Autobiography

Forever Young

Forever Young

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  • Create Date：2021-11-01 00:52:23
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Hayley Mills
  • ISBN：1474619363
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Summary

Iconic actress Hayley Mills shares personal memories from her storied childhood， growing up in a famous acting family and becoming a Disney child star， trying to grow up in a world that wanted her to stay forever young。
 
The daughter of acclaimed British actor Sir John Mills was still a preteen when she began her acting career and was quickly thrust into the spotlight。 Under the wing of Walt Disney himself， Hayley Mills was transformed into one of the biggest child starlets of the 1960s through her iconic roles in Pollyanna， The Parent Trap， and many more。 She became one of only twelve actors in history to be bestowed with the Academy Juvenile Award， presented at the Oscars by its first recipient， Shirley Temple， and went on to win a number of awards including a Golden Globe， multiple BAFTAs， and a Disney Legacy Award。

Now， in her charming and forthright memoir， she provides a unique window into when Hollywood was still 'Tinseltown' and the great Walt Disney was at his zenith， ruling over what was （at least in his own head） still a family business。 This behind-the-scenes look at the drama of having a sky-rocketing career as a young teen in an esteemed acting family will offer both her childhood impressions of the wild and glamorous world she was swept into， and the wisdom and broader knowledge that time has given her。 Hayley will delve intimately into her relationship with Walt Disney， as well as the emotional challenges of being bound to a wholesome， youthful public image as she grew into her later teen years， and how that impacted her and her choices--including marrying a producer over 30 years her senior when she was 20！ With her regrets， her joys， her difficulties， and her triumphs， this is a compelling read for any fan of classic Disney films and an inside look at a piece of real Hollywood history。

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Reviews

Lynn ，

Childhood Movie StarHaley Mills writes a very sweet book about her life from childhood to 1978。 She is the daughter of two great actors and an acting sister。 Her invitation to join Disney studios makes her a child star。 Very nice。 Autobiography。

Jeimy ，

Hayley Mills's movies were a pivotal part of my childhood and it was really interesting to read her take on her rise to fame。 Hayley Mills's movies were a pivotal part of my childhood and it was really interesting to read her take on her rise to fame。 。。。more

Maureen ，

I was a huge Hayley Mills fan as a child。 I absolutely adored her performances in the Disney movies: Pollyanna （1960）， The Parent Trap （1961）， In Search of the Castaways （1962）， Summer Magic （1963）， The Moon-Spinners （1964）， and That Darn Cat （1965）。 I also enjoyed her in The Trouble with Angels （1966）。 It was a treat for me to read her memoir， Forever Young。 I found her book to be very engaging， and well written。 I admit to skimming over some of the who's who's in movies and theaters。 I enjoyed I was a huge Hayley Mills fan as a child。 I absolutely adored her performances in the Disney movies: Pollyanna （1960）， The Parent Trap （1961）， In Search of the Castaways （1962）， Summer Magic （1963）， The Moon-Spinners （1964）， and That Darn Cat （1965）。 I also enjoyed her in The Trouble with Angels （1966）。 It was a treat for me to read her memoir， Forever Young。 I found her book to be very engaging， and well written。 I admit to skimming over some of the who's who's in movies and theaters。 I enjoyed her encounters （like her date with George Harrison） and appreciated that she shared some painful growing up pains。 I would love to see another memoir that picks up where this one leaves off。 I will always be a fan。 。。。more

Sarah Carr ，

*** I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway， but the review is fully my own！**I will never forget watching Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap for the first time and being filled with hope that I too might have a lost twin out there somewhere。 So when I saw that Mills had a new autobiography focused on her child-star years I was excited to read it。 I especially enjoyed the first half of the book detailing her rise to fame， her relatively normal life at home in England， and how she becomes one of W *** I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway， but the review is fully my own！**I will never forget watching Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap for the first time and being filled with hope that I too might have a lost twin out there somewhere。 So when I saw that Mills had a new autobiography focused on her child-star years I was excited to read it。 I especially enjoyed the first half of the book detailing her rise to fame， her relatively normal life at home in England， and how she becomes one of Walt Disney's sweethearts。 The book struggles a bit as it transitions to her young adult life， in some ways mirroring her own struggles to transition to her adult life。 If you are interested in old Hollywood or films or Mills herself， this biography is a good read！ 。。。more

