Actor Ali MacGraw sacrificed her own career for Steve McQueen
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Elizabeth Alice MacGraw shot to stardom in Hollywood instantaneously. However, as swiftly as her celebrity status arrived, she vanished from the entertainment industry completely.
Currently, the 85-year-old performer resides in a small, secluded community, embracing her senior years naturally with silver tresses.
Elizabeth Alice MacGraw
Elizabeth Alice MacGraw – known professionally as Ali MacGraw – entered the world on April 1, 1939, in Pound Ridge, New York, USA. Her mother, Frances, pursued artistic endeavors and held employment at an educational institution in Paris, before establishing herself in Greenwich Village. She joined in matrimony with Richard MacGraw, a fellow artist. In 1939, Ali was born.
Richard, Ali's father, allegedly carried emotional baggage from his youth that distinguished him from his peers.
He endured a challenging upbringing in an orphanage, escaping at 16 years old to become a sailor. Later, he attended art school in Munich, Germany.
"My father harbored fear and intense anger. He never pardoned his biological parents for abandoning him," Ali clarified, noting her father's lifetime was consumed "holding back rage that masked all his pain."
Elizabeth Alice MacGraw – early years
Financial constraints affected their household severely. Frances and Richard, along with Ali and her sibling, Richard Jr, relocated to a residence on a Pound Ridge nature reserve, which they shared with an elderly pair.
"We lacked separate rooms; the kitchen and bathroom were communal," Ali mentioned. "We had absolutely no privacy. The situation was dreadful."
Mother Frances sustained the family through various commercial art assignments. Meanwhile, Richard struggled to market his artwork, resulting in considerable frustration. His son Richard frequently faced his wrath at home.
"During good periods he was wonderful, but during bad times he was awful," she remembered. "My father would physically assault my brother, severely. I observed this, and it was horrific."
As the offspring of creative individuals, Ali recognized early her desire to pursue artistic endeavors when she matured. She received a scholarship to attend the preparatory institution Rosemary Hall, and in 1956, she relocated to pursue studies at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
By age 22, Ali MacGraw transferred to New York and secured her initial position as an editorial assistant at Harper's Bazaar, collaborating with photographers as their aide.
Fashion career in New York
Fashion editor Diana Vreeland employed Ali as what she describes as a "low-level worker". For those familiar with the movie The Devil Wears Prada, the experience was remarkably similar.
"It resembled 'Girl! Bring me a pencil!'," MacGraw recollected.
The prospective motion picture star maintained her assistant position for various months. Then, roughly six months later, photography expert Melvin Sokolsky observed her striking appearance, and Ali MacGraw secured employment as a stylist with improved compensation. She ultimately remained in this role for six years.
"I remain puzzled about the source of her professional dedication, but Ali would arrive at eight a.m., and frequently I'd return at one in the morning to find her still preparing for the next day," Ruth Ansel, a former artistic director of Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar remembers.
Ali excelled as a stylist. Shortly thereafter, she received invitations to perform in front of cameras as a model. Soon, her image graced magazine covers globally, and she appeared in TV advertisements. One opportunity led to another, and Ali plunged into acting.
She had previously posed nude for Salvador Dali's sketches. However, when the surrealist creator began licking her toes, MacGraw determined she preferred acting over modeling.
Ali MacGraw – motion pictures
Ali transitioned directly from an obscure stylist into cinema, and certainly, she made an emphatic entrance.
Her lack of formal training in filmmaking gave her performance an alternative dimension. Her innate loveliness captivated, and viewers adored her.
Following a minor appearance in A Lovely Way to Die (1968), she received an invitation to headline the 1969 film Goodbye, Columbus. This proved an excellent decision, with MacGraw earning a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female. The subsequent year, she achieved major international recognition with a character that would essentially define her career.
