Introduction

Abstract

There are many varieties of star in the celestial firmament: shooting, hot, luminous, exotic, cool, giant, supergiant, and of course degenerate. These descriptions can be quite readily mapped onto human stars too, and the range and variable intensity of the array of stars in the movie firmament is part of the reason why the figure of the star has always fascinated and continues to do so today. One of the most inescapable realities of the realm of stardom is that some stars endure across the decades, enjoying lengthy and high-profile careers, while others fade away, either into obscurity or crystallised as a specific moment in time. It is the phenomenon of variable endurance and longevity that this book investigates and attempts to understand.