A racy leading man, a devoted husband and father, an American icon. Any of these would describe Hollywood legend Paul Newman. Almost everyone the world over knows the public story of America's heartthrob, but few know what really went on beyond the silver screen—until now. Quirk's book chronicles how Newman, armed with his astonishing good looks and what his acting teacher called "magnetic presence," rushed into acting and marriage to get away from his father's disapproving eye. As Quirk deftly unveils, however, Newman was unprepared to settle down, and the vows of marriage only served to ward off rumors of his suspected homosexuality. Quirk details Newman's rocky marriage, the joyful birth of his first child, and his first acting breaks on Broadway where he met his second wife, Joanne Woodward.