Hailey Hudson ，

“I felt life waiting， like a huge map laid out before me without any roads or tracks on it… There was so much out there， so many dreams to follow and adventures to be had。”

kerrycat ，

perfectly charming， just like the great Mills herself

Shelley Beidelschies ，

I love Hayley and her movies！ Especially That Darn Cat and Moonspinners。 The book was interesting when she talked about her work in the US but most of what she'd done in England I had not heard of。 She talked a lot about her Mother's and Father's works and although she worked with her father a lot， I hasn't heard I'd most of it。 I wish she had spent more time telling about her sons and grandchildren。 I love Hayley and her movies！ Especially That Darn Cat and Moonspinners。 The book was interesting when she talked about her work in the US but most of what she'd done in England I had not heard of。 She talked a lot about her Mother's and Father's works and although she worked with her father a lot， I hasn't heard I'd most of it。 I wish she had spent more time telling about her sons and grandchildren。 。。。more

Jean ，

I listened to Hayley Mills read her own book。The biggest response is that starting this memoir prompted me to check out the DVD of Pollyanna。 It was not exactly as I’d remembered it！This was interesting and evocative of it’s time。 I really wasn’t familiar with her non-Disney movies。 Hayley’s attitude is pretty matter-of-fact。 This wasn’t very reflective nor did it reveal any big secrets。It was ok。

Barbara ，

With the revelations about her upbringing， I’m surprised that Hayley Mills thinks she had a normal childhood。 I certainly didn’t see it as normal。 This autobiography has lots of information about other actors and actresses， and it is opinionated， but it’s still slightly interesting because it features a well-known actress and her views at several stages of her life。 I felt somewhat sorry that her preteen and teenage years were not happy when she wasn’t acting。

Laura ，

2。5 stars。 Nothing wrong with it except that at 16。5 hours long I was just tired of spending time with Hayley。 And it's odd， but I thought there was too much detail and not enough detail。 2。5 stars。 Nothing wrong with it except that at 16。5 hours long I was just tired of spending time with Hayley。 And it's odd， but I thought there was too much detail and not enough detail。 。。。more

Joan ，

This is a 4 and not a 5 star review because of the abrupt ending。 I remember seeing The Parent Trap when I was 11 and loving that movie which lead to following Ms。 Mills film career。 It was so interesting to read about films she made and read descriptions of what it was like behind the scenes。 I never knew she had a stage career which was almost entirely in England。 There was so much more for her to write and she ended abruptly with the birth of her second son。 She never mentioned anything about This is a 4 and not a 5 star review because of the abrupt ending。 I remember seeing The Parent Trap when I was 11 and loving that movie which lead to following Ms。 Mills film career。 It was so interesting to read about films she made and read descriptions of what it was like behind the scenes。 I never knew she had a stage career which was almost entirely in England。 There was so much more for her to write and she ended abruptly with the birth of her second son。 She never mentioned anything about his father or her life after she divorced Robert Bolton。 She is a good writer and an honest one。 It’s a shame she didn’t continue with her story。 。。。more

