Shirley MacLaine is a Hollywood royalty. The actress, who has been active in the industry since the mid -1950s, has not stopped working even in her late 80s.
But MacLaine is not the only one in her family who is considered Hollywood royalty. Her brother, Warren Beatty, too, is the same.
The siblings do not have the same approach to public life. And apparently, neither do they share similar views on working with one another in the industry.
Who Is Shirley MacLaine’s Brother, Warren Beatty?
Named after the legendary actress Shirley Temple, MacLaine was born on April 24, 1934, in Richmond, Virginia. Her parents were father Ira Owens Beaty, a psychology professor, and mother Kathlyn Corrine (nee Maclean), a drama teacher.
The couple, just three years after MacLaine's birth, welcomed Henry Warren Beaty on March 30, 1937. He changed his name to Warren Beatty after he entered Hollywood.
MacLaine was an early bloomer in the industry. She started acting before she reached her senior year of high school. Her first attempts at acting came at Broadway in New York City.
Trained in ballet, which ignited her passion for performing, she returned to NYC after completing high school, becoming a part of dancing ensembles on Broadway shows.
Shirley MacLaine with her brother, Warren Beatty. (Photo: Twitter)
Beatty basically followed his sister's footsteps into the industry. He became interested in movies and shows when he was a mere child, and that interest gradually increased as he went to his MacLaine's shows with her.
MacLaine's memories of him include him always engaging in something artistic, even as a child. He used to read books or sing along to records.
Beatty began his career in show business as an actor in 1957, starring in an episode of Kraft Theatre. But, as his experience grew, so did his ambitions.
He soon went into producing, directing, and even writing his own projects. As MacLaine recalled in his book, Warren Beatty: A Private Man, he loves total control of whatever it is he is doing, in front of the cameras and behind.
As of August 2022, Beatty has 33 credits as an actor, 13 as a producer, nine as a writer, and six as a producer, with a few others in the soundtrack department. He has, however, slowed down now, seemingly staying busy with his family. The last project he did came in 2016 — Rules Don't Apply — which he wrote, acted in, produced, and directed.
As for his sister, MacLaine is still going strong.
Shirley MacLaine Has Never Worked with Her Brother
With careers spanning over 50 years, you would think two people as close as siblings are bound to work together sometime. However, MacLaine and Beatty have never done that, and it may be by design on her part.
During an interview with Closer in November 2016, she opined that she and her brother might not be the best duo working together.
"Oh, I don’t think we’d be a good team," she told the magazine. The piece also mentioned they might never work together.
Beatty, though, had other thoughts. "[That’s] not a bad idea," he said of working with his sister while talking to CBS Sunday Morning (via Closer).
This does not, however, mean that things are sour between the two.
The brother-sister duo has always maintained the utmost support for one another, in front of the cameras and off it. A good example of this came in 2017 when Beatty was involved in an unfortunate incident at that year's Oscars.
The director was given an envelope with the wrong name when he was to announce the best picture award. And the horror that ensued when he announced the wrong name was difficult for everyone to bear.
After everything happened, Beatty was dealing with the fallout backstage. MacLaine called him immediately after the show, but he did not pick up.
So, she called his home and talked to his wife, Annette Bening. That was all she revealed.
"I’m concerned with how (Beatty) must have felt being so close to him. I’m three years older and I’m protective," she told USA Today just days after the Oscars. "We know how difficult it was for him, but it was also for me."
MacLaine and Beatty might never grace the silver screen together, but they still appear together outside it.
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