Warren Beatty
The Oscar-wining actor-writer-director-producer, renowned for such classic films as “Bonnie and Clyde,” “McCabe and Mrs. Miller,” “Shampoo” and “Reds,” has returned to the screen after a 15-year hiatus, in the film “Rules Don’t Apply.”
Pictured: Warren Beatty lends a hand in putting up a sign at the Beverly Hills headquarters for Sen. George McGovern, May 29, 1972. Beatty helped the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign by organizing a concert which raised $300,000 for the senator.
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan
Warren Beatty
Born in Richmond, Va., Henry Warren Beatty studied acting in New York City under Stella Adler, and appeared on television in the late 1950s and early ‘60s, in “Playhouse 90,” “Kraft Theatre,” “One Step Beyond,” and “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.”
He made his Broadway debut in William Inge’s “A Loss of Roses” in 1959, with his future “Bonnie and Clyde” costar Michael J. Pollard.
"Splendor in the Grass"
Beatty’s first motion picture was Elia Kazan’s “Splendor in the Grass” (1961), a tale of young love and lust, costarring Natalie Wood.
“I was very lucky to do the first movie that I ever did with Kazan, who really was not only a great director, he was a very, very smart producer,” Beatty told CBS News’ Mo Rocca. “Just as I was very lucky to have begun acting by going to meet Stella Adler, who was a brilliant, brilliant teacher.”
By the end of the decade, Beatty would be producing films as well.
Cannes Film Festival
Actors Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty chat at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1962.
"The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone"
In “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone” (1961), Warren Beatty played an Italian gigolo in Rome who becomes engaged in the attentions of a recently-widowed American (Vivien Leigh).
London
Princess Margaret chats with actors Warren Beatty, Joan Collins and Van Johnson in the foyer of the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London on Feb. 20, 1961, at the royal film premiere of “The Facts of Life.”
"All Fall Down"
In John Frankenheimer’s “All Fall Down” (1962), Warren Beatty plays a cad who hooks up with Eva Marie Saint, creating a rivalry with his own brother who is also attracted to the young blonde.
"Lilith"
Warren Beatty and Jean Seberg are patients at a psychiatric facility who fall in love in “Lilith” (1964), directed by Robvert Rossen. The film co-starred Peter Fonda, Gene Hackman and Kim Hunter.
Beatty talked about Hackman as an example of the joy of working with really talented actors: “He had a small scene - I don’t think he had ever done a movie [before]. And I was stunned by how good he was. Because it made ME good,” he told Mo Rocca.
“That’s the fun thing about acting. That’s the tennis of it.”
"Mickey One"
Running from trouble in Detroit, Warren Beatty tries to skirt the mafia while flitting from nightclub to nightclub - exactly where the mob might go looking for him - in Arthur Penn’s surrealistic drama “Mickey One” (1965).
"Kaleidoscope"
Warren Beatty tries to break the bank at a run of casinos - and yes, cheating is involved - in the crime film “Kaleidoscope” (1966), costarring Susannah York.
"Promise Her Anything"
Warren Beatty and Leslie Caron in the romantic comedy “Promise Her Anything” (1965).
Academy Awards
Actor Warren Beatty and his sister, actress Shirley MacLaine, arrive for the Academy Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., April 18, 1966.
"Bonnie and Clyde"
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), with Gene Hackman. The Depression-era gangster drama, directed by Arthur Penn, was a watershed in the “new Hollywood” of the late 1960s, particularly with its bloody depiction of the duo’s violent death.
"Bonnie and Clyde"
“Bonnie and Clyde” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards. Beatty was nominated both for Best Actor and, as the producer, for Best Picture. Faye Dunaway also earned a Best Actress nomination.
"Bonnie and Clyde"
Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty on the set of “Bonnie and Clyde.”
Paris
Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty arrive at the Moulin-Rouge Cinema in Paris, Jan. 24, 1968, to attend the premiere of the film “Bonnie and Clyde.”
