Ali MacGraw became a Hollywood superstar overnight. But just as quickly as she rose to fame, she disappeared from show business altogether.
Today, the 85-year-old actress lives a quiet life in a remote, small town, aging gracefully with her grey hair. Ali MacGraw
Ali MacGraw – born Elizabeth Alice MacGraw – was born on April 1, 1939, in Pound Ridge, New York, USA. Her mother, Frances, was an artist who worked at a school in Paris before later settling in Greenwich Village. She married Richard MacGraw, who was also an artist. In 1939, Ali was born.
Ali’s father Richard reportedly had struggles from his own childhood that made him different from others. He survived a difficult upbringing in an orphanage, running away at 16 to go to sea. He later studied art in Munich, Germany.
“Daddy was frightened and really, really angry. He never forgave his real parents for giving him up,” Ali explained, adding that her father spent his adult life “suppressing the rage that covered all his hurt.”
Ali MacGraw – childhood
Money was also tight for the family. Frances and Richard, along with Ali and her brother Richard Jr., lived in a house on a Pound Ridge wilderness preserve, which they shared with an elderly couple.
“There were no doors; we shared the kitchen and bathroom with them,” Ali said. “There was no privacy. It was horrible.”
Her mother Frances took on commercial art work to support the family, while Richard struggled to sell his paintings and became increasingly frustrated. Ali’s brother Richard often became the target of his anger at home.
“On good days he was great, but on bad days he was horrendous,” she recalled. “Daddy would beat my brother up badly. I was witness to it, and it was terrible.”
Ali grew up in a household of artists and knew early on she wanted a creative career. She earned a scholarship to Rosemary Hall prep school and later studied at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. At 22, she moved to New York and got her first job as an assistant editor at Harper’s Bazaar, working alongside photographers.
Fashion work in New York
Fashion editor Diana Vreeland hired Ali as what she described as a “flunkie.” She later compared the experience to The Devil Wears Prada.
“It was ‘Girl! Get me a pencil!’,” MacGraw recalled.
After about six months, photographer Melvin Sokolsky noticed her looks and she was promoted to stylist with a better salary. She stayed in that role for six years.
“I don’t know where she got this work ethic, but Ali would come in at eight a.m., and sometimes I’d return at one in the morning and she would still be working,” said Ruth Ansel.
Soon, she was also working as a model, appearing on magazine covers and in commercials around the world. One thing led to another, and she transitioned into acting. A couple of years earlier, she had been sketched nude by Salvador Dalí, but after an uncomfortable encounter, she decided to pursue acting instead.
Ali MacGraw – films
Ali moved from fashion into film almost instantly, and she did it with a breakthrough impact.
She was untrained in acting, which gave her performances a natural quality. Her beauty and presence quickly captured audiences.
After a small role in A Lovely Way to Die (1968), she starred in Goodbye, Columbus (1969), earning a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female.
Her major international breakthrough came the following year with Love Story. After reading the script, she was deeply moved and secured a meeting with producer Robert Evans at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Evans not only cast her, he fell in love with her.
MacGraw, playing Jenny alongside Ryan O’Neal, starred in the romantic drama Love Story, which became a massive hit in 1970, reaching No. 1 in the U.S. and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of its time.
Award-winning actress
She received an Academy Award nomination and won a Golden Globe for Best Actress. The film earned multiple nominations and became one of her defining works.
Evans and MacGraw married in 1969, and in 1971 they had a son, Josh Evans.
However, her marriage would not last. While filming The Getaway, she met actor Steve McQueen, and the two quickly formed a connection.
“I looked in those blue eyes, and my knees started knocking,” MacGraw recalled. “I became obsessed.”
She left Evans and moved in with McQueen in Malibu with her son.
Ali MacGraw – Steve McQueen
MacGraw later realized McQueen had deep personal issues rooted in childhood trauma and distrust. He was controlling, jealous, and demanded she give up parts of her life and career.
“I couldn’t even go to art class because Steve expected his ‘old lady’ to be home every night,” she said.
Their relationship became increasingly difficult, and McQueen insisted on strict conditions, including a prenuptial agreement. They divorced in 1978.
Leaving show business
During this period, MacGraw’s life began to spiral. She arrived on set for Convoy in 1978 under the influence, which led her to stop using drugs.
Some of her films later underperformed, and she began to question her place in Hollywood.
“It’s brutal for women,” she said. “There’s a cruelty in the way the industry treats aging actresses.”
She shifted briefly into interior design and appeared in projects like The Winds of War (1983) and China Rose (1985), but work became harder to find.
She struggled with loneliness and alcohol dependency, eventually checking into the Betty Ford Clinic in 1986. She later said, “The worst stuff happened when I drank.”
Her son Josh, then 15, supported her through recovery.
In 1993, a wildfire destroyed her home in California, prompting her to move to Santa Fe and settle in nearby Tesuque.
Today, she is active in community work, including volunteer efforts at the International Folk Art Market.
She also returned briefly to acting in 2006, reuniting with Ryan O’Neal for a stage production.
In recent years, she has focused on animal rights, yoga, and creative work, saying she remains open to new experiences.
“I’m open and curious,” she said. “I’m not happy when I’m not doing something creative.”
Josh Evans – family and career
Her son, Josh Evans, followed his parents into the entertainment industry as an actor and director.
He has worked on films such as The Doors (1991) and has directed several projects of his own, saying he prefers being behind the camera.
Josh has been married and has a son, and MacGraw is a proud grandmother who remains closely involved with her family.
Despite stepping away from Hollywood, Ali MacGraw’s legacy remains closely tied to her brief but powerful rise to fame, her iconic role in Love Story, and her decision to walk away from stardom in search of a quieter life.
