'***** It presents a full account of Olivier's genius: the single-minded determination to make himself a great Shakespearean actor, the courage and invention of his stagecraft, the ruthless zeal to be the best'

Mail on Sunday

'Coleman is an immensely distinguished journalist and biographer ... Everything about the book is as far removed from the standard showbiz biography as could be imagined, from its clean and muscular prose to its rigorous methodology ... It is stuffed with fascinating new information'

Simon Callow, Guardian

'Olivier was one hell of an actor and he also had one hell of a life, and Coleman relates it with relish ... He captures the actor's corrosive sense of guilt and fear, as well as his daring and his sheer pluck'

Sunday Telegraph

'Tremendous ... the chapters on his period at the National Theatre convey pathos and understanding'

Sunday Times