Dunaway, Faye 1941–

Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television | 2005

COPYRIGHT 2004 The Gale Group, Inc.

DUNAWAY, Faye 1941–

PERSONAL

Full name, Dorothy Faye Dunaway; born January 14, 1941, in Bascom, FL; daughter of John MacDowell Dunaway (a career army officer) and Grace April (a homemaker; maiden name, Smith) Dunaway Hartshorn; married Peter Wolf (a singer), August 7, 1974 (divorced, c. 1978); married Terrence "Terry" O'Neill (a photographer), 1983 (divorced, c. 1987); children: (second marriage) Liam. Education: Boston University, B.F.A., 1962; attended Florida State University and University of Florida; trained with Lincoln Center Repertory Theater, New York City. Religion: Roman Catholicism. Avocational Interests: Reading.

Addresses: Agent—Nevin Dolcefino, Innovative Artists, 1505 10th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401. Manager— Hillard Elkins, Elkins Entertainment, 8306 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 438, Beverly Hills, CA 90211; David Herd, Teitelbaum Artists Group, 8840 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211.
Career: Actress, director, producer, and writer. Lincoln Center Repertory Company, New York City, member of original company. Ford Agency, worked as a model; appeared in commercials, including spots for WE (Women's Entertainment) cable television network, 2001. As a beauty pageant contestant, named the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi and competed in the Miss University of Florida pageant. Also worked as a waitress.

