A timely reminder of the stature and achievements of the 72-year-old Texan

A tale of drink, drugs, women and excess that would make [Keith] Richards reach for the Panadol. It's a great tale, well worth the read

A lively read and vivid portrait

There is here some of the most vivid and instructive writing on the craft of movie and stage acting I've ever read

This is a bitter-sweet book: we say goodbye to the very best of company but we also look forward to Callow bringing that company back to life in his third volume

Callow's precise prose and sober judgement make this second volume of biography one to be cherished and leaves one eagerly anticipating volume three

Callow's riveting and superlative biography satisfies at every level, and I for one cannot wait for the next volume

A vivid, sympathetic account... provides a definitive explanation of Welles's ultimate, lingering downfall

I am already looking forward to [the third volume] such is Callow's sympathetic absorption in the mass of material, which he handles with a light and ironic touch, that I found myself utterly hooked... As an actor himself Callow writes illuminatingly about Welles's performances

Callow's enterprise is one of the rarest in publishing. It leaves the reader dry-mouthed with anticipation for his final, third volume

The only biog really worth it's salt this year...reliably entertaining, wise and sane

Welles’s packed schedule is rifled through with chatty elegance