Biography
Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty; April 24, 1934) is an American actress, singer, author, activist, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, headstrong, and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades throughout her career spanning seven decades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards. Born in Richmond, Virginia, MacLaine made her acting debut as a teenager with minor roles in the B...
Known For
Complete Filmography

Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration
2024
as Martha Levinson (archive footage)
A tribute to the celebrated and enigmatic actress, with her life story told by those who knew her best, celebrating her much-loved appearances across ...

Bella!
2023
as Self
Bella! tells the story of Bella Abzug, who first rose to prominence as a scrappy grassroots activist in New York's West Village, and then went on to c...

American Dreamer
2022
as Astrid Fanelli
In this winsome comedy, an entitled Economics professor pursues a tactic to buy an ailing widow’s mansion for nothing, but he quickly realizes that hi...

Rat Pack
2022
as Self (archive footage)
In the 1950s, a small group of artists monopolized the attention of the cameras and the public. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bish...

Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age
2021
as Self
Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age explores the world of Broadway from 1959 through the early 1980s as recounted by a diverse cast of Broadway stars who ...

Noelle
2019
as Elf Polly
Kris Kringle's daughter, Noelle, sets off on a mission to find and bring back her brother, after he gets cold feet when it's his turn to take over as ...

Mike Wallace Is Here
2019
as Self (archive footage)
For over half a century, 60 Minutes' fearsome newsman Mike Wallace went head-to-head with the world's most influential figures. Relying exclusively on...

Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists
2018
as Self
Directors Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy bring New York columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill’s courageous writing to life, celebrat...

The Little Mermaid
2018
as Eloise
A young reporter and his niece discover a beautiful and enchanting creature they believe to be the real little mermaid.

The Last Word
2017
as Harriet Lauler
A retired businesswoman – who tries to control everything around her – decides to write her own obituary. A young journalist takes up the task of find...

The Last Word
2017
Executive Producer
A retired businesswoman – who tries to control everything around her – decides to write her own obituary. A young journalist takes up the task of find...

A Heavenly Christmas
2016
as Pearl
Upon her untimely death, a workaholic finds herself in training to be a Christmas Angel in Heaven. Despite being the worst recruit in the history of C...

Wild Oats
2016
as Eva
Everything changes for Eva when she receives an insurance settlement check accidentally made out for $5,000,000 instead of the expected $50,000. She a...

Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do
2015
as Self (archive footage)
A retrospective of Chita Rivera's film, television and stage career, including interviews with Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen, Carol Lawrence and others. O...

Warren Beatty - Mister Hollywood
2015
as Self - Warren's sister (archive footage)
Men of Granite
2015
as Sophia Prather
A group of poor immigrant high school boys in Granite, Illinois defy all odds and go on to win the 1940 state championship in basketball.

Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film
2014
as Self
The life story of the film director, movie star and industry figure who furthered the cause of cinema: Lord Richard Attenborough.

Elsa & Fred
2014
as Elsa
After his daughter persuades him to move into a new apartment, aged widower Fred strikes up a friendship with his eccentric 74-year-old neighbour Elsa...

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
2013
as Edna Mitty
A timid magazine photo manager who lives life vicariously through daydreams embarks on a true-life adventure when a negative goes missing.

Wide-Awake
2012
as The Pianist
Ingénues, icons, action heroes, divas and the world's next great comedy star: 13 actresses who gave the dreamiest performances of 2012.

Palme
2012
as Self
Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was openly shot to death on a February evening 1986 on the streets of Stockholm. In one night, the country of Sweden...

Bernie
2012
as Marjorie Nugent
In small-town Texas, affable and popular mortician Bernie Tiede strikes up a friendship with Marjorie Nugent, a wealthy widow well known for her sour ...

Valentine's Day
2010
as Estelle Paddington
Intertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles break-up and make-up based on the pressures and expectations of Valentine's Day.

Vittorio D.
2009
as Self
A documentary about Vittorio de Sica with clips of his films and testimonials from friends and family.

Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning
2008
as Amelia Thomas
Anne, now a middle-aged woman, is troubled by recent events in her life. When a long-hidden secret is discovered under the floorboards at Green Gables...

Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History
2008
as Self
The history of Hollywood musical movies, from the very beginning until the 21st century, hosted by Shirley Jones.