Awards, Honors: Offered (but declined) Fulbright scholarship to study in London, 1960s; Theatre World Award, 1966, for Hogan's Goat; named discovery of the year, Hollywood Women's Press Club, 1967; Golden Laurel Award nominations, Producers Guild of America, female new face, 1967, and female star, 1968; Golden Laurel Award, female dramatic performance, Academy Award nomination, best actress, and Golden Globe Award nomination, best actress in a motion picture drama, all 1968, for Bonnie and Clyde; Film Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, most promising newcomer to film, 1968, for Bonnie and Clyde and Hurry Sundown; Golden Globe Award nomination, most promising female newcomer in a film, 1968, for Hurry Sundown; Golden Laurel Award nomination, female star, 1970; Golden Globe Award nomination, best motion picture actress in a drama, 1971, for Puzzle of a Downfall Child; named woman of the year, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Harvard University, 1974; named star of the year, National Association of Theatre Owners, 1974; Academy Award nomination, Golden Globe Award nomination, and Film Award nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, all best actress, 1975, for Chinatown; Golden Globe Award nomination, best actress in a motion picture drama, 1976, for Three Days of the Condor; Academy Award and Golden Globe Award, both best actress, 1977, David di Donatello Award, best foreign actress, 1977, and Film Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, best actress, 1978, all for Network; Golden Globe Award, best actress in a supporting role in a series, miniseries, or motion picture made for television, 1985, for Ellis Island; Golden Globe Award nomination, best actress in a dramatic film, 1988, for Barfly; Emmy Award nomination, outstanding guest actress in a drama, and Golden Globe Award nomination, best actress in a television miniseries or movie, both 1994, for Columbo: It's All in the Game; Lifetime Achievement Award, Showest Convention, National Association of Theatre Owners, 1995; Gemini Award nomination, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, best performance by an actress in a guest role in a dramatic series, 1996, for "What a Tangled Web We Weave," Avonlea; received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1996; Sarah Siddons Award, 1996–97, for Master Class; named one of "the top 100 movie stars of all time," Empire magazine, Great Britain, 1997; Annual CableACE Award nomination, National Cable Television Association, best supporting actress in a movie or miniseries, 1997, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by an actress in a television movie or miniseries, 1998, both for The Twilight of the Golds; Golden Globe Award and Golden Satellite Award nomination, International Press Academy, both best supporting actress in a television series, miniseries, or movie, 1999, for Gia; Golden Globe Award nomination, best supporting actress in a series, miniseries, or motion picture made for television, 2001, for Running Mates; Career Achievement Award, Chicago International Film Festival, 2001.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Bonnie Parker, Bonnie and Clyde (also known as Bonnie and Clyde … Were Killers!), Warner Bros., 1967.
Lou McDowell, Hurry Sundown, Paramount, 1967.
Sandy, The Happening, Columbia, 1967.
Vicky Anderson, The Thomas Crown Affair (also known as The Crown Caper and Thomas Crown and Company), United Artists, 1968.
Gwen, The Arrangement, Warner Bros., 1969.
Jennifer Winslow, The Extraordinary Seaman, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1969.
Julia, A Place for Lovers (also known as Amanti and Le temps des amants), Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1969.
Lou Andreas Sand, Puzzle of a Downfall Child, Universal, 1970.
Mrs. Louise Pendrake/Lulu Kane, Little Big Man, National General, 1970.
Katie Elder, Doc, United Artists, 1971.
