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Compact Biographies episodes
- Lauren Bacall“I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that” – Lauren BacallLauren Bacall is a name that any true filmbuff is familiar with, as she is one of the most famous women of the golden ageof cinema. She was even named by the American Film Institute as one of the top20 greatest female stars of classic Hollywood.Lauren Bacall was born to Jewish parents in TheBronx, New York City on 16 September 1924 although her name at birth was BettyJoan Perske. Her mother had emigrated from Romania, in Eastern Europe and hadentered the USA through Ellis Island, while her father was a second-generationimmigrant whose parents had come to the United States from modern-day Belaruswhich was then part of the Russian Empire and is also located in Eastern Europe.Her parents divorced when Lauren was quite young,after which she no longer had regular contact with her father. This resulted in her developing an incrediblyclose relationship with her mother, and in her adopting her mother’s last name,which in Romanian, is Bacall.Lauren Bacall started her career in 1941 atthe age of about 16 when she began to attend classes at the American Academy ofDramatic Arts along with Kirk Douglas who took the same classes, and with whomshe would star in a jazz musical in 1950 called Young Man with a Horn. At thesame time, she worked as an usher at the St. James Theater and also took onsome occasional modelling work, and it was this that would be the catalyst forher future career and ultimate rise to fame. She started acting in 1942 shortlyafter she had turned 17. Her iconic sultry look became one of her trademarksand was a big selling point when it came to landing film roles. Whilst still ateenager she even appeared on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Magazine.It is little wonder then that with her stunning looks gracing the covers ofnational magazines that it would only be a matter of time before Hollywood startedto take notice.Howard Hanks, a Hollywood producer anddirector asked his secretary to find out more about the model followingprompting by his wife, as she might work well for a movie he was directing, whichwas called To Have and Have Not. However, through a misunderstanding, thesecretary didn’t just find out more about Miss Bacall but also sent her aticket so she could come to Hollywood for a screen test and audition. This turnof fortune resulted in Hanks signing her to a 7-year contract almost as soon ashe met her which was worth $100 per week. He also took personal charge of hercareer which included changing her name to Lauren Bacall as he thought thatLauren was a better screen name than Betty. He also got her to change the wayshe spoke, encouraging her to lower the pitch of her voice for which she usedthe services of a voice coach. This resulted in future critics describing hervoice as having a smoky, sexual growl which became another one of hertrademarks.Lauren Bacall’s career started to take off inthe 1940s after Warner Brothers decided to embark on an extensive marketingcampaign for To Have and Have Not with a view to establishing her as aHollywood icon. During this marketing push, she visited the National Press Clubin Washington, DC where the Warner Brothers publishing agent asked Lauren tosit on a piano while the then vice President Harry S Truman played, thus creatinga great photo opportunity for the young actress.In 1946 Lauren Bacall starred in The Big Sleep0 min
- Sir Edmund Hillary - S10E02
In the second episode of season 10 of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of the man who was the first to stand on top of the world, when, in 1953 he reached the summit of Mount Everest - Sir Edmund Hillary.
Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/ - Thanks!
8 min - Herbert Hoover - S10E01
In the first episode of season 10 of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of the man who became the 31st President of the United States of America - Herbert Hoover.
Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/ - Thanks!
7 min - J. Robert Oppenheimer - S09E10
In the tenth and final episode of season 9 of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of the man who is considered the father of modern theoretical physics and who was instrumental in the creation of the atomic bomb - J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/ - Thanks!
10 min - Dean Martin - S09E09
In the ninth episode of season 9 of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of the man who was a member of The Rat Pack and became known as the King of Cool - Dean Martin.
Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/ - Thanks!
10 min - Walt Disney - S09E08
In the eighth episode of season 9 of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of the man who set up probably the largest movie and entertainment company in the world - Walt Disney.
Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/ - Thanks!
8 min - Gene Roddenberry - S09E07
In the seventh episode of season 9 of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of the man who created the iconic science fiction TV show and movie franchise, Star Trek - Gene Roddenberry.
Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/ - Thanks!
10 min - Irving Berlin - S09E06
In the sixth episode of season 9 of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of the man who wrote some of the most popular music in history - Irving Berlin.
Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/ - Thanks!
7 min - Diana, Princess of Wales - S09E05
In the fifth episode of season 9 of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of one of the most beloved women the UK has ever known - Princess Diana.
Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/ - Thanks!
9 min - Frank Sinatra - S09E04
In the fourth episode of season 9 of the 5 Minute Biographies podcast, we take a brief look at the life of the man who is considered to be one of the most popular and influential singers of the 20th century - Frank Sinatra.
Please consider supporting the show by buying me a coffee at http://www.5minutebiographies.com/coffee/ - Thanks!
9 min
About Compact Biographies
From the publisher's feed
Each week, we aim to bring you interesting information about interesting people in the form of short, compact biographies, which can be read on our website or listened to as a podcast episode. We hope…
you enjoy them.
Best of Compact Biographies
Ranked by our users in the last 21 days
- Number 1: Martin Luther24 min
- Number 2: Steve Irwin20 min
- Number 3: Frida Kahlo24 min
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