Coco Chanel
2008
as Coco Chanel
Fashion icon Coco Chanel, steeped in wealth and fame, still issues game-changing designs and collections. The audience is taken backwards in time to t...

Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1920s: The Dawn of the Hollywood Musical
2008
as Self
The 1920s was a time of great change in Hollywood. This program tells the story of the advent of sound technology for movies and the emergence of talk...

Inside 'The Apartment'
2008
as Self
A 2007 documentary on the making of "The Apartment."

Closing the Ring
2007
as Ethel Ann
During the 1940s, a group of young men go off to war, leaving behind Ethel Ann, who is in love with one of them, Teddy. In modern-day Belfast, a man n...

Rumor Has It...
2005
as Katharine Richelieu
Sarah Huttinger's return home with her fiance convinces her that the sedate, proper, country-club lifestyle of her family isn't for her – and that may...

In Her Shoes
2005
as Ella Hirsh
Irresponsible party girl Maggie is kicked out of her father's and stepmother's home—where she lives for free—and is taken in by her hard-working siste...

Bewitched
2005
as Iris Smythson / Endora
Thinking he can overshadow an unknown actress in the part, an egocentric actor unknowingly gets a witch cast in an upcoming television remake of the c...

Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove'
2004
as Self
Documentary about actor Peter Sellers and one of his most memorable film roles.

Jack Paar: Smart Television
2003
as Self
PBS documentary examining the work of Jack Paar.
Private Screenings: Shirley MacLaine
2003
as Self
Shirley MacLaine discusses her life and career with TCM host Robert Osborne.

Carolina
2003
as Grandmother Mirabeau
A young woman escapes her wildly eccentric family in search for a life of normalcy.

Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
2003
as Self
Broadway: The Golden Age is the most important, ambitious and comprehensive film ever made about America's most celebrated indigenous art form. Award...

Salem Witch Trials
2002
as Rebecca Nurse
Salem, Massachusetts. A small town—with no clear governing body—became embroiled in a scandal that forever stands as one of the darkest chapters in Am...

Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay
2002
as Mary Kay Ash
Cosmetics mogul Mary Kay Ash faces competition from a driven newcomer, who plots to take apart her control of the makeup industry.

Rescued from the Closet
2001
as Self
Rescued from the Closet is a 2001 documentary consisting of interviews originally recorded for the 1995 film The Celluloid Closet. It explores the his...

Barbra Streisand: Timeless - Live in Concert
2001
as Herself
Timeless: Live in Concert, recorded at her Las Vegas show on New Year's Eve 1999, takes as its subject the star herself. It opens with a dramatization...

These Old Broads
2001
as Kate Westbourne
Network television executive Gavin hopes to reunite celebrated Hollywood stars Piper Grayson, Kate Westbourne, and Addie Holden in a TV special after ...

The Unknown Peter Sellers
2000
as Herself
Documentary about the life and career of a comic genius, Peter Sellers.

Bruno
2000
as Helen
The story of a unique young boy genius, Bruno, whose expression of his own individuality leads his family and community along an emotional journey.

Bruno
2000
Director
The story of a unique young boy genius, Bruno, whose expression of his own individuality leads his family and community along an emotional journey.

Get Bruce!
1999
as Self
Affectionate tribute to Bruce Vilanch, who writes material for celebrities who make public appearances, from Oscar hosts and award recipients to Presi...

Forever Hollywood
1999
as Self
Noted Hollywood stars and directors talk about the history and evolution of the film industry in Los Angeles.

Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu
1998
as Narrator (voice)
Documentary recounting the life story of Louise Brooks in 5 sections: "Lulu in Toe Shoes"; "Lulu in Hollywood"; "Lulu in Berlin"; "Lulu in Hell"; and ...

Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy
1998
as Self
A profile of writer-director Billy Wilder

A Smile Like Yours
1997
as Martha (uncredited)
A comedy about a couple who cannot conceive a baby
Happy Birthday Elizabeth: A Celebration of Life
1997
as Self
A special celebrating Elizabeth Taylor's 65th birthday featuring never-before-seen footage of her life and career.

The Evening Star
1996
as Aurora Greenway
Continuing the story of Aurora Greenway in her latter years. After the death of her daughter, Aurora struggled to keep her family together, but has on...

Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels
1996
as Self
Shirley MacLaine was the product of a strict middle-class background from which she and her brother, the future actor Warren Beatty, escaped into the ...

