Product Description
This work is the first full-length biography of actress Anna Maria Pierangeli, from her early life in Italy to her death at the age of 39. She was discovered by Vittorio De Sica and soon after starred in her first film, Domani è troppo tardi (Tomorrow Is Too Late), which began her meteoric rise to fame in Italy. She arrived in Hollywood in 1950 at the age of 18, and the first thing MGM did was change her name to Pier Angeli and predict great things for its newest actress.

The book covers her seven year career with MGM, her two unhappy marriages to Vic Damone and Armando Trovajoli, her love for her children Perry and Andrew, her brief and stormy relationship with James Dean, her dependent relationships with her mother and such stars as Kirk Douglas, Richard Attenborough and Debbie Reynolds, and the mystery surrounding her death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Pier Angeli: A Fragile Life
Very interesting and wonderful written book.The book gives a good focus on the whole life of Pier from her childhood to her very sad older age. I wanted to read it to find out more about her relationship with James Dean, which is mentioned and referenced in the book.
I recommend this book to all people who like biographies

Sweet Annarella
I was fortunate to find this book on this site at a decent price, and I'm so glad that I did.Not only is it informative and readable, but it really gives you insight into the life of one of the most underrated and neglected young actresses of the 50s, Anna Maria Pierangeli, known as Pier Angeli during her MGM contract.The Italian actress lost her father in her early teens and was controlled and chaperoned by her controlling mother, Enrica, who essentially kept Pier away from her true love, actor James Dean, and convinced her daughter to enter into a marriage with singer/actor Vic Damone, a union that would be short-lived and a disasterous mistake.Her career faltered during her marriage to Damone and it never regained the same momentum.Pier found herself in increasingly more unworthy and exploitative films in Europe before her return to Hollywood in 1971.Her second marriage to musician Armando Trovajoli was as disasterous as her first, and she lost custody of her children. However, her return to California was a time of high hopes that her career could be rejuvenated.I personally never believed that Pier committed suicide, and it's good to see that the author argues against this theory and proves that there was no suicide note, as has often been claimed.She loved her children and her sisters far too much to do that, even if pills and alcohol did bring a temporary escape at times.

There are some wonderful sources and people who were close to Pier who make this biography all the more interesting, such as her fraternal twin sister Marisa Pavan, her younger sister Patrizia, her son Perry Damone, as well as many who worked with Pier and befriended her.You have to wonder how reliable of a source Enrica Pierangeli was, however.The term "stage mother" is never used but the way their mother and daughter relationship was described (love/hate, Enrica's constant presence and living through her daughter's career, how she tried to control who Pier dated, the fact that they were dependant on each other despite that they had a "terrible relationship" and would check with each other many times a day), seems remarkably similar to the lives of Natalie Wood and Sandra Dee, both of whom had stage mothers.And the fact that Marisa and Patrizia were pushed into the background and the focus was on Pier in the family - speaks volumes.Enrica tried to downplay Pier's relationship and feelings for James Dean, and I get the strong impression that Enrica's dislike of Dean and the fact that she lost control over Pier through much of her time with Jimmy and later her marriage to Damone played a large part in how Enrica relayed things after Pier's death.

Pier was a gentle, childlike and somewhat naive young girl at the beginning of her screen career, and I think because of that and her mother's pushing to have Pier support the family, that made her vulnerable to both the studio and to people around her who did not have her best interests at heart.She was never really given the kind of roles that showed her acting talent, with a few exceptions, and to me that's a shame because I truly think that the world was deprived of Pier's talent and presence.She longed for love, and perhaps a bit of a father replacement, since she adored him and kept his photo (along with that of James Dean) for the rest of her life.She managed to avoid marrying Kirk Douglas, but sadly Damone was her mother's choice and she went along with it, although there may have been affection on her part for Vic, her heart always belong to Jimmy, as she stated later in life.
She suffered so much, but she did not take her own life.

I would like to thank Jane Allen for her effort and for bringing this great biography of Pier and for opening a window into her world and the times she lived in. I wish Pier's family and friends all the best and hope they are doing well, and I hope Jimmy and his Annarella are together in heaven.

