Editing Warren Beatty (section)

=== 1967–1977: Stardom and acclaim ===
[[File:Warren Beatty Photoplay, 1961.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|Beatty in 1961]]
At age 29, Beatty produced and acted in ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]]'', released in 1967. He assembled a team that included the writers [[Robert Benton]] and [[David Newman (filmmaker)|David Newman]], and the director [[Arthur Penn]]. Beatty selected most of the cast, including [[Faye Dunaway]], [[Gene Hackman]], [[Estelle Parsons]], [[Gene Wilder]] and [[Michael J. Pollard]]. Beatty also oversaw the script and spearheaded the delivery of the film. Beatty chose Gene Hackman because he had acted with him in ''Lilith'' in 1964 and felt he was a "great" actor.<ref name=LAT>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinetropic.com/bonnieandclyde/times97.html|title=Blasts From the Past|work=Los Angeles Times|date=August 24, 1967|url-status=live|archive-date=December 23, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241223051748/https://www.cinetropic.com/bonnieandclyde/times97.html}}</ref> Upon completion of the film, he credited Hackman with giving the "most authentic performance in the movie, so textured and so moving", recalls Dunaway.<ref name=LAT/> Beatty had been so impressed by Gene Wilder after seeing him in a play, that he cast him without an audition for what became Wilder's screen debut. Beatty already knew Pollard: "Michael J. Pollard was one of my oldest friends", Beatty said. "I'd known him forever; I met him the day I got my first television show. We did a play together on Broadway."<ref name=LAT/>

''Bonnie and Clyde'' became a critical and commercial success, despite the early misgivings by studio head [[Jack L. Warner|Jack Warner]] who put up the production money. Before filming began, Warner said, "What does Warren Beatty think he's doing? How did he ever get us into this thing? This gangster stuff went out with [[James Cagney|Cagney]]."<ref name=LAT/> The film was nominated for ten [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]], and seven [[Golden Globe Award]]s, including Best Picture and Best Actor.<ref name="Beatty Golden Globes"/> Beatty was originally entitled to 40% of the film's profits but gave 10% to Penn, and his 30% share earned him more than US$6&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=August 8, 1968 |page=1 |title=Warren Beatty 'Bonnie' Share May Hit $6,300,000; He Gave Arthur Penn 10%}}</ref> After ''Bonnie and Clyde'', Beatty acted with [[Elizabeth Taylor]] in ''[[The_Only_Game_in_Town_(1970_film)|The Only Game in Town]]'' (1970), directed by George Stevens; ''[[McCabe & Mrs. Miller]]'' (1971), directed by [[Robert Altman]]; and ''[[$ (film)|Dollars]]'' (1971), directed by Richard Brooks.

In 1972, Beatty produced a series of [[benefit concert]]s to help with publicity and fundraising in the [[George McGovern 1972 presidential campaign]]. Beatty first put together [[Four for McGovern]] at [[The Forum (Inglewood, California)|The Forum]] in the Los Angeles area, convincing [[Barbra Streisand]], [[Carole King]] and [[James Taylor]] to perform. Streisand brought [[Quincy Jones]] and his Orchestra, and recorded the album ''[[Live Concert at the Forum]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2011/02/15/warren-beatty-sexes-up-george-mcgovern/ |last=Orth |first=Maureen |author-link=Maureen Orth |date=April 27, 1972 |title=Warren Beatty Sexes Up George McGovern |newspaper=The Village Voice |access-date=August 2, 2020}} Archival article introduced by Tony Ortega on February 15, 2011.</ref> Two weeks later, Beatty mounted another concert at the [[Cleveland Arena]], in which [[Joni Mitchell]] and [[Paul Simon]] joined James Taylor.<ref>{{cite news |title=Candidate's Day: McGovern Fund Gala Is Sold Out |date=April 29, 1972 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/04/29/archives/mcgovern-fund-concert-in-cleveland-is-sold-out.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420221638/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/04/29/archives/mcgovern-fund-concert-in-cleveland-is-sold-out.html |archive-date=April 20, 2021}}</ref> In June 1972, Beatty produced [[Together for McGovern]] at [[Madison Square Garden]], reuniting [[Simon and Garfunkel]], [[Nichols and May]], and [[Peter, Paul and Mary]], and featuring [[Dionne Warwick]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/15/archives/rock-n-rhetoric-rally-in-the-garden-aids-mcgovern.html |last=Phillips |first=McCandlish |author-link=McCandlish Phillips |date=June 15, 1972 |title=Rock 'n' Rhetoric Rally in the Garden Aids McGovern |newspaper=The New York Times |url-status=live|archive-date=August 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805081147/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/15/archives/rock-n-rhetoric-rally-in-the-garden-aids-mcgovern.html}}</ref> With these productions, campaign manager [[Gary Hart]] said that Beatty had "invented the political concert".<ref name="finstad"/> He had mobilized Hollywood celebrities for a political cause on a scale previously unseen, creating a new power dynamic.<ref name="biskind"/>

Beatty appeared in the films ''[[The Parallax View]]'' (1974), directed by [[Alan Pakula]]; and ''[[The Fortune]]'' (1975), directed by [[Mike Nichols]]. Taking greater control, Beatty produced, co-wrote and acted in ''[[Shampoo (film)|Shampoo]]'' (1975), directed by [[Hal Ashby]], which was nominated for four Academy Awards, including [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]], as well as five Golden Globe Awards, including [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy|Best Motion Picture]] and Best Actor.