Director Biography

The Big Sick meets Dad is Fat in this funny and heartfelt New York Times bestselling memoir from writer, director, wife, and mother, Jeannie Gaffigan, as she reflects on the life-changing impact of her battle with a pear-sized brain tumor. In 2017, Jeannie's life came to a crashing halt when she...

Jess Oppenheimer, "the brains" behind I Love Lucy, weaves this wonderfully entertaining tale of how his life experiences led him to create the iconic sitcom. Packed with humorous behind-the-scenes stories of stars like Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, William Frawley, Jack Benny, Douglas Fairbanks, and Fred Astaire.

The enigmatic and elusive filmmaker Stanley Kubrick has not been treated to a full-length biography in over twenty years. Stanley Kubrick: An Odyssey fills that gap. This definitive book is based on access to the latest research, especially Kubrick's archive at the University of the Arts, London, as well as other private papers plus new interviews with family members and those who worked with him. It offers comprehensive and in-depth coverage of Kubrick's personal, private, public, and working life.

“A vital book for understanding the still-unfolding nightmare of nationalism and racism in the 21st century.” –Francisco Cantu, author of The Line Becomes a River Stephen Miller is one of the most influential advisors in the White House. He has crafted Donald Trump’s speeches, designed...

An in-depth look at, and written in collaboration with, the man considered to be the most profound, and commercially successful director at work today--a franchise unto himself--whose deeply personal million-dollar blockbuster movies (The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), Dunkirk (2017)...

THE MAN WHO MADE THE WORLD AFRAID TO LOOK AWAY Behind every masterpiece of suspense lies a secret… and behind Alfred Hitchcock lay a shadow that refused to die. For over half a century, Alfred Hitchcock ruled Hollywood with his camera, his silence, and his genius. But behind the calm, droll smile and polished English wit was a man haunted by fear, driven by obsession, and consumed by the need to control everything—and everyone—around him. The Shadow Behind the Camera: The Untold Story of Alfred Hitchcock pulls back the curtain on the most shocking, little-known truths of cinema’s ...

The first major biography of one of Old Hollywood’s greatest directors. Sometime partner of the eccentric Howard Hughes, drinking buddy of William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway, an inveterate gambler and a notorious liar, Howard Hawks was the most modern of the great masters and one of the first directors to declare his independence from the major studios. He played Svengali to Lauren Bacall, Montgomery Clift, and others, but Hawks’s greatest creation may have been himself.

In 1971, Newsweek heralded The Last Picture Show as "the most impressive work by a young American director since Citizen Kane." Indeed, few filmmakers rivaled Peter Bogdanovich's popularity over the next decade. Riding the success of What's Up, Doc? (1972) and Paper Moon (1973), Bogdanovich became a bona fide celebrity, making regular appearances in his own movie trailers, occasionally hosting late-night television shows, and publicly advocating for mentors John Ford and Howard Hawks.

Step into the dazzling and dreamlike world of Federico Fellini, one of cinema’s greatest visionaries. From the heartbreaking simplicity of La Strada to the surreal brilliance of 8½ and the iconic glamour of La Dolce Vita, Fellini reshaped the art of film forever. In Federico Fellini: A Complete Guide to the Films, Vision, and Legacy of Italy’s Greatest Director, readers will discover the stories behind his masterpieces, the evolution of his unique style, and the collaborations that defined his extraordinary career. This comprehensive guide takes you through Fellini’s life and work ...

After a brief yet exalted career that resulted in the acclaimed films Badlands and Days of Heaven, director Terrence Malick shunned the public eye and, seemingly, his talents. In The Absence of Malick, David Handelman renders the scope and mystery of Malick's disappearance and, against all odds, finds him on the other end of a phone call.

Discover the extraordinary life and legendary films of John Ford, the director who defined American cinema. John Ford: A Complete Guide to the Life, Films, and Legacy of One of America’s Greatest Directors explores the career of the four-time Academy Award winner whose iconic works shaped how the world sees the American West, family, community, and national identity. From his Irish immigrant roots to his rise in Hollywood, Ford’s journey reflects the story of America itself, captured through unforgettable films like Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, The Searchers, and The Quiet Man. This...

Film and television actor and New York Times bestselling author Robert Wagner’s memoir of the great women movie stars he has known. In a career that has spanned more than sixty years Robert Wagner has witnessed the twilight of the Golden Age of Hollywood and the rise of television, becoming a...

“Being directed by the Jimmy Burrows, while on Friends, was like hitting the jackpot. I’m delighted that everyone can now share in his incredible insight with this book.”—JENNIFER ANISTON From the director of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, and Will & Grace comes an...

Woody Allen was once made a knight commander by France, but he didn’t know because the paperwork got lost in the mail. A decade later, he found out about the award by reading about it in the New York Times. Across nearly nine eventful decades, Allen’s life has been full of surprises. Writing...

Sanford Meisner was one of the best known and beloved teachers of acting in the country. This audiobook follows one of his acting classes for fifteen months, beginning with the most rudimentary exercises and ending with affecting and polished scenes from contemporary American plays. Written in...

A sixth-generation funeral director and writer of the popular ""must read"" (Time magazine) blog Confessions of a Funeral Director reflects on mortality and the powerful lessons death holds for every one of us in this compassionate and thoughtful spiritual memoir that combines the humor and...

An unprecedented look into the personal and creative life of the visionary auteur David Lynch, through his own words and those of his closest colleagues, friends, and family — adapted by David Lynch from the print book especially for this audio program In this unique hybrid of biography...

From the celebrated film critic and author of The Biographical Dictionary of Film--an essential work on the preeminent, indispensable movie directors and the ways in which their work has forged, and continues to forge, the landscape of modern film. Directors operate behind the scenes, managing...

The untold, intimate story of how three young visionaries—Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg—revolutionized American cinema, creating the most iconic films in history while risking everything, redefining friendship, and shaping Hollywood as we know it. "Shaun...

It is my personal memoir of everything I learned while assisting my mentor, Brian De Palma, which prepared me for my own successful career as a director on over 50 movies, including Elvira’s Haunted Hills and the De Palma-esque thriller Acting on Impulse starring Nancy Allen (Carrie, Home Movies, Dressed to Kill, Blow Out). It is also a coming out story of my transition from a 19-year-old closeted teenager raised in the conservative South, to marrying a woman, and then finally becoming an openly-gay adult in New York City.