Biographies and Autobiographies Trivia

1. Primarily known for his children's books, Roald Dahl wrote two volumes of autobiography. The first was called 'Boy'; what was the second called?

From Quiz A Writer's Life

Answer: Going Solo

Roald Dahl was born in 1916 and died in 1990. He is well known for his many works of children's literature which include 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Matilda' amongst others although he did also write some works aimed at adults. 'Boy' was first published in 1984 and recounts Dahl's school days ending with him starting his first job. 'Going Solo', published two years later, continued Dahl's story telling of his travels in Africa with his job and his time as a pilot in the RAF in World War II.

From Quiz My Life In A Book

Answer: Michelle Obama

Obama's book was described as brutally honest and refreshing as she wrote of her time as the first African-American First Lady in the White House while also being a mother and fronting a public health campaign. The book covers her life from her upbringing on Chicago's South Side to what surely must be the pinnacle of a life in public, "Carpool Karaoke" with James Corden.

From Quiz Showbiz Biographies

Answer: Ben Johnson

The title would fit any of the four actors listed, however it belongs to the great character actor Ben Johnson. Ben was a world rodeo champion, a stunt man in westerns, an Oscar winner for "The Last Picture Show" and a fine character actor in his later years. Ben was seen to great effect as a criminal in the Steve McQueen classic "The Getaway".

From Quiz Write All About It

Answer: Ronald Reagan

'An American Life' was published in 1990, two years after Reagan stopped being US President. The book covers Reagan's whole life to that point, including both his acting career and his career in politics. 'An American Life' reached number 8 on 'The New York Times' bestseller list.

From Quiz Intimate Secrets

Answer: Christy Brown

Irishman Christy Brown (1932-1981), was a noted painter, poet, and writer. He suffered from cerebral palsy and could control only the toes of his left foot. His autobiography was made into an Academy Award winning film of the same name in 1989. Despite his medical condition, he taught himself to read, write, and paint. The novel chronicles his struggle with the tasks of daily life, his battle with alcohol, and the love and support of his mother who believed in him even when doctors told her he needed to be institutionalized. This wonderful piece of literature is guaranteed to make the reader realize that their life is probably not as bad as they think it is.

From Quiz Name That Biography

Answer: Shania Twain

Shania Twain chronicles her incredible life from her birth (born Eilleen Regina Edwards) in rural Canada through her rise to world wide fame and fortune. It is written from the perspective of one willing to preserve and overcome the tragedies of life to attain her goals. As with life, her account includes interludes of struggle, heartbreak and disappointments with those of satisfaction, security and successes.

From Quiz Writing About "Me"

Answer: Sammy Davis Jr.

"Yes I Can" was actually the first of three autobiographies written by the great Sammy Davis Jr. The second, "Why Me", was published shortly before his death and the third, "Sammy", was a condensed version of the first two with previously unreleased additional material.

From Quiz Every Title Tells a Story

Answer: Ronnie Corbett

Along with Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett entertained the British public for almost two decades. Known as 'The Two Ronnies', their complementary comic skills seemed to have been made for one and other. Scots-born Corbett did perform without Ronnie Barker; however, he never achieved the adulation that he received as part of their double act.

From Quiz Rocking Through The Pages

Answer: Hunter Davies

This biography, simply called "The Beatles", was originally published in 1968 and was revised and updated in 1985. Hunter Davies has written numerous books, including one on William Wordsworth. Question by redwaldo.

From Quiz Olaudah Equiano? ... Who?

Answer: Gustavus Vassa

Equiano writes in his narrative that he was renamed by his slave holder, Michael Henry Pascal. Because renaming enslaved people was a common practice he was also given a new name on the slave ship, Michael, and was named Jacob by his first owner.

From Quiz The Hiding Place

Answer: watchmaker

Like her father and grandfather before her, Corrie worked as a watchmaker in the ten Boom shop. She was extremely gifted at her work, and was the first licensed female watchmaker in Holland.

From Quiz Biography Books of Music Celebrities

Answer: Sonny Bono

Sonny Bono's music career had actually begun a decade before he paired up with Cher. He had worked as a promoter for various labels, written a few successfully recorded songs and was working as an assistant for Phil Spector at the time he met Cher. He was able to gradually get Cher into Spector's sessions as a background singer. After Bono parted company with Spector he initially marketed the two of them as Caesar and Cleo before Sonny and Cher. He wrote "I Got You Babe" on a piano in the basement of their small home. After the song was recorded using many of Spector's techniques, the duo hit the national spotlight. In the book that he authored himself, Sonny Bono is very candid about his relationship with Cher and his political aspirations after his music career waned. Dean Torrence worked with Jan Berry as Jan and Dean, Peter Asher was Peter of Peter and Gordon and Bill Medley was half of the Righteous Brothers.

From Quiz An Evil Cradling

Answer: "Humpty Dumpty" and "Rip Van Winkle".

This is quoted in the frontispiece (vintage edition published by Arrow in 1993). He mentions feeling as though he has fallen off a wall and broken into pieces, but has ended up with more pieces than he began with. The comparison with Rip Van Winkle shows how when he was released, the world around him had changed.

From Quiz It Happened To Nancy

Answer: Nancy

Nancy is the main character. This is her journal.

