Star BiographiesSeries

This series delves into the biographies of inspiring individuals who have left an indelible mark on their fields and history. Each book offers a captivating look into the childhood, struggles, and triumphs of these remarkable figures. Discover the stories that shaped the world and be inspired by the lives of those who reached for the stars. It's a journey of discovery and admiration.

Julia Roberts. Die illustrierte Biographie

Recommended Reading Order

Hilary Duff
Edrick Thay
135 pages
5 hours of reading
4.4(3)Add rating
Hilary Duff is everywhere these days--from movie theatres to DVDs, radio and CDs, and even the clothing sections of major department stores. She's definitely living up to her latest album title, Most Wanted. Ever since she played the lead in the hit Disney TV show Lizzie McGuire, Hilary has been a teen superstar. Her list of credits as an actress would be enough to impress much more seasoned performers, but Hilary adds an impressive musical gift to her list of talents. Both Most Wanted and her previous album, Metamorphosis, hit number one on the Billboard charts. Hilary's popularity even extends to her line of teen clothing, accessories, and cosmetics, which she launched in early 2004. Long-standing feuds with fellow pop idol Lindsay Lohan and punk darling Avril Lavigne have only bolstered her celebrity. While Hilary has called for a truce, tensions continue to linger. Hilary remains one of the sweethearts of music and movies today. She's also an International Spokesperson for Kids with a Cause and regularly uses her fame to help people in need. She gave $250,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief. Along with her charity work, Hilary keeps busy starring in new film projects and selling out stadiums on her Still Most Wanted tour. Read about this teen superstar's rise to fame in this new biography and see why Hilary's definitely staying on top of teens' most-wanted lists everywhere.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Colin Maclean
143 pages
6 hours of reading
3.8(4)Add rating
From commercials for MatchBox cars to the King of the World and beyond, Leonardo DiCaprio began his acting career on the sound stage of the children's program Romper Room. Although unceremoniously kicked off the show for bad behavior at age five, he knew early on that acting on film was his lifelong dream, and he is now one of the hottest properties in Hollywood.Colin MacLean, entertainment journalist extraodinaire, takes an in-depth, intimate look at the friendly, outgoing, open young man from East Hollywood who never asked to be every young girl's pin-up. Using personal observations from Leo and those around him, MacLean shows how the actor was almost destroyed by his sudden plunge into fame and how he overcame his image as a lightweight playboy.Following the worldwide phenomenon of James Cameron's Titanic, he has proven his ability and continuing box-office clout in films with such distinguished directors as Steven Spielberg in Catch Me If You Can and Martin Scorsese in Gangs of New York and the much-touted The Aviator.
Shania Twain
Eva Marie Clarke
144 pages
6 hours of reading
4.0(3)Add rating
Shania's rags-to-riches story had its humble beginnings hunting and planting trees with her father in the wilds of Ontario. After the devastating loss of her parents in a car crash, she took over the raising of her siblings. She has gone from the small to
Julia Roberts. Die illustrierte Biographie
Colin Maclean
Julia Roberts wuchs nach der Scheidung ihrer Eltern auf und zog mit 17 nach New York, um Schauspielerin zu werden. Ihr Bruder Eric half ihr, und nach ihrem Durchbruch in "Pretty Woman" wurde sie eine der bekanntesten Schauspielerinnen. Ihr Privatleben war turbulent, doch seit 2002 ist sie glücklich mit Kameramann Daniel Moder verheiratet und hat drei Kinder.
