“I learn so much about what I don’t really know every time I’m in a movie,” she shared.
Academy, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award-winning actress Shirley MacLaine turned 88 years old on April 24, 2022. MacLaine, born Shirley MacLean Beaty on April 24, 1934, in Richmond, Virginia, according to PEOPLE, made her debut made her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry in 1955.
She got her first accolade when her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. After a few successful films, MacLaine married businessman Steve Parker in 1954 and the pair welcomed their daughter, Sachi, in 1956. However, MacLaine and Parker divorced in 1982.
She never remarried, but she went on to have a rather successful career, working opposite some big names in the industry, like Frank Sinatra and Alfred Hitchcock, to name a few.
Now, she may be working a bit less than what she used to, but when she turned 85, she told PEOPLE that she has no intentions of ever retiring.
“I don’t want to quit acting — I really don’t,” she said back then. “Even at my age, I have four pictures to do next year. I think [some] costars are surprised I’m still walking upright.” She went on to share that working is what keeps her “bright.”
“I learn so much about what I don’t really know every time I’m in a movie,” she shared. “I look back at the wonderful parts I’ve had the honor to play, and I’m thinking about the future, and I want to be a spokesperson for older women — probably because I’m one,” she continued.
She also revealed to PEOPLE that she is grateful for her life, one that she considers "perfect." “I have what I consider just a perfect life… I eat what I want, I sleep when I want.”
While she still loves to work, she also cherishes her downtime at her ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, where she resides for a few months each year.
“I have someone who comes in a couple of times a week, but otherwise I’m totally alone,” she says. “I sometimes go to Santa Fe, which is one of the artistic and restaurant and new age capitals in the country.”
Meanwhile, the multi-faceted actress also has a secret to her happiness. Simply put, it is “not to keep busy.”
“Give it up and learn to amalgamate with nature,” she says. “I have all the animals around me [in New Mexico]. It’s everything I need to be happy.” Here's wishing the legend a very happy birthday!
References:
https://people.com/movies/shirley-maclaine-life-in-photos/
https://people.com/movies/shirley-maclaine-never-wants-to-quit-acting/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Neil Jacobs
