Paving the way for future generations
Dorothy Faye Dunaway was born in Bascom, Florida, on January 14, 1941. Her career began on the Broadway stage in the 1960s, but by 1967 she was on the cusp of movie fame.
Faye Dunaway made her film debut aged 26 in 'The Happening,' a crime comedy starring Anthony Quinn. A minor success, the film is notable for its self-titled theme song recorded by the Supremes, which became a Motown hit.
Dunaway won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for her performance in this drama, her second movie. She was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress. The film stars Michael Caine and Jane Fonda.
With her star in the ascent, the actress appeared opposite Warren Beatty in one of the most talked about films of 1967, the celebrated gangster movie 'Bonnie and Clyde.'
For her portrayal of Bonnie Parker, Dunaway was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama. She picked up a BAFTA win for the Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles, a double accolade after winning the same award for 'Hurry Sundown.'
Dunaway's career at the end of the 1960s stalled somewhat with 'The Arrangement' (1969) and 'The Extraordinary Seaman' (1969), both of which were released to poor reviews and commercial failure.
Dunaway's next film paired her with Steve McQueen, at the time one of the biggest movie stars in the world.
Critics praised the chemistry between McQueen and Dunaway, exemplified by the famous scene where they both play a chess game and silently engage in a seduction of each other across the board.
Italian film director Vittorio De Sica made 'A Place for Lovers,' which brought together Dunaway and Marcello Mastroianni. She immediately fell in love with the European heartthrob, and the couple had a two-year live-in relationship.
Her next film, 'Puzzle of a Downfall Child,' was directed by Jerry Schatzberg, the man she left for Mastroianni. It was Schatzberg's first foray into feature film making and, while it slumped at the box office, it earned Dunaway a second Golden Globe nomination, for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. It's one of her more obscure films, but was revived at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in honor of the actress.
'The Deadly Trap' (1971) and 'Doc' (1971) made little impact on Dunaway's career. However, her performance opposite George C. Scott in 'Oklahoma Crude' was praised.
The early 1970s saw Dunaway juggle screen acting with appearances on the stage, which she found more challenging than film. Her plays included Harold Pinter's 'Old Times' and Tennessee Williams' 'A Streetcar Named Desire.' She also turned to television, appearing in 1971's 'Great Performances' (pictured) and 'The Woman I Love.'
Back on the big screen, 'The Three Musketeers' (1973) was well received, with Dunaway working with the likes of Oliver Reed, Charlton Heston, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, and Christopher Lee (pictured).
Director Richard Lester decided to split the film into two parts, with 'The Four Musketeers' essentially serving as a sequel. Dunaway revived her role as the seductive Milady de Winter.
Her role opposite Jack Nicholson garnered Academy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations. She said later that 'Chinatown' was "possibly the best film I have ever made."
Jane Fonda was originally slated to play Evelyn Cross Mulwray in Roman Polanski's seminal neo-noir mystery 'Chinatown.' Dunaway secured the role after the director insisted on using her.
In 1974, Dunaway appeared opposite a host of Hollywood stars, including Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, in the blockbuster disaster movie 'The Towering Inferno.' A commercial and critical success, it was the highest-grossing film of the year. Dunaway was at the top of her game.
In 1974, Dunaway met and married Peter Wolf, the lead singer of the rock group The J. Geils Band. But work commitments and busy schedules meant the pair were frequently apart, and they eventually divorced in 1979.
Faye Dunaway finally won an Oscar for her role as scheming TV news executive Diana Christensen in Sidney Lumet's acclaimed satirical black-comedy drama 'Network.'
The film stars Peter Finch as news anchor Howard Beale, who threatens to kill himself live on air after facing the axe due to low ratings. Christensen shamelessly exploits the situation for her own ends in a film The New York Times described as "outrageous ... brilliantly, cruelly funny."
Faye Dunaway with her Best Actress Oscar at the 49th Academy Awards. She also won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA nomination for her effort.
Dunaway married British celebrity photographer Terry O'Neill, her second husband, in 1983. They'd met back in 1977 when O'Neill was assigned to take pictures of Dunaway and her first husband Peter Wolf. They divorced in 1987. Terry O'Neill died in 2019.