Jill, The Deadly Trap (also known as Death Scream, The House under the Trees, La maison sous les arbes, and Unico indizio: Una sciarpa gialla), National General, 1972.
Lena Doyle, Oklahoma Crude, Columbia, 1973.
Milady de Winter, The Three Musketeers (also known as The Three Musketeers: The Queen's Diamonds and Los tres mosqueteros), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1973.
Evelyn Cross Mulwray, Chinatown, Paramount, 1974.
Susan Franklin, The Towering Inferno, Twentieth Century–Fox/Warner Bros., 1974.
Kathy Hale, Three Days of the Condor, Paramount, 1975.
Lady de Winter, The Four Musketeers (also known as The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge and The Revenge of Milady), Twentieth Century–Fox, 1975.
Denise Kreisler, The Voyage of the Damned, Avco–Embassy, 1976.
Diana Christensen, Network, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists, 1976.
Laura Mars, Eyes of Laura Mars, Columbia, 1978.
Annie, The Champ, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists, 1979.
Barbara Delany, The First Deadly Sin, Filmways, 1980.
Joan Crawford (title role), Mommie Dearest, Paramount, 1981.
Lady Barbara Skelton, The Wicked Lady, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists, 1983.
Rachel Calgary (some sources cite Rachel Argyle), Ordeal by Innocence, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer/United Artists, 1984.
Selena, Supergirl (also known as Supergirl: The Movie), TriStar, 1984.
Wanda Wilcox, Barfly, Cannon, 1987.
Countess Von Wallenstein, La partita (also known as The Gamble), 1988.
Helen Barton, Midnight Crossing, Vestron, 1988.
Mrs. Colber (some sources cite Joan Colbert), In una notte di chiaro di luna (also known as As Long as It's Love, Clair, Crystal or Ash, Fire or Wind, as Long as It's Love, and On a Moonlit Night), 1989.
Mrs. Effie Hildegarde, Wait until Spring, Bandini (also known as Bandini, John Fante's Wait until Spring, Bandini, Aspetta primavera Bandini, and Le ragioni del cuore), 1989.
Mrs. Sonya Tuchman, Burning Secret (also known as Brennendes Geheimnis), 1989.
Helmut Newton: Frames from the Edge (documentary; also known as Frames from the Edge), 1989.
Serena Joy, The Handmaid's Tale (also known as Die Geschichte der Dienerin), Cinecom, 1990.
Voice of Evelyn Cross Mulwray, The Two Jakes, Paramount, 1990.
Elaine Stalker, The Arrowtooth Waltz (also known as Arizona Dream), 1991.
Thais, Scorchers, Fox Video, 1992.
Faye Milano, Double Edge (also known as Three Weeks in Jerusalem, Lahav Hatzui, and Shlosha Shavuot B'Yerushalaim), Castle Hill, 1992.
Charlene Towne, The Temp, Paramount, 1993.
Marilyn Mickler, Don Juan DeMarco (also known as The Centerfold and Don Juan DeMarco and the Centerfold), New Line Cinema, 1995.
(Uncredited) Unzipped (documentary), Miramax, 1995.
Janet Boudreaux, Albino Alligator, Miramax, 1996.
Lee Bowen Cayhall, The Chamber, Universal, 1996.
Mrs. Dubrow, Dunstan Checks In, Twentieth Century–Fox, 1996.
The countess, In Praise of Older Women (also known as En brazos de la mujer madura), 1997.
The psychiatrist, The Thomas Crown Affair, Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer, 1999.
Love Lies Bleeding, TriPictures, 1999.
Kitty Olchin, The Yards, Miramax, 2000.
Leila, Stanley's Gig, Left Hook Productions, 2000.
Herself, Festival in Cannes, Paramount, 2001.
Betty Miller, Changing Hearts, PorchLight Entertainment, 2002.
Blue/mother, Mid–Century, Electric Sandbox Productions, 2002.
Mrs. Eve Denton, The Rules of Attraction (also known as Die Regeln des Spiels), Lions Gate Films, 2002.
Mae West, The Calling (also known as Man of Faith), Sabeva Film Distribution, 2002.
(Uncredited; in archive footage from the film Chinatown) The Kid Stays in the Picture (documentary), Focus Features, 2002.
Attorney general Navarro, El Padrino, Heartless Films, 2004.
God, Love Hollywood Style, Stein Media, 2004.
Kathleen Dolan, Ghosts Never Sleep, Kill Switch/More East to Go Films, 2004.
Mary Ellen Cassi, Jennifer's Shadow, 2004.
Ms. K, Blind Horizon, Lions Gate Films, 2004.
Sean Winston, Last Goodbye, POP Films, 2004.

