SPADA, James 1950-

PERSONAL: Born January 23, 1950, in Staten Island, NY; son of Joseph Vincent and Mary (Ruberto) Spada. Education: Attended Wagner College, 1968-71, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 1972-75, and California State University, 1979-80. Politics: Liberal Democrat. Religion: "Discarded." Hobbies and other interests: Physical education, sports, drawing, painting, music, photography, antiques, cooking, collecting (books, prints, records, magazines, photos, quilts).

ADDRESSES: Home—Brookline, MA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, St. Martin's Press, 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer and publisher. New York State Council on the Arts, New York, NY, office assistant, 1966 and 1969; Wagner College Library, Staten Island, NY, assistant librarian in periodicals department, 1969-70; EMK: The Edward M. Kennedy Quarterly, editor and publisher, 1969-72; U.S. Senate, Washington, DC, intern to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 1970; In the Know, New York, NY, managing editor, 1975, editor, 1975-76; Barbra Quarterly, Los Angeles, CA, editor and publisher, 1980-83.

MEMBER: Authors Guild, Authors League of America, American Civil Liberties Union.

WRITINGS:

Barbra: The First Decade—The Films and Career ofBarbra Streisand, Citadel (Secaucus, NJ), 1974.

The Films of Robert Redford, Citadel (Secaucus, NJ), 1977.

The Spada Report: The Newest Survey of Gay MaleSexuality, New American Library (New York, NY), 1979.

(With Christopher Nickens) Streisand: The Woman and the Legend, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1981, updated paperback edition, 1983.

(With George Zeno) Monroe: Her Life in Pictures, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1982.

(With Karen Swenson) Judy and Liza, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1983.

Hepburn: Her Life in Pictures, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1984.

The Divine Bette Midler, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1984.

Fonda: Her Life in Pictures, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1985.

Shirley and Warren, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1985.

Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess—An IntimateBiography of Grace Kelly, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1987.

Peter Lawford: The Man Who Kept the Secrets, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

More Than a Woman: An Intimate Biography of BetteDavis, Bantam (New York, NY), 1993.

Streisand: Her Life, Crown (New York, NY), 1995.

Jackie: Her Life in Pictures, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Black and White Men: Images by James Spada (collection of photographs), Pond Street Press (Natick, MA), 2000.

Ronald Reagan: His Life in Pictures, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2001.

John and Caroline: Their Lives in Pictures, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Julia Roberts: An Intimate Biography, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2004.

Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess has been translated into twelve languages.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Legend, a novel.

SIDELIGHTS: Celebrity biographer James Spada has published a number pictorial profiles and full-length biographies of such Hollywood and political luminaries as Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Ronald Reagan, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Robert Redford, and Peter Lawford.

Spada was working on a biography of the late Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, when, as he once told CA, he stumbled upon "a remarkable story that hadn't been told before." Kelly, an Oscar-winning actress of the 1950s—cinema's "ice-princess"—became a top audience-draw with her stunning looks, subtle English accent, and controlled, mannered demeanor. In 1956, at the height of her career, the Philadelphia-born Kelly made world headlines when she abandoned Hollywood to become real-life royalty: the wife of Prince Rainier of Monaco, ruler of the tiny Mediterranean principality nestled on the coast of southeastern France. There she lived as Princess Grace of Monaco—raising three children—until her sudden death in 1982 from injuries received in an automobile accident.

While conducting interviews for his book on Grace Kelly, and in reviewing some of her early personal correspondence, Spada, however, discovered a woman much different than the one suggested by her public persona. As he candidly remarked to Michael Kilian of the Chicago Tribune, Spada came upon two important revelations about Grace Kelly: "The first . . . was how the most sexually active woman in Hollywood was able to come across as the most chaste. The second was that Prince Rainier actually believed that she was a virgin." Spada's original picture-book project expanded into a full-length narrative text, 1987's Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess—An Intimate Biography of Grace Kelly, which, as Yvonne Cox noted in Maclean's, "portrays a beautiful young actress whose cool, white-gloved exterior concealed a smouldering sexuality and a compulsion to bed her leading men."

In the biography which, he explained to Kilian, is "not a hatchet job," Spada shows how in her early career, young Grace rebelled against the mores of both her wealthy authoritarian family and strict Catholic upbringing, and conducted sexual affairs with a number of Hollywood's leading men, including William Holden, Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, and Bing Crosby. Spada's account does much to describe Grace's actions in light of the influences of her family—the prominent Kellys of Philadelphia. In particular, Grace's father, Jack—Irish immigrant, ex-Olympic rowing champion, and self-made millionaire—emerges, according to Ellin Stein in the New York Times Book Review, "as a bigoted domestic tyrant" whose lack of faith in Grace was a large factor in the young actress's attraction to married older men. One account tells of how the elder Kelly, upon hearing of Grace's Best Actress Oscar for The Country Girl, expressed astonishment at such an accomplishment coming from his meekest daughter—and not from his favorite, Peggy. Other family insights surface in the story of how Grace's mother threatened to campaign against her own son, John—a promising mayoral candidate—because he once dated a transsexual. Some reviewers found the tales of the Kelly family one of the book's more intriguing features. "Although it can, and no doubt will, be read simply as a now-it-can-be-told report on the life and loves of America's favorite movie star-turned-princess," wrote Bruce Cook in the Washington Post Book World, "nevertheless, it is far more interesting considered as a history of the Kelly family of Philadelphia told from the point-of-view of its most prominent (though by no means most powerful) member."

