At 89 years of age, Shirley MacLaine is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.
Despite her gracious age, the Academy Award-winning actress continues to give and can regularly be seen enjoying Martinis while dining out in Hollywood.
During her seven-decade long career, the Steel Magnolia star has seen it all. Indeed, her life stories are virtually unparalleled compared to those of her contemporaries…
Shirley MacLaine has been around a long, long time, and made so many awesome films during her heyday. The Apartment, The Trouble With Harry, Two Mules For Sister Sara, Guarding Tess – I could go on forever.
Her performance in the classic 1989 film Steel Magnolia is still talked about today, but in real life Shirley is far from the short-tempered character she played in the film, Ouiser Boudreaux.
“Not that much bothers me,” she said in 2019.
“I think attitudes are a choice. Anger is a choice, peace is a choice, sarcasm — which is what I’m good at — is a choice.”
According to MacLaine, her life today is “perfect”. She enjoys eating and sleeping whenever she wants, and spends much of her time on her New Mexico ranch, surrounded by her beloved rat terriers.
Born on April 24, 1934, Shirley started her illustrious career on Broadway in New York and went on to captivate audiences worldwide with her performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s black comedy The Trouble with Harry in 1955.
“He was a hoot, he really was,” Shirley, then 21, said of Hitchcock.
“I mean, thank God I wasn’t tall, thin, ethereal, beautiful and mysterious, or I probably would have hated him.
With more than 50 films to her name, she is undeniably one of the giants of Hollywood history. Despite now being in her late 80s, she continues to pursue her passion for acting and recently appeared in the television series Only Murders in the Building.
‘”I’ve also stayed in the business and never thought about quitting because I wanted to pay for plane tickets to travel. I didn’t socialize Hollywood style,” she explained. ‘I’d rather travel to a country I hadn’t been to. So when I think about my life, I’m not sure I wouldn’t put the travels a bit above show business,” she said.
Despite occasional visits to Tinseltown, MacLaine finds her greatest comfort in nature. Her secret to happiness is not to keep busy, but rather to immerse herself in the wilderness surrounding her New Mexico ranch, where she has spend most of her time in recent time. Being close to nature gives her strength and energy, even though she loves residing at her house in Malibu as well.
Shirley has even encouraged others to ”give it up and learn to amalgamate with nature,” highlighting the benefits of living in harmony with the natural world.
Shirley MacLaine partners
The beloved actress was married to producer and businessman Steve Parker for almost 30 years and in 1956, they had daughter. However, Shirley has been open about the fact that she had other relationships during their marriage.
A few years ago, Sachi Parker made a remarkable claim about her famous mother. In her memoir, Sachi wrote that Shirley had told her that Steve was not her real father. Instead, her father is said to have been an astronaut named Paul.
Shirley denied the claim, issuing a statement hitting back at the allegations.
”It’s a painful moment for me as a mother and as someone who values the truth. I’m shocked and heartbroken that my daughter would make statements about me that are virtually all fiction. I’ve praised her lovingly and truthfully in my own autobiographies. I’m sorry to see such a dishonest, opportunistic effort from my daughter for whom I’ve only ever wanted the best,” she said.
Despite Shirley’s denial, Sachi has remained steadfast in her belief that her biological father is an astronaut named Paul. As a result, their relationship has reportedly become strained – they are said to no longer speak to each other.
As mentioned, Shirley has been open about her unconventional views on relationships and sexuality. In a 2011 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the 89-year-old discussed her relationship with her ex-husband Steve Parker. In 2012, the iconic actress once again made headlines when she revealed to the Daily Mirror that she had slept with not just one, but two prime ministers in her lifetime.
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In her autobiography Out on a Limb, Shirley wrote about a socialist politician she met at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm, Sweden, whom she called “Gerry”.
Many people believed that she was referring to Olof Palme, the Swedish Prime Minister at the time, but he denied the allegations. Shirley also claimed to have slept with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Australian Foreign Minister Andrew Peacock.
When asked about Trudeau, she said:
“He was nice. He was very authoritatively intelligent. And I loved his kids, they were really sweet. Adorable. Very mischievous.”
As for her claims about having had sexual relations with prime ministers, it’s important to remember that these are unverified statements made by Shirley herself. As a result, they may or may not be true.
Shirley has also been rumored to have had a three-year affair with Hollywood legend Robert Mitchum and a six-week “crush” on Dean Martin, among other love affairs.
Shirley MacLaine’s talent and charisma are timeless, and it’s clear that even at the age of 89, she’s still hungry for more creative challenges. Her recent role in Only Murders in the Building was a reminder of just how much she has to offer, and in a recent interview, the Hollywood icon hinted that she’s not done with the silver screen just yet.
”I love making movies. Again, I keep coming back to creativity. I loved part the part of Leonora Folger in Murders. It was such fun shooting those scenes. It was great to catch up with old friends Steve [Martin] and Marty [Short], and I’ve known the creator John Hoffman for years. I just loved being with them,” she told Advocate.