Rebekah ，

Hayley Mills movies have been my comfort watch for many years。 Pollyanna， Parent Trap， The Moonspinners， and Summer Magic。 The Truth About Spring and The Castaways were favorites of my childhood as well。 I think of her with a great deal of fondness。 Even gratitude。 This book did not change my feelings。 When I was over halfway through the book， I couldn’t help it。 I paused in my reading and looked at both The Moonspinners and Pollyanna。 Because John Mills and his wife were so popular and respecte Hayley Mills movies have been my comfort watch for many years。 Pollyanna， Parent Trap， The Moonspinners， and Summer Magic。 The Truth About Spring and The Castaways were favorites of my childhood as well。 I think of her with a great deal of fondness。 Even gratitude。 This book did not change my feelings。 When I was over halfway through the book， I couldn’t help it。 I paused in my reading and looked at both The Moonspinners and Pollyanna。 Because John Mills and his wife were so popular and respected among their peers， the book is chock-full of references about the leading lights of British Stage and film。 Many many were not just casual acquaintances but good friends。 And because their family was so solid， Hayley was right there。 We kids lived in the shadow of their great romance。 It was the bedrock and stability of our life。 We were molded to fit in with their lives， not the other way around。 The other way around was unthinkable！ Absurd！ And yet that is precisely what was in the cards。 If their twelve-year-old daughter was going off to make movies in “Horrorwood，” as Mummy called it， she would have to travel with me—and this would split them up。 I felt a little surge of excitement as I leafed through the crisp pages [of Pollyanna]， imagining the scenes on the big screen。 Out of the corner of my eye， I noticed my father had opened his script too—“Swiss Family Robinson。” It felt good， knowing we all had a job with Disney。 Daddy was always happiest when he was working。 And if he was happy， then Mummy was happy。 If they were happy， I was happy。 That was my logic anyway。 Her films， even the later non-Disney ones， were full of the famous and revered。 Famous not to everyone， but to those of my age who love classic films and are familiar with British cinema， I should say。 Lots of Lords and Ladies！Even though she adored her parents， her brother， and especially her sister， Juliet， there was darkness as well。 Her mother was a life-long alcoholic and prone to depression。 She was high-functioning， usually， but not always。 Hayley struggled with adolescent angst， identity， and body image but of course， it was magnified by her fame and profession。 All of her Disney money， which would have given her more freedom in her work-life balance was lost to the rapacious British tax system。 Her marriage to Roy Boulting proved harmful to her career and less than ideal， to say the least。 She does talk about some controlling behavior， but she has a lot of good to say as well。There are a lot of encounters and anecdotes both great and small。 Most are good-humored and all are written with the perspective of age and wisdom。 Between the lines， though， a little sadness and regret do creep in from time to time。 Roles not taken， love not pursued， her father’s lack of action in a few issues， being sent away for school。 And especially her lawyer and family friend， who did not protect her trust。 But she is always fair。 and one senses that much is omitted that might not reflect too kindly on others。 What shines through is that she seemingly was and is just as beloved by her friends and family as she was by her fans。 Her childhood friends are still friends。 Has anyone heard a bad word about Hayley Mills？ Most of the book， and of the most interest to me， is about her Disney years。 After that the book kind of flagged a bit。 For me， it ended how and when it should have。 In her '70s （！）， she is in a good place now， and that makes me happy。 When it comes to being parents， I hope my boys learn from my mistakes。 But did I learn from my parents？ My mother battled with alcohol her whole life。 She never really got the better of it and she paid the price。 My father never stopped loving her， nor she him， but their struggle served as a warning。 Not necessarily of the perils of drink， but the dangers of failing to face one’s demons。 So perhaps her battle had a positive outcome after all。 Maybe that sounds a bit Pollyanna… There’s no doubt that playing that character at such an early age had a lasting influence on me。 It made me aware of the importance of seeing the positive。 But her son Crispian writes that the role of Pollyanna was perfectly cast。。。。I think people will now realize that there is an element of Pollyanna in her that is very real。 That was truth coming across on screen。”**4 1/2 stars**https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings。。。。 。。。more

