Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster is perhaps most widely remembered as the tough, iron-jawed star of films such as Gunfight at the OK Corral and Airport. But as this superbly readable and insightful biography demonstrates, he was an actor with much broader ambitions – brilliantly realised in Visconti’s The Leopard – as well as the founder of the first actor-led production company in Hollywood. Lancaster’s liberal political views led not only to frequent clashes with the House Un-American Activities Committee and a voluminous FBI file, but also a private life that was colourful even by Hollywood standards. Although a devoted father and husband (to three wives), the actor took numerous lovers – of both sexes. In his sexual tastes as in his choice of roles, he defied classification. Kate Buford’s definitive biography offers a full, frank, sensitive and compelling portrait of the star of Atlantic City, From Here to Eternity and Elmer Gantry (for which he won a Best Actor Oscar). Lancaster emerges as a man of restless energy, relentless curiosity and continual development as an actor: a star every bit as interesting offscreen as on. As one American reviewer put it: ‘Not many film stars receive first-class biographies; Burt Lancaster not only deserved one, he got one.’ Acclaimed biographer Kate Buford has been a regular commentator on National Public Radio in the United States since 1994.

The first major biography of one of Hollywood's most enduring and innovative stars. In a glorious career that spanned the final days of Hollywood's Golden Age to the advent of the miniseries, Burt Lancaster chalked up more than 80 films. From his poverty-stricken childhood in East Harlem to his delibilitating stroke in 1990, this book tells the complete story of this true screen legend. 16 pages of photos.

With a career in films spanning nearly fifty years, Burt Lancaster brought his unique charisma and energy to roles in films ranging from the adventurous to the bittersweet. This comprehensive filmography of Lancaster's career is accompanied by a biography that provides the background for his immense range of work on the screen. Production information, a synopsis, and commentary is provided for each of Lancaster's 85 films, from the first--The Killers--to the last--Separate But Equal. Photographs from nearly all of Lancaster's films accompany the text, and an index and bibliography are also included.

"The Careers of Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as Referenced in Literature" is a study of the perception of these two Hollywood megastars and their work, as presented in the text and context of references and allusions found in world literature. This book also aims to establish the impact factor of the two actors and their major films, as well as to provide extensive data for further studies of the complex and bilateral relationships between film and literature. The pertinent quotations have been extracted from over 150 works—novels, short stories, plays, poems and some nonfiction biographies and memoirs (excluding those focused on film celebrities)—by more than 120 authors. The main body of the book consists of two parts, each devoted to one actor and each having five identical sections. In the first section, references to the actor’s films are discussed while the second section presents references to the actor himself. The third section shows the complete list of references found to the actor and his films, including references not mentioned in the first two sections—either because of their relative insignificance, the lack of an English translation in case of foreign-language works or repetitiveness and/or abundance in a given work. The fourth section offers the credits of the films referenced, and the fifth section presents the actor’s complete monographic bibliography. The third part of the book, ‘Epilogue: Final Remarks and Conclusions,’ provides an analysis and classification of all the references and allusions presented in the main body, and it elaborates on the friendship of the two actors. College professors and students interested in film studies, particularly film analysis and criticism, film perception and film genres, will find this book of great interest. It will also appeal to people interested in biographical books on movie personalities and movie fans, especially those interested in westerns, film noir and the careers of Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas.

A portrait of Burt Lancaster, which looks at his rise to fame, the setting up of his own production company, the films in which he performed most of his own stunts, his turbulent private life and the reputation he acquired of being a tempestuous character.

#1 bestselling author Ken Follett tells the inspiring true story of the Middle East hostage crisis that began in 1978, and of the unconventional means one American used to save his countrymen. . . . When two of his employees were held hostage in a heavily guarded prison fortress in Iran, one man took matters into his own hands: businessman H. Ross Perot. His team consisted of a group of volunteers from the executive ranks of his corporation, handpicked and trained by a retired Green Beret officer. To free the imprisoned Americans, they would face incalculable odds on a mission that only true heroes would have dared. . . .

*Includes pictures. *Includes Lancaster's quotes about his own life and career. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "Take the feeling of hunger out of your gut, and you're no longer a champion." - Burt Lancaster A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. In the 1940s, there were few actors who personified the all-American look like Burt Lancaster, who set Hollywood ablaze quickly with performances in movies like The Killers, The Flame and the Arrow, and The Crimson Pirate. Indeed, his status as a heartthrob was cemented by 1953's From Here to Eternity, when he and Deborah Kerr shot a romantic scene on a Hawaiian beach that ensured the film's inclusion in the American Film Institute's Top 100 Romantic Films of the 20th century. As it turned out, however, that was just the first phase in a critically acclaimed career that would span over 40 years. As Lancaster grew older, he wisely veered away from the early kinds of roles he had as a leading man and branched out into more distinguished roles that were also more challenging, earning him brand new levels of acclaim. In time, he would go on to be nominated for 4 Academy Awards for Best Actor, including a win for Elmer Gantry (1960) when he was in his late 40s. By the time he was finished, the American Film Institute named him 19th on its list of the 50 best actors of the 20th century. The versatile Lancaster also had other jobs on plenty of sets, especially as producer for the production company Hecht-Hill-Lancaster. That company's productions did so well that Life magazine noted in 1957, "After the independent production of a baker's dozen of pictures it has yet to have its first flop...(They were also good pictures.)" Lancaster directed a couple of films during his career and even wrote one, The Midnight Man, which he also produced and directed for. American Legends: The Life of Burt Lancaster examines the life and career of one of America's most critically acclaimed actors. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Burt Lancaster like never before, in no time at all.