Shirley MacLaine
Encyclopedia
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age
spirituality and reincarnation
. She has written a large number of autobiographical work
s, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career. In 1983, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress
for her role in Terms of Endearment
. She was nominated for an Academy Award five times before her win.
, MacLaine was born Shirley MacLean Beaty in Richmond, Virginia
. Her father, Ira Owens Beaty, was a professor of psychology, public school administrator, and real estate agent, and her mother, Kathlyn Corinne (née
MacLean), was a drama teacher born in Nova Scotia
, Canada; MacLaine's grandparents were also teachers. The family was devoutly Baptist. While she was still a child, MacLaine's father moved the family from Richmond to Norfolk
, and then to Arlington, Virginia and Waverly
, eventually taking a position at Arlington's Thomas Jefferson Junior High School.
Shirley had very weak ankles as a child, so her mother decided to enroll her in ballet class. Strongly motivated by ballet, she never missed a class. In classical romantic pieces like "Romeo & Juliet" and "Sleeping Beauty," she always played the boys' roles, being the tallest in the class, due to the absence of males in the class. She got to play a substantial female role as the fairy godmother in "Cinderella." While warming up backstage, she broke her ankle, but proceeded to dance the role all the way through. MacLaine ultimately decided that professional ballet wasn't for her because she had grown too tall (being over 6 feet tall en pointe
) and did not have the requisite "beautifully constructed feet" (high arches, high insteps). She also found ballet too limiting. After leaving ballet, MacLaine pursued dancing on Broadway. Eventually, she turned to acting.
She attended Washington-Lee High School
, where she was on the cheerleading squad and acted in the school's productions. The summer before her senior year, she was in New York
to try acting on Broadway with some success. After she graduated, she returned and within a year she became an understudy to actress Carol Haney
in The Pajama Game
; Haney broke her ankle, and MacLaine replaced her. A few months after, with Haney still out of commission, film producer Hal B. Wallis
was in the audience, took note of MacLaine, and signed her to work for Paramount Pictures
. She later sued Wallis over a contractual dispute, a suit that is credited with ending the old-style studio star system of actor management.
MacLaine made her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock
's The Trouble with Harry
(1955), for which she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress
. In 1956 she had roles in Hot Spell
and Around the World in Eighty Days
. At the same time she starred in Some Came Running
, the film that gave her her first Academy Award nomination - one of five that the film received - and a Golden Globe nomination.
Her second nomination came two years later for The Apartment
, starring with Jack Lemmon
. The film won five Oscars, including Best Director for Billy Wilder
. She later said, "I thought I would win for The Apartment, but then Elizabeth Taylor
had a tracheotomy". She starred in The Children's Hour (1961) also starring Audrey Hepburn
, based on the play by Lillian Hellman
. She was again nominated, this time for Irma la Douce
(1963), for which she reunited with Wilder and Lemmon.
Don Siegel
, her director on Two Mules for Sister Sara
(1970), in which she starred opposite Clint Eastwood
, once said, "It's hard to feel any great warmth to her. She's too unfeminine and has too much balls. She's very, very hard."
In 1975 she received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature
for her documentary film The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir
. Two years later, she was once again nominated for The Turning Point
co-starring Anne Bancroft
, in which she portrayed a retired ballerina much like herself. In 1978, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. In 1980 she starred in A Change of Seasons
alongside Anthony Hopkins
. The pair famously didn't get along and Hopkins said “she was the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with." In 1983 she won an Oscar for Terms of Endearment
. The film won another four Oscars; one for Jack Nicholson
and three for director James L. Brooks
. In 1988, MacLaine won a Golden Globe for Best Actress (Drama) for Madame Sousatzka
.
She continued to star in major films, such as Steel Magnolias
with Julia Roberts
and many other stars. She made her feature-film directorial debut in Bruno
, MacLaine starred as Helen in this film, which was released to video as The Dress Code. In 2007 she completed Closing the Ring
, directed by Richard Attenborough
and starring Christopher Plummer
. Other notable films in which MacLaine has starred include Sweet Charity
(1968), Being There
(1979) with Peter Sellers
, Postcards From the Edge
(1990) with actress Meryl Streep
, playing a fictionalized version of Debbie Reynolds
with a screenplay by Reynolds's daughter, Carrie Fisher
, Used People
with Jessica Tandy
and Kathy Bates
, Guarding Tess
(1994) with Nicolas Cage
, "Mrs. Winterbourne
" (1996), with actress and talk show host, Ricki Lake
and actor Brendan Fraser
, Rumor Has It… (2005) with Kevin Costner
and Jennifer Aniston
and In Her Shoes with Cameron Diaz
.
MacLaine is also set to star in Poor Things
, a drama.