Television Appearances; Series:

Laura Scofield, It Had to Be You (also known as Marry Me Anyway), CBS, 1993.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Eva "Evita" Duarte Peron, Evita Peron, NBC, 1981.
Maud Charteris, Ellis Island, CBS, 1984.
Queen Isabella, Christopher Columbus (also known as Cristoforo Colombo), CBS, 1985.
Voice of Gaia, Voice of the Planet, TBS, 1991.
Margaret Sanger, A Will of Their Own (also known as Daughters of the New World), 1998.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Wallis Warfield Simpson, The Woman I Love, ABC, 1971.
Sister Aimee Semple McPhearson, The Disappearance of Aimee, NBC, 1976.
Jan Wilkinson (Lady Edgeware) and Carlotta Adams, Agatha Christie's "Thirteen at Dinner" (also known as Thirteen at Dinner), CBS, 1985.
Lil Hutton, Beverly Hills Madam (also known as Ladies of the Night), NBC, 1986.
Madame D'Urfe, Casanova (also known as Il veneziano, vita, e amori di Giacomo Casanova), CBS, 1987.
Raspberry Ripple, Arts and Entertainment, 1987.
Miss Love Simpson Blakeslee, Cold Sassy Tree, TNT, 1989.
Samantha Kimball, Silhouette, USA Network, 1990.
Lauren Black (some sources cite Laura Staton), Columbo: It's All in the Game (also known as Two Women and a Dead Man), ABC, 1993.
Karen Billingsley, A Family Divided (also known as Mother Love), NBC, 1995.
Becky, Drunks, Showtime, 1996.
Ellen Morse, The People Next Door, CBS, 1996.
Phyllis Gold, The Twilight of the Golds, Showtime, 1997.
Wilhelmina Cooper, Gia, HBO, 1998.
Meg Gable, Running Mates, TNT, 2000.
Aurora Beavis, Yellow Bird, WE (Women's Entertainment), 2001.
Amanda Washington, The Biographer (also known as The Biographer: The Secret Life of Princess Di), CBS, 2002.
Tina, Back When We Were Grownups, CBS, 2004.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Kathleen Stanton, "Hogan's Goat," NET Playhouse, NET (now PBS), 1971.
Maggie, After the Fall, NBC, 1974.
Herself, Arthur Miller: On Home Ground, 1979.
The Sensational, Shocking, Wonderful, Wacky '70s, NBC, 1980.
(In archive footage) Sixty Years of Seduction, 1981.
Georgie Elgin, The Country Girl, Showtime, 1982.
Host, Supergirl—The Making of the Movie, ABC, 1985.
Host, Inside the Dream Factory, TCM, 1995.
Mrs. Van Hopper, "Rebecca," Masterpiece Theatre, PBS, 1997.
(Uncredited; in archive footage) Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary: No Guts, No Glory, 1998.
Herself, Academy Awards Pre–Show, E! Entertainment Television, 1999.
Yolande d'Aragon, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (also known as Joan of Arc and Jeanne d'Arc), History Channel, 1999.
Narrator, Thailand: Jewel of the Orient, PBS, 2000.
(In archive footage) 101 Biggest Celebrity Oops, E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The 49th Annual Academy Awards, 1977.
Presenter, The 34th Annual Tony Awards, 1980.
The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts, CBS, 1988.
The 11th Annual ACE Awards, multiple networks, 1990.
The 47th Annual Golden Globe Awards, TBS, 1990.
Presenter, The 48th Annual Golden Globe Awards, TBS, 1991.
The American Film Institute Salute to Elizabeth Taylor, ABC, 1993.
The 65th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1993.
Host, The 51st Annual Golden Globe Awards, TBS, 1994.
Presenter, The 48th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 1994.
The American Film Institute Salute to Jack Nicholson, CBS, 1994.
The American Film Institute Salute to Steven Spielberg, NBC, 1995.
Presenter, The 53rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 1996.
The American Film Institute Salute to Clint Eastwood, 1996.
Presenter, The 54th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 1997.
Presenter, The 55th Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 1998.
Screen Actors Guild Fourth Annual Awards, TNT, 1998.
The 70th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1998.
A Salute to Dustin Hoffman (also known as The 27th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Dustin Hoffman), ABC, 1999.
Herself, The Orange British Academy Film Awards, 2000.
(Uncredited) The 72nd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2000.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Alexis Webster, "The 34th Man," Seaway, syndicated, 1965.
Myra, "The 10–Foot, 6–Inch Pole," The Trials of O'Brien, CBS, 1966.
CHiPs, NBC, 1982.
Guest, Good Morning America (also known as GMA), ABC, 1988.
Countess Polenska, "What a Tangled Web We Weave," Avonlea (also known as The Road to Avonlea), CBC and The Disney Channel, 1995.
Guest, The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS, 1995.
Voice, Tekwar, syndicated, 1995.
Herself, Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo, c. 1995.
The Entertainment Business, Bravo, 1998.
Dr. Rebecca Markham, "Shallow Water: Parts 1 & 2," Touched by an Angel, CBS, 2001.
Ariana Kane, "The Abduction," Alias, ABC, 2002.
Katherine Burke, "Tonight at Noon," Soul Food, Show-time, 2002.
Ariana Kane, "The Getaway," Alias, ABC, 2003.
Ariana Kane, "A Higher Echelon," Alias, ABC, 2003.
Guest, "Wetten, dass …? aus Karlsruhe," Wetten, dass …?, 2003.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

Shin, Anonymous Rex, Sci–Fi Channel, 2004.
Cooking Lessons, CBS, 2004.

Television Work; Movies:

Executive producer, Cold Sassy Tree, TNT, 1989.
(With others) Executive producer, Silhouette, USA Network, 1990.
Director and producer, Yellow Bird, WE (Women's Entertainment), 2001.

