Ali MacGraw, born in 1939 in New York, grew up in a struggling artistic family marked by financial hardship and her father’s anger. She studied at Wellesley College before moving to New York, where she worked in fashion at Harper’s Bazaar and quickly rose from assistant to stylist, then model.
Her beauty soon led her into acting. After small roles, she won a Golden Globe for Goodbye, Columbus and became a global star with Love Story (1970), earning an Oscar nomination and another Golden Globe. She married producer Robert Evans and had a son, Josh, but later left him for actor Steve McQueen after working together on The Getaway.
Her relationship with McQueen was intense but controlling, and after their divorce in 1978, her career declined as several films flopped and she struggled with addiction. She later entered rehab in 1986.
After losing work and going through personal crises—including a house fire—she left Hollywood and moved to a quiet town in New Mexico. There, she focused on yoga, animal rights, and community work, occasionally returning for small projects but largely staying out of the spotlight.
Today, the 85-year-old lives a peaceful, private life, aging naturally and far from Hollywood fame.