MacLaine has also appeared in numerous television projects including an autobiographical miniseries based upon the book Out on a Limb, The Salem Witch Trials, These Old Broads
written by Carrie Fisher
and co-starring Elizabeth Taylor
, Debbie Reynolds
, and Joan Collins
, and Coco, a Lifetime production based on the life of Coco Chanel
. She also had a short-lived sit-com called Shirley's World.
MacLaine has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 1165 Vine Street.
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MacLaine was married to businessman Steve Parker until they divorced in 1982. In April 2011 while promoting her new book, “I'm Over All That”, she told Oprah Winfrey
that she had an open relationship
with her husband. They had a daughter, Sachi Parker
(born 1956). Shirley shares a birthday (April 24) with her good friend, Barbra Streisand
, and they traditionally spend it together each year.
MacLaine has a strong and enduring interest in spirituality and occultism. Many of her best-selling books, such as Out on a Limb and Dancing in the Light, have it as their central theme. Her interests have led her to such forms of spiritual exploration as walking El Camino de Santiago, working with Chris Griscom
, and practicing Transcendental Meditation
.
Her well-known interest in New Age spirituality has made its way into several of her films. In Albert Brooks
's 1991 romantic comedy Defending Your Life
, the recently deceased lead characters, played by Brooks and Meryl Streep, are astonished to find MacLaine introducing their past lives in the "Past Lives Pavilion." In 1990's Postcards from the Edge
(w/a screenplay by Carrie Fisher), MacLaine, playing a character loosely based on Debbie Reynolds, sings a special version of "I'm Still Here", with customized lyrics created especially for her by composer Stephen Sondheim
. One of the lyrics was changed to "I'm feeling transcendental--am I here?" In the 2001 made-for-television movie These Old Broads, starring MacLaine, Debbie Reynolds
, Joan Collins
, and Elizabeth Taylor
, and written by Reynolds's daughter, Carrie Fisher
, MacLaine's character is a devotee of New Age spirituality.
MacLaine has such a serious interest in UFOs that she has given numerous interviews on CNN
, NBC
and Fox
news channels on the subject through 2007-2008. In her 2007 released book "Sage-ing While Age-ing" she mentioned about her alien encounters and witnessing of Washington DC UFO incidents in 1950s.
MacLaine found her way into the law books when she sued Twentieth Century-Fox for breach of contract
. She was to play a role in a film titled Bloomer Girl, but the production was canceled. Twentieth Century-Fox offered her a role in another film, Big Country, Big Man, to avoid its contractual obligation to pay her for the canceled film. MacLaine's refusal led to a suit appealed by Twentieth Century-Fox to the Supreme Court of California
in 1970, where the Court ruled against Fox, calling the studio's alternate role offer "different or inferior" employment. Parker v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, 474 P.2d 689 (Cal. 1970).
MacLaine is godmother to the daughter of U.S. Representative, Dennis Kucinich
, a Democrat
and former mayor
of Cleveland
, Ohio
.
With her younger brother, Warren Beatty
, MacLaine used her celebrity status in instrumental roles as a fundraiser and organizer for George McGovern
's campaign for president in 1972
. That year, she authored the book McGovern: The Man and His Beliefs.
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
spirituality and reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
. She has written a large number of autobiographical work
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
s, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career. In 1983, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
for her role in Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson...
. She was nominated for an Academy Award five times before her win.
Early life
Named after Shirley TempleShirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
, MacLaine was born Shirley MacLean Beaty in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. Her father, Ira Owens Beaty, was a professor of psychology, public school administrator, and real estate agent, and her mother, Kathlyn Corinne (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
MacLean), was a drama teacher born in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada; MacLaine's grandparents were also teachers. The family was devoutly Baptist. While she was still a child, MacLaine's father moved the family from Richmond to Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, and then to Arlington, Virginia and Waverly
Waverly, Virginia
Waverly is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,309 at the 2000 census.-History:Popular legend has it that William Mahone , builder of the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad , and his cultured wife, Otelia Butler Mahone , traveled along the newly...
, eventually taking a position at Arlington's Thomas Jefferson Junior High School.
Shirley had very weak ankles as a child, so her mother decided to enroll her in ballet class. Strongly motivated by ballet, she never missed a class. In classical romantic pieces like "Romeo & Juliet" and "Sleeping Beauty," she always played the boys' roles, being the tallest in the class, due to the absence of males in the class. She got to play a substantial female role as the fairy godmother in "Cinderella." While warming up backstage, she broke her ankle, but proceeded to dance the role all the way through. MacLaine ultimately decided that professional ballet wasn't for her because she had grown too tall (being over 6 feet tall en pointe
En pointe
En pointe means "on the tip" and is a part of classical ballet technique, usually practised using specially reinforced shoes called pointe shoes or toe shoes. The technique developed from the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and has evolved to enable dancers to dance on the...
