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| Bret has also written many newspaper and magazine articles, for instance, for ], and he has lectured at the ]. He had adapted songs from the original French for his godmother, actress Jacqueline Danno, and for his friend the chanteuse Barbara. She commissioned him to adapt her theme song, ''Ma plus belle histoire d'amour'', into English. Bret also appears in the Italian | Bret has also written many newspaper and magazine articles, for instance, for ], and he has lectured at the ]. He had adapted songs from the original French for his godmother, actress Jacqueline Danno, and for his friend the chanteuse Barbara. She commissioned him to adapt her theme song, ''Ma plus belle histoire d'amour'', into English. Bret also appears in the Italian | ||
| documentary, 'Rudy', which tells the story of ]. He also made a trio of documentaries for the ] channel in the USA, discussing ], ] and ]. | documentary, 'Rudy', which tells the story of ]. He also made a trio of documentaries for the ] channel in the USA, discussing ], ] and ]. | ||
| ==Bibliography== | |||
| In the following partial bibliography, note that the publisher frequently changes the title for the same book from any hardcover version to paperback. Plus, the title and year of publication may vary depending on the country of issue. | |||
| *''Greta Garbo: Divine Star'' (2012:Robeson) | |||
| *''Elizabeth Taylor; The Lover, The Lady, The Legend'' (2011:Mainstream Books) | |||
| *''Diana Dors: Hurricane in Mink'' (2010:JR Books) | |||
| *''Mario Lanza: Sublime Serenade'' (2009:JR Books) | |||
| *''The Real Gracie Fields'' (2010:JR Books) | |||
| *''Jean Harlow: Tarnished Angel'' (2009:JR Books)<ref>{{cite book|oclc=305175535|title=Jean Harlow: Tarnished Angel}}</ref> | |||
| *''Errol Flynn: Gentleman Hellraiser'' (2009:JR Books) | |||
| *''Trailblazers: Gram Parsons, Nick Drake & Jeff Buckley'' (2009:JR Books) | |||
| *''Doris Day: Reluctant Star'' (2008:JR Books)<ref>{{cite book|oclc=227279216 |title=Doris Day: Reluctant Star }}</ref> | |||
| *''Clark Gable: Tormented Star'' (2007:JR Books; ])<ref>{{cite book|oclc=154699305 |title=Clark Gable: Tormented Star }}</ref> | |||
| *''Piaf: A Passionate Life II'' (2007:JR Books) | |||
| *''Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr'' (2006:JR Books; 2007:Carroll & Graf )<ref>{{cite book|oclc=76913959 |title=Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr }}</ref> | |||
| *''Rock Hudson'' (2004:Robeson) | |||
| *''Morrissey: Scandal and Passion'' (2004:Robeson)<ref name=PubWeek_Morrissey /> | |||
| *''Elvis: The Hollywood Years'' (2002:Robeson) | |||
| *''Barbra Streisand'' (2000:Anonymous Press) | |||
| *''Errol Flynn: Satan's Angel'' (2000:Robeson) | |||
| *''Piaf: A Passionate Life'' (1999:Robeson) | |||
| *''Valentino: A Dream of Desire'' (1998:Robeson) | |||
| *''George Formby: A Troubled Genius'' (1999:Robeson)<ref name=Guard_24Nov01>{{cite news|title=Book review: George Formby by David Bret |work=The Guardian |date=24 November 2001 |first=Jonathan |last=Glancey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/nov/24/biography.art}}</ref> | |||
| *''Maria Callas: The Tigress and the Lamb'' (1997:Robeson)<ref>{{cite book|oclc=38224970 |title=Maria Callas: The Tigress and the Lamb}}</ref> | |||
| *''Freddie Mercury Story: Living on the Edge'' (1996:Robeson) | |||
| *''Tallulah Bankhead: A Scandalous Life'' (1996:Robeson) | |||
| *''Gracie Fields: The Authorized Biography'' (1995, reprinted 2010:Robeson) | |||
| *''Morrissey: Landscapes of the Mind'' (1994:Robeson) | |||
| *''Marlene My Friend: An Intimate Biography'' (1993:Robeson)<ref>{{cite book|oclc=29598087 |title=Marlene My Friend: An Intimate Biography}}</ref> | |||
