Nobody's Perfect: Billy Wilder, A Personal Biography

Billy Wilder (1906-2002) was one of the legendary figures in 20th-century film. When he died recently, he left behind an incredible celluloid legacy. Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, Double Indemnity, The Apartment, The Lost Weekend, Sabrina and other Wilder films have become a part of our shared experience and collective memory. In Nobody's Perfect, Billy Wilder speaks for himself, in what is as close to an autobiography as there ever will be. Charlotte Chandler, author of authorized bios on Groucho Marx and Federico Fellini, met Wilder in the mid-1970s and began a friendship that continued until his death. Over the course of more than 20 years, she interviewed not only Wilder, but many of the actors and other creative people who worked with him. The result is this remarkable book, a very personal look at one of filmdom's true creative geniuses. In a life as dramatic as his films, Wilder survived World War I and escaped the Holocaust. His great gift as a screenwriter soon became apparent, as did his easy rapport with actors. As a writer-director, he worked with such stars as Greta Garbo, William Holden, Tony Curtis, Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers, Gloria Swanson, Audrey Hepburn, Gary Cooper, James Cagney, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and Marilyn Monroe - most of whom were interviewed for this book. This revealing and vastly entertaining book is a wonderful, timely tribute to this great writer-director, a legacy of Wilder's wit, insight and remarkable wisdom.

'Bravo Billy Wilder!
Brava Charlotte Chandler!
Bello Nobody's Perfect!' Michelangelo Antonioni
'Charlotte Chandler knew Billy Wilder the way I wish I know him, but this extraordinary book in the next best thing' Frank Oz
'Nobody's Perfect is a marvellously entertaining biography of Wilder and his films, mostly in his own voice and those of his co-workers and friends' John Landis
'Charlotte Chandler is smart to let Billy and the other real life characters speak their own words. It is amazingly revealing and amusing.' Milos Forman
'It's not a good book, it's a great book. Chandler has really captured the essence of the man' David Brown
'Chandler is an assiduous and accomplished interviewer. This "personal biography" is not weighed down by the burden of too much information, a curse of modern biography, but teems with anecdotes and is dominated by Wilder's distinctive voice. ... The last few years have seen an efflorescence of books about Wilder, each of which has its merits. What distinguishes this book from the others is its charm, its lightness of touch, and its brevity. Yet it also offers valuable and fresh insights into Monroe, William Holden, Gary Cooper, Howard Hawks, Otto Preminger, von Stroheim and Ernst Lubitsch.' Sunday Times
'The wonderful thing about his very entertaining book is that it contains large stretches of Wilder's own conversation; not paraphrased, not reduced to essentials, but his own story in his own words. Wilder was one of the wittiest conversationalists imaginable, and his voice leaps hilariously off the page. [Chandler] is a good listener, and she knows how to quote, a rare and precious skill' Philip Hensher, Spectator
'There are many gems to be found in Nobody's Perfect, Charlotte Chandler's agreeable gabfest of a Wilder biography' Daily Telegraph
'The sensitive side of the legendary Hollywood director Billy Wilder is remembered by his close friend, Charlotte Chandler' Sunday Telegraph
'Charlotte Chandler, who has written about Federico Fellini and Groucho Marx, is an ardent and accessible writer who knows how to get people to talk' Times
'[Nobody's Perfect] is a perceptive and entertaining look at the genius behind Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard and The Apartment. Acriticism? It's only 342 pages long, and you won't want it to end' Total Film
'A compelling read' Vogue
'Chandler never pries too much into [Wilder's] motivations, instead letting conversation reveal his attitudes and artistry. Wilder's explanation of how the 'Lubitsch touch' works is alone worth the price of the book' Sight & Sound
'The book is a rich compendium of primary source material, containing interviews with Wilder himself. Altogether, it makes for a comprehensive portrait of Wilder that goes beyond the witty stories' Publishers Weekly
'Chandler's brilliant verbal portrait should ensure that [Wilder] and his films will always be remembered' Scotsman
'Thank goodness for books like this one, and the legacy of great cinema that Wilder left behind' Scotland on Sunday
'Wilder's films suggest class, an abundance of wit and a deft observational streak. Trouble is, few people ever got close enough to the director to firmly assert such characteristics as personal trademarks. Not only did Charlotte Chandler manage it, but she also collected testimony from cinematic greats such as Tony Curtis to further strengthen her case' Hotdog Magazine
'Chandler allows Wilder to tell the story of his life and his films within her sharply observant yet admirably economical framework. The voice of filmmaker Billy Wilder is captured in Nobody's Perfect, a film director's life well lived and well told'
LA Times
'Chandler seamlessly weaves the words of Wilder and his colleagues with her own efficient, authoritative transitional threads' Entertainment Weekly
Nobody's Perfect is vintage Wilder, very up front and personal, with fabulous new Marilyn Monroe stories. I am a fan of Ms Chandler' New York Post
'In what is almost an autobiography, full with long quotes from Wilder, Nobody's Perfect shows how his films made it to the silver screen'
Daily Telegraph 11/10
'This biography is more like an autobiography'
Sunday Telegraph 12/10
'Wilder's marvellous portrait of the director is stuffed with anecdotes from Wilder and the actors that appeared in his many films... so astringent and often so funny'
Sunday Times 19/10
'A delight' Keith Miller, TLS