Janet ，

This is a long， yet interesting memoir about the early life of Hayley Mills。 I listened to it， which was written and read beautifully by Hayley herself。 Obviously from a privileged upbringing， we learn about her childhood film roles and her love of Walt Disney。 If you don’t like name dropping this isn’t for you but I loved hearing about the famous people she mixed/worked with。 Names like George Harrison， Vivien Leigh， Tony Curtis， Ian McShane， Oliver Reed to name but a few。 She is honest about h This is a long， yet interesting memoir about the early life of Hayley Mills。 I listened to it， which was written and read beautifully by Hayley herself。 Obviously from a privileged upbringing， we learn about her childhood film roles and her love of Walt Disney。 If you don’t like name dropping this isn’t for you but I loved hearing about the famous people she mixed/worked with。 Names like George Harrison， Vivien Leigh， Tony Curtis， Ian McShane， Oliver Reed to name but a few。 She is honest about her closeness to her parents and her love of her job and she feels guilty about how easy things came to her at times。This ends when she has her first baby so there is a lot missing but that didn’t bother me。 I really enjoyed listening to her。 。。。more

Connie ，

3。5 stars！ A well written， insightful look at the life of this famous Disney star。 I loved watching all her movies when I was growing up and wondered what her life must have been like。 There’s a lot more detail than I think is warranted and the ending seems rushed。 Otherwise， I would have given it 4 stars！Recommended

Susan ，

Ok， this memoir isn't really amazing， but I've been a fan of Ms。 Mills since her Pollyanna days， so she gets 5 stars！ I enjoyed all the background stories about her family， Hollywood， Walt Disney， and British film making。 Plus， she knew The Beatles！ I think she may be going to write at least one more memoir--she doesn't ever indicate that in the book， but I definitely wanted more！ Ok， this memoir isn't really amazing， but I've been a fan of Ms。 Mills since her Pollyanna days， so she gets 5 stars！ I enjoyed all the background stories about her family， Hollywood， Walt Disney， and British film making。 Plus， she knew The Beatles！ I think she may be going to write at least one more memoir--she doesn't ever indicate that in the book， but I definitely wanted more！ 。。。more

Susan ，

The first half - becoming a child star， growing up in a famous theatrical family，etc。 was fascinating especially as I had seen most of the films mentioned。 I found the last half where she semi-matures a bit squeemish making as so many of her problems were totally predictable。 I'm giving it a 4 on the strength of Tiger Bay and the fact that I had a crush on Horst Buchholz （although at a much older age - shame）。 Nice reminder of the way movies could be。 Also nice to get the background on John Mill The first half - becoming a child star， growing up in a famous theatrical family，etc。 was fascinating especially as I had seen most of the films mentioned。 I found the last half where she semi-matures a bit squeemish making as so many of her problems were totally predictable。 I'm giving it a 4 on the strength of Tiger Bay and the fact that I had a crush on Horst Buchholz （although at a much older age - shame）。 Nice reminder of the way movies could be。 Also nice to get the background on John Mills， an excellent actor。 。。。more

Lisa Mcbroom ，

Growing up， I adored Hayley Mills。 My favorite classic Disney Movies were Pollyanna， The Parent Trap， That Darn Cat and The Moonspinners。 Just a FYI this starts when Mills is a child and ends after she has her first child。

Linda Chrisman ，

Some surprising gaps （nothing about filming The Flame Trees of Thika， one of my favorites she acted in）， but quite readable all the same。 I absolutely hated The Moon Spinners， one of the very worst adaptations of a novel。 An absolute travestry。We were close to the same age and I vaguely felt sorry for her with all the fuss。 People were rather cruel about her looks during her teens。 She didn't tell everything， which is her right。 I have a feeling the book may have helped her purge some rough memo Some surprising gaps （nothing about filming The Flame Trees of Thika， one of my favorites she acted in）， but quite readable all the same。 I absolutely hated The Moon Spinners， one of the very worst adaptations of a novel。 An absolute travestry。We were close to the same age and I vaguely felt sorry for her with all the fuss。 People were rather cruel about her looks during her teens。 She didn't tell everything， which is her right。 I have a feeling the book may have helped her purge some rough memories。 Delighted to read in the acknowledgments that she has found happiness in her life。 。。。more

