Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor

by Simon Callow

Book Overview

This biography follows Charles Laughton from his parents' hotel in Scarborough to his climactic assumption of the role of King Lear in Stratford at the end of his life. The reader discovers a hugely... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802110479
• ISBN13: 9780802110473
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: Grove/Atlantic
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Great Biography About a Great Actor

I first learned about this biography when I heard Simon Callow talking about Charles Laughton: I ordered a copy immediately. The book is riveting. One could sit and read it for hours. Mr. Callow read everything he could about Mr. Laughton and interviewed as many people as he could (excepting Elsa Lanchester). The result is that he knows his subject and conveys the story of Mr. Laughton's acting life in a straightforward manner, providing interesting insights into the man and his approach to the acting profession. Here and there, Mr. Callow interjects his opinion to comment on something that has happened and it usually is a welcome and illuminating addition to the text. The only problem with this book is that we get to know Charles Laughton the actor very well but do not get as much on his personal life. I was curious about the relationship between Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester worked. We get some insight early on but most of it comes at the very end of the book in the "Coda" chapter. It is only when Simon Callow tells us about Laughton's last year, when he was ill, that we get to know something about the lovers he had and his personality outside of acting. Unfortunately, I found the various movies and plays Mr. Laughton acted in or directed rather tedious reading after a while. There is so much information, particularly the quoting of reviews, that I became bored. In sum, a well-written book and a good biography of Charles Laughton the actor but I would have liked a little less on his professional life and and more about the flawed personality.

Balanced and highly Entertaining

Simon Callow does a wonderful job of letting the reader get "next" to Charles Laughton without resorting to rumor, innuendo or grandstanding. I really appreciated the readability of this book as well as the sensibilies of the author. The best biographies, in my opinion, are ones that allow me to feel an understanding and closeness to it's subject and this book allowed me that and more. Bravo Mr. Callow, encore! encore!

A substantive celebrity biography by Simon Callow

The following is the beginning of a longer and more detailed review of this book at our internet theater magazine, CurtainUp (http://www.curtainup.com). . .This is that rare clelebrity biography that's truly well-written and filled with substantative information. Fascinating as Laughton was, it's as much a book about the creative process generally as it is about him. While Callow, an actor as well as a writer, does not ignore Laughton's private life and personal background, he uses that information as a sandwich to stuff with the results of his inquiry into what Laughton was trying to do as an actor and how far he succeeded in doing it. The top crust of this sandwich, called "Origins" represents the author's attempt to show something of where Laughton and his acting came from. The bottom crust, called "Coda" is designed to help the reader understand his emotional life. This organizing principle works remarkably well. It may not satisfy those looking for a tell all gossipy read but it makes for a must read for anyone interested in the theater, especially so if that interest extends to a theatrical career--Elyse Sommer, editor-publisher, CurtainUp--http://www.curtainup.com