I Said Yes To Everything: A Memoir

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A revealing, no holds barred memoir, as Lee Grant recounts her career and her fight against the effects of the Hollywood blacklist. Actress Lee Grant had a charmed youth: from student at the famed Neighbourhood Playhouse to member of the legendary Actors Studio; from celebrated Broadway star to Vogue It Girl.' At 26, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Detective Story (Paramount, 1951), and a year later found herself married and a mother for the first time, her career on the rise. But then she lost it all after being placed on the blacklist. This is her story.'

Reviews

The elegant theater and screen actress bares all of her insecurities and regretsBut theres also an intimacy and directness in how she sharesincluding numerous dishy, behind-the-glam anecdotes.Grant has lived a long, full life. While she may prefer to be coy about precisely how long its lasted so far, I Said Yes to Everything serves as evidence that its been long enough to give her a meaty, multifaceted and compelling story to tell.Jen Chaney, The Washington Post

No-holds-barredGrant doesnt make us read between the lines here; its all right there, on the page. When she was jubilant after winning an Oscar for her supporting role in Shampoo, we know it; when she was disgusted, as when a television network canceled her series without telling her, we know it, too; and, of course, when she was dismayed and bewildered and depressed when she couldnt find work during her 12-year blacklisting, we know it for sure.An excellent show-business autobiography."Booklist, STARRED review

In this wonderful memoir, actor Grant charts her life from a childhood in New York City through her performance in Shampoo and beyondWhether recalling the traumas of her first marriage to screenwriter Arnold Manoff or sharing entertaining memories of her famous friends, Grant does so with a with a lively, approachable tone. Though famous for her achievements as a multi-award winning actor, director, and documentarian, Grant reveals herself to be woman unafraid of continual self-reinvention. These pages tell a gripping story full of drama, humor, and hardship, offering an intimate look into the singular life of one indefatigable protagonist.Publishers Weekly

[T]he resilience of [Lee Grants] career outlasted the 12-year period when she was blacklisted by HUAC for her political affiliationsshe became one of the most respected actresses of her generation.Rife with appearances from some of Hollywoods biggest names, including an unsuccessful date with Marlon Brando, Grants career proves that the elusive and oft-sought-after second chance can not only be had, it can be triumphantly redeeming. An insightful, sharp Hollywood memoir that will appeal to fans and newcomers alike.Kirkus

Lee Grant's blacklist memoir is deliciously indiscreet. She has written the definitive tell-all about life on the blacklist and no one who cares at all about those dark days can afford not to read it.
Victor S. Navasky, author of National Book Award-winning Naming Names

Lee Grant came to know herself as a child, as an actress, as a woman and as a thinker. I have come to know her intimately in reading her book, and am so grateful for the experience.Vanessa Redgrave

Having had the privilege to work with Lee Grant on the motion picture screen was truly a delight. Now, out of nowhere, she has written a most wonderful book about her family and herself. Its warm, its touching and its a book that speaks of the human experiencethe wonders of it, the magic of it, the difficulties of it, the history of a lifes unfolding, beautifully and brilliantly with purpose and with guts.Sidney Poitier

Read this bookevery juicy page! Lee has lived her life and practiced her craft with reckless abandon, bravery, honesty and ultimately brutal clarity. You will want to be her friend, lover, child or student, and you will finish the final pages her ardent admirer. A ferocious and fragile woman who unapologetically states: For better or for worse, I'm right here!Frank Langella

"If there is any adventure, from love to politics, that you feel you've missed in life, Lee Grant has had it for youand describes it here with wit, honesty and all five senses. No one, but no one, has better explained, say, the difference between the theater and Hollywood, between love and romance, or between families born and chosen. Go ahead, live a little. Say yes to Lee Grant."Gloria Steinem

Lee GrantsI Said Yes to Everythingis heart-stopping. More than just a show business memoir or chronicle of the Hollywood blacklist era, it is a terrifying account of a gifted artists tumultuous journeyboth personal and professional. You will feel every jolt of terror that Grant endured, wondering if you would have been as brave. Her triumph becomes our own. Readers of this gripping book will surely reach the final page shouting a victorious Yes! to everything that is Lee Grant.Marlo Thomas

Lee GrantI have worked with heris a great actress. Lee Grant is also my frienda great conversationalist. I never knew about her writing talent. She has written a wonderful book. It made me laugh, it made me cry. Read it!"Kirk Douglas

Lee knows how to tell a good story with passion, honesty and a good sense of humor.Michael Douglas

It's so easy to say Yes! I loved Lee Grant's memoireverything about it! She is direct, honest, witty and compelling!Dyan Cannon

The minute I looked at the new memoir [by] actress Lee Grant, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist I Said Yes To Everything.I'm afraid I pretty much abandoned everything else until I read it. Lee Grant is one of Americas greatest actors, most heroic survivors, a contradictory enigma one minute, asympathetic victim the next.who keeps turning it all around into triumph.Liz Smith

"Lee Grant's I Said Yes to Everything is a fantastic read. Beautifully written and brutally honest, she takes us through the highs and lows of her brilliant career and incredibly interesting personal life. I loved every page of it.Joy Behar

Author Bio

LEE GRANT founded the production company Feury/Grant with her husband. An adjunct professor at Tisch School of the Arts, Grant lives in New York City.