Known for his striking looks, Tyrone Power was a matinÔee idol in the 1930s and early 1940s, a descendant of a long Irish theatrical line going back to his great-grandfather. Starring in films in a variety of genres, from drama to light comedy, he was also a stage actor, receiving accolades for "John Brown's Body" and "Mister Roberts". He died from a heart attack at the age of 44. This biography develops a clear picture of the studio contract system--claustrophobic and so capricious that a player could be dropped for the smallest indiscretion--while explaining whether the films the studios assigned him worked or not, why they were or were not good choices for the actor, and Power's increasing professional frustration.