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Cary Grant: A Biography

Marc Eliot

3.70 · Rating details · 2,208 ratings · 151 reviews

Rigorously researched and elegantly written, Cary Grant: A Biography is a complete, nuanced portrait of the greatest star in cinema history. Exploring Grant’s troubled childhood, ambiguous sexuality, and lifelong insecurities, as well as the magical amalgam of characteristics that allowed him to remain Hollywood’s favorite romantic lead for more than thirty-five years, Car ...more

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Paperback, 448 pages

Published September 27th 2005 by Three Rivers Press (first published 2004)

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Jul 15, 2007 Cristina rated it it was ok

Shelves: film

As a long-time Cary Grant fan, I am perhaps biased to enjoy anything related to the actor. This being said, I approached Marc Eliot's biography with great excitement and hope--and was left with my feelings drastically dashed to bits upon the floor.

Eliot's biography of Grant is very narrow-minded, gossipy, and tediously obsessed with the details of Grant's supposed bisexuality. Although the actor's sexual orientation is of little interest to a fan of the movie star and Hollywood legends in genera As a long-time Cary Grant fan, I am perhaps biased to enjoy anything related to the actor. This being said, I approached Marc Eliot's biography with great excitement and hope--and was left with my feelings drastically dashed to bits upon the floor.

Eliot's biography of Grant is very narrow-minded, gossipy, and tediously obsessed with the details of Grant's supposed bisexuality. Although the actor's sexual orientation is of little interest to a fan of the movie star and Hollywood legends in general, Eliot acts as if Grant's orientation is the governing motive of everything in Grant's life. Instead of receiving a well-rounded, fascinating, and complexly engaging portrait of Grant (as other books offer), we find this biography being the slightly-higher-literary-calibered version of a trashy tabloid we may find at the supermarket check-out. The glimpses we have of Grant's films and early life and career are refreshing escapes from the otherwise tediousness of this book.

Biographers owe it to readers to portray their subject according to facts, not according to a thesis. People are not to become specimens to pick apart and try to reassemble, but rather, to explain just as they are--fully assembled and in-tact. The "picking apart" should happen naturally, without having to dismember and mutilate a persona's various complexities and facets. In all fairness, Eliot's Jimmy Stewart: A Biography is much better written than the Grant one--but perhaps the author learned a lesson or two after writing on Stewart's contemporary and The Philadelphia Story co-star.

For a superior biography on Cary Grant, look to Nancy Nelson's Evenings with Cary Grant. Nelson was a personal friend and biographer of Grant and his family, and hers is the only book endorsed by them as well. Nelson, unlike Eliot, is able to paint a portrait of Grant that is not nuanced but raw and real, and yet, still manages to engage us and draw our admiration. Why? Because Grant, perfect or not, had charisma and grace even in his faults. He took responsibility and was reflective and intelligent, right up to the very end. Eliot's biography, in the end, never captures this crucial point like Nelson's work.
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Jan 09, 2019 Carla Remy rated it liked it

It's a well written book, I shouldn't only give it three stars, but I just wasn't very focused on it. Archie Leach didn't change his name to Cary Grant until 1932 when he was 27 or 8. He wasn't an unlikable man, but he was very reserved. ...more

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Sep 03, 2008 Mikey B. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, film

Marvelous Book on Marvelous Actor

An in-depth look at this great actor. Eliot examines Grant (Archie Leach) from his early years right thru to his death in Iowa while touring at the age of 82.

Grant started in vaudeville in Bristol, England and his company came to the U.S. to perform on Broadway in the early '20's. After that, Grant essentially made the rest of his career in the U.S. (Hollywood).

Eliot discusses Grant's relationship with other men, like Randolph Scott with whom he lived with fo ...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Michelle rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography-biography

Biographers have to be many things; first and foremost is, of course, a writer, but also a journalist, a storyteller, a scientist. They must wade through all the primary and secondary sources - testing for veracity and reliability, questioning motivations, determining relevance. A great many "facts" accumulate about an individual within their lifetime - a biographer must determine which facts add up to the truth. The biographer must then take these two-dimensional accounts and photographs, dusty ...more

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Jul 30, 2012 GoldGato rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, celebrity, summer, cinema

For some reason, I have been on a Cary Grant bio binge. It must have been that dratted NORTH BY NORTHWEST movie, which I saw on the big screen this year, along with a sold-out crowd. Or perhaps it was BRINGING UP BABY...also seen on the big screen and with an SRO crowd. Grant appears to be the only movie star, past or present, who can actually fill a movie theatre on his name alone. Even though he's been dead for 26 years. Now that's star power.

This bio was actually better than I anticipated. It For some reason, I have been on a Cary Grant bio binge. It must have been that dratted NORTH BY NORTHWEST movie, which I saw on the big screen this year, along with a sold-out crowd. Or perhaps it was BRINGING UP BABY...also seen on the big screen and with an SRO crowd. Grant appears to be the only movie star, past or present, who can actually fill a movie theatre on his name alone. Even though he's been dead for 26 years. Now that's star power.

