GLEASON

Legendary comic. Oscar nominated actor. Amateur composer. Larger than life. Herbert John Gleason, better known as Jackie, was all these things. To the public, he was the image of the everyman. Under Howard Deutch’s direction (The Replacements, Pretty in Pink), Emmy winner Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) gives a mesmerising performance as Gleason in the untold true story of America’s favourite comic.

The story begins at the height of Gleason’s career. He has it all: women, wealth, and extraordinary power. But he is haunted by memories of his childhood, born in a cold Brooklyn tenement to two alcoholic parents and abandoned by his father on his ninth birthday. Gleason spends his formative years entering amateur contests, performing in sleazy night spots, drinking, and earning the pool hall skills he put to use in his acclaimed portrayal of Minnesota Fats in The Hustler. Along the way, he steals gags from the best comics in town and finds love with Genevieve, a dancer whom he marries.

But Gleason isn’t the ideal husband or even a responsible father as he abandons his family to answer the call of Hollywood. Brash, arrogant, and egotistical, he alienates his directors and the man who discovered himproducer Jack L. Warner. When he ends up back in New York, Gleason gets one of those rare second chances in the new medium of television, creating some of its most unforgettable characters: The Poor Soul, Reggie Van Gleason, and the beloved Ralph Kramden. But even as Gleason becomes the talk of the tube, his life—ruled by demons of rage, booze, nicotine, and insecurity-unravels.