Mary Astor (1906–1987)

Although I never completely cottoned to Mary Astor as an actress -- something about her appearance or manner unsettled me in a mild way -- she was a very good one, and she's a VERY good writer. Her career autobiography, A LIFE ON FILM, is filled with well-turned phrases and terrific insight not only into her work, but also into the interests of fans. She does what precious few actor autobiographies do, give the outsider a sense of what life as an actor is actually like. She seems to have little movie star ego, in the disagreeable sense, and she paints intriguing pictures of both the process of making movies and the people with whom she worked. Her descriptions of making THE GREAT LIE (for which she won an Oscar) and THE MALTESE FALCON are particularly fascinating. This was a very enjoyable read.… (more)

Excellent book on actress Mary Astor - probably best known from her role as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon and an Oscar winner for supporting actress in 1941's The Great Lie. The book details her early life with an overbearing father and an uninterested mother who she continued to support for many years. Astor struggles to become an actress and an early affair with John Barrymore are detailed. When she discusses several films, she cannot remember the titles and she does not spend much time discussing any of her co-stars but does feel The Maltese Falcon and The Great Lie were some of her best work. She hated the mother roles, as in Meet Me in St. Louis and Little Women. She struggled with alcohol most of her life and had several bad marriages. She seemed to hate acting at several points in her life. Her alcoholism, ill health, and bad relationships made her turn to the Catholic Church and she did seem to find peace and redemption. The book is more of a study into a person's decline and redemption than a book about Hollywood. I was mighty impressed and knowing now what she was struggling with when I see her films, I have a new respect for her.… (more)