At 90 years old, Shirley MacLaine remains a revered legend of the silver screen. Rising to fame in 1955 with Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry, she cemented her status with unforgettable roles in classics like The Apartment, Irma la Douce, and the Oscar-winning Terms of Endearment. Though she’s stepped back from the spotlight in recent years, MacLaine hasn’t left Hollywood behind — she still reflects on the art of acting and how every role taught her something new.
Yet behind the camera, her personal life told a very different story.
Her nearly three-decade marriage to producer Steve Parker ended in 1982, after years of living mostly apart — she in the U.S., he in Japan with their daughter, Sachi. Despite the distance, their relationship endured in its own way, with both remaining amicable. But MacLaine’s relentless dedication to her craft often came at a cost — particularly to her role as a mother.
Sachi, who spent much of her youth in Japan and Europe, chronicled her experience in her memoir Lucky Me: My Life With — and Without — My Mom. She described a childhood marked by emotional distance, loneliness, and longing for a more grounded family life. Shirley, influenced by her own mother’s sacrifices, chose career over convention, a decision that created lasting tension between mother and daughter.
MacLaine has always been candid about her unconventional life, including her “open” marriage and relationships with various co-stars — though she jokes that flings with the likes of Jack Lemmon or Jack Nicholson were never in the cards. “I would laugh too much,” she once quipped about Nicholson, underscoring the deep but platonic nature of those friendships.
Today, Shirley’s life is quieter and more introspective. She spends her time on a peaceful ranch in New Mexico, surrounded by loyal dogs and close friends. Her romantic chapter may be closed, but she finds joy in simpler pleasures and continues to reflect on her extraordinary journey.
Meanwhile, Sachi, now a mother herself, uses the lessons from her own childhood to foster stronger, more nurturing connections with her children — seeking to build what she once longed for.
Their story is not one of perfect endings, but of evolution, acceptance, and two women finding peace in their own, very different ways.
