Editing Shirley MacLaine

{{Short description|American actress, and author (born 1934)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{infobox person
| name               = 
| image              = Shirley MacLaine - 1960.jpg
| caption            = MacLaine in 1960
| birth_name         = Shirley MacLean Beaty<!-- spelling of Beaty here is correct -->
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1934|4|24}}
| birth_place        = [[Richmond, Virginia]], U.S.
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actress|author|activist|dancer|singer}}
| years_active       = 1952–present
| spouse             = {{marriage|Steve Parker|1954|1982|end=div}}
| children           = [[Sachi Parker]]
| relatives          = {{plainlist|
* [[Warren Beatty]] (brother)
* [[Ella Beatty]] (niece)
* [[Annette Bening]] (sister-in-law)
}}
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine|Full list]]
| website            = {{URL|https://shirleymaclaine.com/}}
}}

'''Shirley MacLaine''' (born '''Shirley MacLean Beaty''';<!--spelling of Beaty here is correct--> April 24, 1934)<ref name=independent>{{cite news|last=Walsh|first=John|title=Shirley MacLaine: Tough at the top|date=September 1, 2012|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/shirley-maclaine-tough-at-the-top-8099836.html|access-date=June 1, 2015}}</ref> is an American actress and author. With a career spanning over 70 years, she has received [[List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine|numerous accolades]], including an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]], an [[Primetime Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]], two [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Awards]], six [[Golden Globe Awards]], two [[Volpi Cup for Best Actress|Volpi Cups]], and two [[Silver Bear for Best Actress|Silver Bears]]. She has been honored with the [[Film Society of Lincoln Center]] Tribute in 1995, the [[Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award|Cecil B. DeMille Award]] in 1998, the [[AFI Life Achievement Award]] in 2012, and the [[Kennedy Center Honors|Kennedy Center Honor]] in 2014. MacLaine is one of the last remaining stars from the [[Golden Age of Hollywood]].

Born in [[Richmond, Virginia]], MacLaine made her acting debut as a teenager with minor roles in the Broadway musicals ''[[Me and Juliet]]'' and ''[[The Pajama Game]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shirley MacLaine – Broadway Cast & Staff {{!}} IBDB |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/shirley-maclaine-50809 |access-date=March 10, 2024 |website=www.ibdb.com}}</ref> MacLaine's career began during the final years of the [[Golden Age of Hollywood]] where she made her film debut with [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s black comedy ''[[The Trouble with Harry]]'' (1955), winning the [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress]]. She rose to prominence with starring roles in ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956), ''[[Some Came Running (film)|Some Came Running]]'' (1958), ''[[Ask Any Girl (film)|Ask Any Girl]]'' (1959), ''[[The Apartment]]'' (1960), ''[[The Children's Hour (film)|The Children's Hour]]'' (1961), ''[[Irma la Douce]]'' (1963), and ''[[Sweet Charity (film)|Sweet Charity]]'' (1969).

A six-time Academy Award nominee, MacLaine won the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] for the comedy-drama ''[[Terms of Endearment]]'' (1983). Her other prominent films include ''[[The Turning Point (1977 film)|The Turning Point]]'' (1977), ''[[Being There]]'' (1979), ''[[Madame Sousatzka]]'' (1988), ''[[Steel Magnolias]]'' (1989), ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]'' (1990), ''[[In Her Shoes (film)|In Her Shoes]]'' (2005), ''[[Bernie (2011 film)|Bernie]]'' (2011), ''[[The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 film)|The Secret Life of Walter Mitty]]'' (2013), ''[[Elsa & Fred (2014 film)|Elsa & Fred]]'' (2014), and ''[[Noelle (2019 film)|Noelle]]'' (2019).

MacLaine starred in the sitcom ''[[Shirley's World]]'' (1971–1972) and played the [[Coco Chanel|eponymous fashion designer]] in the biopic television film ''[[Coco Chanel (film)|Coco Chanel]]'' (2008), receiving nominations for a [[Primetime Emmy Award]], a [[Screen Actors Guild Award]], and a [[Golden Globe Award]] for the latter. She also made appearances in several television series, including ''[[Downton Abbey]]'' (2012–2013), ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'' (2014), and ''[[Only Murders in the Building]]'' (2022). MacLaine has written many books regarding the subjects of [[metaphysics]], [[spirituality]], and [[reincarnation]], as well as a best-selling memoir, ''[[Out on a Limb (book)|Out on a Limb]]'' (1983).

== Early life and education ==
Named after child actress [[Shirley Temple]], who was six years old at the time, Shirley MacLean Beaty<!-- spelling of Beaty here is correct --> was born on April 24, 1934, in [[Richmond, Virginia]]. Her father, Ira Owens Beaty,<!-- spelling of Beaty here is correct --><ref>Gary Boyd Roberts (Revised April 18, 2008) [https://web.archive.org/web/20090301172443/http://www.newenglandancestors.org/research/services/articles_gbr83.asp #83 Royal Descents, Notable Kin, and Printed Sources: A Third Set of Ten Hollywood Figures (or Groups Thereof), with a Coda on Two Directors]. New England Historic Genealogical Society</ref> was a professor of psychology, public school administrator, and a real estate agent. Her Canadian mother, Kathlyn Corinne (née MacLean), was a drama teacher from [[Wolfville, Nova Scotia]]. MacLaine's younger brother is filmmaker [[Warren Beatty]], who changed the spelling of his surname for his career.<ref name="60mins">{{cite web| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/shirley-maclaines-recent-lives/|title=Shirley MacLaine's Recent Lives|last=Kohn|first=David|author2=Mike Wallace |date=May 16, 2000|work=[[60 Minutes]]|publisher=[[CBS News]]|access-date= January 4, 2014}}</ref> Both were raised by their parents as [[Baptist beliefs|Baptists]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/Warren_Beatty.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051119131419/http://adherents.com/people/pb/Warren_Beatty.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=November 19, 2005 |title=The religion of Warren Beatty, actor, director|website=Adherents.com|date= August 30, 2005|access-date= March 6, 2010}}</ref> Her mother's brother-in-law was [[A. A. MacLeod]], a [[Communism|Communist]] member of the [[Ontario]] provincial legislature in the 1940s.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ytZ7Nf7PxaAC&q=%22uncle+Alex+MacLeod%22&pg=PA396 |title=Warren Beatty: A Private Man |author=Suzanne Finstad |page=396 |date= October 24, 2006|publisher=Three Rivers Press |isbn=9780307345295 |access-date=January 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=buw21mxhGp8C&q=%22uncle+Alex+MacLeod%22&pg=PT288 |title=Star: The Life and Wild Times of Warren Beatty |author=Peter Biskind |date=May 13, 2010 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781847378392 |access-date=January 10, 2016}}</ref>

While MacLaine was still a child, Ira Beaty<!-- spelling of Beaty here is correct --> moved the family from Richmond to [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], and then to [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington]], then to [[Waverly, Virginia|Waverly]], and then back to Arlington, where he worked at Thomas Jefferson Junior High School in Arlington, in 1945. MacLaine played baseball on a boys team, holding the record for most home runs, which earned her the nickname "Powerhouse". During the 1950s, the family resided in the [[Dominion Hills Historic District|Dominion Hills]] section of Arlington.<ref name=VAnom>{{cite web|url= http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/CPHD/ons/hp/file84027.pdf|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Dominion Hills Historic District|author1=Laura Trieschmann |author2=Paul Weishar |author3=Anna Stillner |name-list-style=amp |date= May 2011}}</ref>