Stage Appearances:

Margaret More, A Man for All Seasons, American National Theatre and Academy, New York City, 1962.
Beatrice's maid, The Changeling, American National Theatre and Academy, Washington Square Theatre, New York City, 1964.
Faith Prosper, But for Whom, Charlie, American National Theatre and Academy, Washington Square Theatre, 1964.
Nurse, then Elsie, After the Fall, American National Theatre and Academy, Washington Square Theatre, 1964–1965.
Kathleen Stanton, Hogan's Goat, American Place Theatre, New York City, 1965.
Tartuffe, American National Theatre and Academy, Washington Square Theatre, 1965.
Candida, summer theatre production, 1971.
Old Times, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1972.
Blanche du Bois, A Streetcar Named Desire, Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, 1973.
Frances Anna Duffy Walsh, The Curse of an Aching Heart, Little Theatre (now Helen Hayes Theatre), New York City, 1982.
Circe and Bravo, London production, 1986.
Maria Callas, Master Class, Boston, MA, 1996.

Major Tours:

Maria Callas, Master Class, U.S. cities, 1996–1997.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

(In archive footage) Oscar's Greatest Moments, 1992.
Landlady and agent in "Into the Great Wide Open" music video, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Playback, by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, MCA, 1995.

Music Videos:

Landlady and agent, "Into the Great Wide Open," by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1991.

WRITINGS

Teleplays; Movies:

Yellow Bird, WE (Women's Entertainment), 2001.

Nonfiction:

(With Betsy Sharkey) Looking for Gatsby (autobiography; also known as Looking for Gatsby: My Life), Simon & Schuster, 1995.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Hunter, Allen, Faye Dunaway, St. Martin's Press, 1986.
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 3: Actors and Actresses, 4th edition, St. James Press, 2000.

Periodicals:

Cable TV, January, 1998, pp. 22–23.
Empire, October, 1997, p. 198.
Entertainment Weekly, October 8, 1993; February 22, 2002, pp. 72–73.
Esquire, August, 1999, pp. 110–11.
Fame, April, 1990.
Harper's Bazaar, September, 1989.
Hollywood Reporter, October 28, 1994, pp. 1, 38.
Interview, February, 1993; November, 2002, pp. 94–96.
Ladies Home Journal, March, 1990.
Los Angeles Times, June 18, 1997.
Movieline, September, 1998, p. 92; June, 2002, pp. 70–73, 91.
People Weekly, May 8, 1995, p. 227.
Premiere, October, 1996, p. 34.
TV Guide, October 14, 1989.
USA Today, November 7, 1995.
Variety, June 27, 1994.
Vogue, March, 1988.

Faye Dunaway is a revered Oscar-winning actress known for her work in films like Bonnie and Clyde, The Thomas Crown Affair, Chinatown and Network.

IN THESE GROUPS

quotes

“The impulse toward perfection is more important than perfection itself.”

—Faye Dunaway

Synopsis

Actress Faye Dunaway was born on January 14, 1941, in Bascom, Florida. She worked onstage before moving to the big screen and starring in the pioneering film Bonnie and Clyde, for which she received an Oscar nomination. She’s appeared in several iconic films throughout her career, including The Thomas Crown Affair and Chinatown. She won an Academy Award in 1976 for her role in Network.

Early Life

American actress Dorothy Faye Dunaway was born on January 14, 1941, in Bascom, Florida, to career Army officer John MacDowell Dunaway and homemaker Grace April Dunaway. After graduating from high school in 1958, Dunaway entered the University of Florida in Gainesville to pursue a career in education, but later transferred to Boston University's School of Fine and Applied Arts.

Acting Career

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1962, Dunaway declined further opportunities to study and, instead, accepted a role in the American National Theater and Academy's production of A Man for All Seasons (1962). Three years later, she found off-Broadway success with a critically acclaimed role in William Alfred's Hogan's Goat, which led to her television debut in the 1965 series Seaway, as well as appearances in several small films.

In 1967, Dunaway landed the lead role of bank robber Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and Clyde, launching her into Hollywood stardom. A year later, she starred alongside Steve McQueen as a determined investigator in The Thomas Crown Affair. She continued her career throughout the 1970s, with such films as Little Big Man (1970) and The Three Musketeers: The Queen's Diamonds (1973).

