She Married An Icon
Ali MacGraw had filmgoers reaching for the Kleenex box as they watched her ill-fated character in Love Story. Well, her real life is as much of a tearjerker as this weepy film. MacGraw’s career was skyrocketing when she met a Hollywood icon, and when the two married, she appeared to have everything. But what she had was a controlling and sometimes violent husband. In the end, a damaged MacGraw was left trying to find any kind of post-Hollywood life she could manage.
Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
1. Her Mom Had A Secret
Elizabeth Alice MacGraw was born in Manhattan, New York City, on April 1, 1939. Maybe her mom had a thing for April Fools’ Day, because she had a trick up her sleeve. In what resurfaced as a quirky detail around her birth years later, her mother never told her husband that she was Jewish. MacGraw later assumed it was because her father held prejudices against certain races.
But dad had his own demons to deal with.
National General Pictures, Wikimedia Commons
2. She Had A Troubled Upbringing
MacGraw once said that her father was “violent”. She attributed it to the fact that his parents gave him up for adoption, and he carried the anger with him. So, young Ali MacGraw was growing up with a violent father and a deceitful mother. This sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Or the start of a great career in drama.
3. She Had Fantasies
Living under the care of a judgmental mother and a father with volatile moods left Ali MacGraw trying to be the perfect daughter. She did well in school, but it was in her fantasy life that she was glamorous. She envisioned herself to be a mistress to royalty and wearing expensive jewelry.
As it turned out, her fantasies would one day come close to her reality.
Fairchild Archive, Getty Images
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4. She Landed her Dream Job
In 1960, MacGraw left Wellesley College with a certificate in her hand. She took it and landed jobs as a model and stylist for Vogue and as an interior designer. She also landed a dream job as an assistant to fashion icon Diana Vreeland at Harper’s Bazaar magazine. But a life in high fashion was not always easy.
Evening Standard, Getty Images
5. She Lived “The Devil Wears Prada”
In a scene that sounds like something right out of The Devil Wears Prada, MacGraw’s domineering boss once threw her Mainbocher overcoat—which weighed a ton—at her. MacGraw was strong enough to protest this rudeness and threw it right back at a stunned Vreeland.
But there were more odd characters in New York City that MacGraw had to deal with.
Fairchild Archive, Getty Images
6. She Took It All Off For Art
Ali MacGraw was really living the New York City life. Being young and beautiful meant that odd offers sometimes came her way. Surrealist painter Salvador Dali asked if he she would pose for him. Even though he wanted her sans clothes, MacGraw threw caution to the wind and did it.
She got more than she had bargained for.
Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964., Wikimedia Commons
7. She Had A Surreal Experience
While posing for the great surrealist, MacGraw couldn’t help but notice that Dali was crawling under the table toward her. When he started nibbling on her toes, MacGraw made an excuse and bolted. In 1966, she moved away from posing for crazy artists and filmed a Chanel advertisement.
This project launched her career.
8. She Started Acting
So far, Ali MacGraw had only used her beauty for advertising, but she also wanted to use her talent. She started acting in commercials for Polaroid cameras and a company that made paper. But of course, acting in a commercial was not her final goal. After a very small role in the neo-noir A Lovely Way To Die, MacGraw got her first real part in a feature length movie.
She had very little experience, but she was ready to give it her best shot.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
9. She Got A Big Compliment
MacGraw didn’t attend acting classes, but that didn’t stop her. She got her first real role in Goodbye, Columbus, opposite Richard Benjamin. Benjamin later gave MacGraw a huge compliment. Referring to her role in this film, he said, "The camera looks into your soul, and it looked into Ali's. Men loved her, women loved her. She was a real movie star".
But that was just one man’s opinion. What did everyone else think?
trailer screenshot (Paramount Pictures), Wikimedia Commons
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10. She Was Fresh
One critic simply called Ali MacGraw “fresh”, which was about as vague a compliment as you could get. But it was during awards season that she really shone. MacGraw got three nominations as a newcomer: from the Laurel Awards, the Golden Globes and the British Academy Film Awards. She won the first two and, not only that, Goodbye, Columbus was one of the most popular for the year.
