Ali MacGraw: From Stardom to a Quiet Life
Ali MacGraw rose to fame overnight with Love Story (1970), becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. But just as quickly, she stepped away from the spotlight.
Born Elizabeth Alice MacGraw in 1939 in Pound Ridge, NY, she grew up in a modest artist family. Her childhood was marked by financial struggles and a volatile home life due to her father’s unresolved trauma and anger.
After college, Ali moved to New York, working in fashion before being discovered as a model. Her beauty and natural presence soon led her to acting. After a breakout in Goodbye, Columbus (1969), she became a global sensation with Love Story, earning an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe.
Ali married producer Robert Evans, with whom she had a son, Josh. But she left Evans after falling in love with actor Steve McQueen while filming The Getaway. Their marriage was troubled, with McQueen’s controlling nature prompting Ali to quit acting temporarily.
By the late 1970s, Ali’s career stalled, and she battled addiction. After rehab in 1986, she shifted focus to a quieter life. A fire destroyed her California home in 1993, prompting a move to Tesuque, New Mexico, where she still lives today, engaged in community work and animal rights.
Though she briefly returned to the stage in 2006 and produced yoga videos, Ali largely stayed out of the public eye, aging gracefully and embracing a creative, peaceful life.
Her son Josh Evans followed in her footsteps, becoming a successful actor and director. He remains close to Ali, who describes him as her “favorite human being on the planet.”