As her career progressed, Dunaway took on more complex roles, including the troubled wife Evelyn Mulwray in Roman Polanski's 1974 film Chinatown; a civilian who is abducted by a CIA researcher in Three Days of the Condor, a 1975 film directed by Sydney Pollack; and Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest (1981), based on the best-selling memoir by Christina Crawford. Dunaway won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1976, for her role as an intimidating television executive in Network, a film about a TV network that exploits an ex-employee for its own profit. In 1987, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in Barfly (1987), alongside Mickey Rourke.

The 1990s saw Dunaway perform in several films, including The Handmaid's Tale (1991); Arizona Dreams (1993); The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1998); The Yards (1998), a crime-thriller; and The Rules of Attraction (2001), a dark comedy. One of Dunaway's most acclaimed performances of the decade came in 1993, with her guest role as Laura Staton in the TV series Columbo; she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in the series in 1994.

Additionally, from 1966 to 1967, Dunaway starred as opera diva Maria Callas in the American tour of Terrence McNally's Master Class. Since then, she has made several TV appearances, including on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2006 and Grey's Anatomy in 2009.

Personal Life

Dunaway has been married twice. She was married to Peter Wolf, lead singer of rock group The J. Geils Band, from 1974 to 1979; and to British photographer Terry O'Neill, from 1984 to 1987. She and O'Neill have one child, Liam O'Neill, who was born in 1980.

Dunaway's autobiography, Looking for Gatsby, was published in 1995.

One thing we'll never tire of are real-life tales of working with Faye Dunaway. The most recent tidbit comes to us from Rutanya Ald, the actress who played Carol Ann in Mommie Dearest. Before Ald makes a cameo appearance at the Castro Theatre this Saturday for a special screening of the cult Joan Crawford biopic -- most notable for wire hangers, child abuse, uneaten meat, and a revelatory performance by Dunaway -- she talked to the Bay Area Reporter about what it was like working on the set with Faye.

Turns out it was a living hell.

"People despised Faye," she tells the BAR. "Joan got her way in a ladylike way. Faye was despised because she was so rude to people. Everyone was on pins and needles when she worked, and everyone relaxed when she didn't. I wish Faye had learned from Joan."

Which is to say, Dunaway's behavior was so bad that she needed to learn manners from the bipolar, child-abusing actress whom she was portraying. Yikes. Doesn't get more damning than that.

No wait, it does!

Expressing how Dunaway "has no humor in her life," Ald went on to recall how the noted actress shut down production for an entire week and also "wanted a producer credit for her boyfriend Terry O'Neill, even though he had nothing to do with the film's production."

Over the years, Dunaway has made an odd, completely vain decision to eschew Mommie Dearest, which has not only become a cult classic but also an amazing film on its own. Granted, some of the dialogue is stilted and affected, but the entire production -- from Crawford carrying a plate of meat down an art deco staircase to her chilling rant in the Pepsi Co. boardroom -- is genius.

You can hear the Academy Award-winning actress's disdain for the film, among other things, in this infamous voicemail rant. Remember, journalists, she's not interested in "dilly-dallying" overMommie Dearest. "I don't want to even discuss it in my interview," she will scream at you.

In 1981, I caught a screening of Mommie Dearest, with Faye Dunaway as aging Hollywood gorgon Joan Crawford in all her penciled-eyebrowed neuroses, and I was perhaps bizarrely impressed. I promptly called a friend to tell him I’d just seen something that works on every level, and I felt that no one could have made a better Joan than plucky, problematic Faye. After all, Joan herself had declared Faye the best of the new breed, and as if in preparation for playing this role, Faye had even battled with Joan’s nemesis, Bette Davis. They clashed while making a 1976 TV movie called The Disappearance of Aimee, after which costar James Woods told me: “Faye Dunaway needs a step ladder to sniff Bette Davis’s ass!”

