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William J. Mann

Biography

William J. Mann

William J. Mann is the New York Times bestselling author of BOGIE & BACALL: The Surprising True Story of Hollywood's Greatest Love Affair; THE CONTENDER: The Story of Marlon Brando; KATE: The Woman Who Was Hepburn; HOW TO BE A MOVIE STAR: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood; HELLO, GORGEOUS: Becoming Barbra Streisand; WISECRACKER: The Life and Times of William Haines; and TINSELTOWN: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood, winner of the Edgar Allen Poe Award. He divides his time between Connecticut and Cape Cod.

William J. Mann

Books by William J. Mann

Bogie & Bacall: The Surprising True Story of Hollywood's Greatest Love Affair
by William J. Mann - Biography, Nonfiction

In BOGIE & BACALL, William J. Mann offers a deep and comprehensive look at Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, and the unlikely love they shared. Mann details their early years --- Bogart’s effete upbringing in New York City; Bacall’s rise as a model and actress. He paints a vivid portrait of their courtship and 12-year marriage: the fights, the reconciliations, the children, the affairs, Bogie’s illness and Bacall’s steadfastness until his death. He offers a sympathetic yet clear-eyed portrait of Bacall’s life after Bogie, exploring her relationships with Frank Sinatra and Jason Robards, who would become her second husband, and the identity crisis she faced. Surpassing previous biographies, Mann digs deep into the celebrities’ personal lives and considers their relationship from surprising angles.

The Contender: The Story of Marlon Brando
by William J. Mann - Biography, Entertainment, Nonfiction, Performing Arts

The most influential movie actor of his era, Marlon Brando changed the way other actors perceived their craft. His approach was natural, honest and deeply personal, resulting in performances --- most notably in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront --- that are without parallel. Brando’s impact on American culture matches his professional significance; he both challenged and codified our ideas of masculinity and sexuality. Brando was also one of the first stars to use his fame as a platform to address social, political and moral issues, courageously calling out America’s deeply rooted racism. William Mann’s biography of the Hollywood legend illuminates this culture icon for a new age.

The Wars of the Roosevelts: The Rutheless Rise of America's Greatest Political Family
by William J. Mann - Biography, History, Nonfiction

Drawing on previously hidden historical documents and interviews with the long-silent "illegitimate" branch of the Roosevelt family, William J. Mann paints an elegant, meticulously researched and groundbreaking group portrait of this legendary clan. Mann argues that the Roosevelts’ rise to power and prestige was actually driven by a series of intense personal contests that at times devolved into blood sport. THE WAR OF THE ROOSEVELTS is the story of a family at war with itself, of social Darwinism at its most ruthless --- in which the strong devoured the weak and repudiated the inconvenient.