Washington, D.C.,-based author and journalist Douglass K. Daniel paid a visit to the Santa Clarita Valley on Saturday to promote his latest book, a comprehensive biography on the life of actress Anne Bancroft.
Daniel, after approximately four years of work, recently completed Anne Bancroft: A Life; which outlines the actress’ prolific career
Bancroft is perhaps best known for starring alongside a young Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate (1967), which went on to become one of the top grossing films of all time.
Daniel found it curious that, despite her many accolades, a biography had never been written about Bancroft.
“Bancroft was one of the top actresses of her time,” he said.
Daniel hoped to shed new information on Bancroft’s life that fans may not know.
“A lot of people know her from her films,” he said. “But most don’t know that she actually got her start in television before becoming a Hollywood actress.”
There are not enough biographies about women who really excelled in their field, Daniel emphasized. Bancroft, therefore, became a prime topic for his latest work.
Anne Bancroft: A Life is Daniel’s fourth complete work and his third biography to date. Daniel told The Signal that he enjoys writing biographies because they allow him to synthesize his experience as a journalist with his talent for narration.
The conclusion of his latest book, however, does not signify a conclusion to his career. He has recently begun work on a new project that explores the role of wartime correspondents in the Marine Corps during the Pacific campaign of World War II.
Daniel currently works as an editor for the Associated Press’ Washington D.C. bureau.
Originally hailing from Virginia, Daniel visits Southern California frequently to catch up with his sister – who just recently retired with the rank of lieutenant after 30 years of service with the Los Angeles Police Department.
His book signing event at Barnes and Noble on Saturday was one of only two stops on the West Coast. After leaving the Santa Clarita Valley, Daniels will head to one final event in Palm Springs before heading back east.