Angelina Jolie
Edgar McFay
144 pages
6 hours of reading
3.2(11)Add rating
The world doesn't know quite what to make of Angelina Jolie. The bee-stung lips and high cheekbones are iconic in their expression of modern female beauty. Jolie is also talented, and the camera loves her. Ever since the spotlight first shone on her with her captivating performance in HBO's Gia, audiences have been fascinated by Jolie's life and career. She earned an Oscar for her role as a volatile mental patient in Girl, Interrupted and became a darling of the video game set in her role as Lara Tomb Raider.However, despite her pedigree--she is the daughter of actor Jon Voight, Jolie is very much not of Hollywood. Her most important roles appear to be those of single mother and as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, a calling that has led her to live and work with refugees around the world.And then there's her fearless honesty about her dark personal past--her turbulent relationship with her father, her one-time obsession with knives and self-mutilation and her fascination with death. This biography reveals a strong and compassionate woman of extraordinary beauty, both inside and out, who is candid about her life and work.
Cast of the O.C., The
Edgar McFay
143 pages
6 hours of reading
4.5(2)Add rating
This nighttime soap about the trials and tribulations of high school has toatally captivated television audiences around the world. Debutin 2003, The O.C. (Orange County, California)quickly captured a devoted audience with its fresh dialogue and clever wit. The O.C. is truly unique and every episode is packed with comedy, sarcasm and adventure. This book is a collection of biographies of the O.C.'s actors.
Russell Crowe
Stone Wallace
144 pages
6 hours of reading
5.0(1)Add rating
Russell Crowe has been compared to Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn, Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart. He demonstrates a versatility as an actor rarely seen among today's generation of Hollywood stars. His cast of memorable characters ranges from the raw physicality of the Roman general Maximus in Gladiator or the skinhead Hando in Romper Stomper to the psychological complexity of the brilliant but mentally ill mathematician John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. Crowe's climb to the top of Hollywood's A-list has been a tough one, made all the more difficult by his feisty temperament and a cocky--some say arrogant--self-confidence. His off-screen brawls and romantic dalliances have made headlines as often as his Oscar-winning performances. This biography reveals the larger-than-life personality that fuels both the fiercely dedicated actor and the Australian bad boy--a personality that has taken Russell Crowe from a one-time rock 'n roll wannabe Down Under to his status today as a true Hollywood superstar.
Orlando Bloom
Hans-Peter Boer
3.5(2)Add rating
Orlando Bloom ist mit dreißig Jahren einer der größten Filmstars Hollywoods und spielte in vier der fünfzehn erfolgreichsten Filme aller Zeiten. Berühmt wurde er als Elfenkrieger Legolas in Peter Jacksons Trilogie „Der Herr der Ringe“. Obwohl er ursprünglich für eine kleinere Rolle vorsprach, erkannte der Regisseur sofort, dass Bloom die perfekte Besetzung war. Sein Erfolg setzte sich mit der Rolle des Will Turner in „Fluch der Karibik“ fort. Seine erste Filmrolle hatte er 1997 in Stephen Frys Oscar-Wilde-Biografie. Seitdem spielte er an der Seite von Stars wie Kirsten Dunst und Keira Knightley sowie mit Legenden wie Peter O’Toole und Susan Sarandon. Das Buch schildert Blooms Kindheit und die wichtigsten Stationen seiner Karriere. Der Leser erfährt, wie er mit 13 Jahren entdeckte, dass der Schriftsteller Harry Saul Bloom nicht sein leiblicher Vater war. Trotz seiner ersten Filmrolle, in der er nur einen Satz sprach, lehnte er zahlreiche Angebote ab, um seine Schauspielausbildung abzuschließen. Zwei Tage nach seiner Abschlussprüfung erhielt er die Rolle des Legolas, die seinen Aufstieg einleitete. Es wird auch berichtet, wie Bloom mit einer Lese-Rechtschreibschwäche kämpfte, beinahe im Rollstuhl landete und was es mit seiner geheimnisvollen Tätowierung auf seinem rechten Handgelenk auf sich hat. Zudem thematisiert das Buch sein ökologisches Engagement, seinen Übertritt zum Buddhismus und Einblicke in sein Liebesleben.
