After signing with the powerful but predatory agent Henry Willson, the young hopeful was transformed from a clumsy, tongue-tied truck driver into Universal Studio’s resident Adonis.

Growing up poor in Winnetka, Illinois, Hudson was abandoned by his biological father, abused by an alcoholic stepfather, and controlled by his domineering mother.Despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Hudson was determined to become an actor at all costs. Yet beneath the suave and commanding star persona, there was an insecure, deeply conflicted, and all too vulnerable human being.

In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Hudson successfully transitioned to television his long-running series McMillan & Wife and a recurring role on Dynasty introduced him to a whole new generation of fans.The icon worshipped by moviegoers and beloved by his colleagues appeared to have it all. The embodiment of romantic masculinity in American film throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, Hudson reigned supreme as the king of Hollywood.As an Oscar-nominated leading man, Hudson won acclaim for his performances in glossy melodramas (Magnificent Obsession), western epics (Giant) and blockbuster bedroom farces (Pillow Talk).

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTUREThe definitive biography of the deeply complex and widely misunderstood matinee idol of Hollywood’s Golden Age.Devastatingly handsome, broad-shouldered and clean-cut, Rock Hudson was the ultimate movie star. He recently appeared in the television documentary Gene Kelly: To Live and Dance.C.P. Griffin’s interviews, reviews and essays have appeared in scores of publications, including T he Boston Globe and MovieMaker. Griffin is also the author of A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli (Da Capo Press), a biography of the Oscar-winning director of An American in Paris, Meet Me in St. In researching All That Heaven Allows, Griffin was granted unprecedented access to private journals, personal correspondence and production files. The book features interviews with those who knew Hudson best, including Carol Burnett, Joel Grey, Piper Laurie, Armistead Maupin, Claudia Cardinale, Arlene Dahl and Robert Osborne. The book examines the life and career of the Oscar-nominated screen legend who starred in such classics as Magnificent Obsession, Giant, Written on the Wind, and Pillow Talk. Mark Griffin is the author of All That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson (HarperCollins).

All that heaven allows by mark griffin