Shirley MacLaine: biography and filmography of the actress

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Shirley MacLaine is an 81-year-old actress who is unconditionally recognized as a cult character in world cinema. Over the years, the star has managed to try on over a hundred different roles, star in dozens of dramas, comedies, musicals. Fans appreciate the film star not only for her unique ability to transform, but also for her sharp mind, persistent character, and extraordinary charm.

Shirley MacLaine: biography of the star

The future celebrity was born in the US state of Virginia, this joyful event took place in 1934. Interestingly, her parents chose the name for her under the impression of Shirley Temple, who became famous at a young age. Actor Warren Beatty is her brother.

Actress Shirley MacLaine did not immediately think about this profession. The girl was attracted by the scene, but she saw herself as a ballerina. At the age of three, the child was sent by his parents to a ballet school. But the features of the figure prevented the future star from succeeding in this area. In the future, Shirley will tell a journalist that the reason for her separation from the ballet was excessively long legs.

In the early 50s, the future actress tries herself in musicals, her debut is participation in the production of Oklahoma.

First role inmovie

It is impossible to imagine how the fate of Shirley MacLaine would have developed if it were not for chance. The girl starring in the musical Pajama Games suffers a leg injury. In order not to cancel a successful show, its creators offer the future star to replace the unlucky performer. Shirley successfully copes with this task, having mastered a difficult game literally in a day. The spectator of one of the performances turns out to be a Hollywood producer, who is enchanted by a charming red-haired beauty. So Shirley MacLaine receives her first movie offer.

"The Trouble with Harry" is the film that launched the bright film career of the star. Participation in the filming of the black comedy gave her the Golden Globe Award, the recognition of the audience. In the center of the plot is the corpse of a man left in a clearing. The body is alternately discovered by seven passers-by. They all imagine different pictures of the crime based on the details they see.

Best movie of the 60s

After the success of The Trouble with Harry, Shirley MacLaine is actively filming, trying on various images. Huge blue eyes, red hair, an upturned nose - the directors saw the actress in the role of kind-hearted, naive young ladies. She never took acting lessons, but she felt confident on set using her natural talent.

The drama "The Apartment", in which the celebrity played in 1960, is considered her best tape of that period. In the center of the plot is a clerk who makes a very unusual careerway. Si Baxter turned his own home into a dating house where his bosses and colleagues could spend time with their mistresses. However, an unexpected meeting with a beautiful woman makes him look at life in a completely different way.

This was the most memorable, but not the only role that Shirley MacLaine took on in the 60s. The filmography of the star tells about her participation in the films "Two on a Swing", "Children's Hour" and others.

"Musical" roles of Shirley MacLaine

A film musical called "Sweet Charity" was released in 1969. Critics recognized it as one of the best achievements of Shirley MacLaine, films have never so fully conveyed the versatility of her talent. In the film, the actress not only impresses with her performance, but also performs as a dancer, singer.

MacLaine's heroine works at a paid dance hall, never ceases to get carried away by inappropriate men who shamelessly deceive her. But after numerous dates and breakups, fate leads her to a broken elevator, which also turns out to be a nondescript insurance clerk. Of course, the result of a chance meeting is mutual interest, which develops into passion. But the dancer does not want to dedicate a man to her profession in particular.

This is not the only film musical that Shirley MacLaine's performance has made famous. The biography of the celebrity contains a mention of her filming in other musical films: "My Geisha", "Can-Can".

Best movie of the 70s-80s

The end of the 70s - the period when the star was forced to reconsider her ownRole. The images of romantic heroines began to be trusted by younger film stars, McLain was increasingly entrusted with the role of aging women, busy solving age-related problems. However, in this capacity, Shirley looks amazing, her movie characters easily leave young competitors behind.

The films in which the actress played were nominated for an Oscar repeatedly, but for the first time she got the famous award only at the age of 50. The cherished statuette was presented to McLain by the painting "In the Language of Endearment", released in 1983. Her character is an aging woman who survived the death of her daughter. After many years of loneliness, she falls in love with an astronaut neighbor. The tape captivates with subtle sarcasm, excellent acting.

The role of Coco Chanel

The actress has repeatedly embodied on the screen images of famous women who have achieved tremendous success. However, her most striking role was Coco Chanel. Shirley MacLaine starred in this film already in 2008. Coco Chanel achieved popularity at a fairly mature age, becoming a true style icon and managing to remain so for many years.

The autobiography film tells about the life path of a celebrity. The story begins with an orphanage where she spent her childhood. The picture touches on all the significant events in Coco's life, talks about how she came to success in spite of wars, lack of money and suffering. The actress did a great job of talking about the unbending nature of a great woman.

Before this role, the film star did not stop acting,giving the public a large number of interesting images, for example, in the film "Mrs. Winterbourne". Shirley MacLaine took part in this picture in 1996.

Love and hate

The husband of the actress for 30 years was Steve Parker. Despite this, the star did not deny herself connections on the side, constantly covering the details of her endless hobbies in her memoirs. In marriage, McLain had a daughter, who also chose the acting profession, but failed to repeat the success of the famous mother.

The relationship between the actress and her brother has been a favorite topic of journalists writing about Hollywood stars for many years. Warren Beatty was never a friend of his illustrious sister, their attitude towards each other testified rather to enmity. In an interview, Shirley dismissively referred to her brother as an uninteresting person.

McLain's other hobbies

Fans of the star have always been interested in the phenomenon that allows her to remain in demand at any age. This is easily explained by the fact that the film star never limited her life to filming in films. A huge number of books were created by her, some of her works became bestsellers. Difficult topics have always been of particular interest to the actress. Shirley MacLaine wrote books related to the topics of reincarnation, life after death, and prophecies. An example of such a work, which was sold in huge circulations, is “Dance in the Night”.

I was interested in the Hollywood celebrity and the topic of documentary chronicles. With her active help, the famous painting "The Other Half of the Sky", published in 1975, was created.year.

The last film with Shirley was released in 2015, this is the picture "Jim Button", in which she played one of the main female roles. The film star is in great shape, which allows her fans to hope for new bright works.