Outside of her family woes, Grace's marriage to Prince Rainier was also less than ideal, according to Spada. "More of a business merger than a fairy-tale romance," remarked Piers Brendon in the Observer, the Kelly family paid a two-million-dollar dowry for their daughter's entrance into high society. Prince Rainier on the other hand, noted Cook, "thought that an American movie star on the throne would almost certainly increase tourism in the five-mile square principality (it did, tremendously); he needed an heir; and, when it came right down to it, he—and Monaco— could use the money [Grace's] rich father could provide." Regarding Grace's motivations in the marriage, Cook agreed with Spada's contention that guilt played a major role. Grace's "Catholic upbringing left her guilty about her sexual dalliances," wrote Spada, "and angry at her family for continually objecting to her attempts to legitimize herself in their eyes through marriage."

Reception of Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess included the claim that disclosures of Kelly's sexual exploits are not all that astonishing. "People who want to find out if Grace Kelly was a sensuous woman need only see To Catch a Thief," wrote a critic for Time, while Cox commented that Spada's account "simply adds a light sexual frosting to her already well-documented life." Heather Neill in the Listener, acknowledging that "Spada presents us with a sympathetic portrait of his heroine," added that his "book hovers between voyeurism and hagiography." Other reviewers, however, have found the biography more than just an exposé of a revered screen idol. "Indeed, the truly interesting new light the book sheds on Grace Kelly is not that her love life was more active than previously suspected," commented Stein, "but that she suffered a very modern conflict over her real-life role." Spada himself remarked to Kilian that he wanted to "put aside [Kelly's] 'one-dimensional' image and reveal her as the vital human being she was. She was very complex, very troubled, very passionate and very intelligent." Times Literary Supplement's Victoria Glendinning lauded the biographer's achievement: "In exposing for the first time Grace Kelly's promiscuity, James Spada claims justifiably to be revealing a more interesting person than the legend allows."

In addition to his books about Hollywood celebrities, Spada has also written several titles concerning the Kennedy family: Peter Lawford: The Man Who Kept the Secrets, Jackie: Her Life in Pictures, and John and Caroline: Their Lives in Pictures. Peter Lawford: The Man Who Kept the Secrets is the life story of the English-born actor who married into the Kennedy family. The "secrets" of the book's title refers to Lawford's unsavory role in keeping confidential the scandalous details of President John F. Kennedy's numerous sexual affairs so that the president could continue to play the public role of faithful husband and devout Catholic. Lawford was especially important in introducing Kennedy to Marilyn Monroe, in keeping that relationship private, and in assisting Kennedy after the president decided to end the affair. The critic for Video Age International called the biography "well researched and colorfully described. . . . Spada does a fine job."

Jackie: Her Life in Pictures and John and Caroline: Their Lives in Pictures are collections of photographs taken by a number of people chronicling the lives of the Kennedy clan members. Jackie: Her Life in Pictures contains 250 photographs, ranging from baby pictures of the famous First Lady to a final shot of her two children standing next to her open casket. As the heiress to a fortune, the wife of a president, then the wife of a shipping tycoon, Jackie Kennedy became one of the most widely-known women in the world. A critic for Publishers Weekly believed that the collection effectively captured "her well-lived, much-photographed life in adoring detail." Donna Seaman in Booklist called the book "a fascinating array of photographs." Speaking of why he had chosen to do a collection of photographs about Jackie Kennedy instead of an in-depth biography, Spada explained to Stephen MacMillan Moser in the Austin Chronicle: "There have been plenty of books purporting to reveal her innermost secrets; I wanted mine to be a celebration of her glamour, beauty, and style."

Jackie's two children are presented in Spada's book John and Caroline: Their Lives in Pictures, a collection of 255 photographs. Many of these photos are from private sources and never before published. As the youngest children to ever live in the White House, the two Kennedy children have always been members of the celebrity culture. When their father was assassinated in 1963, the nation's heart went out to them in a way no other celebrities have experienced. John Kennedy, Jr.'s own tragic death in an airplane crash brought further sympathetic attention to the pair.