San Francisco
Warren Beatty, who played the role of gangster Clyde Barrow in “Bonnie and Clyde,” speaks on gun control legislation, as the crowd - awaiting the start of the Cardinal-Giants game - responded with a mixture of boos and cheers, in San Francisco, July 6, 1968. Beatty spoke as chairman of the Artists’ Committee of the Emergency Committee for Gun Controls.
"The Only Game in Town"
Warren Beatty is a compulsive gambler in the drama “The Only Game in Town” (1970).
"The Only Game in Town"
Elizabeth Taylor and Warren Beatty listen to director Georges Stevens during the filming of “The Only Game in Town” in Boulogne, France, in 1969.
"$"
Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn scheme to empty some criminals’ illicit cash stashed in a German bank’s safe deposit boxes in the heist film “$” (1971), directed by Richard Brooks.
"McCabe and Mrs Miller"
Robert Altman’s subversive western “McCabe and Mrs Miller” (1971), set in a Pacific Northwest mining town at the turn of the century, starred Warren Beatty as a gambler who becomes a business partner with brothel owner Julie Christie.
"The Parallax View"
Alan J. Pakula’s sinister political conspiracy film, “The Parallax View” (1974), featured Warren Beatty as a reporter looking for connections between a presidential candidate’s assassination and a mysterious corporation.
"Shampoo"
Hal Ashby’s 1975 romantic and politically-tinged satire “Shampoo” followed a day in the life of a rakish Beverly Hills hairdresser (Beatty) with an insatiable appetite for women. The cast featured Goldie Hawn, Julie Christie, Lee Grant, Jack Warden and a teenage Carrie Fisher.
"Shampoo"
Warren Beatty in “Shampoo.”
"The Fortune"
Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty are con artists out to swindle an heiress (Stockard Channing) in the Mike Nichols comedy, “The Fortune” (1975).
"Heaven Can Wait"
A football player who finds himself prematurely heading for the afterlife following an angelic mistake comes back to Earth in the body of another, picking up life with a new identity, in the romantic comedy “Heaven Can Wait” (1978).
Beatty achieved the rare distinction of earning four Academy Award nominations for a single film - as actor, co-writer, co-director and producer.
"Reds"
In the 1981 historical epic “Reds,” Warren Beatty starred as John Reed, the idealistic American author of “Ten Days That Shook The World,” who joined, then became disillusioned by, the Russian Revolution. Diane Keaton costarred with Jack Nicholson, Maureen Stapleton, Edward Herrmann, Paul Sorvino and Jerzy Kosinski.
For the second time, Beatty earned four Academy Award nominations for a single film - including for Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Picture, and won the Oscar for Best Director.
"Reds"
Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton and Warren Beatty in “Reds.”
Academy Awards
Warren Beatty waves to the audience as he leaves the stage after accepting the Best Director Oscar for "Reds," March 29, 1982 in Los Angeles.
New York City
Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton attend a gala party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Sept, 13, 1978, to celebrate the opening of a retrospective of work by show of American photographer Richard Avedon.
Chilmark, Mass.
Singer Carly Simon gestures, while Warren Beatty looks on, during funeral services for playwright Lillian Hellman at Abel Hill Cemetery in Chilmark, Massachusetts on Tuesday, July 3, 1984.
"Ishtar"
A comedy in the spirit of the Bing Crosby-Bob Hope “Road” pictures, Elaine May’s “Ishtar” (1987) starred Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as a depressingly untalented lounge act who are booked at a hotel in Morocco, where they become involved in CIA intrigues, guerillas and, of course, a beautiful woman.
"Ishtar"
Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman and Isabelle Adjani in “Ishtar.”
Stories of cost overruns and bickering on the set led to negative press, desultory reviews, and poor box office. But its reputation has rebounded in recent years.
"Dick Tracy"
Al Pacino as “Big Boy’ Caprice, one of the colorful criminals brought to life in Warren Beatty’s film of the Chester Gould comic strip detective, “Dick Tracy” (1990). Nominated for seven Academy Awards, it won three Oscars.
