By Dominique Enright
160 pages; Michael O'Mara
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Churchill's inspiring leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II is probably his most celebrated feat, but his crackling bons mots are arguably a close second. "It's not often that we are presented with politicians who can turn humor on themselves and see the world in a witty way, even during very difficult times," says Spacey. Churchill's sly observations—"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire," he once quipped about a fellow statesman—are "in some ways very British and in other ways so universal that I always found myself laughing," says Spacey. "These are the lines you wish you could say when someone is rude to you, but you don't come up with them until you're in the car going home."

— As told to Naomi Barr