This bio was actually better than I anticipated. It's the usual chronological approach with some notes on the movies and some notes on what was happening behind-the-scenes. What I definitely appreciated was the extensive notes and sources section, which is rare when it comes to Mr. Cary Grant. It is far easier for most of his biographers to fly off on a whimsy based on pure rumour, without providing actual backup facts. Marc Eliot put some actual research into this project, and I the reader appreciated it.

Eliot's tone throughout is one of the serious biographer who tisks-tisks the other writers who have written some fairly outrageous tomes on the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) movie star. Still, he'll suddenly throw some events together in one group, even though the years aren't correct, and he himself does the guessing game when he states that Grant was desperate to marry Dyan Cannon. As her own book Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grant testifies, it was quite the reverse. And Eliot can really go all, um, wonky on descriptions.

...the camera quickly discovered...the perfection of his features...and that remarkable cleft in his chin, whose two smooth and curved bulges resembled nothing so much as a beautiful woman's naked behind while she was on her knees in sexual supplication before the godlike monument of his face.

Whoa...what...huh?

I do walk away with a greater liking for Cary, aka Archie Leach of Bristol, England. He transformed himself from nothing into something, but more importantly, he did it his way. He refused to kowtow to the film studios, which incurred their wrath forever. He was the first star to go it alone, when such a thing meant career suicide. He was also the first to see where Hollywood was headed, resulting in his hooking up with MCA and Universal in the 1950s to begin the 'package' deals that were to become the standard of business some thirty years later.

But mostly, I remember what my co-worker at Paramount Studios, a well-respected agent, told me about Cary Grant. He said that Cary was always an outsider, always reclusive, and he always did things his way. For that unforgivable sin, most of the industry resented him and thus the rumours began. This agent only had respect for Grant. When I asked him if he ever had this same respect for any other entertainment figure, he thought about it, and answered, "no".

That answer overwrote all the rumours.

"In NORTH BY NORTHWEST during the scene on Mount Rushmore, I wanted Cary Grant to hide in Lincoln's nostril and then have a fit of sneezing. The Parks Commission of the Department of Interior was rather upset at this thought. I argued until one of their number asked me how I would like it if they had Lincoln play the scene in Cary Grant's nose. I saw their point at once." (Alfred Hitchcock)

Book Season = Summer (Cary, Cary, Cary) ...more

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Jun 17, 2017 Marshall rated it liked it

The best thing about this book is the cover. The problem is the author's approach to the book and the subject. It is confused and confusing. The areas that I had the biggest problems with are Grant's sexuality, Grant's pursuit for an Oscar, and his role as a "spy."
Grant's sexuality has been the subject of much ink and unless there are love letters or diaries out there, I am not sure the subject will ever be settled. He appears to have shared a house and a friendship with Randolph Scott and despi The best thing about this book is the cover. The problem is the author's approach to the book and the subject. It is confused and confusing. The areas that I had the biggest problems with are Grant's sexuality, Grant's pursuit for an Oscar, and his role as a "spy."
Grant's sexuality has been the subject of much ink and unless there are love letters or diaries out there, I am not sure the subject will ever be settled. He appears to have shared a house and a friendship with Randolph Scott and despite the career perils then and now of a leading man flaunting a gay relationship, the author appears to insist that the rumors that they were lovers at face value. This also appears to be the only gay relationship either had. At which point they both were exclusively heterosexual. I am not sure that this makes sense. If Scott and Grant were gay or bi it seems that these tendencies might manifest themselves later in life. Grant, given his Dickensian childhood and emotionally stunted personality, probably would have welcomed any sort of relationship, but probably one that made as few demands as possible (Grant just discovered that his mother was not dead, but had been placed in an insane asylum, something that seemed to have a profound effect on him). This is probably what Scott represented. If sex was part of it, who knows? Comradery was probably all Grant wanted.

The author makes much about Grant's quest for an Oscar. I just don't believe this. Grant really was obsessed by money. A good picture was one that made a great deal of money. He did not seem interested much in public acclaim, even that of the Motion Picture Academy. The author spends a great deal of time trying to portray Grant as obsessed with winning an Oscar, which I am not sure is the case.

Grant the spy? Grant was questioned by the FBI, that does not make him a spy.

The author seems to want to to believe everything ever said about Grant and with the most sensational interpretation. I do not think he has thought critically about Grant and what emerges is a mess of a book. I would rather read a more thoughtful book on Grant, one capable of producing some real insights. ...more

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Jul 25, 2017 Whitney rated it liked it

I can't remember which was the first movie I watched that starred Cary Grant, but I feel like I have always loved him. He was one of those lucky actors who became more attractive as he aged.

