Sneak Peek actor Leonardo DiCaprio as FBI head 'J. Edgar Hoover' in director Clint Eastwood's upcoming biographical drama "J. Edgar".Screenplay is by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black ("Milk"), focusing on the career of Hoover, including an examination of his private life.
"He was a very complex person," Eastwood said about the real J. Edgar Hoover.
A life-long bachelor, Hoover was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation, predecessor to the FBI in 1924 and was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972.
His critics accused him of exceeding the jurisdiction of the FBI, using the government agency to harass political dissenters and activists, to amass secret files on political leaders for blackmail and to collect evidence using illegal methods.
Purvis underwent electro-shock therapy, became a morphine addict and was killed by a single gun-shot wound to the head, that an FBI investigating team said was self-inflicted.
Cast also includes Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Damon Herriman and Jeffrey Donovan.
"He was a very complex person," Eastwood said about the real J. Edgar Hoover. 
"He was also very clever.Whether rightly or wrongly, he was clever about keeping himself in a certain position in life, so it is an interesting study."
"'J. Edgar' is not as linear and traditional as 'Milk' – but it didn’t need to be," said screenwriter Black.
"People know Hoover – or think they know Hoover – and that’s great as a writer because you’re free to explore other stuff…"
A life-long bachelor, Hoover was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation, predecessor to the FBI in 1924 and was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972.
A devoted 'freemason', Hoover was instrumental in building the FBI into a large and efficient crime-fighting agency, instituting a number of modern innovations to police technology, including a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories.
His critics accused him of exceeding the jurisdiction of the FBI, using the government agency to harass political dissenters and activists, to amass secret files on political leaders for blackmail and to collect evidence using illegal methods.
With Hoover's backing, the FBI spied on thousands of suspected radicals. According to documents declassified in 2007, he maintained a list of 12,000 Americans suspected of 'disloyalty'.
He also relocated agents who displeased him, including Chicago FBI Bureau Chief Melvin Purvis , the glorified nemesis of public enemies John Dillinger, 'Pretty Boy' Floyd and 'Baby Face' Nelson, who was forced out of the organization by Hoover.
Purvis underwent electro-shock therapy, became a morphine addict and was killed by a single gun-shot wound to the head, that an FBI investigating team said was self-inflicted."J. Edgar" will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures November 9, 2011.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "J. Edgar Hoover"...
