Customer Reviews

Anna Lee: Memoir of a Career on General Hospital and in Film

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I knew that I would enjoy this book because I'm a huge General Hospital fan, and I love memoirs written by women in Hollywood. The book didn't disappoint on either count. What I didn't plan on, however, was feeling as if I'd traveled the globe and been touched by the humanity of war. Anna Lee's life was indeed full and I didn't know the half of it until I curled up on my porch swing and devoured this lovingly written book by Barbara Roisman Cooper. You can find my interview with the author on www.soaps.com/generalhospital/news, in fact, if you'd like to learn her insights into the work process with the lovely Ms. Lee before her passing.
A must read for all soap fans, war buffs and global travellors!

"Reading Anna Lee: Memoir of a Career on General Hospital and in Film" is like picking up a book on world history, with the excitement of Hollywood dashed inside for added flavor. Knowing Anna for decades so well, I knew that her book would be honest and exciting. The lady was one of the most fascinating people I've ever met or worked with. Her life was filled with a richness of history, from birth to the time of her death. No other leading lady had worked as long in her career. Not even Hepburn worked to age 90.

Anna's favorite actress and one of her best friends, Maureen O'Hara, wrote the foreword. Maureen is a lovely person, distinguished actress and beloved lady on the screen in her own right. O'Hara was perhaps John Wayne's most favorite leading lady, though Constance Towers would be his most beautiful. O'Hara speaks fondly and warmly of Anna and talks about working with her as if she'd worked with the Queen of England. Anna, born to British aristocracy, was never a snob. Lee was a lady with a great sense of humor. Friends and costars from her "General Hospital" decades speak warmly of her in the book. Her family, including beloved son Jeffrey, speak lovingly of being raised by this strong and determined woman.

Anna, however, is honest, especially as she talks about her relationship with her daughters being at times difficult, but that she never stopped loving them. They never stopped loving her, as well.

Born Joan Boniface Winnifrith on January 2, 1913, Anna Lee is best known for her portrayal on "General Hospital" of Lila Quartermaine, a character who she brought to life for over two decades. From her early years in England to her final days in Hollywood, in her memoir she recounts details of her extraordinary life. Expressed in her energetic style, Anna Lee tells of her childhood as the daughter of an English clergyman and her early determination to become an actress. She writes of her teenage struggles to realize her dream, two failed marriages, and the difficulties she faced raising a family while maintaining her career. Finally, we see the picture of a mature Anna Lee -- a successful actress playing a role she loved while enjoying an ideal marriage to writer Robert Nathan.

Lee's life and career have never been rivaled by any other great stars. She was an icon and a beloved actress. But her book brings her life together for fans and friends who thought they knew the real Anna Lee. Her co-author, the incredibly talented Barbara Roisman Cooper, is honest and forthcoming in both praise and truthful representations of Anna. Cooper worked with the legendary star before she died and then spent over a year finishing up the story and interviewing people who knew and worked with Anna.

Each person interviewed tells a different Lee story; so many, they couldn't all be put in the book. But each of us who were interviewed learned a lot more by reading this book, because we all had different experiences with this great lady who graced our movie screens for decades, and then our television screen for several more.

A book well worth reading. I give it five stars. I only wish I could give it ten. It's unforgettable.

I had the pleasure of knowing Anna Lee back in the early 60's. I knew several years ago that she was working on her memoir and I was eagerly looking forward to reading it and I certainly was not disappointed!

The book gives an interesting view of the British movie industry in the 30's and beyond with some great "snapshots" of Doug Fairbanks Jr., Merle Oberon and Vivien Leigh.

Anyone interested in film will find this book a great history lesson.