Jimmy Stewart the image, the charismatic boy next door filled with righteous conviction, the American ideal, often eclipsed James Stewart the actor and the man. In this penetrating biography, Donald Dewey delves beneath the earnest Capraesque persona and into the turmoil of the actor's private life. Drawing upon extensive research and nearly two hundred interviews, he follows Stewart from his hometown in Pennsylvania and a childhood shaped by a strong-willed father, to the fateful encounter at Princeton University with actress Margaret Sullavan, to his first professional theatrical experiences on Cape Cod, to his unexpected stardom at MGM, and more.