Charles Bronson was an extremely private man. Based on that, there’s never been an authorized biography of the legendary tough guy to give us real insight into the man behind the movies. As such, us fans have been left to piece together as much as we can about him through his rare interviews, the books written by Jill Ireland (Life Wish and Life Lines), and the stories shared by those who knew him and worked with him.

I remember feeling like I had found a lost treasure back in 2006 when I was browsing Amazon and came across, “Bronson’s Loose! The Making of the Death Wish Films” by author Paul Talbot. I immediately ordered the book and dove right in when it arrived on my doorstep a few days later. The book serves as a behind the scenes pass to the sets of all five of the Death Wish films. Talbot had been able to secure a key interview with Director Michael Winner, as well as many of the actors and crew in each of the films. I remember being so fascinated as I felt like I was truly learning about my favorite actor for the first time from those who worked with him. The book paints an interesting portrait of a complicated man, who seemed to draw such diverse reactions depending on who’s being interviewed. 

And then a decade later, Talbot released a second book, “Bronson’s Loose Again! On the Set with Charles Bronson.”  This book took the format of the first one and added chapters on many of Bronson’s other films, going as far back as HARD TIMES, and then carrying all the way through to his final TV films with the FAMILY OF COPS series.  Once again, Talbot had secured key interviews with various actors across films, including Robert F. Lyons, Jan Gan Boyd, and so many others. Once again, it’s a treasure for those of us looking for more information. 

Of course, if you have any interest in Charles Bronson, the actors and directors he worked with, or behind-the-scenes access to movie sets, these books are must haves.  I’ll read them through completely from time to time just for fun, and they’re also an invaluable resource if I want to know more about specific movies.

And to top all of this off, I was able to meet Paul Talbot and get personally autographed versions of these books back in 2022 at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater. Paul is a real gentleman, and even though I may have come across as a little too star struck, he couldn’t have been more gracious to me and my wife!