June 27, 2002

"THE BIOGRAPHER: THE SECRET LIFE OF PRINCESS DI," A NEW TELEVISION MOVIE THAT TELLS THE TRUE STORY OF HOW ANDREW MORTON BECAME PRINCESS DIANA'S OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHER, WILL BE BROADCAST SEPT. 1 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Paul McGann, Brian Cox, Hugh Bonneville and Faye Dunaway Star

THE BIOGRAPHER: THE SECRET LIFE OF PRINCESS DI, a new television movie examining the true story of how a relationship developed between the Princess and Andrew Morton and how he became her official biographer, will be broadcast as the "CBS Sunday Movie," Sunday, Sept. 1 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network. The movie, told in Diana's actual words, will expose the incredible contradiction between the public image of the beloved Princess and the reality of her private life by revealing the actual events leading up to the publication of Andrew Morton's best-selling book Diana: Her True Story.

Paul McGann ("Blood Strangers"), Brian Cox ("The Bourne Identity"), Hugh Bonneville ("Notting Hill") and Faye Dunaway ("The Thomas Crown Affair") star in the movie.

The year is 1991 and Andrew Morton (McGann), a moderately successful writer of biographies and royals reporter for the London Daily Mail, is about to start a book about Marilyn Monroe for his publisher, Michael O'Mara (Cox), when he is approached by a stranger with an interesting proposition: Princess Diana wants to tell the truth about herself and wants Morton to write her story.

Morton excitedly approaches O'Mara, who doesn't believe that the Princess is really involved in what he thinks may be a scheme. But when she appears in public wearing a red dress at Morton's request, O'Mara agrees to take the book. The real subject is top secret, however, and Morton publicly announces that he will write about Eric Clapton.

The tapes from the Princess arrive as planned revealing deeply personal information about her life with Prince Charles and the travesty of their royal union. Morton, immersed in the job at hand, spends his days and nights listening to her voice and transcribing her story. Not even his wife knows that Morton is writing about Diana.

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When a first draft is given to the princess, Diana edits out all of the unflattering information, making the book a hollow shell of what it was meant to be. In the end, however, Diana decides to cooperate and let her whole story be told. Once she makes her monumental decision, Morton and O'Mara must find a way to get the book printed in the face of overwhelming disapproval by the Royal Family, publishing houses and bookstores alike.

September 1 marks the fifth anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.

Faye Dunaway plays a rival journalist. Hugh Bonneville plays the intermediary between the Princess and Morton.

Paul McGann is a British actor whose television credits include the English television movies "Sweet Revenge," "Hornblower: Retribution," "Hornblower: Mutiny" and the series ""Fish," "Our Mutual Friend" "and "The Grand." His feature-film credits include "The Queen of the Damned," "My Kingdom" and "The Dance of Shiva."

Brian Cox's feature-film credits include "The Bourne Identity," "The Rookie," "Murder By Numbers," "The Affair of the Necklace," "For Love of the Game," "Braveheart" and "Rob Roy." His television credits include the mini-series "Nuremberg," for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Hugh Bonneville's feature-film credits include "Iris," "High Heels and Low Lifes," "Mansfield Park" and "Frankenstein." His television credits include the movies "Armadillo," "Madame Bovary," "Take A Girl Like You" and "Mosley," and the series "The Cazalets" and "Holding the Baby."

Faye Dunaway's feature-film credits include "The Yards," "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc," "The Thomas Crown Affair," "The Chamber," "Don Juan DeMarco," "The Two Jakes," "Three Days of the Condor," "Chinatown" and "Bonnie and Clyde." Her television credits include the CBS series "It Had To Be You" and the movies "Running Mates," "Gia," "The Twilight of the Golds" and "The People Next Door."

After Andrew Morton's book, Diana: Her True Story, was published, the revelations it contained proceed to shock not only the citizens of England, but the whole world. He has also written biographies on Madonna and Monica Lewinsky.

THE BIOGRAPHER - THE SECRET LIFE OF PRINCESS DI was produced by Pipeline Films. Christian Seidel ("Sound") served as producer; Philip Saville ("The Love and the She Devil") was the director from a script by Joshua Lacey ("The Messenger").

RATING: To Be Announced
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Press Contacts: Susan J. Marks  323/575-2118            susan.marks@tvc.cbs.com
                        Kristin Withers 212/975-3148    kwithers@cbs.com