smalltownbookmom ，

4。5 A captivating， inside look at the early career and life of British actress Hayley Mills。 In her new memoir Hayley discusses never before shared details about her work with Disney （using documents from the Disney archive she accessed for the first time in 2016）。 This was an incredibly interesting memoir read by the author herself but I was disappointed that for the 16hr length， she only shared her life up to the end of her first marriage at the age of 28。 Any Saved By the Bell fans will be di 4。5 A captivating， inside look at the early career and life of British actress Hayley Mills。 In her new memoir Hayley discusses never before shared details about her work with Disney （using documents from the Disney archive she accessed for the first time in 2016）。 This was an incredibly interesting memoir read by the author herself but I was disappointed that for the 16hr length， she only shared her life up to the end of her first marriage at the age of 28。 Any Saved By the Bell fans will be disappointed that there are no details about her life working on that show。Rather， the focus is primarily on her first movies and the contract she had with Disney， which included Pollyanna， The parent trap and That darn cat （among others）。 I did really enjoy that she goes into detail about her mother's struggle with alcoholism， and her own fight with body image issues and bulimia。 Highly recommended， especially for fans of other celeb memoirs like those by Julie Andrews。 。。。more

Kathryn ，

This story of the life of actress Hayley Mills surely needed a stronger editing hand。 There are spelling and punctuation errors that detract from the reading。 In addition， this memoir of the life of a 70 something year old woman， ends when she is approximately 30 years old。 Is there perhaps a sequel coming？

Melissa Shmish ，

I was left wanting more！ The memoir felt abbreviated--I loved learning about the actress's home- and family-life but I was left wanting more about the filming of her movies。 This memoir stops short after mentioning the birth of her sons。 Is there a sequel planned？ I'd read it。 I was left wanting more！ The memoir felt abbreviated--I loved learning about the actress's home- and family-life but I was left wanting more about the filming of her movies。 This memoir stops short after mentioning the birth of her sons。 Is there a sequel planned？ I'd read it。 。。。more

Maggie Eisenberger ，

My husband read this first and kept telling me about things he'd learned。 Then he wanted to watch some of her more obscure movies， like Tiger Bay， and even movies with her dad in them。 I read the book just to find out what was so fascinating about it and discovered it really was fascinating。 Hayley comes across as very relatable。 Despite her dad's busy career and the fame they both achieved （and her sister， too！） they lived in a down to earth way and often struggled financially。 Having a somewha My husband read this first and kept telling me about things he'd learned。 Then he wanted to watch some of her more obscure movies， like Tiger Bay， and even movies with her dad in them。 I read the book just to find out what was so fascinating about it and discovered it really was fascinating。 Hayley comes across as very relatable。 Despite her dad's busy career and the fame they both achieved （and her sister， too！） they lived in a down to earth way and often struggled financially。 Having a somewhat unstable and heavy-drinking mother， who had written some successful plays but was considered passe by the time Hayley was old enough to notice， also kept them grounded。 Hayley was just as starstruck when meeting famous movie stars and the Beatles as any of us would have been。 When it turns out that her solicitor had mismanaged her money to the point that， by the time she turned 21 and could access the fortune she had earned since age 11， it was all owed to the treasury department or to the lawyers who tried to get it back for her， she seems to be in the same boat we all were at 21， just getting started on building a life and a career。 A quick interesting read。 。。。more

Morgan ，

I enjoyed reading this Memoir – to a point – Ms。 Mills seems to have left the reader somewhere in the middle of her life in the 1970’s。 Ms。 Mills began her acting career with Walt Disney before she was even a teenager。 While she has only fond memories of Walt Disney the book shows how confusing and debilitating it is for a pre-teen to be thrust into the spotlight。 It’s all rather sad and no wonder so many of them end up in such a bad way seemingly unable to cope with the realities of a real life I enjoyed reading this Memoir – to a point – Ms。 Mills seems to have left the reader somewhere in the middle of her life in the 1970’s。 Ms。 Mills began her acting career with Walt Disney before she was even a teenager。 While she has only fond memories of Walt Disney the book shows how confusing and debilitating it is for a pre-teen to be thrust into the spotlight。 It’s all rather sad and no wonder so many of them end up in such a bad way seemingly unable to cope with the realities of a real life。Hayley Mills will forever be “Pollyanna” in my mind and it would seem the Pollyanna theme has stuck with her throughout her entire ‘real’ life。It amuses me to find reviewers of theatrical memoirs complain about ‘name dropping’。 Hayley Mills is an actor （as was her father） and has been her entire life。 Who did you think she was going to talk about？ However， if you’re looking for nasty Hollywood gossip you won’t find it here。 。。。more