As a toddler, she had weak ankles and fell over with the slightest misstep, so her mother decided to enroll her in ballet class at the Washington School of Ballet at the age of three.<ref name="Denis1980">{{cite book|last=Denis|first=Christopher |title=The films of Shirley MacLaine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PwEvAAAAMAAJ|access-date=April 11, 2011|year=1980|publisher=Citadel Press|isbn=978-0-8065-0693-7|page=14}}</ref> This was the beginning of her interest in performing. Strongly motivated by ballet, she never missed a class. In classical romantic pieces such as ''[[Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[The Sleeping Beauty (ballet)|The Sleeping Beauty]]'', she always played the boys' roles because she was the tallest in the groups of girls. MacLaine eventually was cast in a substantial female role as the fairy godmother in ''[[Cinderella (Prokofiev)|Cinderella]]'' and while warming up backstage, broke her ankle. She tightened the ribbons on her toe shoes and completed the entire performance before calling for an ambulance. Ultimately MacLaine decided against making a career of professional ballet because she had grown too tall and felt unable to perfect her technique. She explained that hers was unlike the ideal body type, lacking the requisite "beautifully constructed feet" of high arches, high insteps and a flexible ankle.<ref name="MacLaine1996">{{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley| title=My Lucky Stars: A Hollywood Memoir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSKjB8WWKoIC |access-date=April 11, 2011|date=November 1, 1996|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-553-57233-9}}</ref> She moved on to other forms of dancing as well as acting and musical theater.

MacLaine attended [[Washington-Liberty High School|Washington-Lee High School]] in Arlington, Virginia, where she was on the cheerleading squad and acted in school theatrical productions.

==Career==
The summer before her senior year of high school in Arlington, Virginia, MacLaine went to New York City to try acting and had minor success in the chorus of a production of ''[[Oklahoma!]]'' that toured the [[Subway Circuit|subway circuit]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nypl.org/blog/2021/03/01/shirley-macclaine-memoirs |access-date=March 10, 2024 |website=www.nypl.org |title=Transcribing the Light: The Memoirs of Shirley MacLaine }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Filichia |first=Peter |date=September 22, 2015 |title=Shirley MacLaine Remembers Her Broadway Roots By Peter Filichia |url=https://masterworksbroadway.com/blog/shirley-maclaine-remembers-her-broadway-roots-by-peter-filichia/ |access-date=March 10, 2024 |website=The Official Masterworks Broadway Site |language=en-US}}</ref> After graduation, she returned and made her Broadway debut dancing in the ensemble of the Broadway production of ''[[Me and Juliet]]'' (1953–1954).<ref>{{IBDB name}}</ref> Afterwards she became an understudy to actress [[Carol Haney]] in ''[[The Pajama Game]]''; in May 1954 Haney injured her ankle during a Wednesday matinee, and MacLaine performed in her place.<ref>Finstad, Suzanne, ''Warren Beatty: A Private Man'' (2005, NY, Random House) page 106. The exact nature of Haney's injury - a sprain, a torn ligament, a break, a fracture - varies from source to source.</ref> A few months later, with Haney still injured, [[Jerry Lewis]] saw a matinee and urged film producer [[Hal B. Wallis]] to attend the evening performance with him, hoping to cast her in ''[[Artists and Models]]''. Wallis signed her to work for [[Paramount Pictures]].<ref name="Hunt">{{cite news |last1=Hunt |first1=Stephen |title=Shirley MacLaine walks Calgary through her colourful life |url=https://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/celebrity/shirley-maclaine-walks-calgary-through-her-colourful-life |access-date=12 April 2025 |work=Calgary Herald |date=May 27, 2014}}</ref>

===1955–1959: Career beginnings and success===
[[File:Shirley MacLaine in The Trouble With Harry trailer.jpg|thumb|MacLaine in her debut film ''[[The Trouble with Harry]]'' (1955)]]
MacLaine began her career and quickly rose to fame during the final years of the [[Golden Age of Hollywood]] when she made her film debut in [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[The Trouble with Harry]]'' (1955), for which she won the [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress]].

''The Trouble with Harry'' was quickly followed by her role in the [[Martin and Lewis]] film ''[[Artists and Models]]'' (also 1955). Soon afterwards, she had the female lead in ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]'' (1956), which won the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. This was followed by ''[[Hot Spell (film)|Hot Spell]]'', ''[[The Sheepman]]'', and [[The Matchmaker (1958 film)|''The Matchmaker'']] (1958), all released in 1958.

She played Ginny Moorehead, who falls in love with [[Frank Sinatra]]'s character, Dave, in [[Vincente Minelli]]'s adaptation of James Jones’ novel ''[[Some Came Running (novel)|Some Came Running]]'', in the [[Some Came Running (film)|1958 film of the same name]]. The film saw her co-starring with [[Dean Martin]] for the second time. For her role as Ginny Moorehead, she earned positive reviews and received her first nominations for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] and the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]. She appeared with Dean Martin in ''Career'' (1959), the third of their several films.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

===1960–1969: Acclaim and stardom===
[[File:The apartment trailer maclaine1.JPG|thumb|left|MacLaine in the trailer for ''[[The Apartment]]'' (1960)]]
MacLaine appeared with Frank Sinatra in 1960's ''[[Can-Can (film)|Can-Can]]'', then made a cameo appearance in the [[Rat Pack]] movie ''[[Ocean's 11]]'' (1960). MacLaine would become an honorary member of the Rat Pack.<ref name="Yahoo!">{{cite web |last1=Shewfelt |first1=Raechal |title=Shirley MacLaine says Rat Pack pals Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin never hit on her: 'They protected me' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/shirley-mac-laine-says-rat-pack-pals-frank-sinatra-and-dean-martin-never-hit-on-her-they-protected-me-000040307.html |website=Yahoo! Entertainment |date=November 5, 2019 |publisher=Yahoo! |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref>

In 1960, MacLaine starred in [[Billy Wilder]]'s romantic drama ''[[The Apartment]]'' (1960). The film is set on the [[Upper West Side]] of Manhattan and follows an insurance clerk, C.C. Baxter ([[Jack Lemmon]]), who allows his co-workers to use his apartment for their extramarital affairs. He is attracted to the insurance company's elevator operator (MacLaine), who is already having an affair with Baxter's boss ([[Fred MacMurray]]). The film received widespread critical acclaim and emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office. It received ten [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations, winning [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]], [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction (Black and White)]] and [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]. MacLaine's performance in the film earned her a second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. However, despite being highly favored to win, she lost the award to [[Elizabeth Taylor]] for ''[[BUtterfield 8]]''. She, however, won the [[Volpi Cup for Best Actress]], the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role]] and the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical]]. ''The Apartment'' was included by [[Roger Ebert]] in his 2001 [[The Great Movies|Great Movies]] list. [[Charlize Theron]], speaking at the [[89th Academy Awards]], praised MacLaine's performance as "raw, real, and funny", and as making "this black and white movie feel like it's in color".<ref>{{cite web |date=February 26, 2017 |title=Social Media Gushes Over Shirley MacLaine After Oscars Appearance |url=https://www.thewrap.com/social-media-gushes-shirley-maclaine-oscars-appearance/ |access-date=May 18, 2020 |website=[[TheWrap]]}}</ref>

[[Image:The apartment trailer 1.JPG|thumb|right|[[Jack Lemmon]] and MacLaine, in a still from ''The Apartment'''s final scene-“Shut up and deal!”]]

