author
Hedda Hopper
1885–1966
A onetime actress who turned Hollywood gossip into real power, she became one of the most recognizable and feared voices in American entertainment. Her wildly popular column, trademark hats, and sharp opinions helped define movie celebrity culture in the 1940s and beyond.
1 Audiobook
The whole truth and nothing but
by Hedda Hopper, James Brough
About the author
Born Elda Furry in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Hedda Hopper began her career as an actress before reinventing herself as a gossip columnist. After years in films, she found far greater fame in journalism, where her syndicated Hollywood column reached millions of readers.
Hopper became known not just for reporting on movie stars, but for shaping the industry’s social world. She cultivated a larger-than-life public image, complete with extravagant hats, and her rivalry with fellow columnist Louella Parsons became part of Hollywood legend.
Her influence also had a harder edge. Hopper strongly supported the House Un-American Activities Committee and played a visible role in the culture of suspicion surrounding the Hollywood blacklist, making her a controversial figure as well as a famous one. She died in Los Angeles in 1966, leaving behind a legacy tied both to classic Hollywood glamour and to some of its darkest political battles.