In May 1999, after a 40-year acting career, Oliver Reed succeeded in destroying himself. He died, as he had invariably lived, drinking with friends in Malta while making yet another film - Ridley Scott's "Gladiator", which was completed after his death using a computer-generated "Oliver Reed". Oliver Reed's acting breakthrough came in 1968 as Bill Sykes in the musical "Oliver!" which one six oscars and made Reed an international star. By the late 1960s he was Britain's highest paid actor. His drinking, womanising and marriages earned him great notoriety in addition to his acting successes. The author reveals much about Reed's past: his involvement with the south London underworld, and the women in his life. Material from friends, family and colleagues add new perspectives to the story of this legendary character. As the great man said, "Life should be lived, and that's all there is to it."