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The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
February 2011
On Sale: February 1, 2011
304 pages
ISBN: 0307271005
EAN: 9780307271006
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Humphrey Bogart: it’s hard to think of anyone who’s had the
same lasting impact on the culture of movies. Though he died
at the young age of fifty-seven more than half a century
ago, his influence among actors and filmmakers, and his
enduring appeal for film lovers around the world, remains as
strong as ever. What is it about Bogart, with his
unconventional looks and noticeable speech impediment, that
has captured our collective imagination for so long? In this
definitive biography, Stefan Kanfer answers that question,
along the way illuminating the private man Bogart was and
shining the spotlight on some of the greatest performances
ever captured on celluloid. Bogart fell into show business almost by accident and worked
for nearly twenty years before becoming the star we know
today. Born into a life of wealth and privilege in
turn-of-the-century New York, Bogart was a troublemaker
throughout his youth, getting kicked out of prep school and
running away to join the navy at the age of nineteen. After
a short, undistinguished stint at sea, Bogart spent his
early twenties drifting aimlessly from one ill-fitting
career to another, until, through a childhood friend, he got
his first theater job. Working first as a stagehand and
then, reluctantly, as a bit-part player, Bogart cut his
teeth in one forgettable role after another. But it was here
he began to develop a work ethic; deciding that there were
“two kinds of men: professionals and bums,” Bogart, for the
first time in his life, wanted to be the former. After the Crash of ’29, Bogart headed west to try his luck
in Hollywood. That luck was scarce, and he slogged through
more than thirty B-movie roles before his drinking buddy
John Huston wrote him a part that would change everything;
with High Sierra, Bogart finally broke through at the age of
forty—being a pro had paid off. What followed was a string of movies we have come to know as
the most beloved classics of American cinema: The Maltese
Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep, The African Queen . . .
the list goes on and on. Kanfer appraises each of the films
with an unfailing critical eye, weaving in lively accounts
of behind-the-scenes fun and friendships, including, of
course, the great love story of Bogart and Bacall. What
emerges in these pages is the portrait of a great Hollywood
life, and the final word on why there can only ever be one
Bogie.
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