MacLaine starred in ''[[The Children's Hour (film)|The Children's Hour]]'' (1961), based on the play by [[Lillian Hellman]], and directed by [[William Wyler]]. Reunited with Wilder and Lemmon for ''[[Irma la Douce]]'' (1963); she received her third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, in addition to winning her second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

In 1970, MacLaine published a memoir titled ''Don’t Fall off the Mountain'', the first of her numerous books. She devoted some pages to a 1963 incident in which she had marched into the Los Angeles office of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' and punched columnist [[Mike Connolly (columnist)|Mike Connolly]] in the mouth.<ref>{{cite book | last=MacLaine | first=Shirley | title=Don't Fall Off the Mountain | location=New York | publisher=W.W. Norton & Company Limited | year=1970 | isbn=978-0-393-07338-6}}</ref> She was angered by what he had said in his column about her ongoing contractual dispute with producer [[Hal B. Wallis|Hal Wallis]], who had introduced her to the movie industry in 1954 and whom she eventually sued successfully for violating the terms of their contract.<ref name="auto1">''Hanrihan v. Parker'', 19 Misc. 2d 467, 469 (N.Y. Misc. 1959).</ref> The incident with Connolly garnered a headline on the cover of the ''[[New York Post]]'' on June 11, 1963.<ref name="auto">Lefkowitz, Bernard (June 11, 1963). “Shirley Delivers A Punchy Line!” ''New York Post''</ref> The full story appeared on page 5 under the headline “Shirley Delivers A Punchy Line!” with a byline by [[Bernard Lefkowitz]].<ref name="auto" />

MacLaine starred in the Cold War comedy ''[[John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!]]'' (1965), with a screenplay by [[William Peter Blatty]], and then co-starred with [[Michael Caine]] in the crime thriller ''[[Gambit (1966 film)|Gambit]]'' (1966).

In the mid-1960s, [[Twentieth Century-Fox]] offered her a salary of $750,000 on a "pay or play" basis to appear in a movie adaptation of the musical ''[[Bloomer Girl]]'', a fee equivalent to the paydays enjoyed by top box office stars of the time. However, the project was canceled, triggering a lawsuit.<ref name="Columbia Law">{{cite web |last1=Goldberg |first1=Victor P. |title=Bloomer Girl Revisited or How to Frame an Unmade Picture |url=https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3566&context=faculty_scholarship |website=Columbia Law School Archive |publisher=Columbia Law School |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref>

MacLaine next starred in seven roles as seven different women in [[Vittorio DeSica]]'s episodic film ''[[Woman Times Seven]]'' (1967), a collection of seven stories of love and adultery set against a Paris backdrop. She followed that film with another comedy, ''[[The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom]]'' in 1968. Both films were box office flops.

[[File:John McMartin-Shirley MacLaine in Sweet Charity trailer.jpg|thumb|MacLaine and [[John McMartin]] in the trailer for ''[[Sweet Charity (film)|Sweet Charity]]'' (1969)]] 
In 1969, MacLaine starred in the film version of the musical ''[[Sweet Charity (film)|Sweet Charity]]'', directed by [[Bob Fosse]], and based on the script for [[Federico Fellini]]'s ''[[Nights of Cabiria]]'' which was released a decade earlier. [[Gwen Verdon]], who originated the role onstage, had hoped to play Charity in the film version; however, MacLaine won the role because her name was better known to audiences at the time. Verdon signed on as assistant to choreographer Bob Fosse, helping teach MacLaine dance moves and some of the more intricate routines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/92067/Sweet-Charity/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015053316/http://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/movies/92067/Sweet-Charity/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 15, 2014|title= Sweet Charity|website= [[Turner Classic Movies|TCM]].com|access-date= May 17, 2020}}</ref> MacLaine received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical nomination. The film was not a financial success.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

===1970–1976: Continued success===
MacLaine was top-billed in ''[[Two Mules for Sister Sara]]'' (1970), in a role written for Elizabeth Taylor, who chose not to appear in the movie. The [[Western film]] was a hit, primarily due to her co-star [[Clint Eastwood]], one of the top box office stars in the world at that time. The film's director, [[Don Siegel]], said of her: "It's hard to feel any great warmth to her. She's too unfeminine, and has too much balls. She's very, very hard."<ref>Patrick McGilligan, ''Clint: The Life and Legend'' (1999), p. 182</ref>

She then moved on to television, cast as a [[Photojournalism|photojournalist]] in a short-lived sitcom, ''[[Shirley's World]]'' (1971–1972). Co-produced by [[Sheldon Leonard]] and [[ITC Entertainment]], the series was shot in the United Kingdom. As part of the deal, [[Lew Grade]] produced the low-budget drama ''[[Desperate Characters (film)|Desperate Characters]]'' (1970).

MacLaine put her career on hold as she campaigned for [[George McGovern]] during the [[1972 United States presidential election|1972 presidential election]], including the Democratic primaries.

In 1973, her friend, writer and director [[William Peter Blatty]] wanted to cast her for the role as the mother in ''[[The Exorcist]]''. The role was eventually played by [[Ellen Burstyn]].<ref name="AFI Exorcist">{{cite web |title=Shirley MacLaine On THE EXORCIST |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2G15LwAvko |website=youtube.com | date=October 14, 2010 |publisher=American Film Institute |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref><ref name="EW">{{cite web |last1=Collis |first1=Clark |title=The Exorcist Legacy: The most head-spinning revelations from history of horror franchise |url=https://ew.com/movies/the-exorcist-legacy-book-revelations/ |website=ew.com |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=October 22, 2023}}</ref> MacLaine declined the part since she had recently appeared in another film about the supernatural, ''[[The Possession of Joel Delaney (film)|The Possession of Joel Delaney]]'' (1972).

MacLaine’s documentary film ''[[The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir]]'' (1975), co-directed with film and television director [[Claudia Weill]], about the first women's delegation to China in 1973, was released theatrically and on PBS, and was nominated for the year's [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film]].

MacLaine returned to onstage live performances during the 1970s. In 1976, she appeared in a series of concerts at the [[London Palladium]] and New York's [[Palace Theatre (New York City)|Palace Theatre]]. The latter of these was released as the live album ''[[Shirley MacLaine Live at the Palace]]''.<ref name="Discogs">{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Shirley-MacLaine-Live-At-The-Palace/release/2082726|title=Shirley MacLaine - Live at the Palace at Discogs |year=1976 |publisher=discogs.com|access-date=April 11, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Playbill">{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/shirley-maclaine-live-at-the-palace-gets-cd-release-april-23-com-105258|title=Shirley MacLaine Live at the Palace Gets CD Release April 23|date=April 23, 2002|publisher=[[Playbill (magazine)|Playbill]]|access-date=April 11, 2017}}</ref>

=== 1977–1984: Career comeback and Academy Award win ===
MacLaine started a career comeback with the drama ''[[The Turning Point (1977 film)|The Turning Point]]'' (1977), portraying a retired ballerina. Her performance in the film received critical acclaim, earning her a fourth nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

She was awarded the [[Women in Film Los Angeles|Women in Film]] [[Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards#THE CRYSTAL AWARD|Crystal Award]] in 1978 for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wif.org/past-recipients |title=Past Recipients of Crystal Award |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630083646/http://wif.org/past-recipients|archive-date=June 30, 2011 |website=wif.org}}</ref>

In 1979, she starred alongside [[Peter Sellers]] in [[Hal Ashby]]'s satirical film ''[[Being There]]''. The film received widespread acclaim with [[Roger Ebert]] writing that he admired the film "for having the guts to take this totally weird concept and push it to its ultimate comic conclusion". MacLaine received a [[British Academy Film Award]], and [[Golden Globe Award]] nomination for her performance.