| *''Maurice Chevalier: Up on Top of a Rainbow'' (1992)<ref name=PubWeek_Chevalier /> | |||
| *''The Mistinguett Legend'' (1990:Robeson)<ref>{{cite web|title=The Mistinguett Legend By David Bret|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-bret/the-mistinguett-legend/|website=Kirkus Reviews|accessdate=1 November 2015|date=20 May 2010}}</ref> | |||
| *''The Piaf Legend'' (1988:Robeson)<ref name=PubWeek_Piaf /> | |||
| *''Putting One's Head Above The Parapet: My Autobiography'' (2016: DbBooks) | |||
| *'' The Nancy Sphinctergritzel Spoof series (2014-16: DbBooks) | |||
| *'' Joey Stefano: The Life, Loves & Legacy of the Prince of Passion" (2015: DbBooks) | |||
| *'' John Dynham of Nutwell: Part One of a Family Saga Set During The Wars of the Roses (2015: DbBooks) novel | |||
| *'' The Tribulations of John Dynham (2016: DbBooks) novel | |||
| *'' Chanson, A Story of Forbidden Love During the German Occupation of Paris (2013: Dreamspinner Press) novel | |||
| *'' Dante Alfonso: Italian God of the Silent Screen (2014: Dreamspinner Press) novel | |||
| *'' Old Bastard: My Psychotic Father (2016: DbBooks) autobiography | |||
| *'' Dorothy Squires: A Personal Memoir By Her Friend & Confidant (2016 DbBooks) | |||
| == Criticisms == | == Criticisms == | ||
Revision as of 23:13, 8 March 2017
David Bret (born 8 November 1954) is a French-born British author of showbiz biographies. He chiefly writes on the private life of film stars and singers.
Life
Born in Paris, France in 1954, David Bret was adopted by an English couple and raised in Wath-on-Dearne, South Yorkshire. He worked for several years in the retail trade, then as an administrator with the NHS, and as a singer in working men's clubs. He then began writing the biographies for which he is best known. He married Jeanne Elliss in October 1972, and has a son, Marleau, born in October 1973. He lives in West Yorkshire, England.
Biographies
Bret has written a number of biographies for several different publishers. Many of these have focused on the private or intimate lives of entertainment celebrities. Lewis Jones, in the Telegraph wrote that Bret "...for decades has churned out sensationalist biographies of such figures as Diana Dors, Barbra Streisand and Tallulah Bankhead."
Other work
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. Find sources: "David Bret" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Bret has also written many newspaper and magazine articles, for instance, for The Stage, and he has lectured at the University of Chicago. He had adapted songs from the original French for his godmother, actress Jacqueline Danno, and for his friend the chanteuse Barbara. She commissioned him to adapt her theme song, Ma plus belle histoire d'amour, into English. Bret also appears in the Italian documentary, 'Rudy', which tells the story of Rudolph Valentino. He also made a trio of documentaries for the E! channel in the USA, discussing Freddie Mercury, Valentino and Tallulah Bankhead.
Criticisms
Bret is regarded by some as controversial in his writings and has been compared to Charles Higham and Kenneth Anger ("The effect is Hollywood Babylon lite.") His works have also attracted scrutiny for their sexual detail.
References
- ^ Calhoun, Ada (30 March 2008). "Frankly, My Dear ..." The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- Jones, Lewis (6 August 2012). "Greta Garbo: Divine Star by David Bret: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ Summers, Claude J. (2005). The Queer Encyclopedia of Film & Television. Cleis Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-1573442091. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
The controversial biographers Charles Higham and David Bret...
- Cite error: The named reference
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