) and did not have the requisite "beautifully constructed feet" (high arches, high insteps). She also found ballet too limiting. After leaving ballet, MacLaine pursued dancing on Broadway. Eventually, she turned to acting.
She attended Washington-Lee High School
Washington-Lee High School
Washington-Lee High School is one of three traditional public high schools in the Arlington Public Schools district in Arlington, Virginia, covering grades 9-12. As of 2009-2010, the school had over 1,800 students and 120 teachers...
, where she was on the cheerleading squad and acted in the school's productions. The summer before her senior year, she was in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to try acting on Broadway with some success. After she graduated, she returned and within a year she became an understudy to actress Carol Haney
Carol Haney
Carol Haney was an American dancer and actress. After assisting Gene Kelly in choreographing films, Haney won a Tony Award for her role in The Pajama Game...
in The Pajama Game
The Pajama Game
The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded...
; Haney broke her ankle, and MacLaine replaced her. A few months after, with Haney still out of commission, film producer Hal B. Wallis
Hal B. Wallis
Hal B. Wallis was an American film producer.-Career:Harold Brent Wallis was born in Chicago in 1898. His family moved in 1922 to Los Angeles, California, where he found work as part of the publicity department at Warner Bros...
was in the audience, took note of MacLaine, and signed her to work for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. She later sued Wallis over a contractual dispute, a suit that is credited with ending the old-style studio star system of actor management.
Career
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's The Trouble with Harry
The Trouble with Harry
The Trouble With Harry is a 1955 American black comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the novel of the same name by Jack Trevor Story. It was released in the United States on October 3, 1955 then rereleased once the distribution rights were acquired by Universal Pictures in 1984...
(1955), for which she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress
Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress
The Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress originated in 1948. Between 1954 and 1965, multiple winners were announced. The category was discontinued following the 1983 ceremonies.-Winners:*1948: Lois Maxwell*1950: Mercedes McCambridge...
. In 1956 she had roles in Hot Spell
Hot Spell (film)
Hot Spell is a drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Shirley Booth and Anthony Quinn, and released by Paramount Pictures.-Cast:*Shirley Booth as Alma Duval*Anthony Quinn as John Henry Duval*Shirley MacLaine as Virginia Duval...
and Around the World in Eighty Days
Around the World in Eighty Days (1956 film)
Around the World in 80 Days is a 1956 adventure film produced by the Michael Todd Company and released by United Artists. It was directed by Michael Anderson. It was produced by Michael Todd, with Kevin McClory and William Cameron Menzies as associate producers. The screenplay was written by James...
. At the same time she starred in Some Came Running
Some Came Running
Some Came Running is a novel by James Jones, published in 1957. It is the story of a war veteran with literary aspirations who returns in 1948 to his hometown of Parkman, Indiana, after a failed writing career...
, the film that gave her her first Academy Award nomination - one of five that the film received - and a Golden Globe nomination.
Her second nomination came two years later for The Apartment
The Apartment
The Apartment is a 1960 American comedy-drama film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray. It was Wilder's follow-up to the enormously popular Some Like It Hot and, like its predecessor, was a commercial and critical hit, grossing $25...
, starring with Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
. The film won five Oscars, including Best Director for Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder was an Austro-Hungarian born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist, and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age...
. She later said, "I thought I would win for The Apartment, but then Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
had a tracheotomy". She starred in The Children's Hour (1961) also starring Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
, based on the play by Lillian Hellman
Lillian Hellman
Lillian Florence "Lily" Hellman was an American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes...
. She was again nominated, this time for Irma la Douce
Irma la Douce
Irma la Douce/Irma la Dolce is a 1963 romantic comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, directed by Billy Wilder.It is based on the 1956 French musical Irma La Douce by Marguerite Monnot and Alexandre Breffort.-Plot:...
(1963), for which she reunited with Wilder and Lemmon.
Don Siegel
Don Siegel
Donald Siegel was an influential American film director and producer. His name variously appeared in the credits of his films as both Don Siegel and Donald Siegel.-Early life:...
, her director on Two Mules for Sister Sara
Two Mules for Sister Sara
Two Mules for Sister Sara is an American-Mexican western film starring Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine set during the French intervention in Mexico. The film was released in 1970 and directed by Don Siegel. It was to have been the first in a five-year exclusive association between Universal...
(1970), in which she starred opposite Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, once said, "It's hard to feel any great warmth to her. She's too unfeminine and has too much balls. She's very, very hard."
In 1975 she received a nomination for Best Documentary Feature
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
for her documentary film The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir
The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir
The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir is a 1975 documentary film directed by Shirley MacLaine and Claudia Weill. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-External links:*...
