The Best Celebrity Autobiographies
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Book must be written or co-written by celebrity subject.
- 1Carol Burnett
- 2Carrie FisherWishful Drinking is an autobiographical book by American actress and author Carrie Fisher, published by Simon & Schuster in 2008. Fisher's book was based on her one-woman stage show, which she developed with writer/director Joshua Ravetch. The show debuted at The Geffen Playhouse with Ravetch directing. It enjoyed a successful Broadway run and toured in other cities, and HBO filmed a documentary of the stage play.
- 4Tina Turner and Kurt LoderI, Tina is a 1986 autobiography by rock singer Tina Turner, co-written by MTV news correspondent and music critic Kurt Loder. It described Turner's story from a girl born and raised in Nutbush, Tennessee to her initial rise to fame under the leadership of famed blues musician Ike Turner and her abusive relationship with the St. Louis guitarist that ended in 1976 before her famed 1980s comeback made her an international superstar in her own right. The book became a worldwide best-seller when it was released and led to the film adaptation, What's Love Got to Do with It, in 1993 starring Angela Bassett as Turner.
- 5Drew BarrymoreLittle Girl Lost is a book written by Charles Ardai.
- 6Dolly Parton
- 7Dick Van Dyke
- 8Michael J. Fox
- 9Julie AndrewsHome: A Memoir of My Early Years is a best-selling memoir written by Julie Andrews. It was published on April 1, 2008 by Hyperion. Home tells the story of Julie Andrews' life up until 1963, when she left England for Hollywood to shoot Mary Poppins and is intended as part one of a two-part memoir. While it includes dark childhood memories of surviving the London Blitz and attempts by her step-father Ted Andrews to molest her, the book overall presents a happy vision of Andrews' childhood. She has said in an interview that the book The Little Gray Men and her father Ted Wells were her inspirations and source of influence as an author, along with Charles Dickens, among other authors. Andrews revealed in the book that Wells was not, in fact, her natural father; her biological father had been a family friend with whom her mother had a brief affair. The book received a generally positive critical reception. The Los Angeles Times described it as "immensely readable" and The New York Times praised the quality of the prose. Home was #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List of non-fiction adult titles on April 27, 2008.
- 10Rue McClanahan
- 11Steve MartinBorn Standing Up: A Comic's Life is a memoir, released November 20, 2007, by Steve Martin, an American author, actor, comedian, producer, playwright and screenwriter. It chronicles his early life, his days working for Disneyland, working at low tier coffee shops and clubs as a comedy act, his later days at the Bird Cage, his relationships, his eventual fame, and the reason why he quit stand-up comedy, at the height of his fame, altogether in 1981.
- 12Ozzy OsbourneI Am Ozzy is the autobiography of Ozzy Osbourne, vocalist of Black Sabbath and solo singer. It chronicles his life, beginning as a child, followed by his career as a vocalist. The book is 416 pages long. The book was widely praised by its readers for its level of detail, and humor. It currently holds a 4.6/5 rating on Amazon.com. So far, Ozzy has signed his autobiography at a Borders in New York City on Tuesday, January 26, 2010. The book was co-written by Chris Ayres, because of Osbourne's dyslexia. The audio book was read by Frank Skinner.
- 13Penny MarshallMy Mother Was Nuts is a book written by Penny Marshall.
- 14Johnny CashCash: The Autobiography is a 1997 autobiography of Johnny Cash, country musician, written twenty years after his first autobiography, Man in Black. Cash co-wrote this book with Patrick Carr. Cash's autobiographies were the basis for the award-winning biopic Walk the Line in 2005.
- 15Priscilla Presley
- 16Mindy KalingIs Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) is a 2011 book written by Mindy Kaling.
- 17Arnold SchwarzeneggerTotal Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story is a 2012 book written by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- 18Tina FeyBossypants is an autobiographical comedy book written by American comedian Tina Fey. The book topped The New York Times Best Seller list, and stayed there for five weeks upon its release. Since its release, the book has sold over one million copies in the U.S. Fey's Grammy nominated narration of the audiobook has sold over 150,000 copies on Audible.com. A paperback reprint edition was released in January 2012, from Reagan Arthur Books, an imprint of Little, Brown.
- 19Amy Poehler
- 20Keith Richards and James Fox
- 22Alan Cumming
- 23Carole KingA Natural Woman: A Memoir is a book written by Carole King.
- 24Melissa Gilbert
- 25Andy Williams
- 26Anthony Kiedis, Larry SlomanScar Tissue is the autobiography of Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis. It was released in 2004 by Hyperion and authored by Kiedis with Larry Sloman, who compiled information and interviewed various parties associated with the plot line. The book reached a high of #1 The New York Times Best Seller List. An audiobook version, read by actor Rider Strong, was released by Phoenix Audio on June 30, 2006. An E-book version is also available.
- 27Sarah SilvermanThe Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee is a memoir by actress and comedian Sarah Silverman, published in 2010.