In 1980, MacLaine starred in two other films about adultery, ''[[A Change of Seasons (film)|A Change of Seasons]]'' alongside [[Anthony Hopkins]] and [[Bo Derek]], and ''[[Loving Couples (1980 film)|Loving Couples]]'' with [[James Coburn]] and [[Susan Sarandon]]. Neither film was a success, with [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' calling ''Loving Couples'' "a dumb remake of a very old idea that has been done so much better so many times before, that this version is wretchedly unnecessary ... the whole project smells like high-gloss sitcom."<ref>[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19801031/REVIEWS/10310301/1023 ''Chicago Sun-Times'' review]</ref>

MacLaine and Hopkins did not get along on ''A Change of Seasons'' and the film was not a success; critics faulted the screenplay. MacLaine, however, did receive positive notices from critics. [[Vincent Canby]] wrote in his ''[[The New York Times]]'' review that the film "exhibits no sense of humor and no appreciation for the ridiculous ... the screenplay [is] often dreadful ... the only appealing performance is Miss MacLaine's, and she's too good to be true. ''A Change of Seasons'' does prove one thing, though. A farce about characters who've been freed of their conventional obligations quickly becomes aimless."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/reviews/movies|title=Movie Reviews|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 1, 2019}}</ref>

In 1983, she starred in [[James L. Brooks]]'s [[Comedy drama|comedy-drama]] ''[[Terms of Endearment]]'' (1983) playing [[Debra Winger]]'s mother. The film focuses on the strained relationship between mother and daughter over 30 years. The film emerged as a critical and commercial success at the box-office, grossing $108.4&nbsp;million, emerging as the [[1983 in film#Highest-grossing films (U.S.)|second-highest-grossing film of the year]]. The film received a leading 11 nominations at the [[56th Academy Awards]], and won five, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]. Both MacLaine and Winger earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress, with the former winning the award, her first and only win in the category. Her performance also won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

===1984–present: Post-Oscar career===

[[File:Shirley Mclaine on a movie set.jpg|thumb|upright|left|MacLaine at the set of ''Guarding Tess'']]

MacLaine followed up her Oscar win with a role in ''[[Cannonball Run II]]'' (1984). After a four-year hiatus from acting, she starred in the drama ''[[Madame Sousatzka]]'' (1988), in the eponymous lead role as a Russian-American immigrant. She received positive reviews for her performance, earning her a second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. In 1989, she released her VHS, ''Shirley MacLaine's Inner Workout: A Program for Relaxation and Stress Reduction through Meditation'', a companion to her 1989 book, ''Going Within: A Guide for Inner Transformation''.
 
MacLaine continued to star in films, such as the family southern drama ''[[Steel Magnolias]]'' (1989) directed by [[Herbert Ross]]. The film focuses on the bond that a group of women share in a small-town Southern community, and how they cope with the death of a loved one. The film was a box office success, earning $96.8&nbsp;million off a budget of $15&nbsp;million. MacLaine received a [[British Academy Film Award]] for her performance. She starred in [[Mike Nichols]]' film ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]'' (1990), with [[Meryl Streep]], playing a fictionalized version of [[Debbie Reynolds]] from a screenplay by Reynolds's daughter, [[Carrie Fisher]]. Fisher wrote the screenplay based on her book. MacLaine received another [[Golden Globe Award]] nomination for her performance.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

[[File:Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer.jpg|thumb|MacLaine with [[Christopher Plummer]] at the premiere of the film ''[[Elsa & Fred (2014 film)|Elsa & Fred]]'' in 2014]]
MacLaine continued to act in films such as ''[[Used People]]'' (1992), with [[Jessica Tandy]] and [[Kathy Bates]]; ''[[Guarding Tess]]'' (1994), with [[Nicolas Cage]]; ''[[Mrs. Winterbourne]]'' (1996), with [[Ricki Lake]] and [[Brendan Fraser]]; ''[[The Evening Star]]'' (1996); ''[[Rumor Has It...]]''(2005) with [[Kevin Costner]] and [[Jennifer Aniston]];'' [[In Her Shoes (film)|In Her Shoes]]'' (also 2005), with [[Cameron Diaz]] and [[Toni Collette]]; and'' [[Closing the Ring]]'' (2007), directed by [[Richard Attenborough]] and starring [[Christopher Plummer]]. She would later reunite with Plummer in the 2014 comedy film ''[[Elsa & Fred (2014 film)|Elsa & Fred]]'' directed by [[Michael Radford]]. In 2000, she made her first (and only) feature-film directorial debut, and starred in ''[[Bruno (2000 film)|Bruno]]'' (with Alex D. Linz), which was released to video as ''The Dress Code''. In 2011, MacLaine starred in [[Richard Linklater]]'s [[black comedy|dark comedy]] film ''[[Bernie (2011 film)|Bernie]]'' alongside [[Jack Black]] and [[Matthew McConaughey]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

MacLaine has also appeared in numerous television projects, including a 1987 miniseries based upon her bestselling autobiography, ''[[Out on a Limb (book)|Out on a Limb]]''. In 2001, she appeared in ''[[These Old Broads]]'' written by Carrie Fisher and co-starring [[Elizabeth Taylor]], Debbie Reynolds, and [[Joan Collins]]. In 2009, she starred in ''[[Coco Before Chanel]]'', a [[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] production based on the life of French fashion designer, [[Coco Chanel]], which earned her a [[Primetime Emmy Award]], and Golden Globe Award nominations. She appeared in the third and fourth seasons of the British drama ''[[Downton Abbey]]'' as [[List of Downton Abbey characters#Martha Levinson|Martha Levinson]], mother to Cora, Countess of Grantham (played by [[Elizabeth McGovern]]), and Harold Levinson (played by [[Paul Giamatti]]) in 2012–2013.<ref name=hollywoodreporter>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/downton-abbey-shirley-maclaine-elizabeth-mcgovern-285812 | title='Downton Abbey' Adds Shirley MacLaine for Season 3 | date=January 30, 2012 | access-date=January 31, 2012 | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | first=Michael | last=O'Connell}}</ref><ref name=nytimes>{{cite web | url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/shirley-maclaine-will-return-to-downton-abbey-but-others-are-leaving-the-series/?_r=0 | title=Shirley MacLaine to Return to 'Downton Abbey', but Others Are Leaving the Series | date=March 3, 2013 | access-date=January 1, 2014 | work=[[The New York Times]] | first=Dave | last=Itzkoff | author-link=Dave Itzkoff}}</ref>