. Two years later, she was once again nominated for The Turning Point
The Turning Point (1977 film)
The Turning Point is a 1977 film written by Arthur Laurents and directed by Herbert Ross. In starring roles were Shirley MacLaine, Anne Bancroft, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Leslie Browne, Tom Skerritt, Martha Scott, Anthony Zerbe, Marshall Thompson and James Mitchell.-Plot:This film tells the story of...
co-starring Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft
Anne Bancroft was an American actress associated with the Method acting school, which she had studied under Lee Strasberg....
, in which she portrayed a retired ballerina much like herself. In 1978, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry. In 1980 she starred in A Change of Seasons
A Change of Seasons
-Credits:* James LaBrie – Vocals* John Myung – bass* John Petrucci – guitars* Mike Portnoy – drums* Derek Sherinian – keyboards-Chart performance:Billboard 200:* A Change of Seasons – #58UK Albums Chart...
alongside Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
. The pair famously didn't get along and Hopkins said “she was the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with." In 1983 she won an Oscar for Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment
Terms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson...
. The film won another four Oscars; one for Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
and three for director James L. Brooks
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the...
. In 1988, MacLaine won a Golden Globe for Best Actress (Drama) for Madame Sousatzka
Madame Sousatzka
Madame Sousatzka is a 1988 British drama film directed by John Schlesinger, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the novel of the same name by Bernice Rubens.-Plot synopsis:...
.
She continued to star in major films, such as Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias
Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross that stars Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts....
with Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
and many other stars. She made her feature-film directorial debut in Bruno
Bruno (2000 film)
Bruno is a 2000 American film starring Alex D. Linz and Shirley MacLaine. The film is the first and, as of 2009, the only film ever directed by MacLaine....
, MacLaine starred as Helen in this film, which was released to video as The Dress Code. In 2007 she completed Closing the Ring
Closing the Ring
Closing the Ring is a film directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, Mischa Barton, Stephen Amell, Neve Campbell, Pete Postlethwaite, and Brenda Fricker....
, directed by Richard Attenborough
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough , CBE is a British actor, director, producer and entrepreneur. As director and producer he won two Academy Awards for the 1982 film Gandhi...
and starring Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
. Other notable films in which MacLaine has starred include Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity
Sweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
(1968), Being There
Being There
Being There is a 1979 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby. Adapted from the 1971 novella written by Jerzy Kosinski, the screenplay was coauthored by Kosinski and Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard A...
(1979) with Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
, Postcards From the Edge
Postcards from the Edge
Postcards from the Edge is a semi-autobiographical novel by Carrie Fisher, first published in 1987. It was later adapted, by Fisher herself, into a motion picture by the same name, directed by Mike Nichols which was released by Columbia Pictures in 1990.-Plot summary:The novel revolves around movie...
(1990) with actress Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
, playing a fictionalized version of Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
with a screenplay by Reynolds's daughter, Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
, Used People
Used People
Used People is a 1992 American romantic comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron. The screenplay by Todd Graff, adapted from his 1988 off-Broadway play The Grandma Plays , takes a humorous look at a highly dysfunctional family living in the New York City borough of Queens circa 1969...
with Jessica Tandy
Jessica Tandy
Jessie Alice "Jessica" Tandy was an English-American stage and film actress.She first appeared on the London stage in 1926 at the age of 16, playing, among others, Katherine opposite Laurence Olivier's Henry V, and Cordelia opposite John Gielgud's King Lear. She also worked in British films...
and Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
, Guarding Tess
Guarding Tess
Guarding Tess is a 1994 film starring Shirley MacLaine and Nicolas Cage, directed by Hugh Wilson.MacLaine plays the part of a fictional former First Lady protected by an entourage of Secret Service bodyguards led by a reluctant Doug Chesnic ....
(1994) with Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
, "Mrs. Winterbourne
Mrs. Winterbourne
Mrs. Winterbourne is a 1996 romantic comedy/drama starring Shirley MacLaine, Ricki Lake, and Brendan Fraser. The film is loosely based on Cornell Woolrich's novel I Married a Dead Man, which has already been filmed in Hollywood as No Man of Her Own starring Barbara Stanwyck, and in Bollywood as...
" (1996), with actress and talk show host, Ricki Lake
Ricki Lake
Ricki Pamela Lake is an American actress, producer, and television host. She is best known for her starring role as Tracy Turnblad in the original Hairspray, her ground-breaking documentary film The Business of Being Born, and her talk show which was broadcasted internationally from...
and actor Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
, Rumor Has It… (2005) with Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
and Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
and In Her Shoes with Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
.
MacLaine is also set to star in Poor Things
Poor Things
Poor Things is a novel by Scottish writer Alasdair Gray, published in 1992. It won the Whitbread Novel Award in 1992 and the Guardian Fiction Prize for 1992....
, a drama.
