Celebrity biographies books 2013

Stars may or may not be like us, but there is one thing they all seem to have in common: they love writing about their lives. From silent film legend Charlie Chaplin to Nickelodeon child star Jennette McCurdy, Hollywood autobiographies have been a thing for generations now. But in the last few years, publishing has seen a celebrity memoir boom in which chart-topping pop stars and Brat Packers alike are more than willing to bare their souls for our amusement. To much success; last year, Prince Harry’s Spare became the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time, according to Guinness World Records, besting previous record holder Michelle Obama and her 2018 memoir, Becoming.

With so many celebrity memoirs to choose from, TIME has put together a list of the best, which includes Elliot Page’s coming out story, Stanley Tucci’s food-focused walk down memory lane, and Carrie Fisher’s hilarious account of what it’s really like being a nepo-baby 50 years before the term went viral. 

However, “celebrity” isn’t just code for famous actors; this unranked list features celebrated performers from all walks of entertainment life. There are four EGOT winners—Viola Davis, Mel Brooks, Rita Moreno and Elton John—included here. As well as books from a couple of renowned athletes, including Andre Agassi’s much-talked about airing of tennis grievances and Megan Rapinoe’s empowering call to action. Not to mention one First Lady and a few eloquent aging rockers. (Here’s looking at you, Keith Richards!)

Because we’d actually like you to be able to read these books, the list only includes memoirs that are reasonably accessible in print and digital formats. That being said, if you happen to stumble upon the rare copy of Ronnie Spector’s Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness or John Waters’ Shock Value: A Tasteful Book About Bad Taste, definitely pick it up.

Here, the 30 best celebrity memoirs to read right now. 

My romance with Hollywood memoirs began in my early twenties, when I was new to New York and would spend most Sunday afternoons wandering the aisles of the Strand Bookstore. The Film and Drama section was a kaleidoscope of out-of-print treasures, including many old celebrity tell-alls, and I found that their contents were often more outrageous and entertaining than the hammy portraits on their covers.

The Hollywood memoir is a perfect genre for summertime, when your mind is as gooey and malleable as a slice of American cheese, because it demands that you be willing to suspend your disbelief and indulge in dazzling lies. After all, that is what many Hollywood memoirs are—at least, it is what they were, before the modern era of public accountability and stroke-of-the-keyboard fact checking. The sooner you accept that star stories are full of embellishments and omissions, invented quotes and one-sided recollections dictated to patient ghostwriters, the sooner you’ll come to appreciate them as the grand and eccentric performances that they are.

Often, though, these books reveal as much as they hide. Autobiography was for a long time the best outlet stars had to talk openly about misogyny, racism, ageism, abuse, and other hideous aspects of life in Hollywood that the industry would rather ignore. For women and minority stars, especially, a memoir could help bridge the gap between what was experienced and what could be said. The list compiled here is by no means exhaustive; it’s not a best-of but a starter pack of sorts. (Confession: I’ve left out men altogether, though many, including David Niven and Sammy Davis, Jr., have produced wonderful show-biz memoirs.) Some of the books here feel dated and, at times, maddening; at least one is completely bonkers. But all are dynamic artifacts that chart how the movie business has evolved over time and how far it still has to go.

I should note that several of the books are out of print and require some hunting to find—bu

The celebrity memoir boom is here to stay: From Britney Spears to Prince Harry, Ina Garten to Cher, it seems like just about everyone is spilling their secrets via book deal.

At their best, celebrity memoirs provide unusually candid portraits of the “real person” behind the public persona—and they don’t skimp on the dirty details. (At worst, they can be ghostwritten fluff.) A recent crop has erred on the side of revelatory: In the last year, Al Pacino let us in on his life from childhood in the South Bronx to his big break in ’70s Hollywood, while the long-gestating memoirs of Lisa Marie Presley came through as a posthumous release, written with daughter Riley Keough. Whether offering vibrant vignettes of iconic periods in time or shining a light on grief, explosive relationships, and the sinister underbelly of showbusiness, these books (and others) have given fans plenty to talk about—to say nothing of making rather good gifts.

Ahead, Vogue rounds up the best of the genre for your reading pleasure.

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop (2024)

Kelly Bishop—a.k.a. Emily Gilmore—narrates 60 decades, reaching back long before Amy Sherman Palladino’s generationally beloved Gilmore Girls. We meet Bishop as a young ballet dancer and a Broadway mainstay, following her through career highlights like A Chorus Line, Dirty Dancing, All My Children, and, of course, her time in Stars Hollow, which she writes about in rich detail with juicy little titbits from set. Just so you know, she’s Team Logan. —Anna Cafolla

Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher (2024)

This is a memoir magnum opus. Several chapters in, the singer, actor, gay icon, and soundbite machine Cher has only just reached adolescence. Four hundred and twenty pages in, and Part One wraps in the ’80s. But what a gift it is to meet a young Cheryl Sarkisian and learn of her formation in such vibrant, full-bodied detail. It’s thrilling, stuffed with high-octane stories of hanging out with the Be