Author Douglass K. Daniel does an exemplary job in celebrating the life and career of Bancroft. He has successfully fashioned a fully-rounded portrait of a talented and extremely professional actor. One who earned the respect of colleagues, critics and audiences the world over – and most deservedly.
Daniel brilliantly and thoroughly uncovers hidden gems that reveal what made the relentless, headstrong, and passionate Bancroft the artist she was and unearthed the secret behind such a prolific, yet 'quiet life.' It was her unyielding passion to push herself to always be discovering something through her craft that served as the driving force that shaped the life of Anne Bancroft.
Absorbing reading... general readers, scholars, and students of acting should find the book useful and enjoyable.
A thorough and sympathetic portrait.Well written and well researched.
As the only full-length biography of Bancroft, this book fills a notable gap and appeals to a broad audience of film enthusiasts and others interested in popular culture. In telling the story of a woman legendary for her portrayal of Mrs. Robinson, Daniel helps us understand a formidable actress who, with grace and talent, handled the changing roles available to women.
This is an intelligent, enlightening book about one of our most gifted actresses. Daniel doesn't merely give us a rundown of Bancroft's life and career or tell plots. He offers insights, allowing us a look behind her process as an actress, delving into how she transformed herself into her characters, how she studied for them, how she brought them to life. This is a classy, first-rate biography. It really brings Anne Bancroft alive for readers and offers up more than most books of this type. Plus, the cover photo is simply gorgeous.
A much-welcomed new biography of the celebrated actor by Douglass K. Daniel. What ultimately makes Daniel's work a top-notch biography is its treatment of the interplay between the actor's personal and professional lives.
Anne Bancroft: A Life by Douglass K. Daniel is an extensive look at an actress who lived life on her terms and offers readers insight into a woman who battled to have the career she wanted.
Daniel succeeds in giving an in-depth look into the life of actress Anne Bancroft. Through a logical structure and orderly photographs, readers can easily connect to what is happening in the text and refer to previous chapters. It can be seen that the author did immense research of diverse forms
Douglass K. Daniel's thorough, engaging new biography offers entertaining insight into a remarkable woman whose passion for her work imbued her life till its very end. Daniel admirably presents a balanced view of Anne Bancroft the actress, wife/mother, private citizen, and women's advocate.
"A thorough and loving portrait of an actress who never tired of exploring her inner life to give her best performance on stage and television or in the movies." Library Journal
"Douglass K. Daniel has written an overdue, finely detailed portrait of [Anne Bancroft]." Film Comment
"Author Douglass K. Daniel does an exemplary job in celebrating the life and career of Bancroft. He has successfully fashioned a fully-rounded portrait of a talented and extremely professional actor. One who earned the respect of colleagues, critics and audiences the world over and most deservedly." YES! Weekly
"This is an intelligent, enlightening book about one of our most gifted actresses. Daniel doesn't merely give us a rundown of Bancroft's life and career or tell plots. He offers insights, allowing us a look behind her process as an actress, delving into how she transformed herself into her characters, how she studied for them, how she brought them to life.
This is a classy, first-rate biography. It really brings Anne Bancroft alive for readers and offers up more than most books of this type. Plus, the cover photo is simply gorgeous." Classic Images
"Douglass K. Daniel's thorough, engaging new biography offers entertaining insight into a remarkable woman whose passion for her work imbued her life till its very end.
Daniel admirably presents a balanced view of Anne Bancroft the actress, wife/mother, private citizen, and women's advocate." TheaterJones
"A much-welcomed new biography of the celebrated actor by Douglass K. Daniel. What ultimately makes Daniel's work a top-notch biography is its treatment of the interplay between the actor's personal and professional lives." Film International
"A thorough and sympathetic portrait….Well written and well researched." Choice
" Anne Bancroft: A Life by Douglass K. Daniel is an extensive look at an actress who lived life on her terms and offers readers insight into a woman who battled to have the career she wanted." Out of the Past
"Daniel succeeds in giving an in-depth look into the life of actress Anne Bancroft. Through a logical structure and orderly photographs, readers can easily connect to what is happening in the text and refer to previous chapters. It can be seen that the author did immense research of diverse forms" Film Matters Magazine
06/15/2017
As a toddler, she sang around her Bronx, NY, apartment, later danced on the school lunchroom table, and possessed more innate style as a teenager than most young women her age. Anna Marie Louise Italiano (1931–2005), better known as the supremely talented actress Anne Bancroft, was a Hollywood starlet by 19. But after 15 undistinguished movies, and a brief, unhappy marriage, she realized how little she knew about acting. Associated Press editor and writer Daniel (Tough as Nails) describes how Bancroft escaped the Hollywood glitter, returned to New York, joined the famed Actors Studio, and pursued dramatic roles worthy of her talents and passions, including Two for the Seesaw, The Miracle Worker, and, of course, The Graduate. She also made one of show business's most oddball yet enduring marriages with comedian and writer Mel Brooks. Using mostly secondary sources, this title is still a thorough and loving portrait of an actress who never tired of exploring her inner life to give her best performance—on stage and television or in the movies. VERDICT While not soaring literature, this standard biography is for devoted Bancroft fans.—Ellen Abrams, New York