Born on June 28, 1941, Donald Spoto is an American celebrity biographer, Catholic theologian and former monk. He is best known for his best-selling biographies of film and theatre celebrities. A native of New Rochelle, New York, Spoto graduated from Iona Preparatory School in 1959 and received his B.A. from Iona College in 1963 and his M.A. and Ph.D. in theology (New Testament studies) from Fordham University in 1966 and 1970, respectively. Donald Spoto taught theology, Christian mysticism, and biblical literature at the university level for twenty years. He lives in Los Angeles, California.