Forever Young: A Memoir

Forever Young: A Memoir by Hayley Mills

Hayley Mills came to fame as a child actress for Disney. Her father was a British actor and she was cast in a small role in one of his movies. Disney saw this and wanted to cast her in Pollyanna. This involved a contract and moving to America. She had a positive experience with Disney and became quite famous with other movies like Parent Trap. Her money was placed in a trust fund for her to access when she was 21. However, by the time she was old enough to access it, she discovered that the tax authorities claimed almost all of it. She launched a large lawsuit, with many appeals, but ultimate failed. She did more "serious" acting as she got older. She went on a date with George Harrison, and later married a man that was her parent's age. The memoir pretty much ends with her in her 20s. That is how we remember her, even though she is nearly 80 now. There are also discussions of her mother's problem with alcoholism and some of the other challenges of growing up in Hollywood. It is also interesting that her career had a very different turn than the actress that got cast as Lolita. For better or worse, actors get associated with their roles. She also felt glad her fame was not as obsessive as that of the Beatles. She feels that having parents in the business was helpful to her experience.