Faye Dunaway stands as one of the rare true legends still with us.
The legendary actress, known for her portrayals of strong, challenging, and complex women, ranks among the finest performances in the history of cinema.
And at 85 years old, she continues to shine today…
Faye Dunaway is famously remembered for her iconic line, “no more wire hangers!” from the cult classic Mommie Dearest. She is also recognized for her roles in Hurry Sundown alongside Michael Caine and Bonnie and Clyde, where she outperformed Jane Fonda and Natalie Wood for the leading role.
Born in Bascom, Florida, the actress has earned three Golden Globes and an Emmy.
It’s difficult to discuss Faye Dunaway’s career without referencing Mommie Dearest. Emulating the spirit of Joan Crawford, Dunaway amazed the crew on the set of Mommie Dearest when she first appeared from the dressing room as the legendary actress, who had passed away four years earlier.
Mommie Dearest (1981) is a dramatized film version of Christina Crawford’s memoir, which narrates her troubled relationship with her adoptive mother, the iconic actress Joan Crawford.
Dunaway truly embodied a mix of terror and charm.
In her unsettling depiction of Crawford, Dunaway blurred the boundaries of reality, bringing Joan back to life both on and off the set. She was so immersed in the role that she confided to a Hollywood biographer, “I want to climb inside her skin.”
Whether Dunaway honed her skills as a method actor or was truly possessed by Crawford’s spirit is up for debate. In her autobiography, Looking for Gatsby, she reflects, “One told me it was like seeing Joan herself come back from the dead.”
The media even began to report that Dunaway was being haunted by Crawford. The Los Angeles Times commented on her voice, stating, “(Dunaway) appears to have borrowed it for 12 weeks from the ghost of Joan Crawford.”
Despite her iconic performances, Dunaway has expressed some regrets about her career. “I think it turned my career in a direction where people would irretrievably have the wrong impression of me—and that’s an awful hard thing to beat,” she shared with Entertainment Tonight. “I should have known better, but sometimes you’re vulnerable and you don’t realize what you’re getting into.”
While working with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Kirk Douglas, and Johnny Depp, Dunaway maintained a level of professionalism, keeping her relationships with her co-stars strictly platonic.
“There were a few attractions to a couple of individuals – not many, but perhaps Jack (Nicholson) and Warren (Beatty). At that time, Warren was fully enjoying his bachelor life, while Steve (McQueen) was happily committed to someone, and I wouldn’t interfere with that, even if it were presented to me, but it wasn’t.”
“You simply don’t,” she remarked during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “I have a principle: You know it’s going to spoil the performance and ruin the film, so you avoid that.”
The timeless beauty with her graceful high cheekbones broke her own rule for the charming Marcello Mastroianni, an award-winning Italian actor, who proved to be too much of a temptation.
Her connection with the Italian superstar mirrors the essence of art. In the film A Place for Lovers (1968)–which Roger Ebert described in the Chicago Sun-Times as the “most godawful piece of pseudo-romantic slop I’ve ever seen!”–Dunaway portrays a fashion designer involved in an affair with a race-car driver, played by Mastroianni. In reality, she experienced a brief but intense three-year romance with the actor, whom she ultimately departed from when he declined to leave his wife.
In an interview with People, Dunaway expressed, “I was profoundly in love with him. He was unlike any man I had ever encountered, and he made me feel incredibly safe.”
In 1974, she tied the knot with musician Peter Wolf, the lead vocalist of The J. Geils Band, but they parted ways five years later.
In a 2017 article featured in Marie Claire, Dunaway revealed her dissatisfaction in her marriage to Wolf and began a relationship with renowned British photographer Terry O’Neill. O’Neill captured a photograph of her lounging by the pool at The Beverly Hills Hotel, with her Oscar from the film The Network placed on the table beside her.
The couple wed in 1983 and welcomed a son, Liam (born in 1980), whom Dunaway misled the public about for many years, claiming he was her biological child. Dunaway and O’Neill divorced in 1987.
Dunaway has faced accusations of being a diva who panders, making her exceptionally difficult and unpredictable for co-stars, set crews, and even hotel staff.
In 2019, she was let go from her role as Audrey Hepburn in the off-Broadway production of Tea at Five after fostering a “hostile” and “dangerous” atmosphere. Additionally, in 1994, Andrew Lloyd Weber removed her from his Los Angeles production of Sunset Boulevard.
Jack Nicholson, one of her leading men, referred to her as the “gossamer grenade.” In 1988, when Johnny Carson inquired, “who’s one of the worst people you know in Hollywood?” the candid and unapologetic Bette Davis promptly replied, “Faye Dunaway, and everyone you could put in this chair would say the same thing.” She went on to say, “I don’t think we have the time to discuss all the reasons—she’s simply uncooperative. Miss Dunaway is all about Miss Dunaway.
Despite Dunaway’s challenging, often harsh, and sometimes abusive demeanor, she remains a highly talented actress.
In 1997, People magazine included her in its list of the 50 Most Beautiful People, and in 1996, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Regarding her relationship status, she is currently single.
In a 2016 interview with People, she expressed that she is still open to the idea of dating. “I’m very much a loner,” she confesses. “I always think I would like to have a partner in life, and I would—if I could find the right person, I think.”
Her most recent work was in 2022, where she appeared alongside Kevin Spacey in the Italian film L’uomo che disegnò Dio.
We believe that Hollywood would be different without Dunaway. Share your thoughts on her portrayal of Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest, and let us know how you feel about her alleged outbursts!