MacLaine has also appeared in numerous television projects including an autobiographical miniseries based upon the book Out on a Limb, The Salem Witch Trials, These Old Broads
These Old Broads
These Old Broads is a 2001 television film written by Carrie Fisher and starring her mother Debbie Reynolds, as well as Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins, and Elizabeth Taylor in her final film role...
written by Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
and co-starring Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, and Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
, and Coco, a Lifetime production based on the life of Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel...
. She also had a short-lived sit-com called Shirley's World.
MacLaine has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1165 Vine Street.
Personal life
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
that she had an open relationship
Open relationship
An open relationship is an interpersonal relationship in which the parties want to be together but agree to a form of a non-monogamous relationship. This means that they agree that a romantic or sexual relationship with another person is accepted, permitted, or tolerated...
with her husband. They had a daughter, Sachi Parker
Sachi Parker
Sachiko Parker is an American actress. She was born in Los Angeles to actress Shirley MacLaine and businessman Steve Parker, and has numerous film and television credits, recently starring in the 2009 Japanese film The Witch of the West is Dead, which showed at the Palm Springs International Film...
(born 1956). Shirley shares a birthday (April 24) with her good friend, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, and they traditionally spend it together each year.
MacLaine has a strong and enduring interest in spirituality and occultism. Many of her best-selling books, such as Out on a Limb and Dancing in the Light, have it as their central theme. Her interests have led her to such forms of spiritual exploration as walking El Camino de Santiago, working with Chris Griscom
Chris Griscom
Chris Griscom is an American healer, author and teacher. Her teachings focus on fostering peace and exploring and expanding consciousness. They are non-dualistic and transcend traditional beliefs. Chris has written and published several books and has traveled and taught widely...
, and practicing Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
.
Her well-known interest in New Age spirituality has made its way into several of her films. In Albert Brooks
Albert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
's 1991 romantic comedy Defending Your Life
Defending Your Life
Defending Your Life is a 1991 romantic comedy/fantasy film about a man who must justify his lifelong fears and insecurities after he dies and arrives in the afterlife. The film was written, directed by, and stars Albert Brooks. It also stars Meryl Streep, Rip Torn and Lee Grant.The movie was filmed...
, the recently deceased lead characters, played by Brooks and Meryl Streep, are astonished to find MacLaine introducing their past lives in the "Past Lives Pavilion." In 1990's Postcards from the Edge
Postcards from the Edge
Postcards from the Edge is a semi-autobiographical novel by Carrie Fisher, first published in 1987. It was later adapted, by Fisher herself, into a motion picture by the same name, directed by Mike Nichols which was released by Columbia Pictures in 1990.-Plot summary:The novel revolves around movie...
(w/a screenplay by Carrie Fisher), MacLaine, playing a character loosely based on Debbie Reynolds, sings a special version of "I'm Still Here", with customized lyrics created especially for her by composer Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
. One of the lyrics was changed to "I'm feeling transcendental--am I here?" In the 2001 made-for-television movie These Old Broads, starring MacLaine, Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
, Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
, and Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, and written by Reynolds's daughter, Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
, MacLaine's character is a devotee of New Age spirituality.
MacLaine has such a serious interest in UFOs that she has given numerous interviews on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
news channels on the subject through 2007-2008. In her 2007 released book "Sage-ing While Age-ing" she mentioned about her alien encounters and witnessing of Washington DC UFO incidents in 1950s.
MacLaine found her way into the law books when she sued Twentieth Century-Fox for breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
. She was to play a role in a film titled Bloomer Girl, but the production was canceled. Twentieth Century-Fox offered her a role in another film, Big Country, Big Man, to avoid its contractual obligation to pay her for the canceled film. MacLaine's refusal led to a suit appealed by Twentieth Century-Fox to the Supreme Court of California
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...
in 1970, where the Court ruled against Fox, calling the studio's alternate role offer "different or inferior" employment. Parker v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, 474 P.2d 689 (Cal. 1970).
MacLaine is godmother to the daughter of U.S. Representative, Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and former mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
With her younger brother, Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
, MacLaine used her celebrity status in instrumental roles as a fundraiser and organizer for George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
's campaign for president in 1972
George McGovern presidential campaign, 1972
George McGovern, a United States Senator from South Dakota, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an ultimately unsuccessful bid for the 1972 presidential election.-Leading up to the announcement:...
