Axel Madsen authored twenty-two books, including sixteen
biographies. His most notable works include an in-depth look at the
life of a legendary fashion icon, Chanel: A Woman of Her Own, and
an investigation of the relationship between Gloria Swanson and Joe
Kennedy, Gloria and Joe: The Star-Crossed Love Affair of Gloria
Swanson and Joe Kennedy. Madsen began his journalism career as a
legman for columnist Art Buchwald in Paris, and later wrote one of
the first books on television’s longest-running news magazine show,
60 Minutes: The Power and the Politics of America’s Most Popular TV
News Show. As a 20th Century Fox publicist, he handled Robert
Redford, Paul Newman, and George C. Scott, and was fired off Myra
Breckinridge for siding with director Mike Sarne against producer
Robert Fryer. His Hollywood biographies include the life stories of
directors William Wyler, John Huston, and Barbara Stanwyck, as well
as an examination of Golden Age Hollywood’s gay underground in The
Sewing Circle. He wrote and produced the ITV documentary version of
The Sewing Circle. Over the years, Madsen interviewed scores of
movers and shakers, from legends like Goldwyn and Selznick to
directors like Howard Hawks, Louis Milestone, and Rouben Mamoulian.
Madsen died in 2007.
“Madsen’s bio breathes intimacy on every page and avoids a gossipy
tone.” —Publishers Weekly
“Madsen’s exhaustive research reveals the public and private
details of Stanwyck’s life in surprising detail.” —Booklist
“Madsen’s admirably researched, insightful portrait of [Stanwyck’s]
aloof nature . . . reveals that she was always torn
between her wish to give of herself and her need to be in control.”
—The Christian Science Monitor
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