Whether embracing the silky essence of Kay Francis in Trouble in Paradise (1932), or enduring the machinations of Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941), Herbert Marshall was the essence of smooth, masculine sensitivity. Dietrich, Garbo, Shearer, Stanwyck, and Hepburn eagerly awaited to be, as Shearer put it, "so thoroughly and convincingly loved" on screen.
While many knew that Marshall had lost a leg in WWI, he preferred audiences to concentrate on his acting. Even so, he volunteered hundreds of hours to hospitals encouraging amputees during WWII.
His legacy as a versatile actor, and morale booster is as compelling, as it is complicated. "Marshall's personal story," noted the late Robert Osborne, "is a fascinating one."
Herbert Marshall is Scott O'Brien's seventh biography of classic cinema legends. His books received positive reviews in such publications as Sight & Sound, SF Gate, and Classic Images. Three of O'Brien's books have made the Huffington Post's "Best Cinema Books of the Year."