Throughout his career, Jack Nicholson has portrayed unique and challenging roles in classic movies such as Easy Rider (1969), Chinatown (1974), The Shining (1980), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), Terms of Endearment (1983), The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and The Departed (2006). Nicholson's twelve Oscar nominations make him the most nominated male actor in history. Jack Nicholson: Anatomy of an Actor is a new addition to Cahiers du cinema, a fascinating series from the world-renowned cinema magazine. The book focuses on ten key performances, exploring the unparalleled career of Jack Nicholson through narrative and analytical text accompanied by 300 images, including film stills and set photographs, as well as film sequences, script notes, and more. This thoughtful and lively examination of Nicholson's craft will appeal to film professionals and casual movie fans alike.

The first illustrated series to analyse the craft of exceptional actors

The Anatomy of an Actor series takes ten roles by a single actor, each studied in a dedicated chapter, and identifies the key elements that made the performances exceptional - carefully examining the actor's craft for both a professional audience and movie fans alike. Tom Cruise (born 1962), first cast by Francis Ford Coppola in The Outsiders (1983), gained international notoriety in the mid-1980s thanks to Tony Scott's Top Gun (1986). One of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, Cruise has oriented his career to blockbusters, starring in Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (2005) and the Mission: Impossible series (1996, 2000, 2006, 2011) An accessible text combines both a narrative and analytical dimension and is illustrated by 300 film stills, set photographs and film sequences.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Fifth Avenue, Five A.M. and Fosse comes the revelatory account of the making of a modern American masterpiece Chinatown is the Holy Grail of 1970s cinema. Its twist ending is the most notorious in American film and its closing line of dialogue the most haunting. Here for the first time is the incredible true story of its making. In Sam Wasson's telling, it becomes the defining story of the most colorful characters in the most colorful period of Hollywood history. Here is Jack Nicholson at the height of his powers, as compelling a movie star as there has ever been, embarking on his great, doomed love affair with Anjelica Huston. Here is director Roman Polanski, both predator and prey, haunted by the savage death of his wife, returning to Los Angeles, the scene of the crime, where the seeds of his own self-destruction are quickly planted. Here is the fevered dealmaking of "The Kid" Robert Evans, the most consummate of producers. Here too is Robert Towne's fabled script, widely considered the greatest original screenplay ever written. Wasson for the first time peels off layers of myth to provide the true account of its creation. Looming over the story of this classic movie is the imminent eclipse of the '70s filmmaker-friendly studios as they gave way to the corporate Hollywood we know today. In telling that larger story, The Big Goodbye will take its place alongside classics like Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and The Devil's Candy as one of the great movie-world books ever written. Praise for Sam Wasson: "Wasson is a canny chronicler of old Hollywood and its outsize personalities...More than that, he understands that style matters, and, like his subjects, he has a flair for it." - The New Yorker "Sam Wasson is a fabulous social historian because he finds meaning in situations and stories that would otherwise be forgotten if he didn't sleuth them out, lovingly." - Hilton Als

Throughout his career, Jack Nicholson has portrayed unique and challenging roles in classic movies such as Easy Rider (1969), Chinatown (1974), The Shining (1980), The Postman Always Ring Twice (1981), Terms of Endearment (1983), The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and The Departed (2006). Nicholson's twelve Oscar nominations make him the most nominated male Oscar winner. Jack Nicholson: Anatomy of an Actor is new title in the fascinating series from world-renowned cinema magazine Cahiers du cinema. The book focuses on ten key performances, combining both a narrative and analytical text with 300 images - from film stills to set photographs, film sequences, script notes and more - to explore the unparalleled career of Jack Nicholson. This thoughtful and lively examination of Nicholson's craft will appeal to professional audiences and movie fans alike.

One of the most talented actresses of her generation, Meryl Streep provides a high benchmark by which others are measured. In films such as The Deer Hunter (1978), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Mamma Mia (2008), and The Iron Lady (2010), Streep has astounded audiences with her ability to fully inhabit characters. She has received 17 Academy Award nominations and 27 Golden Globe nominations – more nominations than any other actor in the history of either award. Meryl Streep: Anatomy of an Actor is a new addition to Cahiers du Cinema, a fascinating series from the world–renowned cinema magazine. The book focuses on ten key performances, exploring the unparalleled career of Meryl Streep through narrative and analytical text accompanied by 300 images, including film stills and set photographs, as well as film sequences, script notes, and more. This thoughtful and lively examination of Streep’s craft will appeal to film professionals and casual movie fans alike.

"The finest book on De Niro yet." – The Film Stage Best known for gangster films, Robert De Niro (b.1943) has led a rich and varied career that encompasses crime movies, musicals, comedies, period pieces and action flicks. His breakout role in Martin Scorcese?s Mean Streets (1973) sparked a decades-long collaboration with the director that included Taxi Driver in 1976 and The King of Comedy in 1983. Oscar winner for Best Actor in Raging Bull (1980), he was awarded the prestigious role of jury president at Cannes in 2011. Anatomy of an Actor titles are comprehensive studies on the craft of the world’s greatest actors, through the analysis of ten of their most iconic roles. The authors examine why and how these famous actors have become some of the most respected and influential in the film world. Each title is divided into ten chapters, each one dedicated to a specific role, and is fully documented with film stills, set photographs, and film sequences. This innovative and beautiful series on actors is accessible to enthusiastic moviegoers as well as serious cinephiles, fans and those who want to become actors.