From acting to dancing—singing to activism—Shirley MacLaine has done it all and then some. With a career that spans over eight decades, her struggles and triumphs pepper her unapologetic life. But behind the scenes, it hasn’t all been brave and bold.
MacLaine went from ballet to Broadway to acting, netting her first Oscar nom while in her early 20s—but she didn’t do it alone. Her little brother Warren followed her into show biz. Though the pair had always been close, Warren wanted to use the last name “Beatty” and suddenly bristled when he was referred to as “Shirley MacLaine’s brother.”
Insulted, MacLaine refused to speak to him, sparking the beginning of a long-running family feud. Though it was her first, it certainly wouldn’t be her last.
When MacLaine gave birth to her daughter Sachiko Parker, she decided that Hollywood wasn’t a safe place to raise a child and moved the whole family to Japan. There was just one problem: MacLaine needed to work, and needed to be in the US to work. So, she left her daughter behind, visiting only on Christmas and holidays.
It was a heartbreaking sacrifice—and MacLaine had no idea just how the consequences of that decision would reverberate down the line.
