Ali MacGraw
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Alice "Ali" MacGraw (born April 1, 1939) is an American actress. She is known for her role in Love Story
, for which she won a Golden Globe and received an Academy Award nomination.
, the daughter of commercial artists Frances (née Klein) and Richard MacGraw. Her mother was of Hungarian Jewish
background and her father was of Scottish descent. She has one brother, Dick, an artist. MacGraw has described her father as "violent."
(now Choate Rosemary Hall, class of 1955) and Wellesley College (class of 1960), she began working in 1960 as a photographic assistant at Harper's Bazaar
, as an assistant to the legendary fashion maven, Diana Vreeland
, where she stayed for six years. She also worked at Vogue
, as a fashion model, and as a photographer's stylist. She has also worked as an interior decorator. MacGraw also appeared in several television commercials including the one for the Polaroid Swinger
camera.
She gained notice in the 1969 film Goodbye, Columbus
, but real stardom came the following year with the popular film, Love Story
, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
. Following this, MacGraw was featured on the cover of Time
magazine. In 1971, she also appeared on Richard Blackwell
's worst-dressed list.
In 1972, after appearing in only four films, she had her footprints and autograph embedded at Grauman's Chinese Theatre
. In 1972, she co-starred in the action adventure film The Getaway
with Steve McQueen
, whom she married in 1973. They were divorced in 1978. Having taken a break from acting, she re-emerged in the 1978 film Convoy, Players (1979), Just Tell Me What You Want
(1980), and then the 1983 television miniseries
China Rose and The Winds of War
. In 1984, MacGraw joined the hit ABC
prime-time soap opera
Dynasty
as Lady Ashley Mitchell, which, she admitted in a 2011 interview, she did for the money. She appeared in 14 episodes of the show before her character became one of the few casualties of the infamous "Moldavian wedding massacre" cliffhanger episode in 1985.
MacGraw's autobiography, Moving Pictures (which she now describes as "not well written"), revealed her struggles with alcohol
and male dependence. She was treated for the former at the Betty Ford Center
. In 1991, People
magazine chose her as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the World.
Since 1994, she has lived in Santa Fe
, New Mexico
, after "fleeing Malibu" when a house she was renting caught fire and burned down. Having become a Hatha Yoga
devotee in her fifties, she made a Yoga
video with the American Yoga Master Erich Schiffmann
, Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind and Body, which was a bestseller upon release and was still popular more than a decade later. The video's impact was such that in June 2007 Vanity Fair
magazine credited her for being one of the people responsible for the practice's recent popularity in the United States. In keeping with her interests, she narrated a documentary, The Fire of Yoga, in 2003.
She made her Broadway theatre
debut in New York City
in 2006 as a dysfunctional matriarch in the drama Festen (The Celebration). She was also included in a Seventeen magazine issue for inspiring hairstyles.
In 2008, GQ magazine listed her in their "Sexiest 25 Women in Film Ever" edition for her 1972 role with Steve McQueen in The Getaway.
In 2009, she appeared as the lead actor in Macy's TV commercials about its clothing line.
On October 12, 2010 she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show
. Oprah arranged a "Love Story Reunion" by reuniting the 1970 Love Story
star with co-star Ryan O'Neal
. The two discussed their roles in the movie and O'Neal said he had a terrible crush on MacGraw throughout the filming, asking her to go away with him even though both were married at the time. Now that they are single, O'Neal said on "Oprah" that he would again ask MacGraw out. During the show a quote from Calvin Klein was mentioned as saying, "She (McGraw) exemplified the great American Style".
by author Cathy Scott
about Best Friends Animal Society
and the largest pet rescue in U.S. history. An animal rights advocate throughout her life, she was given the Humane Education Award by Animal Protection of New Mexico for speaking out about animal issues. She has been a life-long owner of Scottish Terriers.
when she was in her early 20s. From 1961 to 1962, she was married to banker Robin Hoen. On October 24, 1969, MacGraw married film producer Robert Evans, becoming the third of his seven wives. Their son, Josh Evans
, was born on January 16, 1971. The couple divorced in 1972 after she became involved with Steve McQueen on the set of The Getaway
. Despite being divorced from him, she and Evans are on good terms and have since made several public appearances together. MacGraw married McQueen on July 13, 1973. McQueen filed for divorce in 1978 after he became involved with Barbara Minty
. MacGraw has not remarried.
She divides her time living in her homes in Santa Fe, New Mexico
, and Los Angeles, California
.
Love Story (1970 film)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
, for which she won a Golden Globe and received an Academy Award nomination.
Early life
MacGraw was born in Pound Ridge, New YorkPound Ridge, New York
Pound Ridge is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,104 at the 2010 census.The town is located in the eastern corner of the county, bordered by New Canaan, Connecticut, to the east, Stamford, Connecticut, to the south, Bedford, New York, to the west and...
, the daughter of commercial artists Frances (née Klein) and Richard MacGraw. Her mother was of Hungarian Jewish
History of the Jews in Hungary
Hungarian Jews have existed since at least the 11th century. After struggling against discrimination throughout the Middle Ages, by the early 20th century the community grew to be 5% of Hungary's population , and were prominent in science, the arts and business...
background and her father was of Scottish descent. She has one brother, Dick, an artist. MacGraw has described her father as "violent."
