Over four decades, Clint Eastwood has become a Hollywood legend, with his success on both sides of the camera assuring him a place in cinema history. Born the son of a steel worker in 1930, Eastwood’s drive for success led him to his first break, in 1959, on the TV series Rawhide. Eastwood broke from television in 1964 with A Fistful of Dollars—his steely gaze and strong, silent screen presence made the film a surprise box-office smash. In 1971, his performance in Dirty Harry cemented his reputation as an electrifying talent, and he has since gone on to star in and direct some of the most memorable films in Hollywood history. Now, drawing on exclusive interviews with the star, Douglas Thompson gives us a definitive portrait.
Douglas Thompson is the author of more than twenty books. A biographer, broadcaster and international journalist, he is a regular contributor to major newspapers and magazines worldwide. His books, published in a dozen languages, include the television-based anthology Hollywood People, and best-selling biographies of Madonna, Clint Eastwood, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dudley Moore, John Travolta, Nicolas Cage and Leonardo DiCaprio. He collaborated with the billion dollar dancer Michael Flatley on his Top Ten story 'Lord of the Dance'. His books have been serialised in newspapers and magazines throughout the world, including Vanity Fair. With Christine Keeler, he wrote her revealing memoir The Truth At Last, an instant best-seller. He worked as a consultant on the tie-in television documentary on the Profumo Affair. Working with eminent psychotherapist Pauline Sutcliffe, he told the poignant story of her brother Stuart, who named and helped found the Beatles with John Lennon. His latest success, 'The Hustlers', was being developed in 2009 as a major motion picture by eminent producer-director Martha Fiennes and was the subject of a 2008 Channel 4 documentary. His DVD contributions to a celebration of Clint Eastwood's career were recently commemorated in a special box set of Eastwood movies. He has worked with many celebrities on their memoirs and enjoyed writing a biography of England and Chelsea footballer Frank Lampard. He completed in September,2009, an extraordinary true life story to be published in February, 2010. He is involved at present in the pre-production of a television documentary series.
Douglas Thompson divides his time between a farmhouse near Cambridge, England, and a beach home in California, where he was based as a Fleet Street correspondent and columnist for twenty years.
September, 2009.
