William J. Mann (born August 7, 1963) is an American novelist,

biographer Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography. Biographers Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...

, and Hollywood historian best known for his studies of Hollywood and the American film industry, especially his 2006 biography of

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

, ''Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn''. ''Kate'' was named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2006 by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. William J.Mann also used the pseudonym Geoffrey Huntington under which he wrote the Ravenscliff Series.

Early life and education

Mann was born August 7, 1963, in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

. His father, William H. Mann, was the treasurer for the city of

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settlers as a town under its ...

, and his mother, Carol ( Soderlind), worked for the

Connecticut Superior Court The Connecticut Superior Court is the state trial court of general jurisdiction. It hears all matters other than those of original jurisdiction of the Probate Court, and hears appeals from the Probate Court. The Superior Court has 13 judicial dis ...

(the state trial court of general jurisdiction). Mann received his undergraduate degree at

Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut ...

in 1984. After working briefly as a

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

aide, he received his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in liberal studies (with a concentration in history and film) in 1988.at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

Career

He got his start as a journalist at the now-defunct ''Hartford Monthly'' magazine. He freelanced for, among others, ''Architectural Digest'', ''Connecticut'' magazine, ''Men's Fitness'', ''Frontiers'' (Los Angeles), and ''The Boston Phoenix''. He also wrote for and edited ''Metroline'' magazine, a gay-lesbian newsmagazine based in Hartford, Connecticut, before acting as publisher from 1992 to 1995. Mann's first novel, ''The Men From the Boys'', was published by Dutton in 1997. He continued with a series of novels set in Provincetown, although he has also set his fiction in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. In addition, Mann has written the

nonfiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

books ''Wisecracker'' (1998), a biography of film star

William Haines Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer. Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922. His career gained momentum when he received favo ...

, for which he won the

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

, ''Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood'' (2001), and ''Edge of Midnight: The Life of

John Schlesinger John Richard Schlesinger (; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Midnight Cowboy'', and was nominated for the same award for two other films ('' Darling'' an ...

'' (2005). His 2006 biography of Katharine Hepburn, ''Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn'', was named one of the Best Books of the Year by ''Publishers Weekly'', that gave it a starred review, saying, "Hepburn's siblings and contemporaries (now free to speak after her death) make major corrections to earlier Hepburn biographies, creating a picture of a complex woman rather than the icon she worked hard to become in the public's eye. This will surely be the definitive version of Hepburn's life for decades to come, as it is an outstanding example of painstaking research matched with splendid writing." In 2009, Mann wrote ''How to Be a Movie Star:

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

in Hollywood''. "Reading this life is like gorging on a chocolate sundae," Publishers Weekly wrote of the book. "This is a smart book about a surprisingly savvy superstar. It's one of the best Hollywood biographies I've ever read," said Ed Sikov, author of ''Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis.'' ''Hello Gorgeous: Becoming

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

'' (Houghton Mifflin) followed in 2012. "A fresh exploration of the early years of Streisand," wrote the ''Washington Post''. "Trying to figure out the Barbra Streisand mystique is no easy task, but Mann expertly captures the launch of her remarkable career in the early 1960s when a unique 'star was born.' Mann's meticulous research and insightful analysis go deeper than any previous biography..." said ''USA Today''. Mann's next book, '' Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood'' (HarperCollins, 2014), is the story of how the Hollywood studio system and the Hays Office were established during the early 1920s, told alongside the famous, unsolved murder mystery of director

William Desmond Taylor William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner, 26 April 1872 – 1 February 1922) was an Anglo-Irish-American film director and actor. A popular figure in the growing Hollywood motion picture colony of the 1910s and early 1920s, ...

, which Mann solves. ''Tinseltown'' was a ''New York Times'' bestseller and won the 2015 Edgar Award (presented by the Mystery Writers of America) as Best Fact Crime Book of the Year. NPR named it one of the best books of the year, adding "Brings the early days of the movie industry to sparkling life." Rex Reed raved: "Sex! Drama! Scandal! If you have the slightest curiosity about the dark purple scars of Hollywood history, this is the go-to book you cannot miss. . . Epic and fabulous—every page is haunting, every chapter a film noir. I was up all night."

Personal life

Mann says that he knew he was gay when he was in the fifth grade. He came out privately to friends in his late teens. He was

outed Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia in order to discredit political opponents or to com ...

in 1991 when the ''Hartford Courant'', covering a gay rights rally at the state capitol, published his name and photo. Although his family reacted negatively to the disclosure at first, within six years his parents were completely supportive. He met his husband, Dr. Timothy Huber, in 1988. They married in 2004.

Bibliography

Non-fiction

* ''Wisecracker: The Life and Times of

'' (1998) * ''Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood'' (2001) * ''Edge of Midnight: The Life of

'' (2005) * ''Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn'' (2006) * ''How to Be a Movie Star:

in Hollywood'' (2009) * ''Hello Gorgeous: Becoming

'' (2012) * ''Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood'' (2014) * ''The Contender: The Story of

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

'' (2020)

Fiction

*''The Men From the Boys'' (1997) *''The Biograph Girl'' (2000) *''Where the Boys Are'' (2003) *'' All American Boy'' (2005) *''Men Who Love Men'' (2007) *''Object of Desire'' (2009). New York, NY: Kensington. pp. 426.

Geoffrey Huntington

* Sorcerers of the Nightwing - The Ravenscliff Series Book 1 (2002) * Demon Witch - The Ravenscliff Series Book 2 (2004) * Blood Moon - The Ravenscliff Series Book 3 (2013)

References

External links

*
Radio interview with Doug Miles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, William J. American biographers American male journalists American gay writers Living people Writers from Connecticut Wesleyan University alumni People from Provincetown, Massachusetts Lambda Literary Award winners Edgar Award winners 1963 births American male biographers