I gaily assumed that all sorts of accolades awaited Faye and Mommie, but half-empty theaters led to a desperately campy ad campaign and Dunaway was suitably horrified. The film impacted her career, one reason being that Hollywood always protects its own legends, even when they’re nightmares, and another being that many observers found Dunaway’s work far from award-caliber, especially when gossip about her divaesque antics started getting passed along like soggy popcorn.

Interestingly, Faye was voted the first runner up for Best Actress at the New York Film Critics Awards that year and she was simultaneously awarded the Golden Razzie for the same performance. But whatever people think of her and this film, I’ve long felt that she should embrace it rather than constantly act mortified and try to run away from its power. The truth is, it’s never going to go away, especially for the gays. And word has leaked that Dunaway is finally addressing the movie in a book, and she even reached out to Rutanya Alda, who so ably played Joan’s trusty assistant, Carol Ann, for help remembering things. But Rutanya advised Faye to simply read her own book—the extremely readable The Mommie Dearest Diary: Carol Ann Tells All, detailing Rutanya’s experiences with one troubled Oscar winner playing another one. And if Faye does read it, I bet she’ll be mad at the dirt!

There are occasional views of a relaxed and almost sympathetic Faye in this Diary, but that’s not the main gist, since the star is more often found in a “Don’t fuck with me, fellas!” mode. Here are some of the book’s more telling tidbits:

*Faye staged a key scene so Rutanya was made to face away from the camera (a familiar trick imposed by insecure stars.) Rutanya had no one to complain to about this—director Frank Perry would have sided with Faye since he was afraid of being fired by her—so she did what Carol Ann would do and bit the bullet. Later on, Rutanya was told to just be an off-camera voice in a scene she had with Faye. Not even the back of her head was seen!

*Academy Award winning costumer Irene Sharaff walked off the set, horrified by some of Faye’s outfit decisions. The wardrobe lady was reduced to tears by Faye. And an exec’s assistant had fun entertaining the crew with mocking shrieks of “Clear the set!” Faye wasn’t around to hear this wicked imitation or heads would have surely rolled.

*Faye reportedly wouldn’t do the movie unless her then-boyfriend Terry O‘Neill got producing credit, even though he didn’t do any producing. As usual, Faye got her way—though Faye eventually started wondering if Terry just might have been using her.

*At one point, Faye told Rutanya that she couldn’t ever direct! How wryly ironic is that? Alas, when Faye was given the actual title of director—for the more recent Master Class movie—it languished, unfinished, so maybe she was right.

*As I mentioned, there are also some snapshots of Faye being quite human, like when she talked to Rutanya about the importance of good lighting, and when she was nice to Rutanya’s on-set visitors (whom she’d pre-approved). In these moments, Faye is capable of coming off rather lovely in between horrible, competitive flareups during the actual filming.

*Faye thought she’d be Oscar nominated, but wouldn’t win because the film was too controversial. They cut to the chase by not even nominating her—but that’s not why she distanced herself from the film. Rutanya feels it’s because Faye never wanted to be a second banana to Joan Crawford—she needs to be number one at all times.

There’s tons more stuff in the book, but giving it all away would be as misguided as putting an expensive dress on a wire hanger. Let me just leave you with Rutanya’s observation about another of her costars:

“Little Mara Hobel, playing young Christina, seems like an adult in miniature, a bleached blonde, 45-year-old dwarf….She keeps grilling me to list more of my credits. It’s frustrating to be challenged to a pissing contest by anyone, but especially by a nine-year-old.”

By the way, Mommie Dearest will be featured very soon in the next season of Logo’s Cocktails & Classics movie show, featuring…well, you’ll see!

DEAF POETRY JAM

Misunderstood youth made for another classic: Spring Awakening, the 2007 Tony winner that took Frank Wedekind’s banned 1891 play about hormonal students at odds with misguided adults and made it throb with a stunning score by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, ripely delivered by a cast of newbies. As the melodramatic plot bubbled into suicide, pregnancy and gay love, the show’s catch phrases (“the bitch of living”, “My junk is you,” “I’m gonna be your wound”) instantly entered the musical theater lexicon with their blistering bouts of casual frankness and poetic pain.