But throughout his personal life, he openly struggled against his own persona of "Cary Grant." He wanted to freely make his own choices, one of which being his desire to live with a man in a partnership that resembled marriage, but it seems like halfway through his life, he switched from "man" into "star." H ...more

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Oct 20, 2019 Megan rated it really liked it

An extensive account of the life and legend that is Cary Grant. Having grown up with his movies, as one of the many Saturday afternoon movies played by my father, I was charmed by Grant. This biography delves deep into the life, emotions, and psychology of one of Hollywood's most longstanding and interesting leading men. ...more

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May 15, 2019 Ed rated it it was amazing

While I am a fan of Cary Grant it’s really the four Hitchcocks, Charade, and maybe two others that I really love. I thought this would be fascinating because of what I heard about his bisexuality and LSD use for openers. This did not disappoint. It’s always a marathon reading about an entire life but it’s rewarding when it’s this well written. While the author’s other work is excellent, this is masterful. Grant was charming offscreen but had some serious demons, which aren’t shied away from. It’ ...more

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May 25, 2015 Penny Landon rated it it was ok

When I made the decision to look into some biographies of Cary Grant, an actor I've loved for a couple of years, this was the first biography to come up and without a second thought I made up my mind to read it. Some of you are probably wondering if I liked the actor so much, then why would I rate one of his biographies so low. Well, that all has to do with the author of this biography, Marc Eliot, a man who I think should never be allowed to pass any more of his books off as nonfiction consider When I made the decision to look into some biographies of Cary Grant, an actor I've loved for a couple of years, this was the first biography to come up and without a second thought I made up my mind to read it. Some of you are probably wondering if I liked the actor so much, then why would I rate one of his biographies so low. Well, that all has to do with the author of this biography, Marc Eliot, a man who I think should never be allowed to pass any more of his books off as nonfiction considering the experience I had with this one.

In regard to biographies, I have some pretty distinct opinions about the author's voice. In an autobiography, I want as much of the author's voice as possible because they are telling their own life story. In fact, author commentary feels like a must. In a biography where the author is not telling their own story, I want their authorial voice to be completely nonexistent. The author of a biography should put aside all of their biases and inhabit the roles of the researcher, interviewer, and writer. Marc Eliot prefers to have his own commentary be the star of this book, not Cary Grant himself.

The other huge problem I had is that Eliot preferred to make his own assertions about Grant's sexuality the star of this biography. While the information provided about Grant's life seems comprehensive, so much of it felt gossipy and hearsay-ish. Again and again Eliot circled back to what he believes to be the homosexual relationship between Grant and Randolph Scott drawing links that felt crass and untrue. I knew I was in for a troubling read when Eliot uses some hastily crafted Freudian mumbo-jumbo to argue that the feminine outfits Grant's mother put him in as a child, outfits typical for the time period, must have predicated his obvious homosexuality. Whether Cary Grant had an intimate or friendly relationship with Randolph Scott feels unimportant compared to the rest of his life and his whole body of work.

As a whole I felt like I really didn't learn much more about my favorite actor. I'm hesitant to believe any of the information I gleaned from this so called "Biography" and I wish I had sought out a different biography to read. Those looking to learn more about Cary Grant's life should probably just avoid this book at all costs.
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Apr 27, 2007 Ryan rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This is a tabloid-style look at Cary Grant's life and career. Parts of it are interesting, but those parts cover the more gossipy details of Grant's life--much of which is conjecture rather than fact.

Otherwise, the book is more a review of his movies than a biography, and the "Grant on the Couch"-style psychological comparisons between his life and screen persona are often annoying and don't really say much about the actor.

The book moves slow and is only truly interesting during the (brief) chap ...more

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Sep 05, 2007 Kate rated it liked it

Recommends it for: lovers of Cary Grant

Shelves: nonfiction-memoir

i would recommend this only to someone like me who'd be fascinated to learn all that you can about cary grant. that said, the author's style is not the best -- he interrupts himself mid-thought and seems more concerned with gossip than fact. i enjoyed it for the movie anecdotes and the insight it provided into the man that became cary grant. ...more

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Jul 14, 2014 Kaethe Douglas rated it did not like it

Shelves: nonfiction

Unreadable. The author used "Episcopal" for "Anglican" twice in the same sentence. Also more Freud than I've seen since a sophomore-level English course. If I'm going to bother to read a biography, I do expect some minimum standards. It's a shame, really, because that is one of the cleverest and most appealing book covers. ...more

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Apr 24, 2017 Crystal rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, old-hollywood, 3-stars

Good read if you are a fan of old Hollywood. Grant was always one of my favorites, along with Katharine Hepburn. It was interesting to learn about his life and go behind the scenes of his movies.