Mrs. Winterbourne
1996
as Grace Winterbourne
Connie Doyle is eighteen, pregnant and alone. She accidentally ends up on a train where she meets Hugh Winterbourne and his wife pregnant Patricia. Th...

The Celluloid Closet
1996
as Self
What "That's Entertainment" did for movie musicals, "The Celluloid Closet" does for Hollywood homosexuality, as this exuberant, eye-opening movie serv...

The West Side Waltz
1995
as Margaret Mary Elderdice
Margaret keeps her neighbours at a distance and avoids contact except with Cara. She enjoys her company just for making music since Cara plays the vio...

The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
1995
as Self
Based on the first centenary of the largest exporter of films in the world, that is Hollywood, is the story told by its protagonists, actors and write...

Guarding Tess
1994
as Tess Carlisle
Doug is a Secret Service Agent who has just completed his stint in charge protecting Tess Carlisle—the widow of a former U.S. President, and a close p...

Wrestling Ernest Hemingway
1993
as Helen Cooney
Frank, a retired Irish seaman, and Walter, a retired Cuban barber, are two lonely old men trapped in the emptiness of their own lives. When they meet ...

Used People
1992
as Pearl Berman
At her husband's funeral, Pearl, Jewish mother of two divorced and antagonistic daughters, meets an old Italian friend of her husband, whose advice ye...

Defending Your Life
1991
as Shirley MacLaine
Is there love after death? After he dies suddenly, the hapless advertising executive Daniel Miller finds himself in Judgment City, a gleaming way stat...

Postcards from the Edge
1990
as Doris Mann
Substance-addicted Hollywood actress, Suzanne Vale is on the skids. After a spell at a detox centre her film company insists as a condition of continu...

You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
1990
as Self (archive footage)
Biographical portrait of one of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters. Told through the use of archival material and interviews with the rich and famo...

Waiting for the Light
1990
as Aunt Zena
When single mom Kay Harris inherits a failing small-town diner, her eccentric Aunt Zena attempts to liven things up with a 'ghostly' practical joke. B...
Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration
1990
as Self
Celebrating Sammy Davis Jr 's 60th anniversary in show business, including musical,comic and dancing performers.

Steel Magnolias
1989
as Ouiser Boudreaux
A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friends...

Shirley MacLaine's Inner Workout
1989
as self
Shirley MacLaine presents an "inner" workout for viewers who want to reduce the amount of daily stress they retain within their bodies.

Madame Sousatzka
1988
as Madame Yuvline Sousatzka
In London, eccentric piano instructor Madame Sousatzka takes on a new prize protégé, Manek, a teenage Bengali immigrant who displays incredible talent...
Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration
1988
as Self
The life, career, and music of Irving Berlin are celebrated live on stage with musical performances.

The Shirley MacLaine Show
1985
as Herself
Shirley MacLaine in concert, featuring highlights from her films like Sweet Charity and Irma La Douce. There's also a dramatic reading from The Turnin...

The Shirley MacLaine Show
1985
Writer
Shirley MacLaine in concert, featuring highlights from her films like Sweet Charity and Irma La Douce. There's also a dramatic reading from The Turnin...

That's Dancing!
1985
A documentary film about dancing on the screen, from it's orgins after the invention of the movie camera, over the movie musical from the late 20s, 30...

Cannonball Run II
1984
as Veronica
When a wealthy sheikh puts up $1 million in prize money for a cross-country car race, there is one person crazy enough to hit the road hard with wheel...

Terms of Endearment
1983
as Aurora Greenway
Aurora, a finicky woman, is in search of true love while her daughter faces marital issues. Together, they help each other deal with problems and find...
Baryshnikov: The Dancer and the Dance
1983
as Self
A documentary about renowned ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Shirley MacLaine... Illusions
1982
as Self
Shirley MacLaine uses music and drama to look at ways in which things are not necessarily what they seem to be.

Baryshnikov in Hollywood
1982
as Self - Cameo Performance
The famed dancer encounters various characters in a busy day at work on a movie studio lot.

I Love Liberty
1982
as Self
An all-star variety special saluting America.

Be Pretty and Shut Up!
1981
as Self (archive footage)
The film is a series of interviews with various well-known film actresses, including Jenny Agutter, Maria Schneider, and Jane Fonda. The title, which ...

A Change of Seasons
1980
as Karyn Evans
Marriage takes a sour turn when a middle-aged husband falls for a young and sexy woman. Things get even more complicated when his wife starts a hot af...

Loving Couples
1980
as Evelyn
Walter is a successful doctor, and so is his wife Evelyn. Wealthy and good-looking, they should be a happily married couple, but they're not. Walter ...

Shirley MacLaine: '...Every Little Movement'
1980
as Self
A salute to movement in various forms, both literal (the physical movement of a dancer or gymnast) and figurative (movement in a relationship between ...

The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's
1980
as Self (archive footage)
A look back at the people, events, music, and trends of the 1970s.

Being There
1979
as Eve Rand
A simple-minded gardener named Chance has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the s...

The Turning Point
1977
as Deedee
As young dancers, they were best friends and fierce rivals. Deedee left the stage for marriage and motherhood, while Emma would become an internationa...

The Shirley MacLaine Special: Where Do We Go from Here?
1977
A speculative look forward at the United States' next 200 years.

The Shirley MacLaine Special: Where Do We Go from Here?
1977
Executive Producer
A speculative look forward at the United States' next 200 years.

Circasia
1976
as Clown
Happenings in a small Irish traveling circus.

Shirley MacLaine: Gypsy in My Soul
1976
as Self
Musical Special featuring Shirley MacLaine in her tribute to chorus dancers, colloquially known as "gypsies." Produced by Cy Coleman and Fred Ebb, th...

The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir
1975
as Self
Documentary on mainland Chinese life. Directed, produced, written, and narrated by Shirley MacLaine, the film follows her First American Women’s Frien...

The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir
1975
Director, Writer, Producer
Documentary on mainland Chinese life. Directed, produced, written, and narrated by Shirley MacLaine, the film follows her First American Women’s Frien...

Shirley MacLaine: If They Could See Me Now
1974
as Self
Shirley MacLaine sings and dances in a one woman show featuring special guest Carol Burnett.

Shirley MacLaine: If They Could See Me Now
1974
Producer
Shirley MacLaine sings and dances in a one woman show featuring special guest Carol Burnett.

Year of the Woman
1973
Utitlising humour, fantasy, animation, poetry and theatrics, Hochman and her crew challenge the male establishment for ignoring the first meeting of t...

Nutcracker
1973
as Narrator (English version) (voice)
A young chambermaid finds a neglected nutcracker under a Christmas tree. It comes to life, but the Nutcracker is really an enchanted prince.

The Possession of Joel Delaney
1972
as Norah Benson
An upper-class Manhattan divorcee comes to believe that her brother is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer who beheaded young women in Spanish ...

Desperate Characters
1971
as Sophie Bentwood
Sophie and Otto Bentwood are a middle-aged, middle class, childless Brooklyn Heights couple trapped in a loveless marriage. He is an attorney, she a t...

Two Mules for Sister Sara
1970
as Sara
When a wandering mercenary named Hogan rescues a nun called Sister Sara from the unwanted attentions of a band of rogues on the Mexican plains, he has...

Sweet Charity
1969
as Charity
Taxi dancer Charity continues to have faith in the human race despite apparently endless disappointments at its hands, and hope that she will finally ...

From Stage to Screen---A Director's Dilemma
1969
Universal short chronicling the adaptation of the musical SWEET CHARITY from Broadway to film.

The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom
1968
as Harriet Blossom
Harriet Blossom is married to Robert Blossom, a businessman who'd rather spend the night at his bra factory than at home with her. One day, Harriet's ...

The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom
1968
Songs
Harriet Blossom is married to Robert Blossom, a businessman who'd rather spend the night at his bra factory than at home with her. One day, Harriet's ...

Woman Times Seven
1967
as Paulette / Maria Teresa / Linda / Edith / Eve Minou / Marie / Jeanne
Seven mini-stories of adultery: a widow misbehaves at her husband's funeral, a wife turns to streetwalking for revenge, a prudish girl surprises, a ne...

Gambit
1966
as Nicole
Harry Dean is a career burglar set on stealing a piece of priceless art from the world's wealthiest man, Mr. Shahbandar. With the help of exotic showg...

John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
1965
as Jenny
During the Cold War, John Goldfarb crashes his spy plane in the Middle East and is taken prisoner by the local government. His captor, King Fawz, soon...

