Peter Lawford: The Man Who Kept Secrets - Hardcover

Spada, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0553071858 ISBN 13: 9780553071856

Publisher: Bantam, 1991

Synopsis

Traces the life and career of the film star, from his unhappy childhood to his acting success and Hollywood romances, his alleged homosexuality, his friendship with Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, and John F. Kennedy, and his drug abuse and death

About this title

From the Publisher:

From Bobby-Sox idol to Kennedy spouse and Marylin Monroe intimate, his life was a dizzying whirl of sex, scandal, an secrets even the tabloids dared not print... Once, Peter Lawford seemed to have it all: a handsome face, a sophisticated wit, a talent that won him overnight stardom and entree into a world of beautiful, powerful people. Veteran of film roles in Easter Parade, Little Women, Good News, and The Picture of Dorian Gray, the actor had romanced screen sirens Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, and Rita Hayworth; joined Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack; become one of sex goddess Marilyn Monroe's closest confidants; and capped it off by marrying into the famed Kennedy clan. But beneath the glamour of his movie-star life, his fairy-tale marriage, and his legendary friends, lived a man beset by childhood demons that would lead him into alcohol, drugs, shocking sexual escapades--and a controversial role in the cover-up of Marilyn Monroe's death. Now, renowned biographer James Spada tells the fascinating, heartrending story of this deeply troubled man, destined to be remembered best for the secrets he took to his grave... revealed here for the first time.

"Engrossing... tells [Lawford's] frequently tragic story in well-documented detail."--Chicago Tribune.

"Fascinating."--Cosmopolitan.

"A compelling morality tale, largely because Lawford's life was more Dickensian than Dickens. Compulsive reading."--Los Angeles Times.

"Truly titillates."-Daily News, New York

From Library Journal:

Lawford starred in surprisingly few grade-A films. Nevertheless, the charm he displayed in movies such as Good News (1947) and Little Women (1949), as well as in clubs and television made him a household name. Biographer Spada ( Monroe, Her Life in Pictures , LJ 10/1/82) balances Lawford's professional and personal lives as the ultimately self-destructive actor never could. Spada chronicles Lawford's British heritage, marriages to Pat Kennedy and less famous women, close friendships with Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and Jackie Kennedy, and his descent into alcohol and drug abuse. This excellently written, thoroughly researched and documented portrait is as compelling as it is distressing. Highly recommended.
- Kim Holston, American Inst. for Property and Liability Underwriters, Malvern, Pa.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bantam
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0553071858
• ISBN 13: 9780553071856
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 504