01of 25Warren Beatty Grows Up in VirginiaHulton Archive/GettyWarren Beattywas born on March 30, 1937, in Richmond, Virginia, the son of two educators and the younger brother ofShirley MacLaine. Charming from the start, Beatty was a star football player at his Arlington high school and president of his high school class.
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Warren Beatty Grows Up in Virginia
Hulton Archive/Getty
Warren Beattywas born on March 30, 1937, in Richmond, Virginia, the son of two educators and the younger brother ofShirley MacLaine. Charming from the start, Beatty was a star football player at his Arlington high school and president of his high school class.
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Evening Standard/Getty
According to the outlet, the play received “underwhelming reviews” but earned him a Tony nomination and put him on the map.
03of 25Warren Beatty Courts Joan CollinsEarl Leaf/Michael Ochs ArchivesThe actor coupled up withJoan Collins, his first famous girlfriend, in 1959. The two were engaged for several years before calling it off as his fame grew (and his reputation as a Casanova began to grow).
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Warren Beatty Courts Joan Collins
Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives
The actor coupled up withJoan Collins, his first famous girlfriend, in 1959. The two were engaged for several years before calling it off as his fame grew (and his reputation as a Casanova began to grow).
04of 25Warren Beatty’s Big BreakSilver Screen Collection/GettyIn 1961, at age 23, Beatty hit it big with his movie debutSplendor in the Grass, oppositeNatalie Wood. The romantic drama’s portrayal of teen sexuality was bold for the times, and an instant hit.“After that movie I was likeLeonardo DiCapriois now. It took me ages to even think of myself as an actor,” Beatty toldThe Guardianin 1999 of his sudden heartthrob status. “For years after that I would see ‘actor’ on my passport and think ‘God, this is odd.’ "
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Warren Beatty’s Big Break
Silver Screen Collection/Getty
In 1961, at age 23, Beatty hit it big with his movie debutSplendor in the Grass, oppositeNatalie Wood. The romantic drama’s portrayal of teen sexuality was bold for the times, and an instant hit.
“After that movie I was likeLeonardo DiCapriois now. It took me ages to even think of myself as an actor,” Beatty toldThe Guardianin 1999 of his sudden heartthrob status. “For years after that I would see ‘actor’ on my passport and think ‘God, this is odd.’ "
05of 25Warren Beatty Dates Natalie WoodGettySparks flew offscreen between the costars, with Beatty and Wood dating in the early 1960s, following her divorce fromRobert Wagner.Beatty toldThe Guardianhe wasn’t surprised his meteoric fame went to his head: “Anybody who becomes a movie star when they’re 22 or whatever I was, is going to be eccentric. It’s an eccentric situation. You become rich and famous out of proportion to that which is anticipated. Quite a candy store there.”
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Warren Beatty Dates Natalie Wood
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Sparks flew offscreen between the costars, with Beatty and Wood dating in the early 1960s, following her divorce fromRobert Wagner.
Beatty toldThe Guardianhe wasn’t surprised his meteoric fame went to his head: “Anybody who becomes a movie star when they’re 22 or whatever I was, is going to be eccentric. It’s an eccentric situation. You become rich and famous out of proportion to that which is anticipated. Quite a candy store there.”
06of 25Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine’s Close RelationshipShirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty.Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/GettyThe young actor was quickly cast in a number of films (The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone,1961;All Fall Down, 1962;Lilith, 1964;Mickey One, 1965;Promise Her Anything, 1966;Kaleidoscope, 1966) after his big break, and turned to his sister for support. Here, the siblings attend a movie premiere in 1966 in Los Angeles.“I was lucky to grow up with a feminist mother and a feminist sister. We’re very close,” he previously told PEOPLE of his relationship with MacLaine.
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Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine’s Close Relationship
Shirley MacLaine and Warren Beatty.Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
The young actor was quickly cast in a number of films (The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone,1961;All Fall Down, 1962;Lilith, 1964;Mickey One, 1965;Promise Her Anything, 1966;Kaleidoscope, 1966) after his big break, and turned to his sister for support. Here, the siblings attend a movie premiere in 1966 in Los Angeles.
“I was lucky to grow up with a feminist mother and a feminist sister. We’re very close,” he previously told PEOPLE of his relationship with MacLaine.
