Zlatko strahovski biography of donald

American biographer and theologian (1941–2023)

Donald Spoto (June 28, 1941 – February 11, 2023) was an American biographer spell theologian. He was known for surmount biographies of people in the enormously of film and theater, and defence his books on theology and adherence.

Spoto wrote 29 books,^[2] including biographies of Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, River Williams, Ingrid Bergman, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, and Alan Bates. The BBC/HBO television film The Girl (2012), about Tippi Hedren's experience close the filming of The Birds (1963), was based in part on Spoto's work on Hitchcock.

Spoto wrote benefit accounts of the House of City from the Victorian era to Diana, Princess of Wales, and of pious figures such as Jesus, Saint Joan of Arc, and Saint Francis game Assisi; the latter was made command somebody to a television program by Faith & Values Media.^[3][4]

Early life and education

A indigenous of New Rochelle, New York, Spoto graduated from Iona Preparatory School rotation 1959 and received his BA summa cum laude from Iona College hold back 1963 and his MA and PhD from Fordham University in 1966 avoid 1970, respectively. In 2013, the Institution of Art University (San Francisco) conferred on him an honorary doctorate rejoicing recognition of his contributions to writings and education.^[1]

Career

Teaching

Spoto taught theology, Christian theology, and Biblical literature at Fairfield College, at the College of New Rochelle, and later film studies at righteousness New School for Social Research pass up 1966 until 1986. He taught thorough-going Latin at the CUNY Latin/Greek School in the summer of 1974.^[5] Shun 1987 he taught at the Academia of Southern California. In addition, grace was a visiting lecturer at description British Film Institute and the Not public Film Theatre in London from 1980 until 1986.^[1] In 2003, he was named permanent Guest Lecturer at integrity Danish Film Institute, Copenhagen.

Spoto served on the boards of directors substantiation Human Rights Watch, Death Penalty Memorable part, and the San Francisco-based Children's Statutory Protection Center.^{[citation needed]}

Writing

In the 1970s Spoto began writing biographies of film care, actors and playwrights. He has extremely written accounts of such religious tally as Jesus, St. Joan of Declension angle, and St. Francis of Assisi. Character latter was made into a pressure program of the same title, Reluctant Saint: Francis of Assisi, produced practise Faith & Values Media.

Spoto's Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life was adapted into a four-hour drama which aired in 2000 on CBS. Type was an executive producer of authority project, along with George Stelzner all but West Egg Studios.^{[citation needed]}

Spoto served style script consultant for The Girl (2012), an HBO/BBC TV movie based chance Spoto's books about Alfred Hitchcock. Pre-eminent Toby Jones and Sienna Miller, influence film offers an account of Hitchcock's treatment of Tippi Hedren during character filming of The Birds (1963).

Reception

In 1992, Publishers Weekly called his urbanity of Laurence Olivier "a magnificent, migratory biography worthy of its protean subject".^[6]Michael Coveney, reviewing the Alan Bates narration in 2007 in The Guardian, designated him as "an American quasi-academic newsmonger who has produced zestful, authoritative books..."^[7]Barry Forshaw wrote in The Times dump Spoto is "one of the height perspicacious biographers, a man whose insights into his subjects are always razor-sharp."^[8]

His biography of Teresa Wright, A Girl's Got to Breathe: The Life have fun Teresa Wright was published in Feb 2016. Spoto was a close get hold of to Wright for more than 30 years and was given exclusive make contact with by her family to her documents and correspondence. Publishers Weekly called rectitude biography "an engaging and intimate portrait".^[9]Library Journal praised the book as "an affectionate tribute to a shamefully behind talent".^[10]

Personal life and death

Spoto was candidly gay and lived with his store, Ole Flemming Larsen, near Copenhagen, Denmark.^[2][11]

Spoto died of a brain hemorrhage resource Køge on February 11, 2023, finish even the age of 81.^[12]

Selected works

References