Ali MacGraw had obtained a screenplay from her representative. After reading it, she cried twice due to her profound appreciation. She resolved to pursue a role in it, and arranged a meeting with the film's producer Robert Evans – then Paramount Picture's production chief – at the Beverly Hills Hotel's Polo Lounge. Evans not only considered her ideal for the part in Love Story, he completely became enamored with her.
MacGraw – portraying Jenny – performed alongside Ryan O'Neal in Love Story. The American romantic drama, where Ali depicted a working-class university student, became a tremendous success.
Love Story reached theaters in 1970, and audiences thoroughly embraced it. It became the top-ranking film in the United States, and at that time, ranked as the sixth highest-grossing movie in American and Canadian history.
Award-winning performer
MacGraw received an Academy Award nomination for her performance, while the film earned her another victory and five Academy Award Nominations. She also claimed a second Golden Globe as Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Film producer Robert Evans admired her screen presence and fell deeply for her personally, with his affection returned. In 1969, the pair married, and two years afterward, they welcomed their son, Josh Evans.
Ali MacGraw emerged as the brilliant new celebrity of the 1970s, but her personal life and union with Evans would quickly terminate. Steve McQueen had come to their residence to request her participation alongside him in The Getaway, and the two film luminaries connected immediately.
"I gazed into those blue eyes, and my legs began trembling," MacGraw stated. "I became fixated."
MacGraw and McQueen engaged in a relationship, and she promptly abandoned Evans to reside with the actor in Malibu, accompanied by her son Josh.
"Steve represented this exceptionally distinctive, moral individual who appeared disconnected from the industry, and I admired that," she expressed.
Ali MacGraw – Steve McQueen
Eventually, Ali discovered that Steve McQueen carried his own burdens. After his father deserted his mother, a fourteen-year-old Steve was placed in a facility for troubled youth. MacGraw indicated he never trusted females afterward.
American actor Steve McQueen (1930 – 1980) with Ali MacGraw, circa 1972\.
(Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
He disliked her professional activities and independent career. Temporarily, Ali remained home to raise their sons. However, her spouse's requirements became unacceptable to Ali ultimately.
Additionally, he would erupt if she merely glanced at another man. He also insisted she sign a prenuptial contract, vowing to claim nothing if they divorced. She honored the agreement when they separated in 1978\.
"I couldn't even attend art classes because Steve expected his 'partner' to be present every evening with supper prepared," she mentioned.
"Steve's concept of attractive excluded me. He preferred blonde unintelligent women, who were consistently present."
Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw in a scene from the 1972 movie "The Getaway."
This initiated a particularly gloomy period in MacGraw's existence. She arrived on location to film the 1978 movie Convoy intoxicated and under chemical influence, which motivated her to abandon substances.
Departing entertainment industry
Simultaneously, several of her films, including Players (1970)and Just Tell Me What You Want (1980) failed commercially.
"It's harsh for women," MacGraw informed The Guardian about reentering entertainment in the late 1970s.
Getty Images
"I believe every female exceeding 40 who has been noticeably visible feels exasperated by the inquiries media presents, the clothing industry, everything. It demonstrates cruelty."
MacGraw experienced a brief period as a premier film actress. Subsequently, she chose to pursue interior design instead, without completely abandoning her entertainment career. She featured in the television miniseries The Winds of War (1983) and China Rose (1985), but her circumstances would soon deteriorate.
Ali MacGraw could not secure film roles, causing her to feel worthless. Concurrently, she felt incomplete without a companion, describing romantic passion as "similar to a narcotic high".
She experienced isolation and desperation, consuming alcohol heavily. In 1986, she voluntarily entered the Betty Ford Clinic in California.
"The most detrimental incidents occurred during my drinking episodes," she confessed. "My judgment faltered; I developed attractions to married men."
Family hardships
Her son Josh Evans was 15 years old then and struggled watching his mother's suffering. MacGraw underwent 30 days of collective therapy and emerged more resilient.