07of 25Warren Beatty Stars in Bonnie and ClydeSilver Screen Collection/Getty ImagesAt age 29, Beatty became a producing force with the violent, glamorous gangster sagaBonnie and Clyde, released in 1967. Beatty oversaw production with director Arthur Penn, and acted oppositeFaye Dunawayas infamous bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.Both a critical and commercial success, the movie became a landmark picture and sent its stars into a new echelon of fame.
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Warren Beatty Stars in Bonnie and Clyde
Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
At age 29, Beatty became a producing force with the violent, glamorous gangster sagaBonnie and Clyde, released in 1967. Beatty oversaw production with director Arthur Penn, and acted oppositeFaye Dunawayas infamous bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.
Both a critical and commercial success, the movie became a landmark picture and sent its stars into a new echelon of fame.
08of 25Bonnie and Clyde Is a Smash SuccessWarren Beatty in ‘Bonnie and Clyde’.Henry Gris/FPG/GettyBonnie and Clydewent on to nab 10 Academy Award nominations at the 1968 ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Director (Penn), Best Actor (Beatty), Best Actress (Dunaway), Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Original Screenplay and Best Costume Design. The film won for Best Supporting Actress (Estelle Parsons) and Best Cinematography.Reflecting on why he was inspired to produceBonnie and Clyde,Beatty, a famed perfectionist, told PEOPLE in 2016 that he “wanted to be in control.“Does he think it started the “new Hollywood” revolution in filmmaking? “That’s an exaggeration,” Beatty told PEOPLE with a smile, “but I like to hear it said.”
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Bonnie and Clyde Is a Smash Success
Warren Beatty in ‘Bonnie and Clyde’.Henry Gris/FPG/Getty
Bonnie and Clydewent on to nab 10 Academy Award nominations at the 1968 ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Director (Penn), Best Actor (Beatty), Best Actress (Dunaway), Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Original Screenplay and Best Costume Design. The film won for Best Supporting Actress (Estelle Parsons) and Best Cinematography.
Reflecting on why he was inspired to produceBonnie and Clyde,Beatty, a famed perfectionist, told PEOPLE in 2016 that he “wanted to be in control.”
Does he think it started the “new Hollywood” revolution in filmmaking? “That’s an exaggeration,” Beatty told PEOPLE with a smile, “but I like to hear it said.”
09of 25Warren Beatty’s Relationship with Julie ChristieWarner Brothers/GettyThe star became more selective about his roles in the ’70s. He appeared inThe Only Game in Town(1970),Dollars(1971) andMcCabe & Mrs. Miller(1971), which cast him alongside Julie Christie. The actors fell for each other on set, and dated for seven years.
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Warren Beatty’s Relationship with Julie Christie
Warner Brothers/Getty
The star became more selective about his roles in the ’70s. He appeared inThe Only Game in Town(1970),Dollars(1971) andMcCabe & Mrs. Miller(1971), which cast him alongside Julie Christie. The actors fell for each other on set, and dated for seven years.
10of 25Warren Beatty Campaigns for George McGovernRon Galella/gettyThe actor got political and publicly threw his support behind Sen. George McGovern when he ran for president on the Democratic ticket in 1972.Organizing a series of concerts with headliners includingBarbra Streisand,Carole King,James Taylor,Joni MitchellandPaul Simon, Beatty rallied the power of Hollywood for his candidate.
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Warren Beatty Campaigns for George McGovern
Ron Galella/getty
The actor got political and publicly threw his support behind Sen. George McGovern when he ran for president on the Democratic ticket in 1972.
Organizing a series of concerts with headliners includingBarbra Streisand,Carole King,James Taylor,Joni MitchellandPaul Simon, Beatty rallied the power of Hollywood for his candidate.
11of 25Warren Beatty in ShampooSilver Screen Collection/GettyAfter acting in a few more movies (The Parallax View, 1974;The Fortune, 1975), Beatty took greater creative control withShampoo,which he wrote, produced and starred in, perBiography.com. Playing a philandering hairdresser, Beatty’s character struggled to juggle multiple lovers – which some perceived to as semi-autobiographical.The comedy was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay, at the 1976 ceremony.