Lcitera ，

From a dysfunctional if revered theater family to Disney fame to a challenged adulthood and surviving 。 A good read。

Megan ，

I really enjoyed listening to Hayley read this， but I was disappointed that she really only covered the first 30 years of her life。 She made it up to the birth of her first child and the end of her first marriage but then nothing much after that。 I would have loved to have heard about her time with all three Parent Trap sequels， her time on Good Morning Miss Bliss， and her other stage work， but alas nothing。

Ginni ，

If you grew up loving Hayley Mills this is the book for you。 Mills provides interesting and thoughtful insights into her life as a child star。

Joanne ，

She seems like a truly nice person。

Erin Goettsch ，

This is okay， but it’s kind of too long （considering it doesn’t give ANY words to Saved By The Bell， come onnnn） and once I got past the Parent Trap years， I just didn’t care that much？ If you’re a bigger fan than I am， this is prob amazing。 For me it was not terrible but also not particularly interesting。

Josh Emmett ，

I'm being nice at two stars。 I was excited to see this autobio （she is exactly one month older than me） and pre-ordered it on Amazon for $40 for the CDs because she was reading them。 Reading them is right。。。a little acting would have helped。 She sounds as boring as the book。 Life is a lemon and I want my money back！ I see they were selling it for $26 the other day。You can do shots for every time she mentions her father but you would be drunk very soon。 She adored him。 The movies they did togethe I'm being nice at two stars。 I was excited to see this autobio （she is exactly one month older than me） and pre-ordered it on Amazon for $40 for the CDs because she was reading them。 Reading them is right。。。a little acting would have helped。 She sounds as boring as the book。 Life is a lemon and I want my money back！ I see they were selling it for $26 the other day。You can do shots for every time she mentions her father but you would be drunk very soon。 She adored him。 The movies they did together really didn't do well。 She thinks they were better than her other movies。She complains about Walt Disney and then mourns his death as she was her second father。She mispronounced Peter McEnery's last name several times， is angry with him because he was a real actor and blamed him for the bad kiss in The Moon-spinners。She is positive Ian McShane wanted to "get into her pants for another notch on his belt。" I doubt it。All she remembers about Trouble with Angels， a very fav of mine， is that it was about a bunch of young girls who were novices trying to be nuns。 Hmmm。。。NOT！She quits the book in 1971！ That's it， other than mentioning that as a grandmother you can feed sweets to your grandchildren until they get sick and then send them home with their parents。 Ewww。She did have two children， but as to when or with whom she had the second one， eh。Quotes from Amazon are running from 'where is the rest of the book？' to 'you can find out more about Hayley Mills from Wikipedia or Google。' The main complaint is name-dropping。 However， the only people she is gaga over are male and female actors who are。。。her father's age。 Oh， and her mother was an alcoholic， but that's okay。 And her parents had bad management， so she did too， and the gov't bilked her out of her money at 18 and the manager bilked her out of the rest through lawyers。 She is STILL B-I-T-T-E-R。 Suck it up， buttercup， you are 75！Not even a mention of Saved by the Bell。。。probably because it was originally titled Good Morning， Miss Bliss and was cancelled after 13 episodes。 Of course， Saved by the Bell is still around and a cult classic。 It was her so-called acting。Yes， like Carly Simon， Hayley is another spoiled rich girl who never grew up。//I bought and owned the CD version of this book but have passed it on， free， for others to listen to。 At least they don't have to pay for it。 Ok。。。now I am B-I-T-T-E-R about my $40！ 。。。more

Laura Valenziano ，

Good book but only covers her life up until age 28 followed by a very brief update。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Forever Young

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Forever Young&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Forever Young&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0