. That year, she authored the book McGovern: The Man and His Beliefs.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Jennifer Rogers | Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :... |
|
| 1955 | Artists and Models Artists and Models Artists and Models is a 1955 Paramount musical comedy in VistaVision and marked Martin and Lewis's fourteenth feature together as a team. The film co-stars Dorothy Malone, Eva Gabor, Anita Ekberg, and Shirley MacLaine.-Plot:... |
Bessie Sparrowbrush | |
| 1956 | Around the World in 80 Days Around the World in Eighty Days (1956 film) Around the World in 80 Days is a 1956 adventure film produced by the Michael Todd Company and released by United Artists. It was directed by Michael Anderson. It was produced by Michael Todd, with Kevin McClory and William Cameron Menzies as associate producers. The screenplay was written by James... |
Princess Aouda | |
| 1958 | Some Came Running | Ginnie Moorehead | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama |
| 1958 | Dell Payton | ||
| 1958 | Hot Spell Hot Spell (film) Hot Spell is a drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Shirley Booth and Anthony Quinn, and released by Paramount Pictures.-Cast:*Shirley Booth as Alma Duval*Anthony Quinn as John Henry Duval*Shirley MacLaine as Virginia Duval... |
Virginia Duval | |
| 1958 | Irene Molloy | ||
| 1958 | Ask Any Girl Ask Any Girl (film) Ask Any Girl is a 1959 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer romantic comedy film starring David Niven, Shirley MacLaine and Gig Young.-Plot:A wide-eyed Meg Wheeler comes to New York City and takes a job in market research for a large firm... |
Meg Wheeler | BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :... Silver Bear for Best Actress Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in performance by an actress.-Awards:- External links :*... Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1959 | Career Career (1959 film) Career is a 1959 blacklist film drama co-written by Dalton Trumbo and starring Dean Martin, Tony Franciosa, and Shirley MacLaine. The movie involves actor Sam Lawson , bent on breaking into the big time at any cost, braving World War II, the Korean War and even the more recent blacklist, something... |
Sharon Kensington | |
| 1960 | Ocean's Eleven Ocean's Eleven (1960 film) Ocean's 11 is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Joey Bishop.... |
Tipsy girl | uncredited cameo |
| 1960 | Can-Can Can-Can (film) Can-Can is a 1960 musical film made by Suffolk-Cummings productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Walter Lang, produced by Jack Cummings and Saul Chaplin, from a screenplay by Dorothy Kingsley and Charles Lederer, loosely based on the musical play by Abe Burrows with music... |
Simone Pistache | |
| 1960 | Fran Kubelik | BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :... Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Volpi Cup Volpi Cup The Volpi Cups are the principal awards given to actors at the Venice Film Festival. Formal acting awards were introduced in the second festival . Initially they were called Great Gold Medals of the National Fascist Association for Entertainment. The name Volpi Cup was introduced the following year... Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
|
| 1961 | Martha Dobie | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | |
| 1961 | All in a Night's Work All in a Night's Work (film) All in a Night's Work is a 1961 romantic screwball comedy starring Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine, and directed by Joseph Anthony.-Plot:Tony Ryder's uncle, the wealthy owner of a newspaper, has just died... |
Katie Robbins | |
| 1961 | Two Loves Two Loves Two Loves is a 1961 American drama film directed by Charles Walters. It was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Shirley MacLaine - Anna Vorontosov* Laurence Harvey - Paul Lathrope* Jack Hawkins - Abercrombie... |
Anna Vorontosov | |
| 1962 | Two for the Seesaw | Gittel Mosca | |
| 1962 | My Geisha My Geisha My Geisha is a 1962 American comedy film directed by Jack Cardiff, starring Yves Montand, Shirley MacLaine, and Edward G. Robinson, and released by Paramount Pictures... |
Lucy Dell/Yoko Mori | |
| 1963 | Irma la Douce Irma la Douce Irma la Douce/Irma la Dolce is a 1963 romantic comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, directed by Billy Wilder.It is based on the 1956 French musical Irma La Douce by Marguerite Monnot and Alexandre Breffort.-Plot:... |
Irma la Douce | Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :... |
| 1964 | Mae Jenkins | ||
| 1964 | What a Way to Go! What a Way to Go! What a Way to Go! is a 1964 American comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dean Martin, Gene Kelly, Margaret Dumont, Bob Cummings and Dick Van Dyke.-Plot:... |
Louisa May Foster | Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :... |
| 1965 | John Goldfarb, Please Come Home John Goldfarb, Please Come Home John Goldfarb, Please Come Home is a 1963 novel by William Peter Blatty that was adapted as a film by the same title, released in 1965.-Synopsis:... |
Jenny Erichson | |
| 1966 | Gambit Gambit (1966 film) Gambit is a 1966 film starring Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine as two criminals involved in an elaborate plot centered on a priceless antiquity from millionaire Mr. Shahbandar, played by Herbert Lom... |
Nicole Chang | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1967 | Woman Times Seven Woman Times Seven Woman Times Seven is a 1967 Italian/French/American co-production anthology film of seven different episodes, all starring Shirley MacLaine with most based on aspects of adultery... |