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Warren Beatty in Shampoo
After acting in a few more movies (The Parallax View, 1974;The Fortune, 1975), Beatty took greater creative control withShampoo,which he wrote, produced and starred in, perBiography.com. Playing a philandering hairdresser, Beatty’s character struggled to juggle multiple lovers – which some perceived to as semi-autobiographical.
The comedy was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay, at the 1976 ceremony.
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Warren Beatty in Heaven Can Wait
The nominations made Beatty only the second person in cinematic history to be nominated in all those categories for one film, following Orson Welles’Citizen Kanein 1942.
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Warren Beatty in Reds
The drama was nominated for a whopping 12 Oscars at the 1982 Academy Awards. The Hollywood legend was again nominated for four prestigious prizes – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay – becoming the only person to do so twice.
14of 25Warren Beatty Wins an OscarMichael Ochs Archives/GettyHe did it! Beatty played it cool for the cameras after winning Best Director forRedsat the 54th Academy Awards.
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Warren Beatty Wins an Oscar
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
He did it! Beatty played it cool for the cameras after winning Best Director forRedsat the 54th Academy Awards.
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courtesy Everett Collection
Beatty took a five-year break from acting, returning with 1987’sIshtarwith Dustin Hoffman – which flopped. After another respite from the silver screen, he came back stronger withDick Tracyin 1990. Throwing himself into the project behind the camera as producer and director, he starred as the comic book detective of the same name.
The movie also connected him withMadonna, who was cast as the sultry lounge singer Breathless Mahoney. The twobriefly datedoffscreen, though the relationship didn’t endure beyond theDick Tracypremiere.
16of 25Warren Beatty Meets Annette BeningTriStar Pictures/GettyThe famous bachelor crossed paths withAnnette Beningafter casting her as his love interest inBugsy, the 1991 crime drama which saw him star as mobster Bugsy Siegel.“He was incredibly intelligent,” Bening recently toldPEOPLEof their first meeting. “I remember thinking this guy is so smart and so sharp and funny … and he was charming for sure.“Meanwhile, Beatty came back from their first lunch together and toldBugsydirector Barry Levinson: “I’m going to marry her.”
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Warren Beatty Meets Annette Bening
TriStar Pictures/Getty
The famous bachelor crossed paths withAnnette Beningafter casting her as his love interest inBugsy, the 1991 crime drama which saw him star as mobster Bugsy Siegel.
“He was incredibly intelligent,” Bening recently toldPEOPLEof their first meeting. “I remember thinking this guy is so smart and so sharp and funny … and he was charming for sure.”
Meanwhile, Beatty came back from their first lunch together and toldBugsydirector Barry Levinson: “I’m going to marry her.”
17of 25Warren Beatty and Annette Bening MarryVinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/GettyAnd he was right! The actors tied in the knot in 1992, and went on to welcome four children together: Stephen, 30, an artist and writer, Ben, 27, an actor, Isabel, 25, a writer and film student, and Ella, 21, an acting student.
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Warren Beatty and Annette Bening Marry
Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
And he was right! The actors tied in the knot in 1992, and went on to welcome four children together: Stephen, 30, an artist and writer, Ben, 27, an actor, Isabel, 25, a writer and film student, and Ella, 21, an acting student.
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Warren Beatty in Bulworth and Beyond
20th Century-Fox/Getty
Beatty brought the heat onscreen with his wife inLove Affair(1994), but struck greater success with the political satireBulworth(pictured here withHalle Berry). Doubling down in the multi-hyphenate role of director, producer and screenwriter, the Oscar winner also cast himself in front of the camera as a disillusioned senator who starts speaking his mind.
The movie was nominated for the Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards in 1999.
Though Beatty has long been involved in the Democratic party as a political activist, he later explained to PEOPLE why he’d never run for office.
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Steve Grayson/Online USA
In 1999, Beatty received the highest honor from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Irving G. Thalberg Award is awarded periodically to “creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production,” per theAcademy, and the actor-director’s pal (andRedscostar)Jack Nicholsonpresented him the honor.
Lighthearted as ever, Beatty joked in his acceptance speech, “Thank you. You know, although some might say it’s a little soon to be giving this thing to a guy in his early forties…”
The star’s next movie would beTown & Countryin 2001, which fizzled at the box office. Beatty would not act in or direct another film for 15 years after.