Career
An alumna of Rosemary HallChoate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut...
(now Choate Rosemary Hall, class of 1955) and Wellesley College (class of 1960), she began working in 1960 as a photographic assistant at Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, as an assistant to the legendary fashion maven, Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland was a noted columnist and editor in the field of fashion. She worked for the fashion magazines Harper's Bazaar and Vogue and the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Born as Diana Dalziel, Vreeland was the eldest daughter of American socialite mother Emily Key Hoffman...
, where she stayed for six years. She also worked at Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, as a fashion model, and as a photographer's stylist. She has also worked as an interior decorator. MacGraw also appeared in several television commercials including the one for the Polaroid Swinger
Polaroid Swinger
The Polaroid Model 20 "Swinger" was a popular Land Camera produced by the Polaroid Corporation between 1965 and 1970. At $19.95 USD it was the first truly inexpensive instant camera, a fact that helped fuel its enormous popularity and made it one of the top-selling cameras of all time...
camera.
She gained notice in the 1969 film Goodbye, Columbus
Goodbye, Columbus (film)
Goodbye, Columbus is a 1969 American romantic comedy drama film starring Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw, directed by Larry Peerce and based on the novella of the same name by Philip Roth...
, but real stardom came the following year with the popular film, Love Story
Love Story (1970 film)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
, for which she was nominated for 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...
. Following this, MacGraw was featured on the cover of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine. In 1971, she also appeared on Richard Blackwell
Richard Blackwell
Richard Blackwell was an American fashion critic, journalist, television and radio personality, artist, former child actor and former fashion designer, sometimes known just as Mr. Blackwell. He was the creator of the "Ten Worst Dressed Women List", an annual awards presentation he unveiled in...
's worst-dressed list.
In 1972, after appearing in only four films, she had her footprints and autograph embedded at Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theater at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame.The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922...
. In 1972, she co-starred in the action adventure film The Getaway
The Getaway (1972 film)
The Getaway is a 1972 American action-crime film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw.The film is based on a novel by Jim Thompson, with the screenplay written by Walter Hill...
with Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
, whom she married in 1973. They were divorced in 1978. Having taken a break from acting, she re-emerged in the 1978 film Convoy, Players (1979), Just Tell Me What You Want
Just Tell Me What You Want
Just Tell Me What You Want is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Sidney Lumet. It stars Ali MacGraw, Peter Weller and Alan King, and was also the final film of screen legend Myrna Loy....
(1980), and then the 1983 television miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
China Rose and The Winds of War
The Winds of War
The Winds of War is Herman Wouk's second book about World War II, the first being The Caine Mutiny . Published in 1971, it was followed up seven years later by War and Remembrance; originally conceived as one volume, Wouk decided to break it in two when he realized it took nearly 1000 pages just to...
. In 1984, MacGraw joined the hit ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
prime-time soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
as Lady Ashley Mitchell, which, she admitted in a 2011 interview, she did for the money. She appeared in 14 episodes of the show before her character became one of the few casualties of the infamous "Moldavian wedding massacre" cliffhanger episode in 1985.
MacGraw's autobiography, Moving Pictures (which she now describes as "not well written"), revealed her struggles with alcohol
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and male dependence. She was treated for the former at the Betty Ford Center
Betty Ford Center
The Betty Ford Center , is a non-profit, separately licensed residential chemical dependency recovery hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, that offers inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions as well as prevention and education programs for family and children...
. In 1991, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine chose her as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the World.
Since 1994, she has lived in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, after "fleeing Malibu" when a house she was renting caught fire and burned down. Having become a Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
devotee in her fifties, she made a Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
video with the American Yoga Master Erich Schiffmann
Erich Schiffmann
Erich Schiffmann is an accomplished American Yoga Master widely known for his award-winning video, Yoga Mind & Body, featuring actress Ali MacGraw. He is the author of a best-selling book, Moving into Stillness...
, Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind and Body, which was a bestseller upon release and was still popular more than a decade later. The video's impact was such that in June 2007 Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
magazine credited her for being one of the people responsible for the practice's recent popularity in the United States. In keeping with her interests, she narrated a documentary, The Fire of Yoga, in 2003.
She made her Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in New York City
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...
in 2006 as a dysfunctional matriarch in the drama Festen (The Celebration). She was also included in a Seventeen magazine issue for inspiring hairstyles.
In 2008, GQ magazine listed her in their "Sexiest 25 Women in Film Ever" edition for her 1972 role with Steve McQueen in The Getaway.
In 2009, she appeared as the lead actor in Macy's TV commercials about its clothing line.
On October 12, 2010 she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
. Oprah arranged a "Love Story Reunion" by reuniting the 1970 Love Story
Love Story (1970 film)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
star with co-star Ryan O'Neal
Ryan O'Neal
Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal , better known as Ryan O'Neal, is an American actor best known for his appearances in the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place and for his roles in such films as Paper Moon , Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon , A Bridge Too Far , and Love Story , for which he received...
