6 Things About Shirley MacLaine Ahead of New Memoir

Lauren Novak October 21, 3:27 pm

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 14: Actress Shirley MacLaine participates in a press conference for the film — Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Shirley MacLaine is celebrating her 90th year on this planet with another new memoir. The sister of Warren Beatty previously wrote an autobiography called Out on a Limb in 1983 and is now at it again with The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories From This Marvelous Lifetime. In the book, she opens up about her life and career, and in honor of it, let’s learn some fun facts about MacLaine:

1 She dated many of her costars except two very famous ones

THE EVENING STAR, Jack Nicholson, Shirley MacLaine, 1996

Paramount/Everett Collection

MacLaine has talked about her open marriage to Steve Parker and admitted that she had affairs with many of her costars over the years. In fact, there were only two leading men who she didn’t date: Jack Lemmon and Jack Nicholson. As to why, she called Lemmon “a sister” and said that Nicholson made her “laugh all the time.” She insists nothing ever happened between her and Nicholson and added, “I don’t think he would’ve been my type to have an affair with anyway. I would laugh too much.”

2 She originally wanted to be a dancer

JOHN GOLDFARB PLEASE COME HOME, Shirley MacLaine, 1965, belly dancer

Everett Collection

It wasn’t always MacLaine’s dream to become an actress. She wanted to be a dancer instead and moved to New York City to pursue her dreams at 16 years old. She said, “When I went out auditioning, people thought I was older and was offered a job in the chorus of the ‘subway circuit’ of Oklahoma! and got to do the show in all the boroughs of New York.”

3 Her first love was George Huvos

WOMAN TIMES SEVEN, Shirley MacLaine, 1967

Everett Collection

While she was only married once, to Parker (1954-82), she opens up about her first love in the book. She said that she was in love with George Huvos, a student at Columbia University. They met when she was only 17 years old. Ultimately, she turned down Huvos’ wedding proposal to pursue her dancing dreams.

4 She gave this advice to Elvis Presley

G.I. BLUES, from left: shirley MacLaine visits Elvis Presley on set, 1960

Everett Collection

The two were both contract players at Paramount at the same time, and she said that his dressing room was near hers. When he asked for advice on set, she said, “I just told him to be nice to people and kind, because he was a huge star then. But we didn’t hang out, I didn’t know him that well.”

5 She hit on Morgan Freeman

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection

While MacLaine has dated tons of gorgeous men, there was one that turned her down: Morgan Freeman. She admitted, “I propositioned him and he turned me down. Oh, I really liked him right away. I thought his acting was brilliant. I barely said anything, and he just shook his head. Isn’t that interesting?”

6 She is really into UFOs

MacLaine has shown an interest in UFOs and aliens many times over the years and has done interviews on the subject. She said that she has had alien encounters, especially at her New Mexico ranch, as well as witnessed the 1952 UFO incident in Washington D.C. In July of that year, numerous sightings around the same area were reported.