George Clooney The Last Great Movie Star

He's famous for twice being People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive, for his penchant for practical jokes and his vow never to remarry, as well as for his Oscar-winning and Emmy-nominated acting career. But George Clooney's reputation as "mayor of every movie set he's on" belies his essential seriousness, as a businessman, a humanitarian, and, of course, in his ascendancy to the Hollywood A-list. In this up-to-date biography of one of Hollywood's most colorful leading men - who celebrates his 50th birthday this year - pop culture expert Kimberly Potts traces Clooney's life from small-town boy to big-screen idol. After spending a decade languishing in failed TV series, Clooney slowly and deliberately built a resume that took him from TV stardom on ER to a winning film career as a serious actor, writer, producer, and director. Along the way Potts fills us in on Clooney's early attempts to break into film (including his Batman flop), his many well-publicized romances, his political and humanitarian efforts, plus a major fight with director David O. Russell on the set of Three Kings. Potts also recounts how Clooney has gained success and acclaim with his shrewd strategy of alternating blockbuster movie roles, such as the Ocean's franchise, with less lucrative "passion" projects - such as Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck - that reflect his personal ethics. He won an Academy Award for the former and rave reviews for the latter, and has continued to earn accolades and Oscar nominations for smart dramas such as Michael Clayton and Up in the Air. Including fresh interviews, essential Clooney photographs, a filmography, a timeline, and a list of his favorite 100 films, this is the book no Clooney fan will want to be without.

Kimberly Potts is a New York City-based entertainment writer who has written for AOL TV, TV Guide, iVillage.com, Moviefone.com, People.com, US Weekly, LATimes.com, Daily Variety, E! Online, MTV.com, Teenmag.com, TWIST, Teen and Disney publications. She is also the editor of TVScreener.com and has written six books, including Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Chick Flick.