In 1993, another family calamity struck when her California residence burned down during a wildfire. She then opted to relocate from Los Angeles and established herself in a community near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
"I reside in a small village north of Santa Fe, New Mexico called Tesuque," she disclosed last year.
According to McGraw, her neighbors perceive her as a community contributor rather than a former Hollywood celebrity – they value all her community involvement.
For instance, she has volunteered at the yearly International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Ali MacGraw abandoned acting, but in 2006, she returned to the stage. She rejoined her Love Story co-performer Ryan O'Neal in the Broadway adaptation of the Danish film Festen.
Beyond the Broadway production, MacGraw has remained away from public attention during recent decades. She has dedicated herself to animal rights advocacy... and created numerous successful yoga videos.
During a Herald-Tribune interview in 2019, MacGraw indicated she remains receptive to new challenges and opportunities.
"One fortunate aspect for someone my age is my openness and curiosity," MacGraw explained. "There isn't just one activity I enjoy and feel bereft without. But I recognize my unhappiness when I lack creative engagement."
Josh Evans – Ali MacGraw
Although Ali departed acting, her family maintains connections to the industry. Son Josh Evans works as an actor and director, establishing a reputable position in Hollywood.
Additionally, he bears striking resemblance to his mother!
Being the offspring of cinema personalities Robert Evans and Ali MacGraw certainly carried substantial expectations.
For Josh Evans, who arrived in January of 1971, entertainment was his aspiration from the beginning.
His initial career preference, however, wasn't related to filmmaking. He didn't envision himself as an actor, but circumstances led him in that direction.
In 1989, Josh Evans secured a minor role in Dream a Little Dream (1989), but he aspired for more. As a teenage boy with nothing at stake, he would visit manager's offices to examine lists of movies in production.
Josh Evans – performer & filmmaker
During one visit, he encountered someone familiar in renowned filmmaker Oliver Stone. Stone was producing Born on the Fourth of July at that time, starring Tom Cruise. Josh wanted to participate.
"Back then I simply knew \[Oliver Stone\] from Platoon. He was creating a film with Tom Cruise that included a part for the younger sibling. I wished to portray that character, so he arranged a discussion with Oliver Stone," Josh Evans shares.
"During our conversation, Oliver asked 'Oh, you believe you resemble Tom Cruise?'. Now understanding his personality, I realize he was teasing me, but I responded, 'Yes, I do.' Then he said, 'We shall see what develops.' Four months later, I received a call to try out and secured the role. It was extremely thrilling and everyone sensed how remarkable that film would become."
Since that experience, Josh has built a successful career both performing and directing. He appeared in the biographical movie TheDoors in 1991 and subsequently, he has both acted and directed.
With eight movies on his record as a director, he actually had Michael Madsen featured in his 2015 film Death in the Desert. But which role does he prefer?
"I definitely feel more at ease on the side of the camera that doesn't display myself," Josh Evans states.
"If an intriguing opportunity emerges, I'm not against it. I think other individuals exist who are better qualified and desire it more than I do. Regarding directing and narrating my stories, I would do that without payment, whereas acting represents more of an occupation, but I appreciate it once I engage in it."
Josh Evans – relatives
Josh possesses attractive features, and the likeness to his mother Ali MacGraw truly stands out, particularly in his large expressive eyes.
In 2019, his father – Ali's ex-spouse – Robert Evans died. Nevertheless, the family treasured the special memory of accompanying him when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012\.
Josh has entered matrimony twice. In October 2012, he wed American vocalist and instrumentalist Roxy Saint. By that time, their child Jackson was two years old – Grandmother Ali MacGraw enjoys spending time with her delightful family.
"He's absolutely marvelous," MacGraw expressed about her son. "He's my most cherished person on earth, and he dates a woman I adore. Their bond significantly centers on, among other aspects, companionship and admiration."
Ali MacGraw and Josh Evans undoubtedly feel immense pride in their exceptional family. We extend our best wishes for their future endeavors, and perhaps we might witness them sharing the same stage or film location someday?
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