In this compulsively readable and constantly
surprising book, Peter Biskind, the author of the film
classics Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and Down and Dirty
Pictures, writes the most intimate, revealing, and
balanced biography ever of Hollywood legend Warren
Beatty. Famously a playboy, Beatty has also been one of
the most ambitious and successful stars in Hollywood.
Several Beatty films have passed the test of time, from
Bonnie and Clyde to Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait, Reds (for
which he won the best director Oscar), Bugsy, and
Bulworth. Few filmgoers realize that along with Orson
Welles, Beatty is the only person ever nominated for
four Academy Awards for a single film -- and unlike
Welles, Beatty did it twice. Biskind shows how Beatty
used star power, commercial success, savvy, and charm to
bend Hollywood moguls to his will. Beatty's private life
has been the subject of gossip for decades, and Star
confirms his status as Hollywood's leading man in the
bedroom, describing his affairs with Joan Collins,
Natalie Wood, Leslie Caron and Madonna, among many
others.Biskind explains how Beatty exercised unique
control, often hiring screenwriters out of his own
pocket, producing, directing, and acting in his own
films. He was arguably one of the most successful and
creative figures in Hollywood during the second half of
the twentieth century, and in this fascinating
biography, Warren Beatty comes to life -- complete with
excesses and achievements -- as never before. |
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