From Quiz Basher Five-Two

Answer: Bosnia

Aviano was the air base Scott was stationed at in the beginning of the book. Scott met 'Wilbur' in South Korea and Kosovo is a province in Serbia.

From Quiz The Pearl is the Oyster's Autobiography

Answer: His mother

Frank, the eldest of Malachy McCourt and Angela Sheehan McCourt, wrote "Angela's Ashes" about his mother, an Irish woman who kept her sense of humor even in the poorest of conditions. The book won numerous awards, including 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, even though McCourt admits he may have stretched the truth a bit at times.

From Quiz Autobiographies

Answer: Dizzy Gillespie

The autobiography of the famous jazz trumpeter was published in 1979.

From Quiz Biographies and Titles

Answer: Bette Davis

This was a relatively recent biography about the legendary B.D. Apparently, she was quite a handful.

From Quiz A Writer's Life

Answer: Alan Bennett

Alan Bennett is an English writer who was born in Leeds in 1934. He has written many plays including 'The Madness of George III', 'The History Boys' and 'The Lady in the Van', which have all been made into movies with screenplays written by Bennett. He has also written a number of TV dramas and prose works, both fiction and non-fiction.

From Quiz My Life In A Book

Answer: Sally Field

Field won Best Actress Oscars in 1980 (Norma Rae) and 1985 (Places In The Heart) and of course is remembered for playing Mrs Gump in 1994's "Forrest Gump". Her 2018 memoir covers her life and career and took her over six years to write.

From Quiz Showbiz Biographies

Answer: Billy Wilder

Multi-award winning writer and director Billy Wilder is the subject of this well written biography by Ed Sikov. Wilder is also the subject of a biography titled "Nobody's Perfect", also well written by Charlotte Chandler. William Holden and Gloria Swanson both starred in the movie "Sunset Boulevard". Glenn Close won a Tony award for her performance in "Sunset Boulevard" on Broadway.

From Quiz Women's Autobiographies

Answer: So her children would know their history.

Several times within the memoir, Glukel repeats that she is writing her memoirs for her children so they will know their history, and the people they came from. This is the reason she documents carefully each process she and her husband went through when they sought out marriage partners for their children, and why they were certain they had made good matches for each one. Inadvertently, she also records the reason that arranged marriages among European Jews evolved in the first place: Jews who wanted to travel had to request permission from the manager of the larger city where their shtetl was located, in order to get documents granting them permission, and even with the proper documents, Jews often were harassed when they traveled. So when they wanted to make the journey to another shtetl to talk to a marriage broker, and then meet the family of the match they'd chosen for their child, they relied on correspondence at first, in order to try to make the final match in one trip. Parents went outside of their own shtetls in the first place, because the shtetls were usually fairly small, and people understood the advantages of avoiding inbreeding.

From Quiz Write All About It

Answer: Recipe for Life

Mary Berry has been on UK television screens since the 1970s, but she is most well known for her role as a judge on the BBC program 'The Great British Bake Off'. Her autobiography was published in 2013.

From Quiz Intimate Secrets

Answer: Marlon Brando

This unusual autobiography, written by Marlon Brando with the assistance of Robert Lindsey, is a fascinating look at the inside world of a major star and his life in Hollywood. There is little to no mention of his wives, children, or other close family members. This unusual autobiography is not done in a chronological manner, as is often found in this type of book. Rather it is a collection of thoughts, recollections, and opinions that bounce around through time and space. Many famous figures, and his relationships with them, are mentioned.

From Quiz Rock Star Autobiographies

Answer: Cherie Currie

Cherie Curry is best known as lead singer to the 70s rock band 'The Runaways'. Joan Jett and Lita Ford are also ex-members. This autobiography tells Cherie's story about her time in the band. She has a brother, sister and a twin sister. She has a son named Jake with ex-husband Robert Hays, who stars in the comedy film 'Airplane'. Cherie is a wood carving artist who uses a chainsaw for her creations. In the 1980 film 'Foxes', she stars with Jodie Foster and plays the role of Annie. Some of her other films are 'Parasite'(1982) and 'Twilight Zone: The Movie'(1983). The book 'Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway' was published March 29, 2011.

From Quiz Name That Biography

Answer: Larry King

As told in his autobiography, Larry King was not born rich or famous. He elaborates on his quite humble beginnings. King, who was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger, tells that as a young person he was given the nickname "Zeek the Greek the Mouthpiece" because he never stopped talking. His gift of gab served him well. His book includes both stories of his life and short narratives from many of the people he has met through his more than fifty years in broadcast journalism.

From Quiz Writing About "Me"

Answer: Patrick Swayze

Patrick and his wife Lisa Niemi Swayze each wrote separate chapters for the book, written while Patrick was battling cancer. The title, of course, comes from the hit song by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes which was used for Patrick's dance with Jennifer Grey at the end of the movie "Dirty Dancing".

From Quiz Every Title Tells a Story

Answer: Sir John Gielgud

Shakespearian actor John Gielgud lived to the ripe old age of 96. In his formative years he was better known for his theatrical work, but he managed to transfer his considerable talents to the silver screen later in his career. Playing Dudley Moore's butler in the 1981 movie 'Arthur', he received an Academy Award for best supporting actor.

From Quiz Rocking Through The Pages

Answer: Peter Grant

Mr. Grant also was the manager for The Yardbirds and Bad Company during his infamous and sometimes turbulent career. Question by rockinsteve

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