Rod Steiger: Memoirs of a Friendship (Hardcover)

~ Tom Hutchinson (Author), Ray Bradbury (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As an example of Rod Steiger's plainspoken bluntness, Hutchinson relates an incident in the early 1970s, when the actor used the word "bloody" while speaking to Queen Elizabeth II; Her Majesty was offended. Indeed, in Hutchinson's idiosyncratic rendering, Steiger's power as a performer is closely connected to his social nonconformity and desire to impart his own internal truth. Having grown up in a dysfunctional, alcoholic family in New Jersey and run off, underage, to join the navy during WWII, Steiger had few breaks when he began his acting career. But after studying method acting at the New School, he soon began getting roles on television and made a hit as the title character in Paddy Chayefsky's play Marty. (He later lost the role to Ernest Borgnine for the film version.) Once in Hollywood, Steiger became a popular character actor featured in villainous roles. By the late 1950s, he was known as "one of the five most exciting actors in Hollywood," according to the author. Since then he has gone on to make fine films (such as The Longest Day), as well as a full ledger of second raters (such as Unholy Wife). Hutchinson (Niven's Hollywood), a film critic based in London, has been friends with Steiger for 30 years, and his affection for his subject shows through on every page. Unfortunately, his book, which relies heavily on personal anecdotes, film review quotations and biographies of other stars, is neither particularly insightful nor a comprehensive critical study. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Of late, Rod Steiger has been seen in supporting parts, appearing as a crime kingpin in The Specialist (1994) and an army general in Mars Attacks (1997). Upon examining his career, however, we realize that Steiger has always been a character actor, whether as Marlon Brando's brother in On the Waterfront (1954), Poor Jud in Oklahoma! (1955), or in leading roles in Run of the Arrow (1957), Al Capone (1959), The Pawnbroker (1965), or In the Heat of the Night (Best Actor Academy Award, 1967). Like Humphrey Bogart, Walter Matthau, and Steve McQueen, the burly, intense Steiger has proven that stardom and longevity depend on talent and charisma, not looks. A close friend of Steiger, Hutchinson (Horror and Fantasy in the Cinema) doesn't allow this mutual admiration society to color unduly his diagnosis of Steiger's career or personal life. He provides revealing glimpses of the Actor's Studio, live TV, and international filmmaking and includes several Steiger poems and a 1992 Guardian interview. This is a worthy biography of an actor who, to some degree, has fallen through the cracks of the filmgoer's consciousness.DKim Holston, American Inst. for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, Malvern, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 235 pages
• Publisher: Fromm Intl (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088064253X
• ISBN-13: 978-0880642538
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,031,983 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars From a Friend's Perspective, October 20, 2007

By	Sandra Grabman (Southern USA, y'all) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ever since seeing Rod Steiger in "Dr. Zhivago" and "Oklahoma", I've wondered what he was really like. Now that I'm in the midst of collaborating on a book about the 1940s-1950s era of live television, Mr. Steiger is again brought to mind. How skillfully he had played the title role in "Marty"! So I got Tom Hutchinson's biography of his friend Rod Steiger and sat down to read. It was difficult to put the book down. This tome gives us the true story of an acting legend. How do I know? Because not only was Mr. Hutchinson a close friend of Mr. Steiger's, but Steiger himself also contributed his memories and thoughts to the book, perhaps as a favor to his dear friend. It answers questions: Why did Steiger not sign with any particular studio? Was he difficult to work with? Why was he not in the movie version of "Marty"? Which was his favorite type of role? What was really important to him? Was he a good husband and father? What was it like for him to suffer such a serious bout of depression? A bonus feature of this book is a chapter containing poetry that Steiger had written, plus a National Film Theatre interview he did before an appreciative audience. Author Tom Hutchinson did a marvelous job of showing us the real Rod Steiger and enabling us to like what we see.