Behind the razzle dazzle of fame and fortune, celebrities lives are marked by dizzying highs and devastating lows, drug and alcohol abuse, triumph and tragedy, all played out in the spotlight of global fame. THE STORY OF... features six 20th Century icons, revisiting their key roles and revealing their off-camera lives through extraordinary access to their friends, family and those who know them best.
Episode #1 - “The Story of Jackie Kennedy Onassis”
In November 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy stepped off Air Force One in Washington, D.C. wearing a dress soaked in her husband’s blood. Just hours earlier, President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated as he sat next to her in an open topped limousine. From that moment on, she became the ultimate image of survival.
Episode #2 “The Story of Marilyn Monroe”
Although Marilyn Monroe featured in 30 films in her short life, her lasting star power has secured her place as an icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Featuring rare video and audio interviews, we reassess her life and career and reveal how she was systematically underestimated by sexist studio bosses who refused to recognize the intelligence and creative contribution of this tragic trailblazer.
Episode #3 “The Story of Elizabeth Taylor”
Two-time Oscar winner Elizabeth Taylor was the unofficial Queen of Hollywood, a star from the age of 12 until the day she died. But behind the glitz she led a life of extremes, with a rollercoaster of stellar successes and shocking tragedies. With first-hand accounts from friends, colleagues and family members, as well as rarely-seen interviews with Taylor herself, we reveal the unwavering self-belief that enabled her to survive both good and bad fortune that cemented her legacy.
Episode #4 “The Story of John Travolta”
In the 1970s, John Travolta was considered Hollywood’s Prince of Cool, with breakthrough roles in Saturday Night Fever and Grease that propelled him to worldwide fame. But throughout his life, for every dizzying career high, he has suffered terrible personal losses — from the tragic death of his girlfriend while filming Saturday Night Fever to the death of his beloved mother, also from cancer, only few months later.
Episode #5 “The Story of Clint Eastwood”
After 39 years in the film industry, Clint Eastwood attended the Oscars as a first-time nominee in 1992. Aged 62, he took home awards for Best Director and Best Picture for Unforgiven ,a film that returned him to his cowboy roots and cemented his place as a star, producer and director in some of the most iconic films in cinema.
Episode #6 “The Story of Patrick Swayze”
Patrick Swayze catapulted to fame in 1987 with Dirty Dancing becoming a sex symbol for his era. Starring roles in Ghost and Point Break proved his status as a leading man adept at both action and romance. Yet behind the movie-star exterior was a man plagued by demons, scarred by regret and driven to the brink of self-destruction.