Julia Roberts
Colin Maclean
144 pages
6 hours of reading
5.0(2)Add rating
America's Pretty Woman and Hollywood's highest-paid actress, Julia Roberts is a fascinating study in contradictions. She evokes sexiness and innocence all in single glance. She can be outgoing and funny one moment, shy and sad the next. Writer and long-time entertainment broadcaster Colin MacLean captures the remarkable life and personality that, in all its complexity, is Julia Roberts. He chronicles her meteoric rise to stardom following the release of the film Pretty Woman and her numerous and sometimes notorious off-screen romances with such co-stars as Liam Neeson and Dylan McDermott. For Roberts, life has been a roller coaster. She has starred in films that were complete failures, right alongside such memorable cinema as Erin Brockovich and The Pelican Brief. Her private life has been lived out in a goldfish bowl, from her almost-first marriage to actor Kiefer Sutherland to her new starring role as the mother of twins. In Julia's own words and those of friends and critics who have shared the ride with her, we learn about her soaring career following a troubled childhood. What emerges is a portrait of someone of great talent, who is both tough as well as vulnerable.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Glenn Tkach
139 pages
5 hours of reading
Gwyneth Paltrow was born to acting, the daughter of producer Bruce Paltrow and Tony-award-winning stage actress Blythe Danner. With a delicate beauty and quiet dignity, Paltrow came to the attention of such Hollywood notables as Steven Spielberg early in her career. Seven years after her film debut in 1991, she received an Academy Award for her role in Shakespeare in Love. Earlier, the public knew her better for her much-publicized engagement to and break-up with Brad Pitt. Superstar Julia Roberts says of She has an incredibly interesting look that transcends time. She can look very today, she can look very '60s. She's got a face you want to look at for a very long time; you want to absorb it. You're a fool if you don't take her seriously because she'll smoke you, says one movie director. Gwyneth Paltrow has achieved Oscar-winning actress, acclaimed stage actress, fashion cover girl, wife and mother. She succeeds at embracing her celebrity while maintaining her privacy. She remains all the more enigmatic and alluring to her fans as a result. This entertaining biography explores the private world, the remarkable talent and the graceful public persona of this rising star.
Brad Pitt
Sophie Lees
144 pages
6 hours of reading
3.0(3)Add rating
Fifteen minutes of screen time was all it took to catapult Brad Pitt from obscurity to stardom. as the cowboy drifter in the 1991 blockbuster Thelma & Louise, he stole not only Thelma's heart, but also the hearts of movie-going audiences everywhere. Instantly, he became a superstar, touted as the next Robert Redford. Like Redford, Brad Pitt has fought to be more than a chiseled chin and sparkling blue eyes. Sophie Lees' biography tells the story of Pitt's struggle to shake off his stud screen label and be taken seriously as an actor.
Johnny Depp
Stone Wallace
144 pages
6 hours of reading
3.7(15)Add rating
Johnny Depp--Hollywood bad boy? Rebel? Or simply misunderstood. His name and photo have been on the covers of the major entertainment 'zines and the tabloids for both his powerful portrayals and his eccentric exploits. After making his film debut in A Nightmare on Elm Street, he shot into the hearts of the teen population in 1987 as Detective Tommy Hanson in the hit TV series 21 Jump Street. Never feeling comfortable with the teen idol mantle, he's since been very choosy about the roles he has accepted. From Cry-Baby to Captain Jack Sparrow, Depp puts an indelible stamp on the characters he portrays, and his performances have often been singled out. Stone Wallace shows us a singularly sensitive man, who is passionate about his work, is selective about the films he puts his name to and fiercely guards his family and his private life. Johnny came from nothing to become one of the most sought-after names in Tinseltown, as well as a loving husband and father who is completely over the moon about his wife and children.
Renee Zellweger
Mark Wells
142 pages
5 hours of reading
3.5(2)Add rating
RenÉe Zellweger is living the American Dream. From the small town of Katy, Texas, Zellweger has climbed quickly to the heights of stardom with some truly breakout movies. We noticed her first as the disarming young single mother in Jerry Maguire, when sh