Paulette/Maria Teresa/Linda/Edith/Eve Minou/Marie/Jeanne | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1968 | Harriet Blossom | ||
| 1969 | Sweet Charity Sweet Charity (film) Sweet Charity, full title of which is Sweet Charity: The Adventures of a Girl Who Wanted to Be Loved, is a 1969 American musical film directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, written by Neil Simon, and with music by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields... |
Charity Hope Valentine | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1970 | Two Mules for Sister Sara Two Mules for Sister Sara Two Mules for Sister Sara is an American-Mexican western film starring Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine set during the French intervention in Mexico. The film was released in 1970 and directed by Don Siegel. It was to have been the first in a five-year exclusive association between Universal... |
Sara | |
| 1971 | Desperate Characters Desperate Characters Desperate Characters is a 1971 American drama film produced, written, and directed by Frank D. Gilroy, who based his screenplay on the 1970 novel of the same name by Paula Fox.-Plot:... |
Sophie Bentwood | Silver Bear for Best Actress Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in performance by an actress.-Awards:- External links :*... |
| 1972 | Norah Benson | ||
| 1975 | Herself | Documentary; writer, direct, producer Nominated — Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary |
|
| 1977 | Deedee Rodgers | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
|
| 1979 | Being There Being There Being There is a 1979 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby. Adapted from the 1971 novella written by Jerzy Kosinski, the screenplay was coauthored by Kosinski and Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard A... |
Eve Rand | Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :... Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1980 | Karyn Evans | ||
| 1980 | Loving Couples Loving Couples (1980 film) Loving Couples is a 1980 American romantic comedy film written by Martin Donovan and directed by Jack Smight.The plot offers a comic spin on adultery. When Greg crashes his sports car, doctor Evelyn comes to his rescue, and the two soon are engaged in an affair... |
Evelyn | |
| 1983 | Terms of Endearment Terms of Endearment Terms of Endearment is a 1983 romantic comedy-drama film adapted by James L. Brooks from the novel by Larry McMurtry and starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, and Jack Nicholson... |
Aurora Greenway | Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress David di Donatello for Best Actress -Albo d'oro:1956Gina Lollobrigida - La donna più bella del mondo1958*Anna Magnani - Wild Is the Wind1959*Anna Magnani - Nella città l'inferno1961*Sophia Loren - La ciociara1963... Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... National Board of Review Award for Best Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Actress The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Award for Best Actress is one of the annual film awards given by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.-1940s:-1950s:- 1960s :- 1970s :- 1980s :- 1990s :- 2000s :-2010s:... New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking.-1930s:-1940s:-1950s:-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :... |
| 1984 | Cannonball Run II Cannonball Run II See also Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy DashCannonball Run II comedy film featuring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest... |
Veronica | |
| 1987 | Out on a Limb | Herself | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film |
| 1988 | Madame Sousatzka Madame Sousatzka Madame Sousatzka is a 1988 British drama film directed by John Schlesinger, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the novel of the same name by Bernice Rubens.-Plot synopsis:... |
Madame Yuvline Sousatzka | Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Volpi Cup Volpi Cup The Volpi Cups are the principal awards given to actors at the Venice Film Festival. Formal acting awards were introduced in the second festival . Initially they were called Great Gold Medals of the National Fascist Association for Entertainment. The name Volpi Cup was introduced the following year... |
| 1989 | Steel Magnolias Steel Magnolias Steel Magnolias is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross that stars Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah and Julia Roberts.... |
Ouiser Boudreaux | Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film... |
| 1990 | Postcards from the Edge Postcards from the Edge (film) Postcards from the Edge is a 1990 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Carrie Fisher is based on her 1987 semi-autobiographical novel of the same title.-Plot:... |
Doris Mann | Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :... Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture |
| 1990 | Waiting for the Light | Aunt Zena | |
| 1991 | Defending Your Life Defending Your Life Defending Your Life is a 1991 romantic comedy/fantasy film about a man who must justify his lifelong fears and insecurities after he dies and arrives in the afterlife. The film was written, directed by, and stars Albert Brooks. It also stars Meryl Streep, Rip Torn and Lee Grant.The movie was filmed... |
"Past Lives Pavilion" host | |
| 1992 | Used People Used People Used People is a 1992 American romantic comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron. The screenplay by Todd Graff, adapted from his 1988 off-Broadway play The Grandma Plays , takes a humorous look at a highly dysfunctional family living in the New York City borough of Queens circa 1969... |