John Goldfarb, Please Come Home!
1965
Songs
During the Cold War, John Goldfarb crashes his spy plane in the Middle East and is taken prisoner by the local government. His captor, King Fawz, soon...
The Car That Became a Star
1965
as Self
This promotional film showcases the automobile whose adventures are chronicled in The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964). After the car is filmed in various Eu...

The Yellow Rolls-Royce
1964
as Mae Jenkins
One Rolls-Royce belongs to three vastly different owners, starting with Lord Charles, who buys the car for his wife as an anniversary present. The nex...

What a Way to Go!
1964
as Louisa May Foster
A four-time widow discusses her four marriages, in which all of her husbands became incredibly rich and died prematurely because of their drive to be ...

Irma la Douce
1963
as Irma La Douce
When a naive policeman falls in love with a prostitute, he doesn’t want her seeing other men and creates an alter ego who’s to be her only customer.

Two for the Seesaw
1962
as Gittel 'Mosca' Moscawitz
After leaving his wife, lawyer Jerry Ryan moves from Omaha, Nebraska to New York City to start a new life. While studying for the New York Bar Examina...

My Geisha
1962
as Lucy Dell / Yoko Mori
Famed movie director Paul Robaix breaks with tradition by not casting his actress-comedienne wife, Lucy Dell, in his latest film production, a version...

My Geisha
1962
Songs
Famed movie director Paul Robaix breaks with tradition by not casting his actress-comedienne wife, Lucy Dell, in his latest film production, a version...

The Children's Hour
1961
as Martha Dobie
An unruly student at a private all-girls boarding school scandalously accuses the two women who run it of having a romantic relationship.

Two Loves
1961
as Anna Vorontosov
American-born Anna Vorontosov teaches school in a remote, primitive section of northern New Zealand. Her experimental teaching methods have won her th...

All in a Night's Work
1961
as Katie Robbins
After the sudden death of magazine publisher Colonel Ryder, his nephew, Tony inherits the magazine and has big plans to expand it. While negotiating a...

Ocean's Eleven
1960
as Tipsy Girl (uncredited)
Danny Ocean and his gang attempt to rob the five biggest casinos in Las Vegas in one night.

The Apartment
1960
as Fran Kubelik
Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apart...

Can-Can
1960
as Simone Pistache
Parisian nightclub owner Simone Pistache is known for her performances of the can-can, which attracts the ire of the self-righteous Judge Philipe Forr...

Career
1959
as Sharon Kensington
Playwright James Lee adapted his off-Broadway play for the screen in this high-strung adaptation, directed by Joseph Anthony. In this simplistic, back...

Ask Any Girl
1959
as Meg Wheeler
Meg is a young wide-eyed girl who is endures many calamities in her search for a husband in modern-day New York. After losing her suitcase at Penn Sta...

Some Came Running
1958
as Ginnie Moorehead
A former novelist returns to his small Midwest town after serving in the Army during WWII, to the chagrin of his social-climbing brother, and becomes ...

The All-Star Christmas Show
1958
This 1958 Christmas spectacular was produced by the USO for the entertainment of troops stationed overseas. Over 50 top names from stage, screen and t...

The Matchmaker
1958
as Irene Molloy
Thornton Wilder's tale of a matchmaker who desires the man she's supposed to be pairing with another woman.

Hot Spell
1958
as Virginia Duval
Alma Duval, a middle-aged housewife, tries to hide how much she suffers from her husband's amorous excursions while trying to help her children solve ...

The Sheepman
1958
as Dell Payton
A stranger in a Western cattle-town behaves with remarkable self-assurance, establishing himself as a man to be reckoned with. The reason appears with...

Around the World in Eighty Days
1956
as Princess Aouda
Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a ve...

Artists and Models
1955
as Bessie Sparrowbush
A struggling painter begins taking inspiration from the dreams of his friend and roommate, a comic book fan who narrates an adventure story while he s...

The Trouble with Harry
1955
as Jennifer Rogers
When a local man's corpse appears on a nearby hillside, no one is quite sure what happened to him. Many of the town's residents secretly wonder if the...
People Not Places
N/A
as Clare
An elderly widow living in Atlantic City meets an erratic homeless man who sleeps in cars. Their shared loneliness causes them to bond, as they find t...