Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor [Paperback]

Simon Callow (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Callow, who portrayed Mozart in the play Amadeus, seems to have studied every extant foot of Laughton film, read everything printed about the actor and to have talked at length with a great many people who knew him well. The result is a fully realized portrait of an intellectually and temperamentally complex man and at the same time an illuminating analysis of the art and craft of acting itself. Callow's enthusiasm is infectious: readers will wish to see, or see again, The Private Life of Henry VIII, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and many other movies in which Laughton appeared, including Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidda low point in his career but nonetheless a great performance, according to Callow. Laughton's odd 30-year marriage to Elsa Lanchester and his homosexuality are sympathetically discussed, along with his fortuitous associations with Bertolt Brecht, producer Paul Gregory, Robert Mitchum and other relationships not so fortuitous. This is a theater biography of the first rank, written with elegance, wit and psychological probity. Photos.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Callow traces Laughton's career from early theater successes in London's West End to Hollywood stardom. Always at odds with his unattractive face and overweight body, Laughton was troubled his whole life by feelings of guilt and inadequacy, exacerbated by his homosexuality and his unlikely 30-year marriage to Elsa Lanchester. A perfectionist when it came to working, he eventually became more and more self-absorbed. Callow's comprehensively researched and smoothly written but rarely critical work discusses virtually every film and play in which Laughton appeared and gives vintage reviews, quotes, etc. An actor himself, Callow provides an insider's insight into the life of a brilliant, troubled man. For general readers. Arthur Bargar, Milford P.L., Ct.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Fromm Intl; First Edition edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880641800
• ISBN-13: 978-0880641807
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #810,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Biography About a Great Actor, August 20, 2002

By 

D. A Wend (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CHARLES LAUGHTON (Paperback)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A substantive celebrity biography by Simon Callow, August 26, 1997

By 

Elyse Sommer (New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor (Paperback)

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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Balanced and highly Entertaining, August 21, 1998

By 

puffinswan "puffinswan" (Brigadoon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor (Paperback)

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!