- 28Peter Golenbock, Tony Curtis
- 29Bob DylanChronicles, Volume One is the first part of Bob Dylan's planned 3-volume memoir. Published on October 5, 2004, by Simon & Schuster, the 304-page volume covers selected points from Dylan's long career. The book spent 19 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list for hardcover nonfiction books. Chronicles, Volume One was one of five finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award in the Biography/Autobiography category for the 2004 publishing year. The abridged audio version of the book is read by actor Sean Penn. The unabridged version is read by Nick Landrum. Defying expectations, Dylan wrote three chapters about the year between his arrival in New York City in 1961 and recording his first album, focusing on a brief period of relative obscurity, while virtually ignoring the mid-1960s when his fame was at its height. He also devoted chapters to two lesser-known albums, New Morning and Oh Mercy, which contained insights into his collaborations with poet Archibald MacLeish and producer Daniel Lanois. In the New Morning chapter, Dylan expresses distaste for the "spokesman of a generation" label bestowed upon him, and evinces disgust with his more fanatical followers.
- 30Craig FergusonAmerican on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot is a memoir written by entertainer Craig Ferguson. The book details various experiences over several decades in Ferguson's life from his days in Scotland through his migration to the United States; the rise of his performing career in the United Kingdom, then Hollywood, and eventual acquisition of US citizenship in early 2008. He tells about his assorted jobs as a musician in a punk rock band, a bouncer, a construction worker, comic and actor along the way, as well as his struggle with alcoholism, past recreational drug use, and contemplation of suicide at a low point in his life. In December 2010 the audiobook version, read by Ferguson, was nominated for a Best Spoken Word Album Grammy.
- 31Shirley MacLaine
- 32Jane Fonda
- 33Diane KeatonThen Again is a book written by Diane Keaton.
- 34Valerie Harper
- 35Michelle Obama
- 36Ellen DeGeneres
- 37Tab Hunter and Eddie Muller
- 38Corey Feldman
- 39Jeanne CooperNot Young, Still Restless: A Memoir is a book written by Jeanne Cooper.
- 40Chelsea Handler
- 41Portia de Rossi
- 42Loretta LynnStill Woman Enough: A Memoir is a book by Loretta Lynn.
- 43Dispatches from the Edge is a best-selling book written by Anderson Cooper. On June 18, 2006 it was listed at #1 on the The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller list. It contains revelations about growing up as the younger son of Gloria Vanderbilt. Reflections include the devastating effects of his father's early demise as well as of his older brother's inexplicable suicide.
- 44Carl Reiner
- 45Kenny RogersLuck or Something Like It: A Memoir is a book written by Kenny Rogers.
- 46Barbara WaltersAudition: A Memoir is a 2008 best-selling autobiography by American journalist and television personality Barbara Walters. The book was published May 6, 2008 by Knopf. Audition provides a relatively full autobiography of Walters, spanning from her childhood to recent interviews. Walters discusses her work and personal life, confessing to an affair with Senator Edward W. Brooke and describing her relationship with Alan Greenspan. The release of Audition was covered by major media outlets. Walters went on a promotional tour promoting the book, including an hour on The Oprah Winfrey Show and an interview with The New York Times. ABC broadcast an hour-long special hosted by Charlie Gibson on May 7, 2008 to celebrate the book's release. The special, called Audition: Barbara Walters’ Journey, attracted 7.4 million viewers.
- 47James Franco
- 48Tori SpellingStori Telling, stylized as sTORI TELLING, is a 2008 book by Tori Spelling and Hilary Liftin. Published in March, by September it had risen to #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover non-fiction books. In 2009, the book was awarded Bravo TV's A-List Award as the best celebrity autobiography of the year.
- 49Roger Ebert
- 50Neil Strauss, Marilyn MansonThe Long Hard Road Out of Hell is the autobiography of Marilyn Manson, leader of the American rock band Marilyn Manson. The book was released on February 14, 1998 and written with the help of Neil Strauss as a ghost writer. It follows Manson's life from when he was a child, born as Brian Hugh Warner, until the events of the band's controversial Dead to the World Tour. It also details his grandfather's sexual fetishes' influence to the forming of Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids, to the recording of Antichrist Superstar. Its last pages are the journal of the band's touring, documenting backstage events and people's reactions. The book includes many references to his life of drugs, sex and dysfunctional relationships which he attributes as causal to his current status quo. It also features his journalism works, including an article about a dominatrix he interviewed for 25th Parallel. The autobiography goes in-depth into the break-ups amongst the band's history.
- 51Mia Farrow
- 52Neil Simon
- Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? is a book written by Billy Crystal.
- Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture is a book written by Andy Cohen.
- 55Nancy Wilson, Ann WilsonKicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock and Roll is a book written by Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson.
- 56Alan Arkin
- 58Pete TownshendWho I Am: A Memoir is a book by Pete Townshend.
- 59Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss is a book written by Peter Criss.
- 60Russell BrandMy Booky Wook is a memoir, written by English comedian and actor Russell Brand, published in 2007 by Hodder & Stoughton. It was released in North America and Australia in 2009 by HarperCollins Publishers.
