Hollywood star Ali MacGraw retired from acting & now lives in a tiny town where people respect her privacy
Ali MacGraw, now 84, once captivated Hollywood with her beauty and talent — but chose a different path, one marked by resilience, reinvention, and grace. Born in 1939 in New York, Ali was raised by artistic yet struggling parents. After excelling at Wellesley College, she began her career in fashion before transitioning to modeling and then acting.
Her breakout came with Goodbye, Columbus (1969), followed by Love Story (1970), which brought her global fame and an Oscar nomination. She quickly became a symbol of Hollywood glamour. Ali married producer Robert Evans and had a son, Josh, but left him for actor Steve McQueen after filming The Getaway. Their relationship was intense and difficult, ultimately leading her to step away from acting.
Struggling with addiction and personal setbacks, she entered rehab in 1986 and later moved to New Mexico after losing her home in a wildfire. There, she embraced a quiet life centered on yoga, animal advocacy, and community work.
Though she returned to the stage briefly, Ali largely stayed out of the spotlight. She shares a close bond with her son and cherishes her role as a grandmother.
Ali MacGraw’s story is one of transformation — from stardom to solitude — proving that true beauty lies in strength, humility, and the courage to start over.
Ali MacGraw, 85, Steps Out in New York City, 55 Years After Love Story
The beloved actress hit the sunny New York City streets in a chic black suit
Ali MacGraw is stunning at 85!
The actress was photographed on Wednesday, Feb. 12, looking fantastic in a sleek black suit on the streets of New York City. MacGraw wore her striking gray hair swept back and accessorized with a simple black handbag and elegant kitten heels.
It’s hard to believe it’s been more than half a century since MacGraw rose to fame as the star of romantic films like Goodbye, Columbus (1969) and Love Story (1970).
The actress was 30 when she won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for 1969’s Goodbye, Columbus. One year later, she took on what is probably her most iconic role as Jenny Cavilleri, a working class college student who falls for wealthy classmate Oliver Barrett IV (Ryan O’Neal) in 1970’s Love Story.
The film was a box office smash as well as critically well-received. MacGraw’s performance earned her another Golden Globe and a 1971 Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Love Story went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of all time and remains a romance classic. In 2021, Paramount+ announced it was developing a series based on the film.
Despite having “absolutely nothing in common,” as she told PEOPLE around the release of a 50th anniversary edition of the film in 2021, MacGraw and O’Neal “just clicked.”
“Suddenly I was a movie star and that’s a shocking experience,” she added of Love Story’s success. “I think the biggest accomplishment of my life has been that I survived [being] flavor of the year.”
More hits followed for MacGraw, including 1972’s The Getaway, on the set of which she met third husband Steve McQueen, and 1978’s Convoy. In 1985, she appeared in a 14-episode arc on Dynasty.
MacGraw and O’Neal remained friends in the decades after Love Story’s release, reuniting in 2016 in a touring production of A.R. Gurney’s play Love Letters. In 2021, the former costars received side-by-side stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“Working with Ryan, all those years ago, was one of the great experiences of my film career,” she told PEOPLE in a statement following O’Neal’s 2023 death. “I know that a huge part of my success was due to his generosity as my costar.”