About the Narrators
Gay Talese is known
for his daring pursuit of “unreportable” stories, for his exhaustive research,
and for his formally elegant style. These qualities, arguably, are the
touchstones of the finest literary journalism. Talese is often cited as one of
the founders of the 1960s new journalism, but he has always politely demurred
from this label, insisting that his “stories with real names” represent no
reformist crusade, but rather his own highly personal response to the world as
an Italian-American “outsider.”
Stanley Tucci is an actor, writer, film producer, and film director. He was nominated for several notable film awards, including an Academy Award for his performance in The Lovely Bones. Other recent celebrated roles include The Devil Wears Prada and Julie & Julia. He has won two Golden Globe Awards and has also received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Johnny in the 2002 Broadway revival of Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
Stanley Tucci is an actor, writer, director, and producer. He has directed five films and appeared in over seventy films, countless television shows, and a dozen plays on and off Broadway. He has been nominated for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and a spoken word Grammy; is a winner of two Golden Globes and two Emmys; and has received numerous other critical and professional awards and accolades. He is also author of two cookbooks, The Tucci Table and The Tucci Cookbook.
Emile Perrier, originally from Roanne, France, was a cheese specialist at Mons Cheese Affineur before she moved to New York City to become a sommelier. She has worked at a number of top New York restaurants, including The Modern Restaurant and Robuchon’s French Cuisine. When she was wine director of Sho Shaun hergatt in 2008, her 550 selection wine list received a macaron Michelin, in addition to many other awards from the New York Times, Zagat, Guyot, Glamour, and Esquire. In 2010, Emilie was honored by Food & Wine magazine as “Sommelier of the Year.” She is currently chief sommelier at Ai Fiori.
Kiff VandenHeuvel, voice talent and audiobook narrator, is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is an alumni of the Second City comedy theater. He is an accomplished improviser and sketch comedy director, and he teaches voice-over, improv, and directing at Second City Hollywood. He has appeared in hundreds of television and radio commercials and is well known in the video game community as the voice of Zachary Hale Comstock in Bioshock: Infinite.