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Feb 05, 2020 Laurie Hoppe rated it liked it

Shelves: bio-memoir

The three stars go to Cary and his amazing story. From his beginnings in Bristol, to acrobatics, to the New York stage, to Hollywood, to the boardroom and the lecture circuit, his saga is fascinating (even, and maybe especially if you think you already know it).

Then there's the chasm between the man and the image. Sophisticated, charming, and self-assured on screen, he could be petty, jealous, dark and lonely off. I can't think of another major star whose reality was so different from his image ...more

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Jan 06, 2020 L rated it really liked it

Interesting to read other reviews of this Cary Grant biography. It seems many of the negative comments come from the author's detailing the actor's bisexuality. It doesn't diminish the biography and it doesn't diminish Cary Grant to include this part of his life. This book did not come across as a tabloid read. Although I didn't always agree with the author's descriptions of key players in Grant's life and films (Doris Day cross eyed?), I found the biography well worth reading.

There is much mor ...more

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Mar 10, 2021 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Marc Eliot stands out among celebrity biographers because of his attention to research and detail, as well as his willingness to balance the pros and cons of his subjects and their behavior. His writing about Cary Grant is no exception. I read this book on and off over these past winter months taking in stages of Grant's life much like episodes of a television show. I walk away far more interested in watching many of Grant's films (as well as those of his costars and directors), and with a deepe ...more

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Jun 06, 2017 Tina rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, 2017, audio, memoirs-biographies

So I am not sure what exactly I got from listening to this. Grant seemed much bigger than this biographer painted him to be. He was a star. He was a talent. He deserved a competitive Oscar. Grant seemed to somehow elude happiness despite his success for most of his life. Despite this, he made wonderful films that people will be watching for years and years. This book was gossipy. This writer wanted to make sure we understood that Grant was homo/bi-sexual. I say, who cares? Finally, this writer u ...more

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Aug 02, 2019 Debi Emerson rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography

This is a well written book, and it seems to be well researched. However, the author insists that Cary Grant was gay which I just don't find believable. The author basis this assertion on Grant's friendship with Randolph Scott; I don't find this compelling: plenty of other male actors of the time had friendships with other men, and even lived with other men, but they aren't assumed to be gay. And there seems to have been no other men after both Scott & Grant married. So I marked my rating down b ...more

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Nov 25, 2019 Elliot rated it it was amazing

This was probably the best biography I've read about one of my favorite actors.
It was super easy to read and not bogged down by details or anything of the sort. Marc Eliot did a wonderful job conveying his research on Grant. I love the parts about his early films and well into his career. I loved the background of Grant's life, mashed up with his film career and the background stories on set and Hollywood in general. From the lavish parties, to the quiet moments at home, Eliot did a wonderful jo ...more

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Apr 07, 2019 Kevin Kizer rated it really liked it

Picked this up after seeing Marc Eliot speak at a Hitchcock Film Fest. Very well-written book about Grant’s life. What stood out to me was Grant “breaking” the studio system and becoming the first “free agent” star by not signing long-term picture deals. Also, how many films he turned down over the years, like Music Man, My Fair Lady, The Birds, Heaven Can Wait, It’s a Wonderful Life, Mary Poppins, Roman Holiday, A Star Is Born and so many more.

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Mar 03, 2017 William Roseen rated it it was amazing

This was a thorough and pleasant book, focused on the movies and movie people in the life of Cary Grant. From his early acrobat days in England to his rise in Hollywood, issues with the FBI during the black list period, and his various relationships with both men and women - this is a fascinating story for the movie buff.

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May 30, 2017 Christine Nicole rated it did not like it

Obvious that the author is more obsessed with the post-golden age of Hollywood than with the subject and truth of the biography.

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Dec 26, 2017 Vena Paylo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio-book

Engaging bio, very thorough and insightful. Enjoyable!

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Feb 13, 2018 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Enjoyable Biography

I love Cary Grant. This is a fun read, gossipy but not unfriendly. Not many photos in the Kindle version. It was first published in 2004.

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May 17, 2018 Elaine rated it really liked it

Very comprehensive story of the 5X married super star. Very sad as well. He never found his soul mate & the happiness he craved.

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Aug 10, 2018 Noel rated it liked it · review of another edition

not exactly mind blowing but interesting enough must read up on randolph scott ,j.edgar hoover and howard hughes

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Jul 13, 2020 P.a. Jaroma rated it it was amazing

I absolutely love Cary Grant. Enjoyed the book but there were parts that I had to skim over. The man is dead, saw no need to bring up dirty laundry

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Nov 05, 2020 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, biography

Rather repetitive, and I wonder about the author's sources at some points, because some of what is presented as fact seems like conjecture. ...more

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Dec 05, 2020 Mike Calkins rated it it was amazing

This is the second biography on Grant that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. This is a much deeper exploration of the man behind the myth, and draws a very complex character. Excellent book.

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