Dunaway followed 'Network' with this movie, a mystery thriller about a fashion photographer who sees visions of a killer murdering people. The film was a success at the box office, and she received positive reviews for her performance.
'Mommie Dearest' required Dunaway to portray Joan Crawford. The movie is based on the 1978 memoir by Crawford's adopted daughter Christina in which the legendary Hollywood actress is depicted as an abusive and manipulative mother who hurt her adopted children. The film was a commercial success despite receiving negative reviews. However, Dunaway's performance was widely praised, and she certainly looked the part. The actress has since disowned the film, expressing her regret at playing Crawford and remarking that the film "was meant to be a window into a tortured soul" but ended up looking rather camp.
The following year the actress won her first and to date only Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for 'Columbo.' She continued to work throughout the 1990s, alternating between cinema and television.
The late 1980s and early 1990s were professionally unremarkable. But in 1993 she starred alongside Johnny Depp in 'Arizona Dream,' which premiered in Europe to great acclaim, and received the Silver Bear — Special Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Between 2000 and 2015, Dunaway chose to appear in a number of independent films and several television miniseries. Her profile was lifted somewhat in 2011 when that year's Cannes Film Festival decided to honor the actress with a special screening of 'Puzzle of a Downfall Child.' The festival organizers used a 1970 image of Dunaway to publicize the event.
Though she continues to work in film, theater, and television, public appearances these days by Faye Dunaway are rare. She did, however, reunite with her 'Bonnie and Clyde' co-star Warren Beatty in the now infamous episode at the 89th Academy Awards when they were given the wrong envelope and Beatty, then Dunaway, incorrectly announced 'La La Land' as Best Picture, instead of the actual winner, 'Moonlight.' This became a social media sensation, trending all over the world, and left the actress completely stunned.
Faye Dunaway recently appeared in 2019's 'Tea at Five,' in which she portrays Katharine Hepburn. And she still turns up on the celebrity circuit, as pictured here as guest of the Boston Theater Critics Association 37th Annual Elliot Norton Awards at The Huntington Avenue Theatre in Boston on May 20, 2019.
Sources: (Classic Motown) (The New Yorker) (The Hollywood Reporter)
Faye Dunaway has enjoyed a glittering career in film, stage, and television since the early 1960s. She rose to Hollywood fame as Bonnie Parker in 1967's 'Bonnie and Clyde,' for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. She would go on to win an Oscar for her performance in 'Network,' and has been the recipient of numerous other accolades for her roles. Still working after more than 60 years in the business, Dunaway rarely gives interviews, and makes very few public appearances. She remains, however, an iconic and much-loved figure in cinema and theater.
Click through this gallery for an appreciation of the life and work of Faye Dunaway.
The critically-acclaimed 'Little Big Man' starring Dustin Hoffman was one of Dunaway's few commercial successes at this point. Her portrayal as a sexually repressed wife of a minister garnered rave reviews, and she worked well opposite Hoffman.
By the mid-1980s, Dunaway was appearing in film and in television with mixed results. She'd moved to England to be with husband Terry O'Neill, but struggled to find artistically fulfilling roles during this period. After her divorce from O'Neill she returned to the United States and made 'Barfly' alongside Mickey Rourke, for which she earned her sixth Golden Globe Award nomination.
The Sydney Pollack-directed 'Three Days of the Condor' matched Dunaway with Robert Redford. Her performance in this taught political thriller was widely praised, and she picked up another Golden Globe nomination.
An appreciation of Faye Dunaway
The iconic movie star turns 84 today
CELEBRITY Hollywood
Faye Dunaway has enjoyed a glittering career in film, stage, and television since the early 1960s. She rose to Hollywood fame as Bonnie Parker in 1967's 'Bonnie and Clyde,' for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. She would go on to win an Oscar for her performance in 'Network,' and has been the recipient of numerous other accolades for her roles. Still working after more than 60 years in the business, Dunaway rarely gives interviews, and makes very few public appearances. She remains, however, an iconic and much-loved figure in cinema and theater.
Click through this gallery for an appreciation of the life and work of Faye Dunaway.