
Roddy McDowall
An Actor's Life -- From 'How Green Was My Valley' to 'Lassie' to 'Planet of the Apes'
- Hardcover
352 pages
- Release Date
16 June 2026
Summary
Sincerity, erudition, charisma … Roddy McDowall.
Here is the comprehensive, first-ever biography of the award-winning child star, Planet of the Apes movie icon, beloved film legend, and Hollywood renaissance man whose career spanned 60 years.
“This is a beautiful tribute to a very special man. For those who aren’t familiar with Roddy, you’re in for a treat. You will get to know a man who was as kind as he was gifted.” —CAROL BURNETT
As one of…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780806544267 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0806544260 |
| Author: | Samuel Garza Bernstein |
| Publisher: | Citadel Press Inc.,U.S. |
| Imprint: | Citadel Press Inc.,U.S. |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 352 |
| Release Date: | 16 June 2026 |
| Weight: | 567g |
| Dimensions: | 161mm x 235mm |

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Critics Review
Praise for Samuel Garza Bernstein’s Roddy McDowall: An Actor’s Life:
“Roddy and I became instant friends; we just really liked each other. He was a wonderful actor and did a great job in the movie we starred in together Unlikely Angel. I will always be so happy that I got to know him. I think of him more than you might imagine.” —Dolly Parton
“A beautiful tribute to a very special man. For those who aren’t familiar with Roddy, you’re in for a treat. He was a brilliant “child actor” who didn’t fade into the background when he became an adult. His talent grew with him. Also, you will get to know a man who was as kind as he was gifted.” —Carol Burnett
“Roddy McDowall was a beloved friend. In fact, he had more friends in Hollywood than any person I’ve ever known. Had he chosen to write a tell-all book, he might well have busted the place wide open, but he was too loving and considerate ever to do such a thing. Now it is only fitting that an affectionate biography be written about this sweet man’s extraordinary life and career. I loved him dearly.” —Julie Andrews
“Of all the relationships I made when I worked regularly in Hollywood, the friendship I had with Roddy was one of the most precious. He gave everyone such beautiful opportunities to connect. I shall always remember him with unique tenderness as one of the kindest men I have ever encountered.” —Emma Thompson, Academy-Award winning actress, screenwriter and author
“With his conversational style, witty critiques, and rigorous research, Garza Bernstein has managed to swat away myths and inaccuracies while casually revealing new, intimate details of the life of one of Hollywood’s most sociable, yet guarded, figures. And all the while, he gives readers the gift of feeling they’re walking alongside Roddy on his seven-decade journey. Roddy McDowall: An Actor’s Life sets a new standard for Hollywood biographies, one by which all others may be measured.” —Burt Kearns, author, Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel
“Samuel Garza Bernstein’s comprehensive and loving portrait presents the Roddy we knew and admired.” —Ileanna Douglas, actress and author, Jungle Red: The Making of MGM’s The Women
“Roddy is somewhere out there welcoming us all to devour this splendid book.” —Chris Sarandon, actor
“In a Bernstein star biography, you’re not just getting the story of a single character – but of an entire place and time and almost forgotten way of life. I think Roddy would have loved to dish the delights of this book, at one of his fabled Studio City dinners.” —Kim Powers, author, Rules for Being Dead
“Samuel Garza Bernstein has managed to beautifully convey this multifaceted man around whom so much love and admiration and gossip has gathered. We think we know so much about people, and there has been so much conjecture about Roddy. The truth is so much more interesting, and Garza Bernstein has elegantly and fully shared it with us. No axes to grind, but also no attempt has been made to soften the man and the life he led. This is an honest and admirable book.” —James Grissom, author, Follies of God: Tennessee Williams and the Women of the Fog
“To read this book is at many times to feel that you are back in Roddy‘s gorgeous company.” —Joanna Gleason, actress
“A life well-lived and a story well-told.” —Richard Natale, author, Greenwich Connection
Samuel Garza Bernstein
Samuel Garza Bernstein
Samuel Garza Bernstein is a bestselling author, a Stonewall Book Award winner, and an award-winning screenwriter and playwright whose work often reflects the wild intersections of modern life. He, his husband Ronald Shore, and their pack of incorrigible dachshunds split their time between Porto, Portugal, and Los Angeles, California.
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