In 2016, MacLaine starred in ''[[Wild Oats (film)|Wild Oats]]'' with [[Jessica Lange]]. She starred in the live-action family film ''[[The Little Mermaid (2018 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'', based on the [[Hans Christian Andersen]] fairytale, in 2018.<ref>{{cite web | last=McNary | first=Dave | title=Shirley MacLaine Starring in 'A Little Mermaid' Movie | url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/little-mermaid-remake-shirley-maclaine-1201712917/ | work=Variety | date=February 23, 2016 | access-date=October 20, 2019}}</ref> In 2019, she played Elf Polly in the film “Noelle”.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000511/?ref_=tt_cl_i_2 |title=Shirley MacLaine |publisher=IMDb |access-date=December 8, 2023}}</ref> In 2022, she returned to television starring with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in the hit Hulu series ''[[Only Murders in the Building]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 28, 2022 |title=Only Murders in the Building fans praise Shirley MacLaine's guest spot |url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/06/28/only-murders-in-the-building-fans-praise-shirley-maclaines-guest-spot/ |last=Craig |first=Jo |access-date=August 6, 2022 |website=[[HITC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2024, MacLaine's film ''[[American Dreamer (2022 film)|American Dreamer]]'' opened in theaters two years after its initial premiere at the [[Tribeca Film Festival]].

===Lawsuits===
In 1959, MacLaine sued Hal Wallis over a contractual dispute. The lawsuit has been credited with ending the old-style studio [[Star system (filmmaking)|star system]] of actor management.<ref name="auto1"/> In 1966, MacLaine sued [[Twentieth Century-Fox]] for breach of contract when the studio reneged on its agreement to star MacLaine in a film version of the Broadway musical ''[[Bloomer Girl]]'' based on the life of [[Amelia Bloomer]], a mid-nineteenth century feminist, suffragist, and abolitionist, that was to be filmed in Hollywood. Instead, Fox gave MacLaine one week to accept their offer of the female dramatic lead in the [[Western (genre)#Film|Western]] ''Big Country, Big Man'' to be filmed in Australia. The case was decided in MacLaine's favor, and affirmed on appeal by the [[California Supreme Court]] in 1970. The case is discussed in many law-school textbooks as an example of employment-contract law.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parker v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 474 P. 2d 689 - Cal: Supreme Court 1970|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=8204943341098207403&hl=en&as_sdt=6&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr|website=Google Scholar|access-date=January 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Parker v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. (Cal.).|url=http://prenhall.com/divisions/bp/app/phblaw/html/cases/cases_html/CASE16_4.html|publisher=Prentice-Hall, Inc.|access-date=January 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Parker v. Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (California 1970)|url=http://www.casebriefsummary.com/parker-v-twentieth-century-fox-film-corporation-california-1970/|publisher=CaseBriefSummary.com|access-date=January 24, 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Shirley MacLaine Deauville 2011.jpg|thumb|upright|right|MacLaine in 2011]]
MacLaine was married to businessman Steve Parker from 1954 until their divorce in 1982. Their daughter, [[Sachi Parker]], was born in 1956.  In April 2011, while promoting her new book, ''I'm Over All That'', she revealed to [[Oprah Winfrey]] that she had had an open relationship with her husband.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=20110411_shirley_maclaine_oprah_interview_new_book_i_am_all_over_that_ufo_2012_end_of_the_world.htm| title=Shirley MacLaine interviewed on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show{{'-}}| publisher=BestSyndication.com |date= April 11, 2011}}</ref> MacLaine also told Winfrey that she often fell for the leading men she worked with, the exceptions being [[Jack Lemmon]] (''[[The Apartment]]'', ''[[Irma la Douce]]'') and [[Jack Nicholson]] (''[[Terms of Endearment]]'').<ref>{{cite news|title=Shirley MacLaine admits she slept with three people in one day|date=April 13, 2011|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/8447194/Shirley-MacLaine-admits-she-slept-with-three-people-in-one-day.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/8447194/Shirley-MacLaine-admits-she-slept-with-three-people-in-one-day.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=May 12, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> MacLaine also had long-running affairs with [[Lord Mountbatten]], whom she met in the 1960s, and Australian politician and two-time [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]] leader [[Andrew Peacock]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Shirley MacLaine reveals all on her affair with former Foreign Minister Andrew Peacock|first=Samantha|last=Maiden|date=April 17, 2011|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/shirley-maclaine-reveals-all-on-her-affair-with-former-foreign-minister-andrew-peacock/news-story/a80d84db1c3c0a1b0090496d613c25dc|access-date=April 17, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theprint.in/world/the-private-lives-of-the-mountbattens-open-marriage-flings-and-paedophilia/281688/|title=The private lives of the Mountbattens — Open marriage, flings and paedophilia|first=Srijan|last=Shukla|website=[[ThePrint]] |date=August 25, 2019}}</ref>

MacLaine has also gotten into feuds with such co-stars as [[Anthony Hopkins]] (''[[A Change of Seasons (film)|A Change of Seasons]]''), who said that "she was the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with", and [[Debra Winger]] (''Terms of Endearment'').<ref>{{cite news|last=Hawkes|first=Rebecca|title=10 on-screen couples who hated each other in real life|date=February 13, 2015|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11408307/10-on-screen-couples-who-hated-each-other-in-real-life.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11408307/10-on-screen-couples-who-hated-each-other-in-real-life.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=June 1, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Graham |first=Mark |title=After All These Years, Debra Winger Still Can't Stand Shirley MacLaine's Guts |date=September 6, 2008 |publisher=[[Gawker]] |url=http://gawker.com/5014822/after-all-these-years-debra-winger-still-cant-stand-shirley-maclaines-guts |access-date=June 6, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607061403/http://gawker.com/5014822/after-all-these-years-debra-winger-still-cant-stand-shirley-maclaines-guts |archive-date=June 7, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Brew|first=Simon|title=14 Co-stars Who Really Didn't Get Along|date=September 27, 2013|publisher=[[Dennis Publishing]]|url=http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/co-stars/198892/14-co-stars-who-really-didnt-get-along|access-date=June 6, 2015|archive-date=June 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607040119/http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/co-stars/198892/14-co-stars-who-really-didnt-get-along|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Debra Winger: The return of a class act|date=October 24, 2008|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/debra-winger-the-return-of-a-class-act-971262.html|first=Gaynor|last= Flynn|access-date=June 6, 2015}}</ref>

MacLaine claimed that in a previous life in [[Atlantis]] she was the brother of a 35,000-year-old spirit named Ramtha, channeled by mystic teacher and author [[J. Z. Knight]].<ref name="Ramtha 1">{{cite book|last=Farha|first=Bryan|title=A Critical Analysis; Paranormal Claims|year=2007|publisher=University Press of America|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=978-0-7618-3772-5|page=2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzEdpR4gizsC&q=shirley+maclaine+ramtha&pg=PA2}}</ref><ref name="Ramtha 2">{{cite book|last=Chryssides|first=George D.|title=The A to Z of New Religious Movements|year=2001|publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc.|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=978-0-8108-5588-5|page=191|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hq988pEebSAC&q=shirley+maclaine+ramtha&pg=PA191}}</ref>

