Sean Connery is one of the world’s true superstars, applauded by critics and filmgoers alike. Now, John Parker traces the rise to stardom of the tough Edinburgh street kid, who left school at the age of 13. Arriving in London with gold teeth and tattoos to seek his fortune in the meat market of bodybuilding, Connery fought against snobbery to become a self-taught Shakespearean actor. Then came the big break. Auditioning for the part of James Bond, he told producers with typical bluntness how Bond should be played, and it landed him the job—and overnight stardom. Connery went on to become one of the world’s most versatile, highly paid actors, winning an Oscar for his role inThe Untouchables.Here, John Parker offers an engaging portrait of one of the most glamorous, talented, and complex actors in movie history.

Sean Connery was one of cinema’s most iconic stars. Born to a working-class family in Edinburgh, he held jobs as a milkman and an artist’s model before making the move into acting. The role of James Bond earned him global fame, but threatened to eclipse his identity as an actor. This book offers a new perspective on Connery’s career. It pays special attention to his star status, while arguing that he was a risk-taking actor who fashioned an impressive body of work. Beginning with Connery’s early appearances on stage and television, including well-received performances in Shakespeare and Tolstoy, the book goes on to explore the Bond phenomenon and Connery’s long struggle to reinvent himself. An Oscar-winning performance in The Untouchables marked the beginning of a second period of stardom, during which Connery successfully developed the character of the father-mentor. Ten years after his retirement from acting, he was still rated as the most popular British star among American audiences. Exploring how Connery’s performances combine to form an all-encompassing screen legend, the book also considers how the actor embodied national identity, both on screen and through his public role as an activist campaigning for Scottish independence.

A biography of a star and an investigation of what can happen to a man when the images he creates take over his life. Sean Connery’s creation of secret agent James Bond invigorated Britain and its cinema, allowing a cash-strapped, morale-sapped country in decline to fancy itself still a player on the world stage. How can such worship not play havoc with one’s soul—especially a soul as painfully unprepared for the pressures of stardom as Connery’s? Spirited and argumentative, Christopher Bray’s Sean Connery is the story of an actor learning his craft on the job and, at the end of his career, of a man pressing his stardom into the service of a burgeoning political awareness.

 Punctilious to a fault, Sidney Lumet favored intense rehearsal, which enabled him to bring in most of his films under budget and under schedule. An energized director who captured the heart of New York like no other, he created a vast canon of work that stands as a testament to his passionate concern for justice and his great empathy for the hundreds of people with whom he collaborated during a career that spanned more than five decades. This is the first full-scale biography of a man who is generally regarded as one of the most affable directors of his time. Using the oral testimonies of those who worked with him both behind and in front of the camera, this book explores Lumet's personality and working methods.

From a humble background, growing up in an East London council flat, Sir Alan Sugar has become a business success story and television sensation, amassing a net worth of GBP830 million. Charlie Burden traces his rags-to-riches story from a childhood boiling beetroots for the local greengrocer to his knighthood and seat at the table of power. His company Amstrad went public in 1980, setting him on the road to riches with a string of successful businesses. In the 1990s, Sir Alan became chairman of Tottenham Hotspur and he has also become famous for his generous nature, which has seen him support Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Jewish Care charity and he has played a key part in the resurrection of the Hackney Empire.

Anthony Hopkins ranks as one of the most versatile and challenging actors of our time. In either box - office returns or career longevity he has outpaced all the British luminaries to whom he has been likened and, even now, in his 70th year, the unparalleled dynamism of his performance continues to impress. But, undeniably, it is his dark and seductive portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in ''The Silence of the Lambs'' (1991) with which he remains globally associated.Born in Wales in 1937, the son of a baker, Hopkins was a misfit growing up. He failed at school, immersing himself in various forms of art rather than attending to his studies; walked out on the National Theatre; and lost himself in years of alcohol abuse. But this all a million miles away from the spectacular success Hopkins has gone on to achieve. Over the years he has won a multitude of awards, including an Oscar, and in 1993 a knighthood.

Jack Webster has had a lifetime of adventure as a respected and highly-commended journalist, meeting the rich and famous and experiencing what the world has to offer. From his upbringing in rural Aberdeenshire - where he survived a serious heart condition and had to overcome a debilitating stammer - to a glittering career which took him all over the world, it has been an incredible journey and a life well lived. Now, to complete his autobiographical trilogy, A Final Grain of Truth brings his story up to date, reliving magical encounters with incredible people like Charlie Chaplin, Muhammad Ali, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Field Marshal Montgomery, Barnes Wallis, Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame), Hitler's friend and mentor Dr Ernst Hanfstaengl, Christine Keeler, oil billionaire Paul Getty and a host of others as he reflects on his work, his life and his own remarkable story. Full of wonderful anecdotes and written with style and panache, A Final Grain of Truth is entertaining, heartwarming and full of enlightening insights and reflections culled from a life rich with experience.