Faye Dunaway | Biography, Films, & Facts (2024)

Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941, Bascom, Florida, U.S.) is an American actress known for her tense, absorbing performances. She enjoyed early success on the stage and then gained international stardom for her work in films.

Initially studying to become a teacher, Dunaway entered the University of Florida in Gainesville on a teaching scholarship, but she transferred to Boston University’s School of Fine and Applied Arts, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1962. Although she was offered the opportunity to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Dunaway accepted instead a role in the American National Theatre and Academy production of A Man for All Seasons (1962). In 1965 she won critical acclaim for her role in William Alfred’s Hogan’s Goat, and that year she made her television debut. A film career soon followed, as her first two movies, The Happening and Hurry Sundown, were released early in 1967.

Dunaway did not have long to wait for big-screen success. Just months after her film debut, she became a Hollywood star with her role opposite Warren Beatty in Bonnie and Clyde, which premiered in August 1967. As Bonnie Parker, she embodied the spirit of the film (as she often did in her best performances), instilling the legendary bank robber with an intoxicating mix of youthful rebellion, vanity, and sexuality. She was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress. Dunaway proved equally adept as a determined insurance investigator pursuing a rakish thief (played by Steve McQueen) in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). After appearing in a string of good if unremarkable films, including Little Big Man (1970) and The Three Musketeers (1973), she gave a deeply affecting performance in Roman Polanski’s classic film noir Chinatown (1974). As Evelyn Mulwray, Dunaway depicted a complex and troubled woman in a role that transcended the typical femme fatale and earned her a second Oscar nomination. She then appeared as a civilian abducted by a CIA agent on the run (Robert Redford) in Three Days of the Condor (1975). She won the Academy Award for best actress for her role as Diana Christensen, an intimidating and amoral television executive, in Sidney Lumet’s Network (1976).

Although Dunaway continued to perform in films, few of her later vehicles achieved any measure of critical success. She played the title role in the supernatural thriller Eyes of Laura Mars (1978). Her chilling portrayal of Joan Crawford in the biopic Mommie Dearest (1981) thrilled some but alienated most, especially in Hollywood, where she found increasingly less work. She gave memorable performances in Barfly (1987), The Handmaid’s Tale (1990), and Arizona Dream (1993). She later took on supporting roles in the biopic The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999), the crime thriller The Yards (2000), the dark comedy The Rules of Attraction (2002), and the drama The Case for Christ (2017).

Dunaway continued to act onstage, most notably as opera diva Maria Callas in the American tour of Terrence McNally’s Master Class (1996–97). She also starred in several television movies and made guest appearances on shows including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2006) and Grey’s Anatomy (2009). In 2017 Dunaway and her Bonnie and Clyde costar, Warren Beatty, made Oscar history by mistakenly announcing La La Land (2016) as the winner for best picture. The actual winner was Moonlight (2016), and show officials noted that the mistake was due to an envelope mix-up. Dunaway’s autobiography, Looking for Gatsby (written with Betsey Sharkey), was published in 1995.