. The two discussed their roles in the movie and O'Neal said he had a terrible crush on MacGraw throughout the filming, asking her to go away with him even though both were married at the time. Now that they are single, O'Neal said on "Oprah" that he would again ask MacGraw out. During the show a quote from Calvin Klein was mentioned as saying, "She (McGraw) exemplified the great American Style".
Animal welfare
In July 2006, MacGraw filmed a public service announcement for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), urging residents to take their pets with them in the event of wildfires. In 2008, she wrote the foreword to the book Pawprints of KatrinaPawprints of Katrina
Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned is a 2008 non-fiction book written by author and journalist Cathy Scott that documents the writer's experience embedded with Best Friends Animal Society triage center to rescue lost animals in the Gulf region and reunite them with their people...
by author Cathy Scott
Cathy Scott
Cathy Scott is an American true crime writer and investigative journalist, born and raised in San Diego, United States growing up in nearby La Mesa, California...
about Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society, founded in its present form in 1984, is an American nonprofit 501 organization that is one of America’s best known animal welfare rescue groups. Best Friends works in outreach programs with shelters, other rescue groups and members nationwide to promote pet adoption,...
and the largest pet rescue in U.S. history. An animal rights advocate throughout her life, she was given the Humane Education Award by Animal Protection of New Mexico for speaking out about animal issues. She has been a life-long owner of Scottish Terriers.
Personal life
MacGraw has stated that she had an illegal abortionAbortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
when she was in her early 20s. From 1961 to 1962, she was married to banker Robin Hoen. On October 24, 1969, MacGraw married film producer Robert Evans, becoming the third of his seven wives. Their son, Josh Evans
Josh Evans (film producer)
Josh Evans is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor.-Life and education:Evans was born in New York City, New York, the son of actress Ali MacGraw and producer Robert Evans. He is also the nephew of the late producer Charles Evans, stepson of Steve McQueen, and the stepbrother of actor and...
, was born on January 16, 1971. The couple divorced in 1972 after she became involved with Steve McQueen on the set of The Getaway
The Getaway (1972 film)
The Getaway is a 1972 American action-crime film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw.The film is based on a novel by Jim Thompson, with the screenplay written by Walter Hill...
. Despite being divorced from him, she and Evans are on good terms and have since made several public appearances together. MacGraw married McQueen on July 13, 1973. McQueen filed for divorce in 1978 after he became involved with Barbara Minty
Barbara Minty
Barbara Minty, also known as Barbara Minty McQueen, is the third wife of American film star Steve McQueen. Barbara was born in Seattle, Washington and spent several years growing up in Corvallis, Oregon, graduating from Corvallis High School in 1971....
. MacGraw has not remarried.
She divides her time living in her homes in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | A Lovely Way to Die | Melody | |
| 1969 | Goodbye, Columbus Goodbye, Columbus (film) Goodbye, Columbus is a 1969 American romantic comedy drama film starring Richard Benjamin and Ali MacGraw, directed by Larry Peerce and based on the novella of the same name by Philip Roth... |
Brenda Patimkin | Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer -Best British Director, Producer or Writer in the First Film:*2006 - Red Road - Andrea Arnold**Black Sun – Gary Tarn**Pierrepoint – Christine Langan**London to Brighton – Paul Andrew Williams... |
| 1970 | Love Story Love Story (1970 film) Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story... |
Jennifer Cavilleri | 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 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... |
| 1972 | The Getaway The Getaway (1972 film) The Getaway is a 1972 American action-crime film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw.The film is based on a novel by Jim Thompson, with the screenplay written by Walter Hill... |
Carol McCoy | |
| 1978 | Convoy | Melissa | |
| 1979 | Players | Nicole Boucher | |
| 1980 | Just Tell Me What You Want Just Tell Me What You Want Just Tell Me What You Want is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Sidney Lumet. It stars Ali MacGraw, Peter Weller and Alan King, and was also the final film of screen legend Myrna Loy.... |
Bones Burton | |
| 1983 | The Winds of War | Natalie Jastrow | TV mini-series |
| 1983 | China Rose | Rose | (TV) |
| 1985 | Dynasty Dynasty (TV series) Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado... |
Lady Ashley Mitchell | TV series (14 episodes) |
| 1986 | Murder Elite | Diane Baker | |
| 1992 | Survive the Savage Sea | Claire Carpenter | TV film |
| 1993 | Gunsmoke: The Long Ride | Uncle Jane Merkel | (TV) |
| 1994 | Natural Causes | Fran Jakes | |
| 1997 | Glam | Lynn Travers | |
| 1999 | Get Bruce Get Bruce Get Bruce is a 1999 documentary film starring Bruce Vilanch, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin, Shirley MacLaine, Steven Seagal, Carol Burnett and Michael Douglas. The film is directed by Andrew J. Kuehn.-Synopsis:... |
Herself | |
| 2002 | The Trail of the Painted Ponies | Narrator | |
| 2005 | Passion & Poetry: The Ballad of Sam Peckinpah | Herself | |
| 2007 | Do You Sleep in the Nude? | Herself |
- Made two appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show, once in 1990 and then the farewell season in 2011.