If she needed more assurance, one single call confirmed it.
Screenshot from Goodbye, Columbus, Paramount Pictures (1969)
11. She Got An Intriguing Offer
Paramount Pictures must have been pretty happy about their new young star, Ali MacGraw. To prove it, the head of production contacted her and had an intriguing invitation. He was going to fly her from New York to Los Angeles just to watch a movie together. The exec was Robert Evans, and everyone knew he was a womanizer.
In other words, MacGraw was about to come face-to-face with the infamous casting couch.
Majalah Varianada, Wikimedia Commons
12. She Let Her Guard Down
Ali MacGraw accepted Evans' offer and was soon off to Hollywood. When Evans said that the screening was going to be in his own residence, MacGraw should have had her guard up. Well, she didn’t and ended up in Evans’ well-used bed. While this may seem like a case of the casting couch, MacGraw and Evans actually started a serious relationship.
But MacGraw was not ready for the new lifestyle Evans was offering.
13. It Was Out Of This World
The life that Evans exposed MacGraw to was as luxurious as it was foreign. Her life with her parents had a Bohemian slant to it, and now she was hosting parties for celebrities she had only seen before in magazines. She said it was like she “had landed on another planet”.
With MacGraw’s talent and looks—and a Paramount exec at her side—there was no stopping her.
14. She Had Her Pick Of Films
With Evans’ help, Paramount signed her to a three-movie contract, and through them she read a script simply called Love Story. Evans had actually bought the script with Ali MacGraw in mind for the role. Obviously, MacGraw was a shoo-in for the lead role, but finding her leading man proved to be very difficult.
Screenshot from Love Story, Paramount Pictures (1970)
15. She Needed A Partner
MacGraw knew she wanted to make this tearjerker, but the problem was going to be finding the best leading man. The list of actors that tried out for the leading male role in Love Story is like a who’s who of 1970s actors. On it are Michael Douglas, brothers Jeff and Beau Bridges, Jon Voight, Peter Fonda, Keith Carradine and even Christopher Walken.
When Michael York turned it down because he didn't see Love Story as a hit movie, it looked like they wouldn't find anyone to play opposite MacGraw.
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16. She Met Her Match
One auditioner who didn't have much of a resume was the oh-so-handsome Ryan O’Neal. Evans wanted O’Neal to play opposite Ali MacGraw, and the director, Arthur Hiller, wanted Walken. Evans had the higher rank, so the part went to O’Neal. Now it was up to MacGraw to take this unknown talent and make this movie work.
The director had an odd approach to making this film into a hit.
Antero Tenhunen / Yleisradio, Wikimedia Commons
17. She Had To Bond
Right away, MacGraw and O’Neal started rehearsing together. They worked for 10 days on building a relationship because Hiller knew he needed these two to bond. You see, MacGraw’s high-positioned boyfriend had high hopes for this film. The director, on the other hand, just saw it as a cute little movie.
As it turned out, Evans was right, and Hiller was very, very wrong.
Screenshot from Love Story, Paramount Pictures (1970)
18. She Was In A Hit
Love Story didn’t waste any time becoming a financial success. It took in almost $5 million in its opening week. With these numbers, it was soon listed as the country’s number one film. Eventually, it became the number six in the highest-grossing films of all time.
Interestingly enough, the critical reception wasn’t as clear as the box office.
Screenshot from Love Story, Paramount Pictures (1970)
19. She Took Home A Trophy
Critical response to Love Story was somewhere between positive and tepid. Of course, many critics saw it as corny. But this didn't stop Love Story from receiving award nominations. The Academy gave it seven nominations including one for Ali MacGraw. She didn’t win that one, but took home a Golden Globe instead.
If MacGraw was on cloud nine, she was about to come crashing back down to earth.
20. She Got A Royal Snub
MacGraw was riding her wave of celebrity, and it took her to the UK premiere of Love Story in London. At one event, there was a receiving line, where various people would offer congratulations. Princess Margaret broke form and told MacGraw that her husband “didn’t particularly care” for the film.
