Truman Capote, the author of “Other Voices, Other Rooms,” published when he was 23-years-old, is photographed in 1948. An engaging, talented, intellectual, witty bon vivant, with a penchant for gossip and fame, Capote lived his life among the coastal rich and elite, a place he admittedly relished, far from his modest origins in the South.
Celebrated author Truman Capote, known for 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'In Cold Blood,' was born on Sept. 30, 1924, in New Orleans. Raised by relatives in Monroeville, Ala., he moved to Manhattan in 1932 to live with his mother. Capote began writing and publishing stories in his teens. 'In Cold Blood,' his years-long, painstakingly researched non-fiction masterpiece about the Clutter family murders in Kansas and the subsequent trial and execution of the perpetrators began as a four-part series for The New Yorker, breaking newsstand records for the magazine. It became even more of a phenomenal success when published as a book in 1966. Famous for his wit and fondness for gossip, high society welcomed Capote into their lives and social circles. Struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, particularly in his later years, Capote died on Aug. 25, 1984, from liver disease, while staying with his close friend Joanna Carson at her home in Bel Air, Calif. He was 59.
Truman Capote, the author of “Other Voices, Other Rooms,” published when he was 23-years-old, is photographed in 1948. An engaging, talented, intellectual, witty bon vivant, with a penchant for gossip and fame, Capote lived his life among the coastal rich and elite, a place he admittedly relished, far from his modest origins in the South.
Truman Capote dances with Marilyn Monroe on March 28, 1955, at El Morocco in New York.
Pearl Bailey, center, and friends celebrate her 20th anniversary in show business with cake at the Blue Angel on April 3, 1955, in New York. At far left is Truman Capote and next to him is actress Jinx Falkenberg. At right is fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt, wearing a fur coat.
Truman Capote, center, is seen vacationing on Aug. 1, 1953, in Portofino on the Italian Riviera. Walking along with him is Italian newspaper writer Orio Vergani.
Truman Capote, German actor Horst Buchholz, and actress Tammy Grimes are at Sardi’s on Oct. 8, 1959, in New York.
Truman Capote, the author of “Breakfast At Tiffany’s,” is negotiating a contract for his new non-fiction novel “In Cold Blood” in February 1966, in Milan, Italy.
Katharine Graham, guest of honor, and Truman Capote pictured at his Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel on Nov. 28, 1966, in New York. It became the most famous party of the 20th century.
Truman Capote dances with Jacqueline Kennedy’s sister, Princess Lee Radziwill, at his Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel on Nov. 28, 1966, in New York.
Truman Capote records the narration for his film adaptation of his short story, “A Christmas Memory,” in a studio in 1966, in New York.
Author Truman Capote stands in the living room of the Clutter ranch house on April 26, 1967, where four members of the Kansas family were murdered in 1959. Truman Capote’s magnum opus “In Cold Blood” was released in 1966, five years after four of its main subjects were murdered. His masterpiece chronicled the quadruple killing of the small, respected Clutter family from the tiny farming community of Holcomb, Kansas. The true-crime novel forced Capote to leave his luxurious New York City-lifestyle behind and live in Kansas to interview townsfolk with help from his childhood friend Harper Lee. The success of the book has made the Clutter Family murder forever engrained in American history.
Novelist, short story writer, and playwright Truman Capote, left, stands on a lawn near actors Scott Wilson and Robert Blake, both dressed in character, while on location filming the film adaptation of Capote’s book “In Cold Blood,” in Kansas in 1967.
From left, Peter Ustinov, Geraldine Page and Truman Capote are photographed with their Emmy Awards at the Americana Hotel on June 5, 1967, in New York. Ustinov won an Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama in the role of Socrates in “Barefoot In Athens.” Page won an Emmy for Oustanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama in “A Christmas Memory,” which was written by Capote. Capote and Eleanor Perry shared an Emmy for Special Classifications of Individual Achievements for adapting an episode of “ABC Stage 67” with Capote’s “A Christmas Memory.”
Truman Capote, left, shares a sofa with film director Richard Brooks on March 20, 1968. A year before, Brooks directed a screen adaptation of Capote’s book “In Cold Blood.”
Truman Capote pictured with his dog in 1973.
Truman Capote and actress Natalie Wood attend the Third Annual American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Awards honoring Orson Welles on Feb. 9, 1975, at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, Calif.
Truman Capote is photographed in March, 1976 in New York.
From left, Kate Harrington, Truman Capote and Gloria Swanson are photographed at Studio 54 on June 22, 1978, in New York.
Truman Capote, right, relaxes on March 26, 1978, in New York.
Truman Capote waits for a rubdown after a relaxing whirlpool bath at the gym on March 26, 1978, in New York.
Marion Javits and Truman Capote dance on March 6, 1978, in New York.
Actress Marisa Berenson, left, chats with Truman Capote at a party at Xenon disco on Nov. 30, 1978, in New York, to welcome Berenson back to the city after a two-year absence.
Truman Capote stands inside the Southampton Town Justice Court on Aug. 26, 1983, in Hampton Bays, N.Y., as he waits to be booked on a drunk driving charge Friday. He was wearing shorts and no socks which earned him a scolding from the judge about his attire. A probation report is ordered and the judge ordered him not to drive while awaiting sentencing. Capote struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, going into rehab several times in his final years.
Truman Capote’s former home where he rented a garden apartment, at 70 Willow St., is seen on March 6, 2010, in Brooklyn.
