Tippi: A Memoir

In this absorbing and surprising memoir, one of the biggest names of classic Hollywood—the star of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds and Marnie—tells her story, including never-before-revealed experiences on the set of some of the biggest cult films of all time . . . now with a foreword by Melanie Griffith

For decades, Tippi Hedren’s luminous beauty radiated from the silver screen, enchanting moviegoers and cementing her position among Hollywood’s elite—beauty and star power that continue to endure. For too long Hedren’s story has been told by others through whispered gossip and tabloid headlines. Now, Hedren sets the record straight, recalling how a young and virtuous Lutheran girl from small-town Minnesota became a worldwide legend—as one of the most famous Hitchcock girls, as an unwavering animal activist, and as the matriarch of a powerful Hollywood dynasty that includes her movie star daughter Melanie Griffith, and rising star Dakota Johnson, her granddaughter.

For the first time, Hedren digs deep into her complicated relationship with the man who discovered her talent, director Alfred Hitchcock, the benefactor who would become a repulsive and controlling director who contractually controlled her every move. She speaks openly about the dark pain she endured working with him on their most famous collaborations, The Birds and Marnie, and finding the courage she needed to break away.

Hedren’s incandescent spirit shines through as she talks about working with the great Charlie Chaplin, sharing the screen with some of the most esteemed actors in Hollywood, her experiences on some of the most intriguing and troubling film sets—including filming Roar, one of the most dangerous movies ever made—and the struggles of being a single mother—balancing her dedication to her work and her devotion to her daughter—and her commitment to helping animals.

Filled with sixteen pages of beautiful photos, Tippi is a rare and fascinating look at a private woman’s remarkable life no celebrity aficionado can miss.

For decades, Tippi Hedren’s luminous beauty radiated from the silver screen, enchanting moviegoers and cementing her among Hollywood’s elite. From Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds to Roar, one of the most controversial movies ever made, Tippi Hedren has had few dull moments, and though stories about her have spread through whispered gossip and tabloid headlines, she has never told the full tale of her astonishing life in her own words -until now.

In Tippi, this cinematic icon pulls back the veil on her storied life, detailing her rise from humble beginnings in Depression-era small-town Minnesota to becoming the matriarch of a powerful Hollywood dynasty that includes her movie-star daughter, Melanie Griffith, and her granddaughter Dakota Johnson. This extraordinary career started simply, with a chance meeting that led to her early modeling career—first in department-store fashion shows, then working with Eileen Ford—and eventually to the commercial that caught the eye of legendary director Alfred Hitchcock.

For the first time, Tippi shares the entire story of her complicated relationship with Hitchcock, the man who discovered her talent but also became her obsessive tormentor. Going behind the scenes of her classic films The Birds and Marnie, Tippi details both the glamourous whirlwind that brought her to Hollywood as well as the dark pain she endured while working with Hitchcock, whose controlling behavior and attention quickly proved inescapable. Speaking candidly about being a single mother and shielding her daughter from her struggles on and off of Hitchcock’s set, Tippi provides deep insight into some of the most challenging years of her life and demonstrates how, despite Hitchcock’s threats to ruin her career, her uncompromising spirit finally gave her the courage to break free.

Difficult as her experiences with Hitchcock were, they nearly paled in comparison to her time on the set of Roar—a film starring dozens of live lions and tigers that has since become one of the most notorious film productions of all time. Including never-before-revealed details about the unbelievable making of the movie, Tippi describes how what began as a simple movie about big cats evolved into a sprawling, dangerous endeavor that consumed her career and often put lives, including hers and her family’s, at risk. Tippi offers a clear-eyed and surprising look at the perilous chances they took, while also recounting how these events led to years of animal-rights activism, culminating in the creation of her very own big-cats preserve, Shambala. And yet, through it all, Tippi shows how her career and life have continued to embody her unwavering devotion—to her daughter, Melanie; to her animal-rights activism; to her humanitarian relief work overseas; and to her art.

Filled with sixteen pages of beautiful photographs, Tippi is a rare look at a private woman’s truly remarkable life. What emerges is a fascinating portrait of one of Hollywood’s greatest treasures—an actress whose skill onscreen was matched only by her strength off it.