Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt has become one of the most in-demand actors in the world. He broke out with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie, both among the biggest box-office successes of 2014, and in 2015 he took the lead in Jurassic World, a reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise. His climb is evidence that a Hollywood career can take off from almost nowhere.

This book traces how Pratt got there, and it was far from an instant triumph. A chance meeting changed his circumstances, moving him from living in a van and waiting tables just to get by to Los Angeles and his first steps into acting. For years he worked as a supporting performer in comedy and drama, on television in shows such as Everwood and Parks and Recreation, and in films including The Five-Year Engagement and Delivery Man. Superstar attention finally arrived after he appeared in three films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture between 2011 and 2013.

The book also looks at how Pratt balances his busy film career with his life as a devoted family man, and at the discipline he brought to his physical transformation along the way. It will appeal to fans of the actor and to readers curious about how a determined newcomer becomes a leading Hollywood name.