Even so, the rest of the world had fallen in love with MacGraw in Love Story. Now, she had to show her fans that she could do other kinds of roles.
Screenshot from Love Story, Paramount Pictures (1970)
21. She Resisted Type Casting
So far, Ali MacGraw had been in two rather gentle films and played rather gentle characters. It was time for a change, and this came in The Getaway with Steve McQueen. Here she plays the wife and cohort of an imprisoned robber. She couldn’t have gotten much further from her romantic character in Love Story.
In other words, she was taking a huge risk on this violent thriller.
Screenshot from The Getaway, Warner Bros. (1972)
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22. She Was Stressed
Even though MacGraw was a big box office draw, she felt intimidated by her co-star McQueen. He had a wild reputation and was beyond famous. MacGraw was also well aware that the character she was playing in The Getaway was an acting challenge she was not ready for. All this added up to a very stressful shoot for MacGraw.
Screenshot from The Getaway, Warner Bros (1972)
23. She Got Hit
As it turned out, McQueen was indeed a wild man. In one scene, he slapped Ali MacGraw. This was allegedly not in the script, and it blindsided MacGraw, whose reaction is completely natural. Apparently, there was something else about McQueen that caught MacGraw by surprise.
Screenshot from The Getaway, Warner Bros. (1972)
24. She Had A Crush
While MacGraw had been busy trying not to let McQueen intimidate her, she was also developing a huge crush on him. McQueen had just separated from his wife and was single and ready to mingle. MacGraw later said that she had sort of seen this coming even before filming started. Maybe MacGraw’s husband did too.
He had done something to remind MacGraw who her husband was.
Screenshot from The Getaway, Warner Bros. (1972)
25. She Fell In Love
While filming The Getaway, MacGraw wore a Love bracelet by Cartier. This had been a gift from her husband, maybe in an effort to keep McQueen away from his wife. Well, it didn't work because almost immediately from the start of filming, MacGraw and McQueen began an affair. But even at the beginning of this affair, there were warning signs that it would not go well.
Screenshot from The Getaway, Warner Bros. (1972)
26. She Got Punished
Even while their relationship was new and still secret, McQueen showed some questionable behavior. They’d had a fight, and to punish MacGraw, McQueen brought home two women to cavort with. The thing was that his apartment was right next door to MacGraw’s, and she had to listen to every moan of pleasure.
But this bizarre scene did nothing to stop the passion MacGraw felt for McQueen.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
27. She Followed Her Heart
MacGraw and McQueen were playing a dangerous game. Remember, MacGraw had married the vice president of the company producing the film. But MacGraw was hopelessly in love with McQueen, and there was no solution except for a divorce from Evans and a marriage to McQueen. While it was messy, this is exactly what happened.
And with that, MacGraw was ready to start her new life. But as it turned out, she didn’t know McQueen very well at all.
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28. She Didn’t Waste Any Time
MacGraw finalized her divorce from Evans on June 7, 1973. MacGraw then walked down the aisle with McQueen on July 12 of the same year. Evans would go on to marry four more times, giving him a grand total of seven wives. MacGraw didn’t care; she was ready for her new life with Hollywood heartthrob Steve McQueen.
It was going to be a bumpy ride.
29. Her Marriage Was Far From Glamorous
Sadly, McQueen ended up being very much like MacGraw's father. He was moody, and MacGraw spent a lot of her time trying to maneuver around those moods. Not only that, McQueen was old-fashioned. He wanted her to dress in simple jeans and t-shirts and serve him dinner at six. Worse still, he demanded that she only act in films where he also had a role.
There were also the infamous fights.
CBS Television, Wikimedia Commons
30. It Was An Unhappy Marriage
MacGraw’s life with McQueen was turbulent. He used booze and substances, and then she hit the bottle as well. His infidelities were legendary, and so were the arguments that sometimes even turned violent. Soon, MacGraw was cheating as well. MacGraw saw that all bets were off when it came to her marriage. So, she went against McQueen’s wishes and accepted a role in a movie without him.