"Dick Tracy"
Warren Beatty as “Dick Tracy,” whose design reflected the bold, brilliant colors of a Sunday newspaper comic strip.
"Dick Tracy"
Warren Beatty with Madonna, as nightclub singer Breathless Mahoney, in “Dick Tracy.”
"Bugsy"
“Bugsy” (1991) is the story of East Coast mobster Bugsy Siegel, who heads West, where he envisions constructing a Mecca of gambling in the Nevada desert.
"Bugsy"
Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel and Warren Beatty in ”Bugsy.” Beatty and Keitel each received Academy Award nominations for their performances.
"Bugsy"
Warren Beatty and Annette Bening met on “Bugsy.” They were married in early 1992, a few months after the film’s release.
"Love Affair"
A man and a women, each engaged to marry, meet on an overseas flight diverted to Tahiti where, wouldn’t you know, they fall in love, in “Love Affair” (1994). A remake of the 1939 film, it starred Warren Beatty and Annette Bening in their first film appearance together after marrying in 1992.
"Bulworth"
Warren Beatty stars as a U.S. Senator facing a tough reelection bid who appears to go off the rails as he channels the frustrations of South-Central Los Angeles, effectively reviving his political career, while at the same time facing assassination threats, in the satire “Bulworth” (1998). Beatty shared a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination.
"Bulworth"
Warren Beatty and Halle Berry in “Bulworth.”
"Town and Country"
Garry Shandling and Warren Beatty are friends each suffering from marital discord and elicit assignations in the romantic comedy “Town and Country.” The film, which reteamed Beatty with Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn, also co-starred Andie MacDowell, Jenna Elfman and Nastassja Kinski. It proved to be a troubled production, with rewrites and reshoots extending over three years before it was released in 2001.
Beatty would not appear on screen again for 15 years, in the 2016 film, “Rules Don’t Apply.”
Los Angeles
Annette Bening and Warren Beatty attend the Walt Disney Concert Hall’s opening gala, October 23, 2003 in Los Angeles.
Kennedy Center Honors
Recipients of the 27th annual Kennedy Center Honors pose for a group photo following a dinner celebrating their lifetime achievements in the arts, at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Dec. 4, 2004.
Front, from left: singer-composer Elton John, actress Ruby Dee, and soprano Joan Sutherland. Rear, from left: actor-producer-director Warren Beatty, actor-producer Ossie Davis, and composer John Williams.
Governors Awards
Oscar-winning actress Annette Bening and Oscar-winning director Warren Beatty during the 2012 Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, Calif., Saturday, December 1, 2012.
"Rules Don't Apply"
In “Rules Don’t Apply” (2016), set in 1958 Hollywood, Warren Beatty plays the famously secretive billionaire Howard Hughes, a man obsessed with his privacy.
“He was a complicated guy, as you’ve heard,” Beatty told Mo Rocca. “He very much wanted to stay out of sight. And he was very interested in controlling the image of himself, of how he was seen. But at the same time people spoke well of him. I never met him. Sometimes I feel I met everybody who had met him, because people like to talk about Howard. There was something about his situation that enabled him to just do what he wanted to do. Inherited wealth can be a burden, but it also can be an enabling factor.”
Hollywood Walk of Fame
In discussing his role as Howard Hughes, Beatty admitted he has been no stranger to portraying true-life figures. “Napoleon said, ‘History is a set of lies agreed upon,’” he told Mo Rocca. “The best you can do is to find the truth or, if you’re making a movie, are you able to utilize the truth as you see it for the purposes of your movie? I’ve done it a few times before. I did it with ‘Bonnie and Clyde’; I’m not really very much like Clyde Barrow. I did it with ‘Bugsy.’ I’m not very much like Bugsy Siegel. And I did it with John Reed in ‘Reds.’ And so you take what moves you or amuses you, and you do what you can do.”
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan