We continue our Christmas gift guide and move on to the hardback biography. We’ve scoured the shelves of all of the new releases – there are tons our there this year – and come up with five of the essential biographies for movie and television fans for 2021.
Will – Will Smith
So, this one had to go on our list first as it is definitely one we’ll be asking Santa to deliver to us while we’re asleep on Christmas Eve. The autobiography from one of modern Hollywood’s biggest movie stars, Will Smith charts his long career, all of the way from the first days of The Fresh Prince in1985, to this year’s King Richard, and everything in-between.
Putting the Rabbit in the Hat – Brian Cox
The star of one of the hottest shows on television right now, Succession, has had an acting career that reaches back as far as the 1960s’. The original Hannibal Lector in Michael Mann’s ’80s adaptation of the Thomas Harris book ‘Red Dragon’, Manhunter, Cox has over 200 acting credits to his name, including roles in Z-Cars, Braveheart, Troy, X-Men 2, and Adam Sandler movie Pixels, nobody has had a varied and applauded career as Cox, and this book looks back at the last fifty years with witty, and even sometimes controversial anecdotes.
Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood – Danny Trejo
Despite a much shorter career, Danny Trejo has many more credits to his name than probably anyone else in the history of movies and TV. Well, maybe apart from Eric Roberts. The IMDB total now stands at over 400 roles in TV, film, and video games, but this memoir, titled ‘Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood’ looks also back at his time before he was cast on the big screen. A wonderful accompaniment to the 2019 documentary Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo, the detailed book has been out for a little while – published back in the summer – but if you haven’t managed to grab yourself a copy as yet, put it on the wish list. Also available in paperback.
All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business – Mel Brooks
Another screen icon, this time nonagenarian Mel Brooks, who looks back over his life and career with ‘never-before-told, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and remembrances’. Out now, the memoir follows Brooks from a Depression-era kid in Brooklyn to the recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Brooks has served in World War II, been a teenage comedian, and has gone on to do it all, including winning the prestigious EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony. A brilliant book by a man we’ll probably never see the likes of again.
Solid Ivory – James Ivory
To another filmmaking legend now and James Ivory, the 93-year-old film director, producer, and screenwriter behind the likes of Howards End, The Remains of the Day, and A Room With A View. This book is described by the publisher as a ‘carefully crafted mosaic of memories, portraits, and reflections, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Ivory, a partner in the legendary Merchant Ivory Productions.’ A must for film historians and fans of the great man’s work.
