Braun, Eric 1921-2007 (Eric Douglas Brown, Eric Douglas Hugo Brown)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born March 31, 1921, in London, England; died November 21, 2007. Film critic, publicist, journalist, and author. Braun was born into a wealthy family and raised in comfort. As a youth and young adult he frequented the West End, the London version of Broadway, and immersed himself in the world of show business. Flamboyant, openly gay, and larger than life, Braun moved comfortably and quite visibly in the world of celebrity. He worked after World War II at various British film studios, where he eventually became a publicity agent for popular stage actors, including Beryl Reid and Peter Sellers. He wrote articles and film reviews for Films and Filming and the monthly bulletin of the British Film Institute. Braun's reviews led to interviews which took him to Hollywood. In 1951 he established Eric Braun Enterprises in Twickenham, England, just outside of London. This became the base from which he carried out his writing career, which included coauthoring "autobiographies" of well-known entertainers, including Reid. On his own, Braun published a biography of actress Deborah Kerr in 1977 and a controversial biography of Doris Day in 1991, which so offended its subject that Braun was required to reimburse the publisher for the cost of modifying the galleys out of his own pocket. Braun's other books include The Elvis Film Encyclopedia (1997) and Frightening the Horses: Gay Icons of the Cinema (2001).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Times (London, England), November 24, 2007, p. 83.