Kitty Kelley
A fearless journalist who built a career on meticulously researched, explosive unauthorized biographies of America's most protected icons.
Born 1942 (age 84)·Author of unauthorized biographies·Birthday: April 4·The Silent Generation
Biography
Kitty Kelley operates in the shadowy space between reverence and revelation. With a background in political press secretary work and journalism, she turned to biography with a specific, disruptive formula: bypass the subject's official gatekeepers entirely. Her 1978 book about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis set the tone, filled with intimate, unvarnished details that the famously private First Lady would never have sanctioned. This approach made her a publishing phenomenon and a perennial source of controversy. She tackled the inner circles of Hollywood with books on Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor, and then took on political dynasties with biographies of Nancy Reagan and the Bush family. Her work is built on deep, dogged reporting—interviewing hundreds of associates, friends, and former staff—which her supporters praise as fearless and her critics deride as invasive. Regardless, Kelley's books consistently become cultural events, peeling back the glossy veneer of celebrity and power to present messier, more human portraits.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Kitty was born in 1942, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Kitty Was Born
The biggest hits of 1942
#1 Movie
Bambi
Best Picture
Mrs. Miniver
Kitty's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1942Born
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1947Started school
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1955Became a teenager
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Could drive
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1960Could vote
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Turned 21
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1972Turned 30
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1982Turned 40
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 50
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 60
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 70
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 80
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 84 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Her 1991 unauthorized biography 'Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography' was a number one New York Times bestseller for over a month.
- Her first major biography, 'Jackie Oh!', published in 1978, became an international bestseller and established her controversial template.
- She authored a revealing biography of the Bush political dynasty, 'The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty', in 2004.
- Her 1986 book 'His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra' was another major bestseller and is considered one of the definitive works on the singer.
Did You Know?
She worked as a press secretary for U.S. Senators Eugene McCarthy and Edmund Muskie before becoming a journalist.
She successfully sued the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain files on Frank Sinatra for her biography.
Her biography of Oprah Winfrey, published in 2010, was notably critical and led to a public feud with the talk show host.
She is a graduate of the University of Washington.
“I think we have a right to know about the people who are shaping our lives.”
