Goodall, Nigel 1950-

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GOODALL, Nigel 1950-

PERSONAL:

Born 1950, in Folkestone, Kent, England; married, c. 1972 (divorced, 1992); children: two. Education: Attended St. George's School and Raindance Film School.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Sussex, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Ebury Press, Random House, 20 Vaux-hall Bridge Rd., London SW1V 2SA, England.

CAREER:

Celebrity biographer and entertainment journalist. Worked variously as a graphic designer, voice-over artist, disc jockey, and actor.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Nominated for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction for Winona Ryder: The Biography, 1999.

WRITINGS:

Cher in Her Own Words, Omnibus Press (London, England), 1992.

Elton John: A Visual Documentary, Omnibus Press (London, England), 1993.

George Michael: In His Own Words, Omnibus Press (London, England), 1995.

Jump Up: The Rise of the Rolling Stones: The First Ten Years, 1963-1973, Castle Communications (Chessington, Surrey, England), 1995.

Winona Ryder: The Biography, Blake Publishing (London, England), 1998.

Johnny Depp: The Biography, Blake Publishing (London, England), 1999.

Demi Moore: The Most Powerful Woman in Hollywood, Mainstream Publishing (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2000.

(With Jenny Stanley-Clarke) Kylie Naked: A Biography, Ebury Press (London, England), 2002.

WITH PETER LEWRY

Cliff Richard: The Complete Recording Sessions, 1958-1990, Blandford Press (London, England), 1990.

(And with Mike Read) The Complete Cliff Richard Chronicle, Hamlyn Books (London, England), 1993, new updated edition, 1995.

The Ultimate Cliff, Simon & Schuster (London, England), 1996.

The Ultimate Queen, Simon & Schuster (London, England), 1998.

Elvis in Person: The Complete Concert Chronicle, Reynolds & Hearn (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2000.

SIDELIGHTS:

Nigel Goodall is a celebrity biographer and entertainment journalist who has gained recognition for his biographies of film stars and his works on rock music and musicians.

Goodall achieved critical and popular success with his first film-star biography, the best-selling Winona Ryder: The Biography, which was nominated for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction. Some reviewers, however, such as Rosellen Brewer in Library Journal, noted that the unauthorized biography suffered because it lacked Ryder's cooperation. Others suggested that, as Publishers Weekly contributor Jonathon Bing put it, "It's a pity that while there's a filmography, there is no corresponding beau-ography" (referring to Ryder's substantial list of celebrity romances), but, as Brewer observed, Goodall had "done his homework" in researching the book. Indeed, according to a brief biography on his Web site, Goodall is recognized as "a leading authority on the American actress" and as Ryder's "foremost biographer."

Goodall has also written numerous books on rock music and musicians, including three books on recording artist Cliff Richard, an illustrated biography of the first ten years of the Rolling Stones, and books on such popular performers as Cher, Elton John, George Michael, and the band Queen. He is a noted Elvis catalog expert and has written liner notes for the King and for other artists, including Kylie Minogue. In addition, as a former graphic designer, Goodall is responsible for more than 300 record sleeve credits.

Despite his prolific output and versatility, Goodall acknowledged in an interview published online for Bournefree that writing is "a very frustrating profession and … can be a very lonely one." Goodall remains upbeat, however: "I heard that 85% of people … hate their jobs. What sort of a situation must that be? I am one of the lucky few who love the job that I do."