Spoto kept that promise, and has written a candid, poignant and sometimes hilarious account of the colorful life of this incredible, accessible woman. She only had one condition: It was not to be published until 25 years after her death. Spoto he should be the one to write a book about her life. During their final meeting shortly before her death, Ms. Spoto visited Princess Grace at the palace in Monaco to present her with a copy of the Hitchcock book.

Before he left that day, she had agreed to write a foreword to his new book, “The Art of Alfred Hitchcock.”Ī year later, Mr. Now, with honesty and insight, High Society reveals the truth of Grace Kelly’s personal life, the men she loved, the men she didn’t, and what lay behind the façade of her fairy-tale life.When biographer Donald Spoto first interviewed Grace Kelly in Paris in 1975, what most impressed him was her total lack of affectation: She put on no airs, was funny and ironic, and despite being a princess, didn’t hesitate to share several delightfully risqué tales of her work in Hollywood. Her astonishing career lasted until her retirement at age twenty-six, when she withdrew from stage and screen to marry a European monarch and became a modern, working princess and mother.īased on never-before-published or quoted interviews with Grace and those conducted over many years with her friends and colleagues–from costars James Stewart and Cary Grant to director Alfred Hitchcock–as well as many documents disclosed by her children for the first time, acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto explores the transformation of a convent schoolgirl to New York model, successful television actress, Oscar-winning movie star, and beloved royal.Īs the princess requested, Spoto waited twenty-five years after her death to write this biography.

From the principled Amy Fowler Kane in High Noon to the thrill-seeking Frances Stevens of To Catch a Thief, Grace established herself as one of Hollywood’s most talented actresses and iconic beauties. In just seven years–from 1950 through 1956–Grace Kelly embarked on a whirlwind career that included roles in eleven movies. Drawing on his unprecedented access to Grace Kelly, bestselling biographer Donald Spoto at last offers an intimate, honest, and authoritative portrait of one of Hollywood’s legendary actresses.

High Society by Donald Spoto