Shirley MacLaine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shirley MacLaine
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MacLaine in 1960
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| Born |
Shirley MacLean Beaty
April 24, 1934 Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1952–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Steve Parker
(m. 1954; div. 1982) |
| Children | Sachi Parker |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | Full list |
Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress and author. She has had an amazing career for over 70 years! She has won many important awards, like an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar), an Emmy Award, and six Golden Globe Awards. She also received special honors for her long and successful career, including the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2012. Shirley MacLaine is one of the last famous stars from the "Golden Age of Hollywood" – a time when movies were just becoming very popular.
Shirley was born in Richmond, Virginia. She started acting as a teenager in Broadway musicals like Me and Juliet. Her movie career began in the 1950s with the film The Trouble with Harry (1955). She became very famous with roles in movies such as Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and The Apartment (1960). She won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Terms of Endearment (1983).
Shirley MacLaine has also starred in TV shows like Downton Abbey (2012–2013) and Only Murders in the Building (2022). Besides acting, she has written many books about metaphysics (ideas about reality), spirituality, and reincarnation. She also wrote a best-selling book about her own life called Out on a Limb (1983).
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Performing
Shirley MacLean Beaty was born on April 24, 1934, in Richmond, Virginia. She was named after the famous child actress Shirley Temple. Her father, Ira Owens Beaty, was a professor and real estate agent. Her mother, Kathlyn Corinne MacLean, was a drama teacher. Shirley's younger brother is the well-known actor and director Warren Beatty. He changed the spelling of his last name for his career.
When Shirley was a toddler, her ankles were weak. Her mother decided to enroll her in ballet classes at age three to help. This was the start of Shirley's love for performing! She was very dedicated and never missed a class. In ballet, she often played boys' roles because she was the tallest. One time, she broke her ankle backstage but still danced her part before getting help!
Eventually, Shirley decided not to become a professional ballet dancer. She felt she was too tall and didn't have the perfect feet for it. She also realized that ballet would take up all her time. So, she decided to explore other types of dancing, acting, and musical theater.
Shirley went to Washington-Lee High School. There, she was a cheerleader and acted in school plays.
Her Amazing Career in Movies
Before her last year of high school, Shirley went to New York City to try acting. She got a small part in the chorus of a play called Oklahoma!. After graduating, she returned to New York. She made her Broadway debut dancing in Me and Juliet (1953–1954). Later, she became a stand-in for an actress in The Pajama Game. When that actress got hurt, Shirley stepped in. A famous producer, Hal B. Wallis, saw her perform and signed her to work for Paramount Pictures.
Becoming a Star in the 1950s
Shirley MacLaine's first movie was Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry (1955). She won an award for being a "New Star of the Year" for this role. She quickly became very busy in Hollywood.
She appeared in Artists and Models (1955) and then had a main role in the huge hit movie Around the World in 80 Days (1956). This movie even won the Oscar for Best Picture! She also starred in Some Came Running (1958) with Frank Sinatra. For this role, she received her first Oscar nomination.
Big Successes in the 1960s
In 1960, Shirley MacLaine starred with Jack Lemmon in the romantic comedy The Apartment. This movie was a big hit and won many Oscars, including Best Picture. Shirley's acting in the film earned her another Oscar nomination. Many people thought she would win, but she didn't. However, she did win other important awards for this role.
She worked with Jack Lemmon again in Irma la Douce (1963), which earned her a third Oscar nomination. Shirley also starred in the musical movie Sweet Charity (1969), directed by Bob Fosse. She had to learn many dance moves for this role!
From the 1970s to Today
Shirley MacLaine starred in the Western film Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) with Clint Eastwood. It was a popular movie. She also tried television, starring in the sitcom Shirley's World (1971–1972).
In 1975, Shirley co-directed a documentary film called The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir. It was about the first group of women to visit China in 1973. The film was even nominated for an Oscar!
Shirley made a big comeback in 1977 with the movie The Turning Point. She played a retired ballet dancer and received her fourth Oscar nomination.
In 1983, Shirley starred in the comedy-drama Terms of Endearment. She played a mother with a complicated relationship with her daughter. The movie was a huge success and won many Oscars, including Best Picture. Shirley finally won her first Oscar for Best Actress for her role in this film!
After her Oscar win, Shirley continued to act in many popular films. These include Steel Magnolias (1989), about a group of women in a small Southern town, and Postcards from the Edge (1990) with Meryl Streep. She also starred in Guarding Tess (1994) with Nicolas Cage.
In the 2000s, she appeared in movies like In Her Shoes (2005) and Bernie (2011). She also played the famous fashion designer Coco Chanel in a TV movie called Coco Chanel (2008).
More recently, Shirley has been in popular TV shows. She appeared in the British drama Downton Abbey (2012–2013) and the comedy series Only Murders in the Building (2022). In 2024, her film American Dreamer was released.
Beyond Acting: Books and Beliefs
Shirley MacLaine was married to businessman Steve Parker from 1954 until their divorce in 1982. They have a daughter named Sachi Parker.
Shirley has a strong interest in spirituality and metaphysics. These are big ideas about life, the universe, and what happens after we die. She has written many best-selling books about these topics, like Out on a Limb and Dancing in the Light. Her spiritual journeys include walking the Way of St. James, a famous pilgrimage route.
Shirley has also talked about UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). She has said that she has seen UFOs and even described seeing the 1952 Washington, D.C. UFO incident in one of her books. On a TV show, she mentioned seeing many UFOs at her ranch in New Mexico.
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Shirley MacLaine has also been involved in politics. She used her fame to help raise money and organize events for George McGovern's presidential campaign in 1972. She even wrote a book about him called McGovern: The Man and His Beliefs. She spent a lot of her own time and money on political activities during that period.
Honors and Awards
Shirley MacLaine has received many honors throughout her long career:
- In 1960, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- In 1999, she was given the Honorary Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
- In 2011, the government of France made her a "Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur," which is a very high honor.
- In 2013, MacLaine received the Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
- In 2019, she won the Life Time Achievement Award from AARP the Magazine's Movies for Grown Ups.
Images for kids
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MacLaine in 1960
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MacLaine in her debut film The Trouble with Harry (1955)
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MacLaine in the trailer for The Apartment (1960)
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Jack Lemmon and MacLaine in a still from The Apartment's final scene
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MacLaine and John McMartin in the trailer for Sweet Charity (1969)
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MacLaine at the set of Guarding Tess
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MacLaine with Christopher Plummer at the premiere of the film Elsa & Fred in 2014
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MacLaine, 2011
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MacLaine helped create the variety show Star-Spangled Women for McGovern–Shriver
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Teresa Heinz with 2013 Kennedy Center honorees: Shirley MacLaine, Martina Arroyo, Billy Joel, Carlos Santana, and Herbie Hancock in 2013.
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See also
In Spanish: Shirley MacLaine para niños