Pearl Berman | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1993 | Wrestling Ernest Hemingway Wrestling Ernest Hemingway Wrestling Ernest Hemingway is a 1993 drama-romance film directed by Randa Haines and written by Steve Conrad, starring Richard Harris, Robert Duvall, Sandra Bullock, Shirley MacLaine, and Piper Laurie.-Plot:... |
Helen Cooney | |
| 1994 | Guarding Tess Guarding Tess Guarding Tess is a 1994 film starring Shirley MacLaine and Nicolas Cage, directed by Hugh Wilson.MacLaine plays the part of a fictional former First Lady protected by an entourage of Secret Service bodyguards led by a reluctant Doug Chesnic .... |
Tess Carlisle | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1995 | Margaret Mary Elderdice | ||
| 1996 | Aurora Greenway | ||
| 1996 | Mrs. Winterbourne Mrs. Winterbourne Mrs. Winterbourne is a 1996 romantic comedy/drama starring Shirley MacLaine, Ricki Lake, and Brendan Fraser. The film is loosely based on Cornell Woolrich's novel I Married a Dead Man, which has already been filmed in Hollywood as No Man of Her Own starring Barbara Stanwyck, and in Bollywood as... |
Grace Winterbourne | Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy The Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy is one the Satellite Awards, given annually by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :- 2000s :- 2010–2019 :... |
| 1997 | Martha | uncredited | |
| 1999 | Joan of Arc | Madame de Beaurevoir | |
| 2000 | Bruno Bruno (2000 film) Bruno is a 2000 American film starring Alex D. Linz and Shirley MacLaine. The film is the first and, as of 2009, the only film ever directed by MacLaine.... |
Helen | Directed by Shirley MacLaine |
| 2001 | These Old Broads These Old Broads These Old Broads is a 2001 television film written by Carrie Fisher and starring her mother Debbie Reynolds, as well as Shirley MacLaine, Joan Collins, and Elizabeth Taylor in her final film role... |
Kate Westbourne | |
| 2002 | Salem Witch Trials | Rebecca Nurse Rebecca Nurse Rebecca Towne Nurse was executed for witchcraft by the government of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England in 1692, during the Salem witch trials. She was the wife of Francis Nurse, with several children and grandchildren, and a well-respected member of the community... |
|
| 2002 | Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay is a 2002 television film directed by Ed Gernon.-Plot:Biopicture about Mary Kay Ash, cosmetics queen and business woman. She tells her story of her rise to fame to the inquiring reporter Annika Kern. Her powerful position is threatened by the much younger... |
Mary Kay | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film |
| 2003 | Carolina Carolina (film) Carolina is a 2003 romantic comedy film directed by Marleen Gorris, starring Julia Stiles, Shirley MacLaine, Alessandro Nivola, Mika Boorem, Randy Quaid, and Jennifer Coolidge. Lisa Sheridan has a cameo role in the film, and Barbara Eden has the uncredited part of Daphne. It is set in Los Angeles,... |
Grandma Millicent Mirabeau | |
| 2005 | Rumor Has It… | Katharine Richelieu | |
| 2005 | Bewitched | Iris Smythson/Endora | |
| 2005 | In Her Shoes | Ella Hirsch | Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture The Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture is one of the Satellite Awards presented annually by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :Best Supporting Actress – Drama*1996: Courtney Love - The People vs... |
| 2007 | Closing the Ring Closing the Ring Closing the Ring is a film directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, Mischa Barton, Stephen Amell, Neve Campbell, Pete Postlethwaite, and Brenda Fricker.... |
Ethel Ann | |
| 2008 | Coco Chanel Coco Chanel (film) Coco Chanel is a 2008 television film directed by Christian Duguay and written by Ron Hutchinson, Enrico Medioli and Lea Tafuri. It stars Shirley MacLaine as Coco Chanel, the pioneering French fashion designer.... |
Coco Chanel Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel... |
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |
| 2008 | Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning is the fourth film in the Anne of Green Gables film series. It was released as a television film in 2008 on CTV. Before the broadcast, CTV had recently acquired the rights to the entire Anne catalogue including the 1985 miniseries.The film stars 14-year-old... |
Amelia Thomas | |
| 2010 | Valentine's Day Valentine's Day (film) Valentine's Day is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall and based on the novel by Michael Connelly. The screenplay and the story was written by Katherine Fugate, Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, Akiva Goldsman, Rob Reiner, P. J... |
Estelle Paddington | |
| 2011 | Bernie Bernie (2011 film) Bernie is an American comedic film directed by Richard Linklater, and written by Linklater and Skip Hollandsworth. The film stars Jack Black as Bernie Tiede, Shirley MacLaine as the elderly widow, Marjorie Nugent, and Matthew McConaughey as the local District Attorney. It made its world premiere... |
Marjorie Nugent |
TV work
- Shirley's WorldShirley's WorldShirley's World was a television series aired first by American Broadcasting Company during the U.S. 1971-72 television season. The sitcom was co-produced by the British ATV Network and American producer Sheldon Leonard; it starred Shirley MacLaine as a photojournalist and John Gregson as her...
(1971–1972) and a 1977 one hour special. - Where Do We Go From Here? (1978) Winner of the Rose D'OrRose d'OrThe Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
- Out on a Limb (1987)