McQueen didn't take it too well.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
31. She Found A Way Out
There was no role for McQueen in MacGraw’s movie Convoy, so he issued an ultimatum: quit the film, or he’d end the marriage. MacGraw bravely took option number two and began filming with another heartthrob: Kris Kristofferson. Sadly, her troubles were far from over.
Screenshot from Convoy, United Artists (1978)
32. She Wasn’t At Her Best
MacGraw already knew the director of Convoy. She’d worked with Sam Peckinpah on The Getaway, where she’d first met McQueen. Sadly, Peckinpah’s substance use was making his behavior hard to deal with. MacGraw felt the stress and started arriving on set high and sometimes inebriated.
This film had disaster written all over it.
Screenshot from Convoy, United Artists (1978)
33. It Was A Hit
Convoy, which was actually based on a country song about the short-lived CB craze, somehow managed to do well. Its initial release was in Japan, where it took in $4 million in nine days. It also ended up being Peckinpah’s highest-grossing feature. MacGraw had done it again. It seemed that almost every project she touched, no matter how troubled, made money.
Well, that was about to stop.
Screenshot from Convoy, United Artists (1978)
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34. She Teamed Up With Her Ex
Remember, MacGraw had dumped Robert Evans for McQueen. It seemed that Evans had no hard feelings, and when he was ready to make a new film, he called on MacGraw. Players, set in the world of professional tennis, was Evans “passion project”, and he wanted his ex-wife as the lead opposite Dean Martin’s son, Dean Paul Martin.
Evans was ready to remake Love Story as a tennis movie.
35. It Was A Disaster
The critics were not big fans of Players or MacGraw’s performance in it. One called her “simpering,” and another was more brutal. Brendan Gill, writing for The New Yorker, said that MacGraw was “unable to recite even the simplest lines with conviction”. The film barely broke even, and some even called it a “disaster”.
Failure was new to MacGraw, but it wouldn't stay that way for long.
Screenshot from Players, Paramount Pictures (1979)
36. Just Tell Me What You Want
MacGraw followed up Players with Just Tell Me What You Want opposite Alan King. While certainly not as heavily criticized as Players, critics said of MacGraw’s work, “she is animated and playful for the first time in memory”. The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards nominated Just Tell Me What You Want For The Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy award.
MacGraw was ready to give up on films altogether.
Screenshot from Just Tell Me What You Want, 20th Century Fox (1980)
37. She Tried TV
MacGraw may have been giving up on films, but there was still television. She dipped her toe in with the miniseries The Winds of War. This was a good place to start, as it had a respectable cast of other moviestars, like Robert Mitchum. It also went on to become “the most watched miniseries up to that time”.
Her first foray into TV was a success. Her second would become infamous.
Screenshot from The Winds of War, ABC / Paramount Television (1983)
38. She Made TV History
In 1985, MacGraw joined the cast of the prime-time soap opera Dynasty as Lady Ashley Mitchell. Little did she know, but she was about to become a part of one of the most talked-about cliffhangers in TV history. The end of MacGraw’s season on Dynasty featured a wedding. When the writers had terrorists attack the wedding, they knew they were making TV history.
The thing was, MacGraw didn't really know what was happening.
Screenshot from Dynasty, Aaron Spelling Productions/20th Century Fox Television (1981–1989)
39. She Was In The Dark
In order to keep this Dynasty cliffhanger a secret, the writers didn’t tell all of the cast who was going to survive the massacre. Most of the cast were lying on the ground, either injured or deceased, and the idea was that the audience would be on the edge of their seats, wondering who had survived. A confused MacGraw didn’t know if she should close her eyes or leave them open.
When she asked, she found out her character’s fate.
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40. She Was Covered In Blood
Between shots, the associate producer on Dynasty was personally spraying fake blood all over the cast. In her confusion, MacGraw asked the associate producer if she should close her eyes or leave them open. His remark was, “Closed, stupid. You’re dead”. And that was the end of MacGraw’s career on Dynasty.
