Kenneth Williams was the stand-out comic actor of his generation. Beloved as the manic star of Carry On films and as a peerless raconteur on TV chat shows, he was also acclaimed for serious stage roles. This volume includes much previously unseen material from Williams's candid daily journal and also draws on rare in-depth interviews with friends and colleagues. Since the publication of edited extracts from his diaries, much controversy has surrounded Williams's personal and professional lives. It's a a sympathetic, if critical, view - Williams was frequently exasperatingly difficult, rude and inconsiderate - yet the author shows, again and again, how valued and treasured Kenneth Williams was and shows him in the round - from his kindness and generosity to the times when he could be quite spiteful. This biography traces the complex contradictions that characterised an extraordinary life and presents the first full portrait of a star who was born brilliant. Illustrated with photographs.