Revealing the man behind the myth, this perceptive, witty, and penetrating portrait investigates Laurence Olivier - not merely the greatest actor of the 20th century, but perhaps of all time. Its chapters touch on his achievements as a director of both plays and films, his central role in the founding of the National Theater, and the off - stage dramas of his private life. Onstage and off, Olivier played many parts and lived many lives. During his distinguished 60-year career he made numerous Hollywood movies; appeared in several highly successful TV series; worked closely with actors such as John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Marilyn Monroe, and Dustin Hoffman; led the British theater in a Golden Age; and packed theaters in New York. Knighted in 1947, he received many awards, including Oscars for Henry V and Hamlet, an Emmy for his role in "Brideshead Revisited", a Golden Globe for "Marathon Man", and a BAFTA for "Oh! What a Lovely War". But since his death in 1989, new revelations...