Joe Hyams
Encyclopedia
Joe Hyams was an American
Hollywood columnist and author of bestselling biographies of Hollywood stars.
, on June 6, 1923, and grew up in nearby Brookline, Massachusetts
. While attending Harvard University
, he enlisted in the United States Army
in 1942. He received a Purple Heart
and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal
while serving in the South Pacific
. He later covered the war for Stars and Stripes
, the official newspaper of the United States Armed Forces. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees at New York University
, after returning from military service.
In 1951, the New York Herald Tribune
sent him to do an article on illegal immigration to the United States
. He was flown to Mexico on a small airplane and came back into the United States with a group crossing the border illegally. Once the story was complete, his editor told him that a room was waiting for him at The Beverly Hills Hotel. "Take a break, and if you get a chance to interview any movie stars, go for it." Asked by a man seated at the hotel's pool what he was doing at the hotel, he replied that he was supposed to interview movie stars. "How would you like to interview Humphrey Bogart?" was the reply from what turned out to be Bogart's press agent. In addition to the interview with Humphrey Bogart
, within the week Hyams had interviewed Lauren Bacall
, Katharine Hepburn
, Frank Sinatra
and Spencer Tracy
. The Herald Tribune had him relocated to Los Angeles. He covered Hollywood as a syndicated columnist
from 1951 to 1964.
After leaving the Herald Tribune, Hyams covered Hollywood for the Saturday Evening Post, Ladies' Home Journal
, Redbook
and other publications.
He was the author (or co-author) of more than two-dozen books, most of which were biographies of the celebrities he covered, including Bogie in 1966, Bogart & Bacall: A Love Story in 1975 and James Dean: Little Boy Lost in 1992. He co-authored celebrity autobiographies, with Chuck Norris
on The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story and worked on Michael Reagan
: On the Outside Looking In, with the adopted son of the former President. His own autobiography, Mislaid in Hollywood, was written in 1973. He also wrote novels set in Hollywood, such as The Pool and Murder at the Academy Awards.
His 1979 book Zen in the Martial Arts was built on his 50 years studying martial arts with such figures as Bong Soo Han
, Bruce Lee
, and Ed Parker
. With penologist Tom Murton
, he wrote Accomplices to the Crime: The Arkansas Prison Scandal, a 1969 nonfiction account that was the basis for the 1980 film Brubaker
starring Robert Redford
. In 1991 he wrote the non-fiction work Flight of the Avenger: George Bush at War.
in November 1964 in a civil ceremony in Las Vegas
.
Hyams had been a longtime resident of Los Angeles
and moved to Penrose, Colorado
, three years before his death. He died at age 85 on November 8, 2008, from coronary artery disease at a hospital in Denver, leaving his fourth wife, two sons, and two daughters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hollywood columnist and author of bestselling biographies of Hollywood stars.
Career
Hyams was born in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, on June 6, 1923, and grew up in nearby Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
. While attending Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, he enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1942. He received a Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
while serving in the South Pacific
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....
. He later covered the war for Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
, the official newspaper of the United States Armed Forces. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, after returning from military service.
In 1951, the New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
sent him to do an article on illegal immigration to the United States
Illegal immigration to the United States
An illegal immigrant in the United States is an alien who has entered the United States without government permission or stayed beyond the termination date of a visa....
. He was flown to Mexico on a small airplane and came back into the United States with a group crossing the border illegally. Once the story was complete, his editor told him that a room was waiting for him at The Beverly Hills Hotel. "Take a break, and if you get a chance to interview any movie stars, go for it." Asked by a man seated at the hotel's pool what he was doing at the hotel, he replied that he was supposed to interview movie stars. "How would you like to interview Humphrey Bogart?" was the reply from what turned out to be Bogart's press agent. In addition to the interview with Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, within the week Hyams had interviewed Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
, Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
. The Herald Tribune had him relocated to Los Angeles. He covered Hollywood as a syndicated columnist
Syndicated columnist
This list of syndicated columnists comprises columnists whose recurring columns are published in multiple periodical publications .*Ghaith Abdul-Ahad*Yasmin Alibhai-Brown*Timothy Garton Ash*Lucius Beebe*Max Boot...
from 1951 to 1964.
After leaving the Herald Tribune, Hyams covered Hollywood for the Saturday Evening Post, Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
, Redbook
Redbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
and other publications.
He was the author (or co-author) of more than two-dozen books, most of which were biographies of the celebrities he covered, including Bogie in 1966, Bogart & Bacall: A Love Story in 1975 and James Dean: Little Boy Lost in 1992. He co-authored celebrity autobiographies, with Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
on The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story and worked on Michael Reagan
Michael Reagan
Michael Edward Reagan is a former American radio host and Republican strategist. His nationally syndicated radio show, The Michael Reagan Talk Show, aired on stations throughout the United States on the Premiere Radio Networks before being dropped, after which it moved to Radio America...
: On the Outside Looking In, with the adopted son of the former President. His own autobiography, Mislaid in Hollywood, was written in 1973. He also wrote novels set in Hollywood, such as The Pool and Murder at the Academy Awards.
His 1979 book Zen in the Martial Arts was built on his 50 years studying martial arts with such figures as Bong Soo Han
Bong Soo Han
Han Bong-Soo , also known as Bong Soo Han, was a martial arts instructor, author, the founder of the International Hapkido Federation, and one of the foremost practitioners of hapkido through his participation in books, magazine articles, and popular films featuring this Korean martial art...
, Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, and Ed Parker
Ed Parker
Edmund Kealoha "Ed" Parker was an American martial artist, promoter, teacher, and author.-Life:Parker was born in Hawaii, and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began his training in the martial arts at a young age in judo and later boxing...
. With penologist Tom Murton
Tom Murton
Thomas O. Murton , generally known as Tom Murton, was a penologist best known for his wardenship of the prison farms of Arkansas...
, he wrote Accomplices to the Crime: The Arkansas Prison Scandal, a 1969 nonfiction account that was the basis for the 1980 film Brubaker
Brubaker
Brubaker is an American 1980 film about a prison in distress and the Warden Henry Brubaker who attempts to reform the system....
starring Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
. In 1991 he wrote the non-fiction work Flight of the Avenger: George Bush at War.
Personal
His second marriage was to 24-year-old actress Elke SommerElke Sommer
Elke Sommer , born Baroness Elke Schletz, is a German actress, entertainer and artist.-Career:Sommer was born in Berlin to a Lutheran minister and his wife...
in November 1964 in a civil ceremony in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
.
Hyams had been a longtime resident of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and moved to Penrose, Colorado
Penrose, Colorado
Penrose is a census-designated place in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The population was 4,070 at the 2000 census. The Penrose Post Office has the ZIP Code 81240.-Geography:Penrose is located at ....
, three years before his death. He died at age 85 on November 8, 2008, from coronary artery disease at a hospital in Denver, leaving his fourth wife, two sons, and two daughters.