Biographies
Myrna Loy Biography: The Thin Man, William Powell and Life Beyond the Perfect Wife
In this biography, we follow Myrna Loy through the intelligence behind Nora Charles, the damaging limits of early exotic casting and a public life…
Browse the Archive
Classic Hollywood
Biographies
Edward G. Robinson Biography: Little Caesar, Film Noir and the Man Behind the Gangsters
In this biography, we follow Edward G. Robinson through the cultured, politically engaged actor behind Little Caesar, Double Indemnity, Scarlet Street and decades of…
Biographies
Montgomery Clift Biography: The Actor Who Changed Hollywood’s Leading Men
In this biography, we follow Montgomery Clift through the stage discipline, emotional privacy and screen naturalism that altered the idea of a Hollywood leading…
Biographies
Burt Lancaster Biography: The Killers, Elmer Gantry and a Star Who Made His Own Rules
In this biography, we follow Burt Lancaster through his circus athleticism, precise acting, independent production and refusal to let one heroic image define his…
Biographies
Carole Lombard Biography: Screwball Comedy, Clark Gable and a Life Cut Short
In this biography, we follow Carole Lombard through the technical control beneath her screwball speed, her marriage to Clark Gable and the war-bond journey…
Biographies
Gloria Swanson Biography: Silent Stardom, Sunset Boulevard and the Art of Reinvention
In this biography, we follow Gloria Swanson through silent-era celebrity, independent production, financial risk and the later reinvention that Sunset Boulevard did not create…
Biographies
Jean Harlow Biography: The Platinum Blonde Who Was Funnier Than Her Image
In this biography, we follow Jean Harlow through the comic timing, modern toughness and developing craft obscured by the Platinum Blonde publicity image.
Biographies
Olivia de Havilland Biography: Gone with the Wind and the Case That Changed Hollywood
In this biography, we follow Olivia de Havilland through her Warner Bros. contract case, Gone with the Wind, The Heiress and the range she…
Biographies
Orson Welles Biography: Citizen Kane, Radio and the Battle for Creative Freedom
From theatre and radio to Citizen Kane, studio conflict and films assembled across continents, we follow Orson Welles's lifelong effort to protect creative freedom.
Biographies
Hedy Lamarr Biography: Hollywood Stardom and the Invention Beyond the Screen
We follow Hedy Lamarr from Vienna and Algiers to MGM, independent production and the frequency-changing communication patent she developed with George Antheil.