Sad ending to a once-happy beginning
It's hard to find information on Pier Angeli so this book written by Jane Allen is a perfect source. I originally bought this book because I am a huge fan of James Dean and she is mentioned in so many of his biographies. After reading the chapter on him, I felt compelled to find out about what happened to her later on after his death. And it was not happy. I see Anna Maria Pierangeli as a young woman looking for love in all the wrong places and in the wrong people, hoping to recreate the security and comfort she had with her father who had died just as she reached stardom.

She was a misunderstood young woman who wasn't prepared for how big she was getting in the movie industry and who was too trusting, though this was not her fault but mainly part of her nature. She was a kind person who had a good heart and had the best intentions for those she cared about, especially her sons. But too many heartbreaks (the end of her relationship with James Dean, his death), failed marriages to Vic Damone and Armando Travajoli, the physical and mental abuse she endured from lovers she hoped to find companionship with, hoping that it would lead to some sort of happiness in the end.

All of this took over her life, thereby making her believe that she could not find the happiness she longed to have. This biography is very intimate and shows the readers a side of her that she desperately tried to hide away for fear of rejection, rejection that she frequently experienced. A lot is provided about her personal life, the betrayals, the never-ending events of unhappiness, disappointment, etc. It seems that life never really treated her fairly and during the times when it seemed that all was well, they were simply too good to be true and always came to a miserable end. I felt sympathy for her because of what she had to go through, an independent life which she desperately wanted when she was dating James Dean and when she got it, she found that she couldn't harness it herself, especially after James had died. All that she went through led to her untimely death, which was NOT suicide, apart from what fans and/or other biographers claim.

It hurts me to think of all her pain and misery, thinking that Jimmy Dean would have been heartbroken if he was watching over her after his death. It's true, she was a loving person even though at times she turned to alcohol and pills to relieve her of her pain, even if it was only temporary. She believed she could depend only on love to get her through, part of her idealistic life. But in the end, she could not have this. As true to the title of her biography, she did have a fragile life. I could not put the book down and page by page, I felt that I could relate to her, her emotions, her views, and her reasons for her actions which weren't in her best interest, though through no fault of her own but simply her misguidance by those who controlled her and her weakness to stand up for what she wanted, to be a non-conformist (an influence that Jimmy Dean had tried to help her to demonstrate).

After reading that Pier considered Jimmy to be her one true love, you start to think about what could have been between them had fate not intervened, leading up to his unexpected and sudden death. Pier went through many hardships, many that she should not have had to endure. Whether you are aJames Dean fan or not, this book is a must-read, you won't be disappointed.

The truth about the emphatic relationship between Pier Angeli and James Deanis revealed!
Jane Allen, lets us all know the truth about how much Pier Angeli and James Dean really loved each other.The questionable paternity of one of her children.The shocking papers that were found in James Dean's Porche after his death.The eyewitnesses who saw the lengths each one had gone to to see each other.There has to be a movie made about this relationship that gets deeper into their rocky romance not just their intimate moments in Malibu at the beach house but their long talks.They had so many interests in common not just a loss of a parent which is what everyone who has seen the other television movies about James Dean have found out.Their love for each other was emphatic in every way.I know that they were reunited when she left this world, accidentally, as Jane Allen points out, on September 9th, 1971.This is a great book.

The only thing I have to negatively comment about is Jane Allen's belief that Pier wanted to be envied.Pier wanted to be adored by her fans.She always wanted praise but not envy.