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Warren Beatty and Family Walk the Red Carpet
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21of 25Warren Beatty Returns to the Silver ScreenCourtesy Everett CollectionThe Hollywood icon went back to his craft withRules Don’t Applyin 2016, which he cowrote, produced and starred in. The comedic 1950s love story followed two naive show-business newcomers (Lily CollinsandAlden Ehrenreich) swept up in the controlling web of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes (Beatty).Beatty, a notorious perfectionist, had been flirting with the story for 40 years, and reportedly demanded the best from his cast and crew.“He also would direct in character,” Ehrenreich toldThe New York Timesin one amusing anecdote. “He would give you notes as Howard Hughes.”
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Warren Beatty Returns to the Silver Screen
Courtesy Everett Collection
The Hollywood icon went back to his craft withRules Don’t Applyin 2016, which he cowrote, produced and starred in. The comedic 1950s love story followed two naive show-business newcomers (Lily CollinsandAlden Ehrenreich) swept up in the controlling web of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes (Beatty).
Beatty, a notorious perfectionist, had been flirting with the story for 40 years, and reportedly demanded the best from his cast and crew.
“He also would direct in character,” Ehrenreich toldThe New York Timesin one amusing anecdote. “He would give you notes as Howard Hughes.”
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Warren Beatty Reunites with Faye Dunaway
Kevin Winter/Getty
After being handed the wrong envelope, Dunaway announcedLa La Landas the winner – before the Oscar was redirected to the rightful winner,Moonlight.
23of 25Warren Beatty Receives a Lifetime Achievement AwardKevin Winter/Getty ImagesBeatty accepted an honor of his own in 2008, receiving the lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute.“Warren Beatty helped reshape Hollywood when it was time for a change,” theAFIsaid in a tribute. “With his restless energy, he stretched the definition of actor to become one of the first multi-hyphenates: a magnetic movie star, a brilliant producer, a driven director and a writer who aspires to reflect the times in which we live.”
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Warren Beatty Receives a Lifetime Achievement Award
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Beatty accepted an honor of his own in 2008, receiving the lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute.
“Warren Beatty helped reshape Hollywood when it was time for a change,” theAFIsaid in a tribute. “With his restless energy, he stretched the definition of actor to become one of the first multi-hyphenates: a magnetic movie star, a brilliant producer, a driven director and a writer who aspires to reflect the times in which we live.”
24of 25Beatty and Dunaway Present the Oscar – Again!Craig Sjodin/gettySecond time’s the charm, right? One year after theMoonlightmix-up, Beatty and Dunaway came out again onstage to present Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards. TheBonnie and Clydecostars were greeted with applause, and cracked jokes aboutbungling the bitthe year before.“It’s so nice seeing you again,” Beatty said.“Presenting is lovelier the second time around,” Dunaway agreed.Beatty went on to announceThe Shape of Wateras the winner without issue.
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Beatty and Dunaway Present the Oscar – Again!
Craig Sjodin/getty
Second time’s the charm, right? One year after theMoonlightmix-up, Beatty and Dunaway came out again onstage to present Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards. TheBonnie and Clydecostars were greeted with applause, and cracked jokes aboutbungling the bitthe year before.
“It’s so nice seeing you again,” Beatty said.
“Presenting is lovelier the second time around,” Dunaway agreed.
Beatty went on to announceThe Shape of Wateras the winner without issue.
25of 25Warren Beatty Looks BackAmy Sussman/GettyBeatty and Bening had a date night at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in September 2021.Looking back on all he accomplished, Beatty previously toldPEOPLE, “People always ask why I don’t work more. The truth is, it’s because I’ve also had a life.“The biggest thing that’s ever happened to me is my children and Annette,” Beatty continued. “That’s bigger than fame, and it came not a moment too soon.”
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Warren Beatty Looks Back
Amy Sussman/Getty
Beatty and Bening had a date night at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles in September 2021.
Looking back on all he accomplished, Beatty previously toldPEOPLE, “People always ask why I don’t work more. The truth is, it’s because I’ve also had a life.
“The biggest thing that’s ever happened to me is my children and Annette,” Beatty continued. “That’s bigger than fame, and it came not a moment too soon.”
source: people.com
