Books by William J. Mann

By the time of her death in 2003 at the age of ninety-six, Katharine Hepburn had long been an American institution. This work charts the journey by which Kathy Hepburn of Hartford, Connecticut, became the star known simply as 'Kate', dazzling audiences in the company of such luminaries as Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and, Spencer Tracy.

An award-winning film biographer presents a deeply textured, ambitious, and definitive portrait of the greatest movie actor of the 20th century, the elusive Marlon Brando, bringing his extraordinarily complex life into view as never before.

From her days as a youthful minx at Metro Goldwyn Mayer to her post-studio reign as America's lustiest middle-aged movie queen, Taylor has defined the very essence of Hollywood stardom. How to be a Movie Star is a different kind of book about Elizabeth Taylor: an intimate, up-close look at a girl who grew up with fame, who learned early-and well-how to be famous, and how that fame was used and constructed to carry her through more than sixty years of public life. Indeed, one might say Elizabeth went to school to learn how to be famous, her education courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer, the greatest, most glamorous movie studio of all time.