George ClooneyUdgave 1

He's famous for being named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive, his penchant for practical jokes, and his vow never to remarry, as well as his Oscar-winning and Emmy-nominated acting career. But George Clooney's reputation as “the mayor of every movie set he's on” belies his essential seriousness, as a businessman and in his ascendancy to the Hollywood A-list.

In George Clooney: The Last Great Movie Star, Kimberly Potts traces the star's life from the small-town boy to big-screen star. After spending a decade languishing in failed TV series, he slowly and deliberately built a résumé that took him from TV stardom on ER to a winning film career as a serious actor, writer, producer and director. Along the way are his early attempts to break out into film (including his Batman movie flop) his many well-publicized romances, his political and humanitarian efforts, and his shrewdly developed formula for choosing smart blockbuster movie projects that he uses to finance his more personal passion projects, such as Syriana and good night, and good luck., finding success with both.