More than eight-five years after his death, Irving Thalberg remains a legendary Hollywood figure. With his remarkable talent for developing stars and doctoring scripts, this architect of the American film created some of America's best-loved movies: Ben-Hur, Mutiny on the Bounty, Grand Hotel, Romeo and Juliet, The Good Earth, Camille, A Night at the Opera, and many more. His genius has made his name a legend in the land of legends.

In this definitive biography, author Bob Thomas brings the legend to life— from Thalberg' s beginnings as the "Boy Wonder of Hollywood" to the creation with Louis B. Mayer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer— from his ability to nurture talent like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford to his tragic death at the age of thirty-seven.