Thank Heaven - by Leslie Caron (Paperback)

About the Book

One of the best-loved stars of classic American cinema tells all in this wry, funny, and poignant memoir. "Thank Heaven" is filled with reminiscences of MGM at the end of its Golden Era, of the great stars with whom Caron worked, and of her own struggles as an actress.

Book Synopsis

"Caron provides countless dishy details about her exploits which are sure to entertain film buffs, Caron fans and aspiring actors."--Publishers Weekly

While still a teenager, Leslie Caron--the daughter of an American mother and French father--was literally plucked from the Ballets des Champs-Elysées to star opposite Gene Kelly in An American in Paris, and went on to become an MGM star and one of the most cherished and admired actresses of our time.

Wry, poignant, and unguardedly frank, Thank Heaven (an homage to "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," the song Maurice Chevalier sings about her in Gigi) recounts Caron's unorthodox childhood in France, her string of Hollywood successes and leading men, her very public affair with Warren Beatty, and her later triumph over depression and alcoholism. Both witty and deeply moving, Caron's unsentimental memoir will captivate anyone who loves classic American movies.

Review Quotes

"If, hovering around the tell-all memoir genre, another category exists--such as, say, the 'tell-some'--then Thank Heaven, with its excellent blend of exposure and decorum, falls gracefully within it. Leslie Caron is a good writer with a volume of short stories--Vengeance --under her belt, as well as (as she puts it) 'a few scripts.' Her concision, grace, and good taste still leave room for revelations aplenty."--Kate Light, The Weekly Standard

"Caron provides countless dishy details about her exploits, which are sure to entertain film buffs, Caron fans and aspiring actors."--Publishers Weekly

"This is more than a typical Hollywood autobiography... Rather than approach her life in the public eye from a typically Hollywood angle, Caron writes seriously and passionately about her work, her craft, and her relationships with the people she met along the way... it's sure to strike a chord with those who value classic movies and classic actresses."--David Pitt, Booklist

"Caron recounts her life and career as Hollywood's 'little French girl' in chatty, charming style, revealing an often troubled woman behind the glamorous image of an international movie star. The author writes movingly of her childhood in occupied France, peppering her memories of rationing and shortages with surprising insights into the psychology of the situation... The little French girl spins an engrossing yarn."--Kirkus

"A record of a lost era of Hollywood that's littered with respectful anecdotes about the great and the not-so-good, co-stars, friends and lovers... Thank Heaven abounds with A-list anecdotes: about 'vain' Dirk Bogarde; Cary Grant ('very, very nice but capable of sudden fits of real bad temper') and one of her favorite co-stars, Fred Astaire, who described Ginger Rogers as a sloppy dancer, 'a little wobbly at the end of a number.'"--Charlotte Heathcote, Express (UK)

About the Author

Leslie Caron is one of the most cherished and admired international film stars of our time. She made her film debut with Gene Kelly in the classic MGM musical An American in Paris, created one of the most enduring roles in American musicals as Gigi, danced with Fred Astaire in Daddy Long Legs, and starred with Cary Grant in Father Goose. She lives in Paris.