Michelangelo Capua’s Steve Cochran: Bad Boy of Hollywood offers an entertaining and revealing portrait of an actor who remains less familiar than many of his contemporaries but had a fascinating career and an even more fascinating life. Cochran became known for playing gangsters, villains, and ruthless playboys in films such as White Heat, The Damned Don’t Cry, and Dallas, but Capua shows that there was considerably more to him than his tough-guy screen persona.
Drawing on rare sources and revealing anecdotes, the book explores Cochran’s work with stars including Joan Crawford, James Cagney, Ginger Rogers, Doris Day, Burt Lancaster, and Rock Hudson, while giving particular attention to his acclaimed performance in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Il Grido. His career may not have reached the heights of some of his contemporaries, but his performances demonstrate why he deserves a closer look.
Cochran’s off-screen life is equally compelling, from his Hollywood Hills retreat and love of animals to his marriages, romances, adventures, and unconventional lifestyle. The mystery surrounding his death aboard his schooner in 1965 adds another intriguing dimension to his story. For classic Hollywood fans, Steve Cochran: Bad Boy of Hollywood is an enjoyable rediscovery of a colorful and under-appreciated figure.
