Shirley MacLaine’s illustrious career comprises more than 50 feature films highlighted by an Academy Award® win and six nominations, six Emmy® Award nominations, seven Golden Globe® Awards—including the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement—and the title of international best-selling author. MacLaine was honored with the prestigious American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award in June of 2012.
In the Fall of 2011, she received France’s most prestigious cultural award, the Legion of Honor, presented by France’s Minister of Culture and Communication, Frederic Mitterrand, at the French Cinematheque.
MacLaine can next be seen in the film “Wild Oats,” co-starring Jessica Lange and Demi Moore and “The Last Word,” co-starring Amanda Seyfried. She recently starred in “Elsa & Fred” (2014) alongside Christopher Plummer and “Bernie” (2011) with Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey. She also recently appeared in Ben Stiller’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (2013). Her recent television appearances include season five of the Golden Globe® Award-winning series “Glee,” where she played performer June Dolloway, and season three of the Primetime Emmy® Award-winning series from Julian Fellowes, “Downton Abbey,” starring Maggie Smith and Elizabeth McGovern, and the Lifetime made- for-TV movie “Coco Chanel,” for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe® and SAG Award®.
MacLaine can also be seen on stage during her one-woman show tour as it hits cities across the globe, combining a montage of memorable film moments with private revelations about her extraordinary life, career and spiritual journey.
MacLaine made her professional debut dancing in a Broadway revival of “Oklahoma!” in the 1950s. Her first film appearance was in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Trouble with Harry,” earning her a Golden Globe® Award for “New Star of the Year – Actress” in 1955. At the same time, she starred in “Some Came Running” (1958), which led to her first Academy Award® nomination and an additional Golden Globe® nomination. She also starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in “The Children’s Hour” (1961), based on a play by Lillian Hellman. MacLaine received a second Oscar nomination for her work in the award winning film, “The Apartment” (1960), co-starring Jack Lemmon and directed by Billy Wilder. She reunited with Lemmon and Wilder for “Irma La Douce” in 1963, earning yet another Academy Award® nomination.
In 1975, MacLaine received her fourth Oscar nomination, this time for Best Documentary as a producer and star of “The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir.” Two years later, she was once again nominated for her starring role in “The Turning Point.” In 1983, MacLaine finally won an Oscar for her work in “Terms of Endearment.” Later, she also received a Golden Globe® Award for her 1988 performance in “Madame Sousatzka.” MacLaine was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe® Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1998.
MacLaine’s additional credits include notable films such as “Steel Magnolias” (1989) with Julia Roberts, “Postcards from the Edge” (1990) with Meryl Streep, “In Her Shoes” (2005) with Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette, and “Rumor Has It...” (2005) with Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner.
MacLaine’s television credits include the telefilms “These Old Broads,” “Carolina” and “Salem Witch Trials.” She also starred in the CBS miniseries “The Battle of Mary Kay,” the life story of the cosmetics queen Mary Kay Ash.
An author of ten international bestsellers, MacLaine released her best-selling book Sage- ing While Age-ing in 2008, followed by her New York Times bestseller, I’m Over All That: And Other Confessions released on April 5, 2011. Her book titled What If...: A Lifetime of Questions, Speculations, Reasonable Guesses, and a Few Things I Know for Sure was released in November 2013 and was featured on Oprah’s “Super Soul Sunday.”
A longtime outspoken advocate for civil rights and liberties, women’s rights and spiritual understanding, MacLaine is known for her faith in reincarnation, angels, the power of crystals and other New Age beliefs. She addresses these topics at length, as well as her Hollywood career, in her books, Out on a Limb (Bantam, 1983) and Dancing in the Light (Bantam, 1986). MacLaine has gone on to author numerous other books, including The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit (Atria, 2001) and Out on a Leash: Exploring the Nature of Reality and Love (Atria, 2004), all of which are international bestsellers.
