After earning a PhD at Harvard, Anne Gillain taught courses on French cinema at Wellesley College. She met François Truffaut in 1979 while writing a memoir on his films and remained in touch with in until his death in 1984. This was the prelude to a series of books that have been translated in English by Alistair Fox: François Truffaut: The Lost Secret, Truffaut on Cinema. She also published A Companion to François Truffaut, a volume of articles edited in collaboration with Dudley Andrew.