She has a strong interest in spirituality and metaphysics, which are the central themes of some of her best-selling books, including ''[[Out on a Limb (book)|Out on a Limb]]'' and ''Dancing in the Light''. Her spiritual explorations include walking the [[Camino de Santiago|Way of St. James]], working with Chris Griscom,<ref>{{cite news|last=Haederle|first=Michael|title=School Founder Listened to That Little Voice|date=February 6, 1992|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-06-vw-1977-story.html|access-date=May 12, 2015}}</ref> and practicing [[Transcendental Meditation]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-maharishi6feb06,1,1158944.story |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |title=Maharishi Mahesh Yogi|date= February 6, 2008 |access-date= March 6, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Star-Spangled_Women_(cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|left|MacLaine conceived and produced the variety show [[Star-Spangled Women for McGovern–Shriver]]]]
The topic of [[New Age]] spirituality has also found its way into several of her films. In [[Albert Brooks]]'s romantic comedy ''[[Defending Your Life]]'' (1991), the recently deceased lead characters, played by Brooks and [[Meryl Streep]], are astonished to find MacLaine introducing their past lives in the "Past Lives Pavilion"; in ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]'' (1990), MacLaine sings a version of "I'm Still Here", with lyrics customized for her by composer [[Stephen Sondheim]] (for example, one line in the lyrics was changed to "I'm feeling transcendental – am I here?"); and in the 2001 television movie ''[[These Old Broads]]'', MacLaine's character is a devotee of New Age spirituality.

She has an interest in [[UFOs]], and gave numerous interviews on [[CNN]], [[NBC]] and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] news channels on the subject during 2007–08. In her book ''Sage-ing While Age-ing'' (2007), she described having alien encounters and witnessing the [[1952 Washington, D.C. UFO incident]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna21655677|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005170647/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21655677/ns/today-books/t/shirley-maclaine-older-much-wiser/|url-status=live|archive-date=October 5, 2012|title=NBC, Today show: Shirley MacLaine: Older and much wiser|publisher=[[MSNBC]]|date= November 7, 2007}}</ref> On an episode of ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'' in April 2011, MacLaine stated that she and her neighbor had observed numerous UFOs at her New Mexico ranch for extended periods of time.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Hollywood-Legend-Shirley-MacLaine/7|title=Hollywood Legend Shirley MacLaine| publisher= oprah.com| date= April 11, 2011}}</ref>

Along with her brother Warren Beatty, MacLaine used her celebrity status in instrumental roles as a [[Celebrity activists in George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign|fundraiser and organizer]] for [[George McGovern]]'s [[George McGovern presidential campaign, 1972|campaign for president in 1972]].<ref name="MacLaine, Shirley 1972">MacLaine, Shirley, ''McGovern: The Man and His Beliefs'', New York: [[W. W. Norton & Company]], 1972.</ref><ref>McGovern, George S., ''Grassroots: The Autobiography of George McGovern'', New York: [[Random House]], 1977, pp. 126, 172.</ref><ref>White, Theodore H., ''[[Theodore H. White#Making of the President series|The Making of the President 1972]]'', [[Atheneum Publishers]], 1973, pp. 236, 258, 425.</ref> That year, she wrote the book ''McGovern: The Man and His Beliefs''.<ref name="MacLaine, Shirley 1972"/> She appeared at her brother's concerts [[Four for McGovern]] and [[Together for McGovern]], and she joined with [[Sid Bernstein (impresario)|Sid Bernstein]] to produce the woman-focused [[Star-Spangled Women for McGovern–Shriver]] variety show at [[Madison Square Garden]].<ref name=Billboard>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4g8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA13 |title=Political Concerts: Losers & Winners |last=Melanson |first=Jim |date=November 11, 1972 |page=13 |magazine=Billboard |volume=84 |number=46 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> So much of her time was spent away from acting in 1972 that her [[talent agent]] threatened to quit; she turned down film projects and spent $250,000 of her own money on political activism, equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|250,000|1972|r=-5}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}.<ref name=VF>{{cite magazine |last=Anson |first=Robert Sam |authorlink=Robert Sam Anson |date=November 6, 2012 |title=McGovern '72: An Oral History |magazine=Vanity Fair |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/politics/2012/11/george-mcgovern-richard-nixon-election |accessdate=August 5, 2020}}</ref>

MacLaine is godmother to journalist [[Jackie Kucinich]], daughter of former [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[U.S. Representative]] [[Dennis Kucinich]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/01/15/kucinich-blends-new-age-aura-with-old-school-grit/646895ab-06ce-4959-bb0f-0380c60dab1a/|title=Kucinich Blends New Age Aura With Old-School Grit|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|author=Farhi, Paul|date=January 15, 2005}}</ref>

