Ali MacGraw became a Hollywood sensation almost overnight, but just as swiftly as she gained fame, she left the spotlight behind. Now, at 85, the actress enjoys a peaceful life in a quiet, remote town, gracefully embracing the years with her natural grey hair.
Ali MacGraw, born Elizabeth Alice MacGraw on April 1, 1939, in Pound Ridge, New York, was the daughter of Frances, an artist who worked at a school in Paris before settling in Greenwich Village, and Richard MacGraw, also an artist. Ali’s father, Richard, reportedly had unresolved issues from his own childhood that set him apart from others.
Richard had endured a traumatic childhood in an orphanage and ran away at 16 to work at sea. Later, he pursued art studies in Munich, Germany. “Daddy was frightened and incredibly angry. He never forgave his real parents for abandoning him,” Ali explained, adding that her father spent his adult life “suppressing the rage that masked all his pain.”
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Ali MacGraw – childhood
Money was tight for the family, and Ali, her brother Richard Jr., and their parents, Frances and Richard, had to move into a house on a wilderness preserve in Pound Ridge, which they shared with an elderly couple.
“There were no doors; we shared the kitchen and bathroom with them,” Ali recalled. “There was no privacy—it was horrible.”
Frances supported the family with various commercial art assignments, while Richard struggled to sell his paintings, which led to growing frustration. Unfortunately, Ali’s brother, Richard, often became the target of that anger at home.
“On good days, he was great, but on bad days, he was horrendous,” Ali remembered. “Daddy would beat my brother up, badly. I witnessed it, and it was terrible.”
Surrounded by artists, Ali knew she also wanted to pursue a creative career. She earned a scholarship to Rosemary Hall prep school, and in 1956, she moved on to study at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
At 22, Ali MacGraw moved to New York and landed her first job as an assistant editor at Harper’s Bazaar, where she worked alongside photographers as an assistant.
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Fashion work in New York
Fashion editor Diana Vreeland hired Ali as what she describes as a “flunkie.” If you’ve ever seen The Devil Wears Prada, it was pretty much like that.
“It was,‘Girl! Get me a pencil!’” Ali recalled.
She worked as an assistant for several months before fashion photographer Melvin Sokolsky noticed her striking looks. Ali was soon promoted to stylist, with a better salary, and she stayed in the role for six years.
“I don’t know where she got this work ethic, but Ali would come in at 8 a.m., and many times I’d return at 1 a.m., and she would still be working on things for the next day,” recalled Ruth Ansel, a former art director for Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar.
Ali excelled as a stylist, but it wasn’t long before she was asked to step in front of the camera as a model. She quickly graced magazine covers worldwide and appeared in television commercials. One thing led to another, and Ali found herself diving headfirst into the world of acting.
A couple of years earlier, she had been sketched nude by Salvador Dali. However, when the surrealist artist began sucking on her toes, Ali MacGraw decided she’d rather pursue acting than continue her modeling career.
Ali MacGraw – films
Ali MacGraw went straight from being an unknown stylist to the world of cinema, making an unforgettable entrance.
Without formal training in acting, her natural talent brought a unique depth to her performances. Her stunning beauty captivated audiences, and they quickly fell in love with her.
After a small role in A Lovely Way to Die (1968), she was cast in the 1969 film Goodbye, Columbus, a decision that paid off when she won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female. The following year, she landed a role that would define her career.
Ali received a script from her agent, and after reading it, she was so moved that she cried twice. She was determined to get a role in it and arranged a meeting with the film’s producer, Robert Evans, at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel. Not only did Evans believe she was perfect for the part in Love Story, but he also fell in love with her.
MacGraw, playing the role of Jenny, starred alongside Ryan O’Neal in the hit American romantic drama. Love Story, in which Ali portrayed a working-class college student, became a major success.
Award-winning actress
MacGraw received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Love Story, and the film earned five additional Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture. She also won a second Golden Globe as Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
While Robert Evans admired her on screen, he also fell in love with her off screen, and the feeling was mutual. In 1969, they married, and two years later, they welcomed their son, Josh Evans.
Though Ali MacGraw was the breakout star of the 1970s, her personal life and marriage to Evans were soon to change. When Steve McQueen visited their home to ask her to star alongside him in The Getaway, the two Hollywood icons instantly connected.
“I looked into those blue eyes, and my knees started knocking,” MacGraw recalled. “I became obsessed.”
MacGraw and McQueen began an affair, and not long after, she left Evans to live with McQueen in Malibu, bringing her son Josh along.
“Steve was such an original, principled guy who didn’t seem to fit into the system, and I loved that,” she said.
Ali MacGraw – Steve McQueen
But after a while, Ali realized that Steve McQueen had his own problems. Following his father abandoning his mother, a then-14-year-old Steve was sent to a school for delinquent children. MacGraw said he never trusted women after that.
McQueen wasn’t comfortable with Ali having her own career, and for a time, she stayed home to raise their sons. However, his demands became something she could no longer accept in the long run.
He would also explode if she so much as looked at another man and insisted she sign a prenuptial agreement, promising not to ask for anything in the event of a divorce. She honored the agreement when they divorced in 1978.
“I couldn’t even attend art class because Steve expected his ‘old lady’ to be home every night with dinner on the table,” she recalled.
“Steve’s idea of ‘hot’ wasn’t me. He liked blond bimbos, and they were always around.”
This marked the beginning of a difficult period in MacGraw’s life. When she showed up to shoot the 1978 film Convoy drunk and high, it became a turning point, leading her to quit drugs.
Stepping Away from Show Business
Around the same time, several of her films, including Players (1970) and Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), were unsuccessful.
“It’s brutal for women,” MacGraw shared with The Guardian about reentering show business in the late 1970s.
“I don’t think there’s a woman over 40 who has been in the spotlight and doesn’t get tired of the media’s questions, the fashion industry, and all of it. It’s cruel,” MacGraw said.
After a brief but memorable career as a Hollywood superstar, MacGraw turned to interior design but didn’t entirely walk away from acting. She appeared in the television miniseries The Winds of War (1983) and China Rose (1985). However, her career took a downturn.
Struggling to find work in film, Ali MacGraw began to feel lost and useless. She also realized she didn’t feel complete without a partner, describing the experience of being in love as “a drug high.”
Feeling isolated and desperate, MacGraw turned to alcohol, drinking heavily. In 1986, she made the decision to check herself into the Betty Ford Clinic in California.
“The worst things happened when I drank,” she admitted. “I lost my judgment; I even found myself attracted to other women’s husbands.”
Family tragedies
At the time, her son Josh Evans, just 15 years old, struggled to watch his mother endure such pain. MacGraw spent 30 days in group therapy, emerging from the experience stronger and more determined.
However, in 1993, another devastating blow struck the family when her California home was destroyed by a wildfire. In the aftermath, MacGraw made the decision to leave Los Angeles and relocated to a peaceful town near Santa Fe, New Mexico, seeking a fresh start.
“I live in a small village north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, called Tesuque,” she shared last year.
In her quiet community, MacGraw is not remembered as a Hollywood icon but as someone who actively contributes to the neighborhood. She’s been involved in volunteer work at the annual International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico, giving back to the community she now calls home.
Although she stepped away from acting, in 2006, MacGraw made a return to the stage, reuniting with her Love Story co-star Ryan O’Neal for the Broadway adaptation of the Danish film Festen.
Since then, MacGraw has largely stayed out of the public eye. She’s dedicated herself to animal rights activism and has created a series of successful yoga videos, focusing her energy on causes close to her heart.
In a 2019 interview with the Herald-Tribune, MacGraw expressed her openness to new experiences and opportunities.
“One of the fortunate things about being my age is that I remain open and curious,” she shared. “I don’t have just one passion that leaves me feeling lost if I can’t pursue it. But I do know that I’m not content unless I’m engaged in something creative.”
Josh Evans – family
Josh is a strikingly handsome man, with a remarkable resemblance to his mother, Ali MacGraw, especially in his big, beautiful eyes.
In 2019, Josh’s father, Ali’s ex-husband, Robert Evans, passed away. However, the family cherishes the memory of being together in 2012 when he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Josh has been married twice. In October 2012, he wed American singer and musician Roxy Saint. By then, their son Jackson was already two years old. Grandma Ali MacGraw enjoys spending time with her cherished family.
“He’s so wonderful,” MacGraw said of her son. “He’s my favorite human being on the planet, and he’s dating a girl I absolutely adore. Their relationship is built on so many things, especially friendship and respect.”
Ali MacGraw and Josh Evans are undoubtedly proud of their incredible family. We wish them all the best for the future, and who knows? Maybe we’ll see them share a stage or movie set together one day.
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