity biographies. I usually prefer AUTObiographies. But this is a damn good bio, well-researched (details on all of his films and all five marriages are in there, as well as his great happiness at finally becoming a father in his sixties) and very open-minded. And the narrative of Grant's life flows beautifully. Cary Grant died over thirty years ago, but this book made me miss him all over again. Kudos to Scott Eyman. If you are movie fan or a student of the golden age of film, you will love this book. Highly recommended.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
Show Less
LibraryThing member gpangel
Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise by Scott Eyman is a 2020 Simon & Schuster publication.
Written the way a biography should be!
Recently, headlines erupted about a popular celebrity accused of being someone entirely different off camera than their public persona would have us believe. The only thing
Celebrities, musicians, actors, and yes, even authors have a face they present to the public- on stage, on screen, or online. Actors, in particular, have a way of convincing us that the character we love or hate onscreen is synonymous with the person they are in real life. The ‘good girl’ actress you love could be a difficult diva once the cameras stop rolling… and probably is.
The reason I’m mentioning all this is because Cary Grant is one of my favorite actors from his generation of Hollywood leading men. I think most people, if asked, would say they like Cary Grant... his on screen persona, that is.
Therefore, if you want to maintain that image of Cary, be prepared to see a different side of the charming, sophisticated, suave actor- the lovable, physical comedian, the romantic heartthrob. Behind the scenes, the actor was not always so endearing.
Archie Leach, born in Britain, came to America and eventually morphed into Cary Grant- the famous movie star. Archie and Cary housed in the same shell, would fight for dominance until Cary’s twilight years when the two sides of himself would finally make peace.
This book explores all the various pieces of the man we know as Cary Grant, but also the Archie Leach side of him. We learn about his business dealings, his friendships, his numerous marriages and affairs, and his annoying propensity for being ‘frugal’.
Personally, I found this to be a fascinating biography. I didn’t know that much about Cary’s personal life, other than he had been married multiple times. Therefore, all the information here was news to me. Grant was complicated, moody, not particularly approachable, and his attitude towards women could rankle on occasion. He was a self-absorbed egomaniac but was also described by some as the nicest person they knew. So, there you go.
This is an interesting, well- researched, and thorough biography, made more pleasant by the author’s neutrality. All biographies should be approached in this manner. I hate glossed over, gushing fan-biopics, tell-all biographies, or bios rooted in tittle-tattle, cheap, hastily tossed together cash grabs, or those focused solely on the professional end of the subject’s life.
Eyman is an experienced biographer, and it shows. I feel one interested in reading about the life of Cary Grant couldn’t ask for a better organized, well rounded portrait of the man.
One of my favorite memories of Cary is his role in Arsenic & Old Lace- He was hysterical in that movie. I also loved all his Hitchcock films, and “The Philadelphia Story” ranks as one my very favorites of Grant’s movies. I have not seen all his films and would like to look some of them up someday. This book also has me in the mood to re-watch some of favorites.
So, even though this book reveals some less than flattering information about Cary, there was nothing here that would taint my enjoyment of his films or my appreciation of his talent. He was no worse than many other stars or celebrities of his era. Compared to what takes place today, Cary’s behavior and attitudes are almost child’s play.
For those wondering if the most burning question people want to know about Cary’s personal life is revealed- you will have to read the book to find out.
Overall, this is an impressive biography of one of Hollywood's most enduring actors- one of the few still remembered with much fondness today.
I have another book by Eyman in my TBR list- think I'll have to bump it up!
4.5 stars
Written the way a biography should be!
Recently, headlines erupted about a popular celebrity accused of being someone entirely different off camera than their public persona would have us believe. The only thing
Show More
that surprised me about the allegations was that people were surprised by allegations. Celebrities, musicians, actors, and yes, even authors have a face they present to the public- on stage, on screen, or online. Actors, in particular, have a way of convincing us that the character we love or hate onscreen is synonymous with the person they are in real life. The ‘good girl’ actress you love could be a difficult diva once the cameras stop rolling… and probably is.
The reason I’m mentioning all this is because Cary Grant is one of my favorite actors from his generation of Hollywood leading men. I think most people, if asked, would say they like Cary Grant... his on screen persona, that is.
Therefore, if you want to maintain that image of Cary, be prepared to see a different side of the charming, sophisticated, suave actor- the lovable, physical comedian, the romantic heartthrob. Behind the scenes, the actor was not always so endearing.
Archie Leach, born in Britain, came to America and eventually morphed into Cary Grant- the famous movie star. Archie and Cary housed in the same shell, would fight for dominance until Cary’s twilight years when the two sides of himself would finally make peace.
This book explores all the various pieces of the man we know as Cary Grant, but also the Archie Leach side of him. We learn about his business dealings, his friendships, his numerous marriages and affairs, and his annoying propensity for being ‘frugal’.
Personally, I found this to be a fascinating biography. I didn’t know that much about Cary’s personal life, other than he had been married multiple times. Therefore, all the information here was news to me. Grant was complicated, moody, not particularly approachable, and his attitude towards women could rankle on occasion. He was a self-absorbed egomaniac but was also described by some as the nicest person they knew. So, there you go.
This is an interesting, well- researched, and thorough biography, made more pleasant by the author’s neutrality. All biographies should be approached in this manner. I hate glossed over, gushing fan-biopics, tell-all biographies, or bios rooted in tittle-tattle, cheap, hastily tossed together cash grabs, or those focused solely on the professional end of the subject’s life.
Eyman is an experienced biographer, and it shows. I feel one interested in reading about the life of Cary Grant couldn’t ask for a better organized, well rounded portrait of the man.
One of my favorite memories of Cary is his role in Arsenic & Old Lace- He was hysterical in that movie. I also loved all his Hitchcock films, and “The Philadelphia Story” ranks as one my very favorites of Grant’s movies. I have not seen all his films and would like to look some of them up someday. This book also has me in the mood to re-watch some of favorites.
So, even though this book reveals some less than flattering information about Cary, there was nothing here that would taint my enjoyment of his films or my appreciation of his talent. He was no worse than many other stars or celebrities of his era. Compared to what takes place today, Cary’s behavior and attitudes are almost child’s play.
For those wondering if the most burning question people want to know about Cary’s personal life is revealed- you will have to read the book to find out.
Overall, this is an impressive biography of one of Hollywood's most enduring actors- one of the few still remembered with much fondness today.
I have another book by Eyman in my TBR list- think I'll have to bump it up!
4.5 stars
Show Less
LibraryThing member gincam
Noted celebrity biographer Scott Eyman examines the life of a beloved Hollywood megastar in "Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise". All of his life, Cary Grant was followed by the shadow of his birth persona, Archie Leach--or was it the other way around? Despite his impeccable on-screen skills, Grant
Book Copy Gratis Simon & Schuste
Show More
was a man riddled by insecurities and self-doubts, shaped in large part by his troubled childhood. His father was a drinker who committed young Archie's mother to a mental asylum and later told him that she had died. Years later, Grant would learn that his mother was still living. He would never fully reconcile with either parent. From the time that teen-aged Archie arrived in America as a vaudeville acrobat, to decades later when sixty-two-year-old Cary effectively retired from show business in order to spend time with his only child, Grant was an entertainer like no other. In his private life, he was prone to neurosis, he was a known penny-pincher, and he married five times. His sexuality was questioned, but his talent was never in doubt. His combination of looks, charm, wit, physical comedy, and his ability to also project a dark, mysterious allure still stands without peer. Later in life, he traveled the country in a series of one-man shows--"An Evening with Cary Grant"--which were extremely well-received. White-haired and bespectacled, Grant was possibly more handsome and charming than ever, and audiences were enthralled. The love of Grant's life was his daughter, Jennifer. He had waited a very long time to become a father, and he cherished every moment of their time together. His timeless appeal far eclipses whatever his inner conflicts may have been, and he remains one of the top film stars of all time. Author Scott Eyman's lengthy biography, which includes wonderful black & white photos chronicling Grant both on and off screen, is appropriate for such a storied life. It contains a wealth of information about its subject and the glittering world of entertainment. It includes insights featuring a galaxy of stars and show business luminaries, but none shine brighter than Grant himself.Book Copy Gratis Simon & Schuste
Show Less
LibraryThing member Whiskey3pa
Very good treatment of a Hollywood giant. He led an interesting life and was one of the most successful studio stars. His success lasted for decades and he walked away with little apparent regret. The book is thorough without being needlessly salacious. It is organized well and moves the reader
Show More
along. Recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member Perednia
Not as insightful as his John Ford book, but Eyman does nail the ending.
LibraryThing member MikeBiever
It is always interesting to me that people achieve greatness and still have flaws and human qualities. Adapting to a lifestyle of show business glamour and expectations, Cary Grant built a life of wealth and fame. But, Grant also was calculating. Mindful of money and financial well-being. Mindful
Show More
of persona. Always with the knowledge that he -- Archie Leach -- understood that success can be fleeting and wasted. Grant used his time as a movie actor to build a reputation that carries over today. Show Less
Language
ISBN
9781501192111