Learning to live out loud - Piper Laurie

An intimate memoir by three-time Oscar nominee Piper Laurie, one of Hollywood's most gifted and respected actresses


At the age of seventeen, in the glory days of movie-making, Piper Laurie was living every little girl'sdream. Having been selected by Universal Studiosto be a contract star, Piper was removed from heracting class and provided with stylists, chaperones,leading roles, and handsome dates, and elevated to the heights of Hollywood. Her beauty was admired by the likes of Ronald Reagan, Howard Hughes,Paul Newman, Tony Curtis, as well as dozens ofdirectors and legions of fans. Her name was emblazoned on marquees across America for hit movies of the fifties such as the
The Prince Who Was a Thief
,
The Mississippi Gambler
, and
Ain't Misbehavin'
.

But Piper discovered early on that the little girl's dream was not her own. Mortified by the shallowness of the roles and movies she was given,she longed for the freedom and fulfillment of her own artistic vision. After years in the studio system, shy Piper Laurie found her voice and the courage to burn her contract. It was only after she left the oppressive studio culture that she began to star in the TV shows, plays, and films that truly became the hallmarks of her career:
The Glass Menagerie on Broadway
, the original
Days of Wine and Roses
,
The Hustler
, the iconic
Carrie
, and
Twin Peaks
. She grew into a three-time Oscar-nominated actress, anaccomplished sculptor, and a director.

This memoir is the inspiring tale of Piper's perseverance to break from tradition and to practice her craft at the highest level. She started life as a withdrawn, mute child who couldn't find her voice and was transformed into a woman who learned to live out loud by her own rules.