Warren Beatty: The Last Great Lover of Hollywood

Beatty got his big breaks in the late 1950s when playwright William Inge wrote A Loss of Roses for him and Elia Kazan cast him as the lead in Splendor in the Grass. In this workmanlike show-biz bio, Parker relates the story of ``one man's determination and single-minded pursuit of his goals''--to get laid often and to develop an identity other than Shirley MacLaine's little brother. Beatty succeeded handsomely at both, according to the author, bedding Joan Collins, Natalie Wood, Julie Christie, Leslie Caron, Diane Keaton, Madonna and many others. He also starred in, produced and/or directed several box-office hits, including Bonnie and Clyde , Shampoo , Heaven Can Wait , Reds , Dick Tracy and Bugsy. Additionally, he involved himself in the presidential campaigns of George McGovern and Gary Hart. Parker ( The Trial of Rock Hudson ) briefly scans Beatty's friendship with Jack Nicholson, his marriage to actress Annette Bening and his new image as a family man. This chronicle of Beatty's accomplishment in the twin fields of sex and filmmaking is entertaining, but the inner man, assuming there is one, remains obscure. Photos. (Apr.)