On February 7, 2013, [[Penguin Group|Penguin Group USA]] published Sachi Parker's autobiography ''Lucky Me: My Life With – and Without – My Mom, Shirley MacLaine''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130515075327/http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0%2C%2C9781592407880%2C00.html ''Lucky Me'']. Penguin Group</ref>  One of its claims was that, when Sachi was in her 20s, her mother told her she believed that Steve Parker was a clone of her real father, an astronaut named Paul then traveling in the [[Pleiades]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Lucky Me: My Life With – and Without – My Mom, Shirley MacLaine|author=Parker, Sachi|pages=206–220|publisher=[[Avery Publishing]]|date=December 3, 2013|isbn=9781592407880}}</ref><ref name=Gostin>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/shirley-maclaines-daughter-my-mom-thought-my-dad-was-a-clone-astronaut|title=Shirley MacLaine's daughter: My mom thought my dad was a clone, astronaut|author=Gostin, Nicki|website=FoxNews.com|publisher=[[Fox News]]|access-date=February 12, 2013}}</ref> MacLaine denied this and called the book "virtually all fiction".<ref name=Gostin />
In her 2024 book, ''The Wall of Life,'' MacLaine states that she and her daughter "have never been closer." <ref>{{cite book |last1=MacLaine |first1=Shirley |title=The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories from This Marvelous Lifetime |date=2024 |publisher=The Crown Publishing Group |location=New York |isbn=0593735315 |edition=1st}}</ref>
==Filmography==
=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1955
| ''{{sortname|The|Trouble with Harry}}''
| Jennifer Rogers
|
|-
| ''[[Artists and Models]]''
| Bessie Sparrowbrush
|
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film)|Around the World in 80 Days]]''
| Princess Aouda
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1958
| ''[[Some Came Running (film)|Some Came Running]]''
| Ginnie Moorehead
| 
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Sheepman}}''
| Dell Payton
|
|-
| ''[[Hot Spell (film)|Hot Spell]]''
| Virginia Duval 
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Matchmaker|dab=1958 film}}''
| Irene Molloy
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1959
| ''[[Ask Any Girl (film)|Ask Any Girl]]''
| Meg Wheeler
| 
|-
| ''[[Career (1959 film)|Career]]''
| Sharon Kensington
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1960
| ''[[Ocean's 11]]''
| Tipsy woman
| Uncredited cameo
|-
| ''[[Can-Can (film)|Can-Can]]''
| Simone Pistache
|
|-
| ''{{sortname|The|Apartment}}''
| Fran Kubelik
| 
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1961
| ''[[The Children's Hour (film)|The Children's Hour]]''
| Martha Dobie
| 
|-
| ''[[All in a Night's Work (film)|All in a Night's Work]]''
| Katie Robbins
|
|-
| ''[[Two Loves]]''
| Anna Vorontosov
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1962
| ''[[Two for the Seesaw (1962 film)|Two for the Seesaw]]''
| Gittel Mosca
|
|-
| ''[[My Geisha]]''
| Lucy Dell / Yoko Mori
|
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Irma la Douce]]''
| Irma la Douce
| 
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1964
| ''{{sortname|The|Yellow Rolls-Royce}}''
| Mae Jenkins
|
|-
| ''[[What a Way to Go!]]''
| Louisa May Foster
|
|-
| 1965
| ''[[John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!]]''
| Jenny Erichson
|
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Gambit (1966 film)|Gambit]]''
| Nicole Chang
|
|- 
| 1967
| ''[[Woman Times Seven]]''
| Paulette / Maria Teresa / Linda / Edith / Eve Minou / Marie / Jeanne
|
|-
| 1968
| ''{{sortname|The|Bliss of Mrs. Blossom}}''
| Harriet Blossom
|
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Sweet Charity (film)|Sweet Charity]]''
| Charity Hope Valentine
|
|-
| 1970
| ''[[Two Mules for Sister Sara]]''
| Sara
|
|-
| 1971
| ''[[Desperate Characters (film)|Desperate Characters]]''
| Sophie Bentwood
|
|-
| 1972
| ''{{sortname|The|Possession of Joel Delaney|The Possession of Joel Delaney (film)}}''
| Norah Benson
|
|-
| 1975
| ''[[The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir]]''
| Herself
| Documentary; also writer, co-director, producer
|-
| 1977
| ''{{sortname|The|Turning Point|dab=1977 film}}''
| Deedee Rodgers
|
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Being There]]''
| Eve Rand
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1980
| ''{{sortname|A|Change of Seasons|dab=film}}''
| Karyn Evans
|
|-
| ''[[Loving Couples (1980 film)|Loving Couples]]''
| Evelyn
|
|-
|1981
| ''[[Sois belle et tais-toi (1981 film)|Sois belle et tais-toi (Be Pretty and Shut Up)]]''
| Herself
| Documentary by [[Delphine Seyrig]]
|-
| 1983
| ''[[Terms of Endearment]]''
| Aurora Greenway
|
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Cannonball Run II]]''
| Veronica
|
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Madame Sousatzka]]''
| Madame Yuvline Sousatzka
|
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Steel Magnolias]]''
| Louisa "Ouiser" Boudreaux
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990
| ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]''
| Doris Mann
|
|-
| ''[[Waiting for the Light]]''
| Aunt Zena
|
|-
| 1991
| ''[[Defending Your Life]]''
| Shirley MacLaine
|
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Used People]]''
| Pearl Berman
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Wrestling Ernest Hemingway]]''
| Helen Cooney
|
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Guarding Tess]]''
| Tess Carlisle
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1996
| ''[[The Evening Star]]''
| Aurora Greenway
| 
|-
| ''[[Mrs. Winterbourne]]''
| Grace Winterbourne
|
|-
| 1997
| ''[[A Smile Like Yours]]''
| Martha
| Uncredited
|-
|1999
| ''[[Get Bruce]]''
| Herself
| Documentary 
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Bruno (2000 film)|The Dress Code]]''
| Helen
| Also director
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2003
| ''[[Carolina (2003 film)|Carolina]]''
| Grandma Millicent Mirabeau
| 
|-
| ''[[Broadway: The Golden Age]]''
| Herself 
| Documentary
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2005
| ''[[Rumor Has It (film)|Rumor Has It...]]''
| Katharine Richelieu
|
|-
| ''[[Bewitched (2005 film)|Bewitched]]''
| Iris Smythson / Endora
|
|-
| ''[[In Her Shoes (film)|In Her Shoes]]''
| Ella Hirsch
|
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Closing the Ring]]''
| Ethel Ann Harris
|
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Valentine's Day (2010 film)|Valentine's Day]]''
| Estelle Paddington
|
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Bernie (2011 film)|Bernie]]''
| Marjorie Nugent
|
|-
| 2013
| ''[[The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 film)|The Secret Life of Walter Mitty]]''
| Edna Mitty
|
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Elsa & Fred (2014 film)|Elsa & Fred]]''
| Elsa Hayes
|
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Wild Oats (film)|Wild Oats]]''
| Eva
|
|-
| 2017
| ''[[The Last Word (2017 film)|The Last Word]]''
| Harriett Lauler
|
|-
| 2018
| ''[[The Little Mermaid (2018 film)|The Little Mermaid]]''
| Grandmother Eloise
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2019
| ''[[Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (film)|Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver]]''
| Mrs. Grindtooth
| Voice (English version)
|-
| ''[[Noelle (2019 film)|Noelle]]''
| Elf Polly
|
|-
| 2022
| ''[[American Dreamer (2022 film)|American Dreamer]]''
| Astrid Fanelli
| 
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
|-
|1955
| ''[[Shower of Stars]]''
| Herself
| 2 episodes
|-
|1976
| ''Gypsy in my Soul''
| Herself
| Television special with [[Lucille Ball]]
|-
|1971–1972
| ''[[Shirley's World]]''
| Shirley Logan
| 17 episodes
|-
|1977
| ''The Shirley MacLaine Special: Where Do We Go From Here?''
| Herself
| Television special
|-
|1979
| ''Shirley MacLaine at the Lido''
| Herself
| Television special
|-
|1987
| ''[[Out on a Limb (book)|Out on a Limb]]''
| Herself
| rowspan="2" | Television film
|-
|1995
| ''[[The West Side Waltz (film)|The West Side Waltz]]''
| Margaret Mary Elderdice
|-
|1998
| ''[[Stories from My Childhood]]''
| Narrator
| Episode: "[[The Nutcracker (1973 film)|The Nutcracker]]"
|-
|1999
| ''[[Joan of Arc (miniseries)|Joan of Arc]]''
| Madame de Beaurevoir
| 2 episodes
|-
|2001
| ''[[These Old Broads]]''
| Kate Westbourne
|rowspan=5| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" |2002
| ''[[Salem Witch Trials (film)|Salem Witch Trials]]''
| [[Rebecca Nurse]]
|-
| ''[[Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay]]''
| [[Mary Kay Ash|Mary Kay]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |2008
| ''[[Coco Chanel (film)|Coco Chanel]]''
| [[Coco Chanel]]
|-
| ''[[Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning]]''
| Amelia Thomas
|-
|2012–2013
| ''[[Downton Abbey]]''
| Martha Levinson
| 3 episodes
|-
|2014
| ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]''
| June Dolloway
| 2 episodes
|-
|2016
| ''[[A Heavenly Christmas]]''
| Pearl
| Television film
|-
|2022
|''[[Only Murders in the Building]]''
| Leonora Folger / Rose Cooper
| 2 episodes<ref>{{cite web|url= https://collider.com/only-murders-in-the-building-season-2-cast-shirley-maclaine/|title= 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 2: Shirley Maclaine Cast as Bunny's Grieving Mother|website= Collider|date= May 8, 2022|accessdate= June 17, 2022}}</ref>
|-
|}