Spada turned to another political figure in his book Ronald Reagan: His Life in Pictures, a collection of 350 photographs of the popular president. While Spada admits having political differences with Reagan, he told Moser that in the process of doing his book, "I have gained a measure of admiration for him as a man." Published to celebrate Reagan's ninetieth birthday in 2001, the book begins with childhood and school photos, covers his time as a college football hero, moves through his years as a Hollywood actor, and then documents his successful career in politics as governor of California and American president. While some of the photographs are familiar from news reports of the time, the collection includes many family photos not seen before. Carole L. Philipps in the Cincinnati Post described Spada's book as "the story of a man who dreamed and realized the American dream several times over as athlete, actor, governor and president." Ronald Reagan: His Life in Pictures, Ray Olson wrote in Booklist, "forcibly recalls his enormous popularity when in office."

While his previous books featured the works of many different photographers, Black and White Men: Images by James Spada contains only Spada's own photographic work. The book contains sixty black-and-white photographs of young men taken by Spada in his own home. He used real people in the photographs, including his own lover, instead of professional models. Moser found that "Spada's lens caresses his subjects. His work is a paean to male beauty, with the same appreciation seen in classical Greek art. But Spada's compositions have an intimacy and sexuality that is lacking in most classical art." According to Jesse Monteagudo in Gay Today Magazine, "Black and White Men is a wonderful book, and an essential text for anyone who appreciates the male art form."

Although primarily known for his celebrity biographies, Spada is branching out into other areas of writing. He once commented to CA: "I hope that my recent writings have greatly improved on my earlier efforts. Writing is a vocation I find rewarding, educational, rending, draining, fulfilling, frustrating, and lovely. My writings will continue to grow as I do. Although I have enjoyed much success with celebrity biographies, I hope to be as well known as a novelist. . . . My first novel, Legend, will be a fictional biography of a legendary female movie star."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Spada, James, Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess—An Intimate Biography of Grace Kelly, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1987.

PERIODICALS

American Spectator, November, 1991, M. G. Lord, review of Peter Lawford: The Man Who Kept the Secrets, p. 45.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 9, 2001, Teresa K. Weaver, "Staying True to Life, Fresh Approach Invigorates Some Familiar Subjects," p. D4.

Austin Chronicle, June 9, 2000, Stephen MacMillan Moser, "Spada Speaks"; December 22, 2000, Stephen MacMillan Moser, review of Black and White Men: Images by James Spada.

Booklist, August, 1993, Donna Seaman, review of More Than a Woman: An Intimate Biography of Bette Davis, p. 2011; October 1, 1995, Donna Seaman, review of Streisand: Her Life, p. 211; April 15, 2000, Donna Seaman, review of Jackie: Her Life in Pictures, p. 1521; January 1, 2001, Ray Olson, review of Ronald Reagan: His Life in Pictures, p. 909.

Chicago Tribune, May 3, 1987.

Cincinnati Post, February 3, 2001, Carole L. Philipps, "Reagan Book a Fine Tribute," p. 7C.

Cosmopolitan, July, 1991, Louise Bernikow, review of Peter Lawford, p. 28.

Entertainment Weekly, October 27, 1995, review of Streisand: Her Life, p. 85; September 13, 1996, review of Streisand: Her Life, paperback edition, p. 127.

Library Journal, August, 1991, Kim Holston, review of Peter Lawford, p. 104; September 1, 1993, Sherle Abramson, review of More Than a Woman, p. 187; November 15, 1995, Rosellen Brewer, review of Streisand: Her Life, p. 77.

Listener, July 16, 1987.

Maclean's, July 27, 1987.

Newsweek, April 27, 1987.

New York Times Book Review, November 4, 1984; July 19, 1987.

Observer, June 28, 1987.

People, July 6, 1987; May 29, 2000, David Cobb Craig, review of Jackie, p. 41.

Publishers Weekly, July 26, 1993, review of More Than a Woman, p. 49; October 2, 1995, review of Streisand: Her Life, p. 61; April 17, 2000, review of Jackie, p. 69; September 25, 2000, review of Ronald Reagan, p. 54.

Spectator, December 16, 1995, Mark Steyn, review of Streisand: The Intimate Biography, p. 63.

Time, April 27, 1987.

Times Literary Supplement, July 24, 1987, Victoria Glendinning, review of Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess—An Intimate Biography of Grace Kelly.

US Weekly, July 23, 2001, Janet Steen, review of John and Caroline: Their Lives in Pictures, p. 68.

Variety, July 15, 1991, review of Peter Lawford, p. 56.

Video Age International, October-November, 1991, review of Peter Lawford, p. 14.

Washington Post Book World, June 21, 1987.

ONLINE

Gay Today Magazine Web site,http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/reviews/ (May 1, 2003), Jesse Monteagudo, review of Black and White Men: Images by James Spada.

James Spada Home Page,http://www.jamesspada.com/ (May 1, 2003).*