Shirley MacLaine has had an illustrious career as one of the most versatile entertainers around. Her acting career has spanned dramatic and comic roles. She’s also a terrific singer and dancer. Recently, MacLaine has garnered a reputation for writing about her beliefs, including reincarnation. Shirley was born in 1934 in Richmond, Virginia, and her younger brother, Warren Beatty also went on to be an actor and director. After graduating from high school, Shirley moved to New York City and eventually replaced an injured Carol Haney in the Broadway production of The Pajama Game. Her lucky break came when director and producer Hal B Wallis discovered her and brought her to Hollywood.

The musical Sweet Charity gave Shirley MacLaine one of her most memorable roles. She hoofed her way to stardom, directed by Bob Fosse. It also starred Ricardo Montalban and Sammy Davis Jr. In complete contrast, Shirley appeared in the comic western, Two Mules for Sister Sara, directed by Don Siegel and co-starring Clint Eastwood. In The Turning Point, Shirley was cast opposite Anne Bancroft in a study of rivalry in the world of ballet. Herbert Ross directed and it also featured Mikhail Baryshnikov and Tom Skerritt. Hal Ashby cast MacLaine in Being There, a tour de force for Peter Sellers. Jack Warden and Melvyn Douglas also supported.

In 1990, Mike Nichols adapted the book written by Carrie Fisher into a film called Postcards from the Edge. Shirley MacLaine was cast with Meryl Streep, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, and Rob Reiner. The sequel to Terms of Endearment, The Evening Star, was directed by Robert Harling. Shirley was re-united with Jack Nicholson and the film co-starred Bill Paxton, Juliette Lewis, Miranda Richardson, Ben Johnson and Scott Wolf. Shirley is still much in demand, as in the 2005 release of In Her Shoes directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette.