Liz Smith

American journalist, one of the most respected gossip columnists in the business. In her biography, "Natural Blonde," published October 2000, her enthusiasm and adoration of the people she writes about spills over into print, just as it does in her columns. She actually and sincerely loves celebrities and approaches her job eagerly as the premier purveyor of gossip in America, delivering the goods to some 70 newspapers a day. A beguiling combination of prude and shrewd, raunchy and naïve, Texas and New York, Liz’s life seems a round of cocktail parties, openings, funerals and press releases. She also revolves around her adoration of both men and women, her flirtations and affairs. As for reporting the affairs of the rich and famous, remarkably Liz retains friendships galore from people who trust her with their secrets – as long as she gets the scoop. Raised in Fort Worth, Texas in the ‘30s, Liz is the daughter of a Southern Baptist priggish mom and a dad who was both a gambler and a moralist, a cotton merchant. She adored the movies and the film characters filled her daydreams. A freshman in college, Liz met tall, dark and handsome Eddie Beeman who joined the army during WW II and flew 25 missions. They were married for less than a year when Liz found herself a 21-year-old divorcee. She went to Texas to the University and it was there that she found journalism and fell in love with a fellow co-ed. When their parents read their love letters, both girls were yanked out of school in disgrace. Liz learned in advance the future dictum, "Don’t ask, don’t tell." She said of her parents, "I broke their hearts and they broke mine. I don’t think I ever said an unfettered, open, frank, or totally honest word to them ever again." In 1949, Liz bought a one-way ticket to New York, arriving with $50 in her pocket. Her first job was for Modern Screen. She wrote for nine New York newspapers and dozens of magazines. She had another marriage along the way that was better over lunch and gossip than in the bedroom and after five years, Freddie Lister faded out of sight. Always in demand, Liz did not make any big money until the ‘90s, when she was suddenly worth a reputed half million a year to the Daily News at age 67. Her high profile interviews on TV increased her popularity along the way. Describing her romances and flirtations with glee, Liz was very low-key in her book about her relationship with Iris Love, though they lived together for 15 years. In her book, Liz refers to Iris as a "pal" who shared her digs, though they were well-known as an inseparable couple in the party circuit. To those who tried to get her to "out" herself, she remarked that she did not think that her sex life was all that interesting and she had no interest in being a poster-girl for the gay movement. Link to Wikipedia biography