author
Hedda Hopper
1885–1966
A onetime actress who reinvented herself as Hollywood’s most feared gossip columnist, she became one of the most powerful voices in show business. At her peak in the 1940s, her syndicated column reached tens of millions of readers and could boost — or damage — a star’s career.
1 Audiobook
The whole truth and nothing but
by Hedda Hopper, James Brough
About the author
Born Elda Furry in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Hedda Hopper started out on the stage and then built a long career in silent films and supporting screen roles. After her acting opportunities faded, she found a new identity as a columnist and quickly discovered that her sharp opinions and gift for publicity could command a huge audience.
Beginning her widely read Hollywood gossip column in 1938, she turned celebrity reporting into a form of power. Her trademark hats made her instantly recognizable, and her writing made her influential far beyond entertainment pages; by the 1940s, she was one of the best-known and most feared figures in the movie business.
Hopper’s legacy is complicated. She helped define modern entertainment gossip, but she is also closely associated with the anti-communist politics of the era and with public attacks that harmed careers during the Hollywood blacklist. That mix of glamour, ambition, and controversy is a big part of why she remains such a vivid figure in film history.