But things in her personal life were almost as tragic.
Screenshot from Dynasty, Aaron Spelling Productions/20th Century Fox Television (1981–1989)
41. She Reached Out For Help
In 1985, MacGraw was struggling with her drinking and pretty much figured she had some kind of love addiction. Well, Betty Ford could only help her with the former. She checked herself into Ford’s clinic and tried for sobriety. After a long battle, she emerged clean.
MacGraw was in her 40s and had to figure out what to do with her life.
42. She Felt Like A Loser
While she was trying to figure out her next step, tragedy struck. In the mid 1990s, her home in Malibu caught fire. This might have been an omen that it was time to leave LA. She packed her bags and moved to Tesuque, New Mexico. She later said she left LA so she “wouldn’t feel like such a loser”.
Soon, she’d return to movies but only for a very personal reason.
43. She Helped Her Son
In the years following her recovery, MacGraw did some TV work. In 1997, she supported her son’s film career by appearing in his second feature as a director. Glam is a dark film about Hollywood and also features Tony Danza. Kevin Thomas from the Los Angeles Times called Josh Evans “fearless”, but this film was a little too arty for mass audiences.
In addition to helping out her son, MacGraw also hoped to help our furry friends.
44. She Loves Animals
MacGraw has shown her love for animals in many ways. She made a Public Service Announcement for PETA to remind those evacuating due to wildfires to bring their pets with them. She lobbied to end the practice of cockfighting in New Mexico. She also has her own pets: six Scottish Terriers at last count.
She also focused on healing herself.
45. She Hit the Mat
While in her 50s, MacGraw discovered the healing powers of yoga. Her video, Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind and Body, had a huge impact. In 2007, Vanity Fair magazine declared that she had been instrumental in bringing yoga to the masses in America. MacGraw had successfully pivoted her life away from acting.
And then she surprised everyone—and herself—by pivoting back.
Screenshot from Ali MacGraw: Yoga, Mind & Body, Warner Home Video (1994)
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46. She Was Still Nervous
After a 10-year break from acting, MacGraw got an offer to appear on Broadway. The Celebration was the English version of a disturbing Danish play about a dysfunctional family. Even after all her years as an actor, she told New York magazine that she was very nervous about acting on stage. MacGraw’s troubled life was a source of inspiration for her role.
But MacGraw shouldn't have felt insecure. She’s earned her fair share of positive attention.
47. She Got Her Share Of Recognition
In her lifetime, MacGraw has been noted for her beauty and talent. In 1991, she made People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” list. GQ magazine named her in a list of the “Sexiest 25 Women in Film Ever” edition. For her acting, she got her handprints in Grauman's Chinese Theater in 1972, and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021, alongside Love Story costar Ryan O’Neal.
There’s another list she’s on that’s very lucrative.
48. She Was At the Top
Early in her career, in 1971, MacGraw earned her spot on a prestigious list. She was the top female on the list of Hollywood stars’ bankability. The men above her were names like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman and even her future husband, Steve McQueen. Sadly, it was only MacGraw who didn't have a lifelong career as an A-list actor.
But don’t worry. We’ll always remember her for one single line of dialogue.
Harry Chase, Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
49. She Was The First
In Love Story, MacGraw has the often-referenced line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”. The next year, Barbra Streisand said it to O’Neal in the comedy What’s Up, Doc? O’Neal’s hilarious reply was that it was the “dumbest thing” he’d ever heard. They also used variations of it in The Simpsons and iZombie. In an ad for The Abominable Dr Phibes, the tag line read, "Love means never having to say you're ugly”.
Sometimes, an apology can feel really good.
Screenshot from What's Up, Doc?, Warner Bros. (1972)
50. She Deserved An Apology
After her divorce from McQueen, MacGraw never remarried but became a serial dater with men like Peter Weller and Warren Beatty. It seemed that her marriage to McQueen had damaged both her career and her desire for long-term relationships. We don’t know if McQueen ever had the chance to say he was sorry, but some say that he never got over MacGraw.
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