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David Bret

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David Bret

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

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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.

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)
  • Errol Flynn: Gentleman Hellraiser (2009:JR Books)
  • Trailblazers: Gram Parsons, Nick Drake & Jeff Buckley (2009:JR Books)
  • Doris Day: Reluctant Star (2008:JR Books)
  • Clark Gable: Tormented Star (2007:JR Books; Carroll & Graf)
  • Piaf: A Passionate Life II (2007:JR Books)
  • Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr (2006:JR Books; 2007:Carroll & Graf )
  • Rock Hudson (2004:Robeson)
  • Morrissey: Scandal and Passion (2004:Robeson)
  • 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)
  • Maria Callas: The Tigress and the Lamb (1997:Robeson)
  • 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)
  • Maurice Chevalier: Up on Top of a Rainbow (1992)
  • The Mistinguett Legend (1990:Robeson)
  • The Piaf Legend (1988:Robeson)
  • 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

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

  1. ^ Calhoun, Ada (30 March 2008). "Frankly, My Dear ..." The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  2. Jones, Lewis (6 August 2012). "Greta Garbo: Divine Star by David Bret: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  3. Jean Harlow: Tarnished Angel. OCLC 305175535.
  4. Doris Day: Reluctant Star. OCLC 227279216.
  5. Clark Gable: Tormented Star. OCLC 154699305.
  6. Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr. OCLC 76913959.
  7. Cite error: The named reference PubWeek_Morrissey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. Glancey, Jonathan (24 November 2001). "Book review: George Formby by David Bret". The Guardian.
  9. Maria Callas: The Tigress and the Lamb. OCLC 38224970.
  10. Marlene My Friend: An Intimate Biography. OCLC 29598087.
  11. Cite error: The named reference PubWeek_Chevalier was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. "The Mistinguett Legend By David Bret". Kirkus Reviews. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  13. Cite error: The named reference PubWeek_Piaf was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ 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...
  15. Cite error: The named reference WaPo_5Jan07 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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