Box Set: Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor

by Grace May Carter

Here, from New York Times bestselling biographer Grace May Carter, are the extraordinary lives of Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Ingrid Bergman emerges as a devoted artist whose refusal to be a caricature caused her endless trouble - but also produced brilliant performances, from her early role opposite Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca to her profound and final appearance as Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. In between, there were four children (including actress Isabella Rossellini), three husbands, and passionate affairs with war photographer Robert Capa, Wizard of Oz director Victor Fleming, and Spellbound co-star Gregory Peck. She was perhaps the most international star in the history of entertainment, and, without a doubt, one of the most misunderstood. In a career that spanned six decades, two Academy Awards, and ten Oscar nominations, Bette Davis became one of the greatest screen legends of all time. But, as her epitaph says, "She did it the hard way." She was in constant battles with co-stars, directors, and studios and struggled with addictions to alcohol and cigarettes. She had four stormy marriages, and even her three children brought pain and controversy - one wrote a scathing tell-all book, another had a severe mental disability, and a third was the subject of a prolonged custody battle. But in her iconic film roles, Davis transcended her troubles to leave an indelible mark on American cinema. Possessing none of the glamorous beauty of Greta Garbo, she had something more powerful and a restless, incandescent energy that made her mesmerizing to watch on the big screen. Katharine Hepburn was far more than an iconic movie star who won four Academy Awards for best actress and made classic films that still rank among the greatest of all time. She also exerted a unique influence on American popular culture, challenging rigid assumptions about how women should behave - and almost single-handedly gave them permission to wear pants. The list of adjectives used to describe Hepburn - bold, stubborn, witty, beautiful - only begin to hint at the complex woman who entranced audiences around the world. So here is the full, epic story of "the patron saint of the independent American female," as one critic described her. Hepburn always lived life strictly on her own terms. And oh, what a life it was. For a time, Elizabeth Taylor was the world's biggest star, but it was her off-screen life - eight stormy marriages, a jewel-encrusted lifestyle, and struggles with weight and various addictions - that provided the most riveting drama. Long before the age of reality television, Taylor showed how fame could take on a volatile life of its own, obscuring the real person behind the media façade. Now, in this compelling biography, we meet the real Elizabeth Taylor as she grows from precocious child star to "the most beautiful woman in the world" to serious actress to pop-culture punch line, and finally, successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, and HIV/AIDS activist. Along the way, she is vilified by fans for stealing singer Eddie Fischer from Debbie Reynolds, becomes trapped in a cycle of destructive affairs with Richard Burton, and desperately tries to recapture the childhood she never had with the eccentric pop star Michael Jackson. "I've always admitted that I'm ruled by my passions," she once said - and those passions make for a gripping, epic tale of tribulation and triumph.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

905 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2018

Reviews

[Somia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ingrid Bergman

A great actress, although Casablanca is the only movie of hers I've seen and not been keen on. But that's more due to the plot and ending than due to the actors. The way in which the press turned on her due to her affair with Rossellini - yikes, they were vicious.

This bio has left the strongest memory. Layout could have been a little different to draw the reader in a bit more.

Betta Davis

All about Eve is a favourite of mine and found it interesting how some of her life seemed to be reflected in the movie and vice versa. Wish more had been said about how she played a role in highlighting the issues with the Studio system.

Katharine Hepburn

Did not know much about this actress, even though I've watched her movies plenty. This bio has me keen to read the bio she wrote.

Elizabeth Taylor

For the life of me I cannot remember reading this one, I don't know if the heat has finally gotten to my brain, will need to check I actually read this.

99p on amazon.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace May Carter's four women, Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor are worth reading about for themselves and for the current context of exposure of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. Surprisingly, sexual harassment is not a predominant theme - was it something the women didn't talk about? accepted as part of the business? were able to deal with themselves? didn't happen? These questions are not answered, or dealt with. The book would have been finer if there had been some reference to today's climate demanding change in the industry. Certainly the studio controls and the changes made there, are considered. Also, the role of strong women and their predominance and importance to the films produced, particularly of Bergman, Davis and Hepburn, is described. Only in the case of Bette Davis is 'the casting couch' addressed - it was part of the screen test, but involved numerous male actors also being tested rather than one sexual predator. Davis was incensed at being treated like 'a mattress in a bawdy house'.

Carter does comment upon the attacks made on the women for their various marriages, divorces, love affairs and personal lives. For example, Bergman starred in films that embodied the pure woman such as The Bells of St Mary's or larger than life heroines such as Saint Joan, but lost work because of her leaving her husband and child for Roberto Rossellini in 1950. Taylor's marriage to Eddie Fisher made her a pariah for some time. There is no reflection upon her acceptance of violence from Michael Todd and Richard Burton. What made a beautiful successful woman accept such treatment?


The women's dedication to their work is a strong theme of the work.


To be completed.

[Cindy Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takes One Back In Time

Ingrid Bergmann was the most considerate and professional. Bette Davis may have had the most talent and was a fighter. Katharine Hepburn the most interesting privately and disciplined. Elizabeth Taylor the most stunning, with shockingly, the most spoiled yet most giving life of all.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Occasionally, I like to read where movie stars had their beginnings. Each one of these women grew up with strong personalities that seemed to make them unlikeable right off the top. Each of them had multiple marriages, love affairs, and miserable lives. Is this an accurate portrayal, or is the author simply creating sensationalism? Ugh! Depressing!

[Katarína Ristveyová · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four biographies of 4 extraordinary women, who defied expectations and traditions.. The biographies focus on their acting carreers and personal relationships.. Each of them strong and admirable in their own right..

[Amanda Jepsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about these Well Know Actresses! Found things about them I never knew.

[Tracy Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading all four books. It's a very fast paced book. Good insight on all four of these Actors lives.

[Judith Kaufman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Growing up on the fifties and sixties, I read lots of fan magazines. I knew all about Ingrid Bergman

[Cathie]

Very interesting stories about each actress.