André Soares currently operates a translation business, working for numerous major American corporations. He is the author of several screenplays and is the chief editor of Alternative Film Guide.
From Booklist
To the recent spate of books detailing the history of gays in
Hollywood's golden age (e.g., William J. Mann's Behind the Screen
[2001] and Diana McLellan's The Girls [2000]) comes a worthy
addition, Soares' chronicle of one of the biggest silent stars,
Ramon Novarro, whose fame was parabolic, soaring to a Douglas
Fairbanks-like peak when he played the title role in Ben-Hur (1926)
and peaking again with his grisly demise some 40 years after his
first perihelion. In between, after sound dispelled the silents,
his was largely a name from the past, a la Norma Desmond in Sunset
Boulevard, though he made the transition to talkies far better than
fellow top-of-the-heap silent star John Gilbert.
Still, his career spiraled down into cameo appearances and the
like. By the time he was beaten to death by a couple of cruisers
who may have intended only to steal some money, Novarro had been a
customer of "escort services" for men for many years. However,
Soares specifically accuses Hollywood sleazemonger Kenneth Anger of
fabricating the lead "art-deco dildo" supposedly stuffed down the
dead Novarro's throat. Dildo or no dildo, no Hollywood collection
should be without a biography of Novarro, and Soares' story of this
prototypical cinematic "Latin lover" fills the bill in excellent
form. Mike Tribby
Copyright (c) American Library Association. All rights reserved
From the San Francisco Chronicle, January 5, 2003
The rise and fall of Ramon (Samaniego) Novarro, the first
successful Latin star in Hollywood, is superbly chronicled in this
smooth, solid, exhaustively researched biography by Los Angeles
screenwriter Andre Soares. . . . Soares has clearly done his
homework, asthis life story is not only packed with the intricacies
of Novarro's livelihood but also with Hollywood's racy, cutthroat
culture. . . . Historians of Old Hollywood and devoted star
trackers alike will be
delighted with this comprehensive portrait of a major actor from
Tinseltown's glittery yesteryear. James Piechota.
Mexican heartthrob Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) was one of early Hollywood's leading romancers. He got his big break in 1923's Scaramouche, went on to play the title role in 1925's Ben-Hur and later appeared with Greta Garbo in 1932's Mata Hari. However, despite these sizeable roles, today Novarro is chiefly remembered for how he died: he was beaten to death by two hustlers. Now screenwriter and translator Andre Soares offers the thoroughly researched biography Beyond Paradise: The Life of Romon Novarro. Soares skillfully covers the actor's Mexican upbringing, his ascent to fame, his relationship with publicist and entertainment journalist Herbert Howe and the difficulties he encountered as a gay man. This is a straightforward and insightful account of one star's difficult life.
From Booklist
To the recent spate of books detailing the history of gays in
Hollywood's golden age (e.g., William J. Mann's Behind the Screen
[2001] and Diana McLellan's The Girls [2000]) comes a worthy
addition, Soares' chronicle of one of the biggest silent stars,
Ramon Novarro, whose fame was parabolic, soaring to a Douglas
Fairbanks-like peak when he played the title role in Ben-Hur (1926)
and peaking again with his grisly demise some 40 years after his
first perihelion. In between, after sound dispelled the silents,
his was largely a name from the past, a la Norma Desmond in Sunset
Boulevard, though he made the transition to talkies far better than
fellow top-of-the-heap silent star John Gilbert.
Still, his career spiraled down into cameo appearances and the
like. By the time he was beaten to death by a couple of cruisers
who may have intended only to steal some money, Novarro had been a
customer of "escort services" for men for many years. However,
Soares specifically accuses Hollywood sleazemonger Kenneth Anger of
fabricating the lead "art-deco dildo" supposedly stuffed down the
dead Novarro's throat. Dildo or no dildo, no Hollywood collection
should be without a biography of Novarro, and Soares' story of this
prototypical cinematic "Latin lover" fills the bill in excellent
form. Mike Tribby
Copyright (c) American Library Association. All rights reserved
From the San Francisco Chronicle, January 5, 2003
The rise and fall of Ramon (Samaniego) Novarro, the first
successful Latin star in Hollywood, is superbly chronicled in this
smooth, solid, exhaustively researched biography by Los Angeles
screenwriter Andre Soares. . . . Soares has clearly done his
homework, asthis life story is not only packed with the intricacies
of Novarro's livelihood but also with Hollywood's racy, cutthroat
culture. . . . Historians of Old Hollywood and devoted star
trackers alike will be
delighted with this comprehensive portrait of a major actor from
Tinseltown's glittery yesteryear. James Piechota.
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