Faye Dunaway is an American actress, winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress and one of the brightest stars in Hollywood at the turn of the 60s and 70s. She is best known for her roles in the films Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, Arizona Dream. Faye Dunaway's biography, personal life and films are later in this article.
early years
Dorothy Faye Dunaway was born on January 14, 1941 in Bascom (Florida, USA). The actress's parents are non-commissioned officer John MacDowell and housewife Grace April. Since childhood, Faye dreamed about the stage, and therefore was engaged in dancing, singing and playing the piano. After graduating from school, she entered the theater arts department at the University of Florida, but then transferred to the same department at Boston University, where she received a theater actress diploma.
The first big performances of Dunaway were roles in the Broadway productions of "Man for All Times" and "After the Fall." In 1962, the 21-year-old actress joined the troupe of the US National Theater. Pictured below is Faye Dunaway in his youth.
Carier start
During the play "The Crucible" on the stage of the national theater, the beginning actress was noticed by the manager of the director Elia Kazan, who was in search of young talents for her film studio. The first film role of Dunaway was the girl Sandy in the 1967 film "The Incident". The debut earned positive reviews from critics. In the same year, the actress played a supporting role in Otto Preminger's film "Hurry Sunset." She described this experience as "daily moral abuse." Before filming, she signed a contract for the shooting of six paintings by Preminger, but tore it before the end of the filming of the first. As a result, the film failed at the box office, but Dunaway herself was awarded for him his first award - the Golden Globe in the nomination "Best Young Star".
Interestingly, if Fay nevertheless decided to continue filming with Preminger, she would likely miss the first starring role in her life - the young killer and bank robber Bonnie Parker in Arthur Penn’s film “Bonnie and Clyde”. This film was also released in 1967, and after its premiere, the actress woke up truly famous. Critics unanimously called Dunaway not only a magnificent actress, but also the most beautiful woman in Hollywood, she received her first Oscar nomination and won BAFTA and David di Donatello awards. Here is what the actress herself said about this period:
I instantly joined the ranks of actresses creating art. There are people who turn ordinary acting into art, and now I was among them. Then I was a "golden" girl - one of those who will not only be nominated for an Oscar year after year, but will also be presented with one of them. The film showed the quality of my work - Bonnie and Clyde turned me into a star.
Below is a photo of Faye Dunaway in the image of Bonnie.
The next success was the role of Vicki Anderson in the film "Thomas Crown Scam" 1968. At first, Steve McQueen, the partner of the actress in the film, did not want to star in Dunaway, considering her a "publicized dummy." But then he called her the best actress of all with whom he had a chance to work.
Bad projects and a break
After the success of the films “Bonnie and Clyde” and “Thomas Crown Scam”, the actress began a series of unsuccessful projects. These were the films "Lovers" (1968), "Deal" (1969) and "The Extraordinary Sailor" (1969). The actress herself was still awarded high marks for her work, but the paintings, frankly unsuccessful, failed at the box office. Fay decided to take a break and for almost two years did not appear on the set.
In 1970-1971, Faye Dunaway starred in several films, which were generally successful, but incomparable with her first stellar paintings. In the work, the actress realized how much the lost two years meant - the viewer had already forgotten her name. Now Fay approached the choice of projects with the utmost seriousness.
In 1972, she tried her hand at television, then briefly returned to the stage in the play "Old Times". The success of this time was the role of Blanche Dubois in the play "Streetcar Desire", staged in Los Angeles. Tennessee Williams himself - the author of the play - praised Dunaway for playing the role.
The main period of creativity
A loud return to the cinema was the role of Milady Winter in the film adaptation of “Three Musketeers” by Alexander Dumas in 1973.
But the actress managed to repeat the success of the film "Bonnie and Clyde" only in 1974, when she appeared in the complex psychological film by Roman Polanski "Chinatown". For the role of Evelyn Cross, Dunaway received nominations for Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA. The film became a real classic, and Faye returned to the ranks of the best actresses in Hollywood. Here is what Robert Evans, the producer of the picture, said about her success:
She has everything - beauty, talent, nerve, she is one of the greatest strangers. When the light goes out, her face appears from the darkness and she looks with her big mysterious eyes straight into the soul, I tell you - this is something. There is something about it that we have not seen on the screen for a long time. There is witchcraft in it. She is a fatal woman.
The film "Network", in which, according to critics and the actress herself, Dunaway played her best role, was released in 1976. For him, Faye was nominated for an Oscar for the third time and finally received the coveted figurine.
The role of the famous Hollywood actress Joan Crawford in the 1981 film "Dear Mommy" was called by critics "a small miracle." This was Dunaway's first work as a real person after Bonnie Parker. The actress herself admitted that the role was very difficult and unpleasant, practically not commenting on this work afterwards.
The 80s were marked for Faye Dunaway with life in England and a large number of works on television. She again began to lose her popularity and, returning to the United States by the end of the decade, immediately took up several large projects.
In 1993, a great success for the actress was the role in the film of the independent director Emir Kusturica "Arizona Dream". Fay showed herself from a completely new perspective, in the unusual image of a young lady who had sincere feelings for a young guy. In general, the 90s helped the actress regain its former popularity in all aspects - she starred in successful films, played on stage and appeared on television.
Present
In 2016, Faye Dunaway appeared in the first feature film in eight years. She played a small role in the buy-by-man thriller, which received very low ratings from critics and viewers. The latest film actress of the actress is the supporting role in the 2017 film "American Connection". What Faye Dunaway looks like now can be seen in the photo below.
Personal life
In 1968, Faye Dunaway began a romantic relationship with the Italian actor Marcello Mastroiani, her partner in the film "Lovers". The actress really wanted to marry Mastroiani, but he was already married and had children. In 1970, they broke up due to the fact that Marcello did not dare to leave his family. Subsequently, both actors more than once openly regretted this break - even after three decades.
In 1974, Dunaway married Peter Wolfe, lead singer of The J. Geils Band. Because of her filming and his tour, they practically did not see each other and therefore decided to divorce in 1979. In 1983, the actress married a second time - her husband was the British photographer Terry O'Neill. Their son Liam was born in 1980, and although Fay has claimed many times that she herself gave birth to him, O'Neill said in a 2003 interview that they had adopted a boy from an orphanage. The couple divorced in 1987, and at the moment, the actress's personal life is a secret.