This is a fascinating biography of the "Queen of Hollywood" and her decades of success in films, art, fashion, and business. Gloria Swanson shows how a talented, self-confident actress negotiated a creative path through seven decades of celebrity. A glamorous movie icon, Swanson was one of the most talked-about stars in Hollywood, earning three Academy Award nominations - including Best Actress for the classic Sunset Boulevard - and receiving 10,000 fan letters every week. She bought mansions and penthouses, dressed in fur and feathers, and flitted through Paris, London, and New York engaging in passionate love affairs that made headlines and scandals. After becoming frustrated with the studio system Swanson became a talented businesswoman who patented inventions and won fashion awards for her clothing designs; an exhibited sculptor; and a designer employed by the United Nations. All the while she continued to act in films, theatre, and television.