Bindon : fighter, gangster, actor, lover - the true story of John Bindon, a modern legend

John Bindon is a modern legend. A fine screen presence and a powerful figure in London's underworld, his film-star looks, charm and talent brought him worldwide exposure.

His story reads like the plot of a movie which Big John himself might have landed a part in.

Usually typecast in tough-guy roles, his on-screen persona was chillingly close to the real-life one.

Big John's nickname came from his status as a legendary sexual performer, so it was no surprise that his encounters with stunning women, most famously Princess Margaret, led to numerous high profile relationships.

But most of all, Big John was a warm-hearted, complex man, utterly devoted to those who have him respect and always prepared to be the last line of defence to those closest to him.

He emerged from a poor, working class London childhood and fraternised with the Krays and the Richardsons, but eventually turned his back on crime to play major parts in films such as Mick Jagger's Performance, "The Who's Quadrophenia" and Michael Caine's "Get Carter".

This is the a truly moving book, as powerful as The Guv'nor, about a man who was many different things to many people, but never anything but himself.