Star How Warren Beatty Seduced America

In this compulsively readable and constantly surprising book, Peter Biskind, the author of the film classicsEasy Riders, Raging BullsandDown and Dirty Pictures,writes the most intimate, revealing, and balanced biography ever of Hollywood legend Warren Beatty.Famously a playboyhe has been linked to costars Natalie Wood, Julie Christie, Diane Keaton, and Madonna, among othersBeatty has also been one of the most ambitious and successful stars in Hollywood. Several Beatty films have passed the test of time, fromBonnie and ClydetoShampoo, Heaven Can Wait, Reds(for which he won the best director Oscar),Bugsy,andBulworth. Few filmgoers realize that along with Orson Welles, Beatty is the only person ever nominated for four Academy Awards for a single filmand unlike Welles, Beatty did it twice, withHeaven Can WaitandReds.Biskind shows how Beatty used star power, commercial success, savvy, and charm to bend Hollywood moguls to his will, establishing an unprecedented level of independence while still working within the studio system. Arguably one of the most successful and creative figures in Hollywood over the last few decades, Beatty exercised unique control over his films, often hiring screenwriters out of his own pocket (and frequently collaborating with them), producing, directing, and acting, becoming an auteur before anyone in Hollywood knew what the word meant. In this fascinating biography, the ultimate Hollywood Star comes to lifecomplete with excesses and achievementsas never before.

Peter Biskind is the acclaimed author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and Down and Dirty Pictures, among other books. He is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair.