Ali MacGraw became a Hollywood sensation virtually overnight. With her timeless beauty and unforgettable screen presence, she quickly climbed to the top of the A-list.
But just as fast as she rose to fame, she stepped away from the spotlight — leaving many to wonder why she vanished from show business at the height of her career.
Now 85, MacGraw lives a quiet life in a small, remote town, far from the glitz of Hollywood. Embracing her natural gray hair and the peace of a slower pace, she’s aging gracefully — a picture of elegance and authenticity.
Born Elizabeth Alice MacGraw on April 1, 1939, in Pound Ridge, New York, Ali MacGraw came into a world surrounded by art and creativity. Her mother, Frances, was an artist who once worked at a school in Paris before eventually settling in New York’s Greenwich Village. There, she married fellow artist Richard MacGraw, and that same year, Ali was born.
While Ali grew up in a creative household, her father Richard was said to carry emotional scars from a troubled childhood — experiences that made him stand apart in ways that were deeply felt by those around him.
Ali MacGraw’s father, Richard, endured a harrowing childhood. Raised in an orphanage, he ran away at just 16 to join life at sea. Eventually, he made his way to Munich, Germany, where he pursued art school — a step toward the creative path he would later share with his wife and children.
“Daddy was frightened and really, really angry,” Ali once said. “He never forgave his real parents for giving him up.” She described his adult life as a constant battle to suppress the rage that masked his deep emotional wounds.
The MacGraws didn’t have much money. Ali, her younger brother Richard Jr., and their parents lived in a modest home on a wilderness preserve in Pound Ridge, sharing it with an elderly couple.
“There were no doors,” Ali recalled. “We shared the kitchen and bathroom with them. It was an utter lack of privacy — it was horrible.”
Her mother, Frances, worked various commercial art jobs to keep the family afloat. Meanwhile, Richard struggled to sell his paintings, a frustration that often boiled over at home. Sadly, that frustration was sometimes taken out on Richard Jr.
“On good days he was great,” Ali said of her father. “But on bad days, he was horrendous. Daddy would beat my brother up, badly. I was witness to it, and it was terrible.”
Despite the turbulence, Ali knew from a young age that she wanted to follow a creative path. She earned a scholarship to Rosemary Hall, a prestigious prep school, and in 1956, went on to study at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
By the age of 22, Ali MacGraw had moved to New York City, eager to find her place in the creative world. Her first break came at Harper’s Bazaar, where she worked as an assistant editor, helping out on photo shoots and learning the ropes behind the scenes.
Fashion legend Diana Vreeland eventually brought Ali on as what she playfully described as a “flunkie.” The experience, Ali once joked, was straight out of The Devil Wears Prada — complete with barked orders and long hours.
“It was, ‘Girl! Get me a pencil!’” she recalled.
Ali worked tirelessly, and about six months in, her natural beauty caught the attention of renowned fashion photographer Melvin Sokolsky. Recognizing her potential, he promoted her to stylist — a position that came with a better paycheck and more creative control. She would remain in the role for six years.
“I don’t know where she got this work ethic,” said Ruth Ansel, a former art director at Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar. “Ali would come in at 8 a.m., and many times I’d come back at one in the morning and she would still be working.”
Ali excelled as a stylist, but the fashion world had more in store for her. Before long, she found herself stepping in front of the camera, modeling for magazines and appearing in commercials. Her striking presence and natural charm made her a favorite, and soon, magazine covers and TV spots followed.
One opportunity led to another — and without even planning it, Ali MacGraw was on her way to becoming a movie star.
A few years before her big-screen debut, Ali MacGraw found herself sketched nude by none other than Salvador Dalí. But when the eccentric surrealist artist took things too far and began sucking on her toes, Ali made a decision: modeling wasn’t for her. She’d aim for something different — acting.
Ali’s leap from fashion stylist to Hollywood star was swift and explosive. With no formal training in acting, she brought a raw, natural energy to the screen that captivated audiences.
Her first brush with film came in a small role in A Lovely Way to Die (1968), but it was her performance in Goodbye, Columbus (1969) that truly caught Hollywood’s attention. The role earned her a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female, and the film’s success marked the beginning of something big.
Just a year later, her career-defining role would arrive.
Ali was handed a script by her agent and couldn’t put it down. She cried twice while reading it — and knew immediately that she wanted the part. The film was Love Story, and Ali arranged a meeting with producer Robert Evans, then head of production at Paramount Pictures, at the Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Not only did Evans think she was perfect for the role — he also fell head over heels for her.
Cast as Jenny, a smart and spirited working-class student opposite Ryan O’Neal’s wealthy Harvard heir, Ali MacGraw delivered a performance that would become iconic. Love Story was a box office phenomenon and cemented her status as an international star. Her combination of vulnerability, wit, and stunning screen presence made her unforgettable. It was a role — and a love story — that would forever define her career.
When Love Story hit theaters in 1970, it became a cultural phenomenon. Audiences across the country were swept up in the tragic romance, making it the No. 1 film in the U.S. that year. At the time, it even ranked as the sixth highest-grossing movie in the history of the U.S. and Canada.
Ali MacGraw’s performance as Jenny captivated both viewers and critics. She earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and the film received a total of five Oscar nominations. On top of that, Ali took home her second Golden Globe — this time for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.
Off-screen, the film’s producer, Robert Evans, was equally enchanted. The two had fallen in love during the making of Love Story and married in 1969. Just two years later, they welcomed their son, Josh Evans.
Ali was now the brightest star in Hollywood — talented, beautiful, and adored. But just as quickly as her career had skyrocketed, her personal life was about to take a dramatic turn.
One day, actor Steve McQueen stopped by the Evans home. He had a proposal: he wanted Ali to co-star with him in The Getaway. The moment they met, sparks flew.
“I looked in those blue eyes, and my knees started knocking,” Ali later admitted. “I became obsessed.”
That meeting would change everything — both her marriage and her career.
Ali MacGraw and Steve McQueen’s chemistry quickly evolved into a full-blown affair. Before long, she made the difficult decision to leave Robert Evans and move in with McQueen in Malibu, bringing her young son Josh with her.
“Steve was this incredibly original, principled guy who didn’t seem to be part of the system — and I loved that,” Ali later reflected.
Ali MacGraw came to see that Steve McQueen carried deep emotional wounds of his own. Abandoned by his father and sent to a school for troubled boys at just 14, Steve had grown up with trust issues—especially when it came to women.
He resented Ali’s independence and wasn’t comfortable with her having a career. For a time, she stepped back from acting to focus on raising their son, but McQueen’s expectations soon became stifling.
“I couldn’t even go to art class because Steve expected his ‘old lady’ to be there every night with dinner on the table,” she later said.
Jealous and controlling, he would fly into rages if she so much as looked at another man. He even insisted on a prenuptial agreement, stating she wouldn’t ask for anything in the event of a divorce—a condition she honored when their marriage ended in 1978.
“Steve’s idea of sexy wasn’t me,” Ali admitted. “He liked blonde bimbos, and they were always around.”
This marked the beginning of a difficult chapter in Ali MacGraw’s life. During the filming of Convoy in 1978, she arrived on set both drunk and high — a wake-up call that pushed her to quit drugs for good.
At the same time, several of her films, including Players (1970) and Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), failed to find an audience, signaling a challenging period in her career.
“It’s brutal for women,” MacGraw told The Guardian when reflecting on her return to show business in the late 1970s. “There’s a lot of pressure, and it’s not easy to come back.”
“I don’t think there’s a woman over 40 who’s ever been in the spotlight who doesn’t get tired of the relentless scrutiny from the media, the fashion world, and everywhere else. It’s downright cruel,” Ali MacGraw once said.
Though her time as a Hollywood superstar was brief, Ali shifted her focus to interior design while still dipping her toes in acting. She took roles in TV miniseries like The Winds of War (1983) and China Rose (1985). But despite these efforts, her film career stalled, and opportunities dried up.
Feeling lost and doubting her own worth, Ali admitted she struggled to find fulfillment without a partner. She described being in love as a “drug high” — something she craved deeply.
Feeling isolated and overwhelmed, Ali MacGraw turned to alcohol to numb the pain. In 1986, recognizing she needed help, she checked herself into the Betty Ford Clinic in California.
“The worst stuff happened when I drank,” she admitted. “I lost my judgment; I even fancied other women’s husbands.”
Her son, Josh Evans, then just 15, struggled to witness his mother’s battles. After spending 30 days in group therapy, Ali emerged stronger and more determined to heal.
Tragedy struck again in 1993 when a wildfire destroyed her home in California. This loss prompted her to leave Los Angeles behind and start fresh in a quiet town near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“I live in a small village called Tesuque, just north of Santa Fe, New Mexico,” Ali MacGraw shared in an interview last year.
For her neighbors, she isn’t just a former Hollywood icon — she’s a valued member of the community, known for her dedication to local causes. One of her passions is volunteering at the annual International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, where she helps support artists and craftspeople from around the world.
Although Ali stepped away from acting, she briefly returned to the stage in 2006, reuniting with Love Story co-star Ryan O’Neal for the Broadway adaptation of the Danish film Festen.
Since then, she’s remained largely out of the public eye, channeling her energy into animal rights advocacy and producing a series of successful yoga videos — finding new ways to inspire and connect beyond Hollywood.
Ali MacGraw’s story shows that true strength lies in resilience. From Hollywood fame to a quiet life in New Mexico, she’s found peace and purpose beyond the spotlight.