Stephen Galloway’s Favourite Showbiz Biographies

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. This bestseller about growing up in Apartheid South Africa is one of the funniest/saddest stories you’ll ever read.

By Myself by Lauren Bacall. Bogie and Bacall remain the quintessential movie couple. But it was only after Bogie’s tragic death that Bacall came into her own.

My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin. The film industry has never produced a genius like Chaplin. He grew up in Dickensian poverty—and created some of the greatest movies ever made.

The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans. No Hollywood huckster had the razzle-dazzle of Bob Evans. Don’t just read about his rise from salesman to Godfather executive: get the audio version and be seduced by his slippery charm.

The Name above the Title by Frank Capra. Capra came to America as a desperately poor child and became one of its major directors. His story grabbed me at age 12 in Maidenhead library and it’s never let me go.