=== Theatre ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable"| Notes
! class="unsortable"| Ref.
|-
|1953 || ''[[Me and Juliet]]'' || Dance Ensemble || [[Majestic Theatre (New York City)|Majestic Theatre]], Broadway || rowspan=4|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/person/shirley-maclaine-vault-0000097586|title= Shirley MacLaine|website= [[Playbill]].com|access-date= May 7, 2020}}</ref>
|-
|1954 || ''[[The Pajama Game]]'' || Dancer/Gladys || [[Shubert Theatre (New York City)|Shubert Theatre]], Broadway
|-
|1976 || ''Shirley MacLaine'' || Herself || [[Palace Theatre (New York City)|Palace Theatre]], Broadway 
|-
|1984 || ''Shirley MacLaine on Broadway'' || Herself || [[Gershwin Theatre]], Broadway
|-
|}

==Honors and legacy==
{{main|List of awards and nominations received by Shirley MacLaine}}

[[File:Secretary_Kerry_and_Mrs._Heinz_Kerry_Meet_With_the_Kennedy_Center_Honor_Award_Recipients_(11277365345).jpg|thumb|250px|U.S. Secretary of State [[John Kerry]] and [[Teresa Heinz]] with 2013 [[Kennedy Center Honors|Kennedy Center honorees]]: Shirley MacLaine, [[Martina Arroyo]], [[Billy Joel]], [[Carlos Santana]], and [[Herbie Hancock]] in 2013.]]
* In 1960 she received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 1617 Vine Street.
* In 1999 was awarded the [[Honorary Golden Bear]] at the [[49th Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name="Berlinale1999">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1999/03_preistr_ger_1999/03_Preistraeger_1999.html |title=Berlinale: 1999 Programme |access-date=February 4, 2012 |publisher=Berlinale |archive-date=August 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808033208/https://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1999/03_preistr_ger_1999/03_Preistraeger_1999.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* In 2011, the government of France made her a [[Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur]].
* In 2013, MacLaine was awarded the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] for lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.<ref name="Kennedy Honors">{{cite news|last=Little|first=Ryan|title=10 Best Moments From the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/10-best-moments-from-the-2013-kennedy-center-honors-20131230|access-date= January 3, 2014 |newspaper= [[Rolling Stone]] |date= December 30, 2013}}</ref> 
* In 2017 MacLaine was featured in a segment in which [[Charlize Theron]] praised her for her work in ''[[The Apartment]]'' during the [[89th Academy Awards|2017 Academy Awards telecast]]. She later presented the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Academy Award for Best International Film]] of the year alongside Theron.
* In 2019 she won the Movies for Grown Ups with AARP the Magazine's Life Time Achievement Award.

==Bibliography==
<!-- Since this is a list of books *by* Ms. MacLaine, it belongs *before* the citations for this article, per [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout]]. -->

{{div col}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=Don't Fall Off the Mountain|location=New York|pages=|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company Limited|year=1970|isbn=978-0-393-07338-6}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=McGovern: The Man and His Beliefs|location=New York|pages=|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company Limited|year=1972|isbn=978-0-393-05341-8|url=https://archive.org/details/mcgovernmanhis00mcgo}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=You Can Get There from Here|location=New York|pages=|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company Limited|year=1975|isbn=978-0-393-07489-5}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=[[Out on a Limb (book)|Out on a Limb]]|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group|year=1983|isbn=978-0-553-05035-6}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=Dancing in the Light|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1986|isbn=978-0-553-76196-2}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=It's All in the Playing|url=https://archive.org/details/itsallinplaying00maclrich|url-access=registration|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1987|isbn=978-0-553-05217-6}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=Going Within: A Guide to Inner Transformation|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1990|isbn=978-055-328-3310}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=Dance While You Can|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1991|isbn=978-0-553-07607-3|url=https://archive.org/details/dancewhileyoucan00macl_0}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=My Lucky Stars: A Hollywood Memoir|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Bantam Books|year=1995|isbn=978-0-553-09717-7|url=https://archive.org/details/myluckystarsholl00macl}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group|year=2000|isbn=978-0-7434-0072-5}} (Published in Europe as: {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=The Camino: A Pilgrimage of Courage|location=London|pages=|publisher=Pocket Books|year=2001|isbn=0-7434-0921-3}})
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=Out on a Leash: Exploring the Nature of Reality and Love|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7434-8506-7|url=https://archive.org/details/outonleash00shir}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=Sage-ing While Age-ing|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group|year=2007|isbn=978-1-4165-5041-9|url=https://archive.org/details/sageingwhileagei00macl}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=I'm Over All That: And Other Confessions|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4516-0729-1|url=https://archive.org/details/imoverallthato00macl}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=What If...: A lifetime of questions, speculations, reasonable guesses, and a few things I know for sure|location=New York|pages=|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2013|isbn=978-1-47113-139-4}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=Above the Line: My 'Wild Oats' Adventure|publisher=Simon & Schuster|date=2016|isbn=978-1501136412|location=|pages=}}
* {{cite book|last=MacLaine|first=Shirley|title=The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories from This Marvelous Lifetime|publisher=Crown|date=2024|isbn=0593735315|location=|pages=}}

{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Erens, Patricia (1978). ''The Films of Shirley MacLaine''. South Brunswick: A. S. Barnes. {{ISBN|0-498-01993-4}}.

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://shirleymaclaine.com/}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Playbill person}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* {{AFI person | id= 140191-Shirley-MacLaine | title= Shirley-MacLaine }}
* {{Emmys person|shirley-maclaine}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140718032244/http://www.ginnydougary.co.uk/2005/11/05/one-tough-kookie/ Shirley MacLaine interviewed by Ginny Dougary] (2005)
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mj1f Shirley MacLaine] interview on BBC Radio 4 ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', November 11, 1983
* {{C-SPAN|54426}}

{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Shirley MacLaine
|list = 
{{AcademyAwardBestActress 1981-2000}}
{{AFI Life Achievement Award}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Actress 1952-1959}}
{{Cecil B. DeMille Award 1976–2000}}
{{David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress}}
{{Lincoln Center Gala Tribute}}
{{GLAAD Vanguard Award}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActressMotionPictureDrama 1981-2000}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActressMotionPictureMusicalComedy 1950-1960}}
{{Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year Actress}}
{{Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year}}
{{Honorary Golden Bear}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 2010s}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Actress}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress}}
{{Silver Bear for Best Actress}}
{{Volpi Cup for Best Actress}}
}}
{{New Age Movement}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maclaine, Shirley}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American memoirists]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American biographers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]
[[Category:Actresses from Richmond, Virginia]]
[[Category:AFI Life Achievement Award recipients]]
[[Category:American female dancers]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American musical theatre actresses]]
[[Category:American people of Canadian descent]]
[[Category:American spiritual writers]]
[[Category:American television actresses]]
[[Category:American women biographers]]
[[Category:American women comedians]]
[[Category:American women memoirists]]
[[Category:Baptists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Baptists from Virginia]]
[[Category:Best Actress Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (film) winners]]
[[Category:Best Foreign Actress BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners]]
[[Category:Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Comedians from Virginia]]
[[Category:Dancers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:David di Donatello winners]]
[[Category:Honorary Golden Bear recipients]]
[[Category:Kennedy Center honorees]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:New Age writers]]
[[Category:New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:People from Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Silver Bear for Best Actress winners]]
[[Category:Singers from Virginia]]
[[Category:Volpi Cup for Best Actress winners]]
[[Category:Washington-Liberty High School alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from Richmond, Virginia]]