heartbreaking
this was a wonderful read, and beautiful written story of the life of the equally beautiful yet flawed pier angeli, i think the title was a bit misleading because i don't think pier was as fragile as the world thought she was, in the book i saw a woman who just didn't really have her piorites right and made bad decisions.the only thing i critize about the book is the book format, it's written as though you are reading a newspaper with very small print. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Corbin Bleu, Sabrina Salerno, Asia Argento, Barbara Bouchet, Jacopo Sarno, Gina Lollobrigida, Pier Angeli, Ezio Pinza, Monica Guerritore, Valeria Golino, Fabrizio Brienza, Glauco Onorato, Alice Evans, Ornella Muti, Gastone Moschin, Tony Sperandeo, Felix Silla, Pamela Prati, Miriam Giovanelli, Kaspar Capparoni, Gianluca Ramazzotti, Eduardo Ciannelli, Bianca Guaccero, Vittoria Belvedere, Valentina Cervi, Kim Rossi Stuart, Orchidea de Santis, Mariangela Melato, Matias Masucci, Ricky Memphis, Rossano Brazzi, Sofia Milos, Renzo Cesana, Cosimo Fusco, Delia Scala, Serena Autieri, Alessandra Acciai, Barbara Livi, Giancarlo Judica Cordiglia, Didi Perego, Barbara Cupisti, Nicole Grimaudo, Ilenia Lazzarin, Giulia Luzi, Antonella Attili, Krista Posch, Giulio Bosetti, John Cassini, Leonardo Cimino, Luigi Petrucci, Danilo Bertazzi, Rada Rassimov, Franco Graziosi, Lorenzo Branchetti, Karin Proia, Felice Andreasi, Giulia Boverio, Massimo Ghini, Cesare Bocci, Luisa Ranieri, Remo Girone. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 212. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Corbin Bleu Reivers (born February 21, 1989), better known as Corbin Bleu, is an American actor, model, dancer, and singer. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the High School Musical film series, the Discovery Kids television series Flight 29 Down, and the Disney Channel Original Movie Jump In!. He also pursued a solo career and released his debut album Another Side on May 1, 2007. The album debuted at number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 18,000 copies in its first week. Bleu released his second album, Speed of Light, on March 10, 2009 in the U.S. Bleu Interview in Disney New York 2007Bleu was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Martha and David Reivers. His mother is Italian-American and his father Jamai...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=3591242 ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Pier Angeli, Andrea Cossu, Remo Bodei, Nanni Loy, Demofilo Fidani, Marisa Pavan, Giovanni Marghinotti, Caterina Murino, Alberto Loddo, Giorgia Palmas, Fausta Cialente, Carmen Melis, Marco Carta, Jean-Baptiste Marat, Stefano Guberti, Ugo Cappellacci, Diego Gregorio Cadello, Mario, Giuseppe Dessì, Mario Floris, Oliviero Diliberto, Amedeo Nazzari, Daniele Ragatzu. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Pier Angeli, née Anna Maria Pierangeli le 19 juin 1932 et morte le 10 septembre 1971, était une actrice italienne. Née à Cagliari en Sardaigne, elle a commencé dans un film, après avoir été repérée par le réalisateur Léonide Moguy, avec Vittorio de Sica, Domani è troppo tardi . Elle fit ses débuts à Hollywood et à la MGM dans Teresa, son premier film américain. Dirigé par Fred Zinnemann, ce film fut aussi celui qui vit les débuts de Rod Steiger et John Ericson. Des critiques enthousiastes la comparaient à Greta Garbo, elle remportait pour ce rôle un Golden Globe Award, celui de la New Star Of The Year - Actress. Sous contrat avec la MGM durant les années 1950, elle est apparue dans une série de films. Dans Miracle à Tunis (The Light Touch) avec Stewart Granger, elle apportait une légère touche d'innocence au film. Des projets de film sur l'histoire de Roméo et Juliette avec Pier Angeli et Marlon Brando sont tombés à l'eau lorsqu'une co-production anglo-italienne fut annoncée. Ses films suivants furent honnêtes sans être excitants : Histoire de trois amours en 1953 avec Kirk Douglas, Sombrero dans lequel elle remplaçait Ava Gardner, et Flame and the flesh dans lequel elle perdait son époux au profit de Lana Turner. La MGM, après avoir découvert en Leslie Caron une nouvelle ingénue continentale, prêta Pier A...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Pier Angeli (June 19, 1932 - September 10, 1971) was an Italian-born television and film actress.Born Anna Maria Pierangeli in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy. Her twin sister is the actress Marisa Pavan. Angeli made her film debut with Vittorio de Sica in Domani è troppo tardi (1950), after being spotted by director Léonide Moguy. She was discovered by Hollywood, and MGM launched her in her first American film, Teresa (1951). Directed by Fred Zinnemann, this film also saw the joint debuts of Rod Steiger and John Ericson. Reviews for her performance in the film compared her to Greta Garbo, and she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress. Under contract with MGM throughout the 1950s, she appeared in a series of films. including The Light Touch with Stewart Granger. Plans for a film of Romeo and Juliet with her and Marlon Brando fell through when a British-Italian production was announced. ... Read more