Author, Anne Bancroft: A Life

This week, Ira spoke with Douglass K. Daniel, author of  Anne Bancroft: A Life, Published by the University Press of Kentucky. In this miracle episode of Ira’s Everything Bagel, Douglass talks about the unique life and talents of Anne Bancroft; how he approaches a biography he wants to write; how Anne’s husband, Mel Brooks, turned him down for an interview, but Anne’s older sister agreed to participate; why Arthur Penn was the most important artistic influence in Anne’s life; how Two For the Seesaw and The Miracle Worker led her to a path of stardom; why she believed in hard work; the impact of The Graduate on her career and American culture; and the most surprising thing about Anne Bancroft that very few people knew.

Douglass K. Daniel is a journalist and biographer. His previous books are Tough as Nails: The Life and Films of Richard Brooks; Harry Reasoner: A Life in the News; and Lou Grant: The Making of TV’s Top Newspaper Drama. He is an editor and writer with the Washington, DC, bureau of the Associated Press.