And now, the show’s been given new life by Deaf West Theatre, which has some actors signing their lines while their counterparts talk and sing for them; some signing with subtitles; and yet others (who are hearing) doing all three. The use of hearing and deaf actors—which was extraordinary when the company revived Big River in 2003—works well again, especially since all that movement is coordinated into choreography (at times, it almost comes off like voguing) and besides, it’s a show about masturbation, and obviously that requires a lot of hand action! In all seriousness, the use of deafness to echo the play’s themes about outcasts and nonconformity are moving, and the production--directed by Michael Arden and choreographed by Spencer Liff and featuring Marlee Matlin and Camryn Manheim among the grownups--makes a re-awakening out of this pulsing, rocking work. Hear, hear.

“I’VE WRITTEN A LETTER TO DADDY”

Another reinterpretation is Daddy Long Legs, an intimate chamber musical about an orphan girl who develops the attention of an anonymous donor who finances her education, as feelings simmer through her monthly letters to him. For the off-Broadway show—which has music and lyrics by Paul Gordon and book and direction by John Caird—they’ve ignored the relatively splashy 1955 Fred Astaire/Leslie Caron movie and gone back to the original Jean Webster novel instead. The two-character show has benefactor Jervis and schoolgirl Jerusha reciting their letters to each other, usually in song, which could be a limiting premise, especially considering the frustrating contrivance that “Daddy” won’t reveal himself. But, with echoes of both She Loves Me and Love Letters, the result is sweet and charming, with pretty songs (“The Secret of Happiness” is a standout) and top-notch performances. Paul Alexander Nolan is strong as the conflicted rich guy with a crush, and Megan McGinnis—a leading lady in the Judy Kuhn mode—is a knockout as the evolving young lady who’s getting her eyes pinned open by the minute. By the way, this is the third Leslie Caron movie in a row to be made into a stage musical. (There was already Gigi and An American in Paris.) When they sing and dance to the abortion drama The L-Shaped Room, we’ll definitely have a trend. In any case, this Daddy definitely seems nicer than Mommie.

She was one of the most glamorous actresses in her heyday.

And although she wasn't dressed up to the nines on Thursday, Faye Dunaway still had the vigor of a much younger starlet as she stepped out in Beverly Hills.

The 73-year-old Bonnie And Clyde actress used a walking cane to steady her stride as she strolled down trendy shopping street Robertson Boulevard.

Living legend: Faye Dunaway looked in great spirits as she took a stroll in Beverly Hills on Thursday

The Thomas Crown Affair star donned beige trousers with matching nude flats for her leisurely outing and added a fashionable touch with a hot pink T-shirt.

Her long fair locks were hidden under a sporty Adidas baseball cap and she covered up in a smart black jacket to keep out the Autumn chill. 

The veteran Hollywood actress looked in high spirits on the outing, smiling and poking her tongue between her teeth.

Natural beauty: Faye is best known for her role as an outlaw in the crime drama Bonnie And Clyde

All smiles: The 73-year-old acting icon had a little helping hand from a walking a stick

Casual: Faye opted for beige slacks and nude flat pumps but added a pop of colour with a hot pink T-shirt 

Star quality: The actress is set to be honoured at the Lumiere Film Festival in October 

Faye was set to be making her comeback on-screen in the self-financed film Masterclass, however, Meryl Streep and power partner producer director Mike Nichols have signed up with HBO to make the film about opera singer Maria Callas. 

Meanwhile, Faye will be guest of honour at the opening ceremony of the Lumiere Film Festival in October.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the event - which focuses on classic films - will also screen her break-out film, Bonnie And Clyde (which also starred Warren Beatty and Gene Hackman). 

Heyday: The actress starred alongside Jack Nicholson in the 1974 drama Chinatown

'I am greatly moved by this invitation. I am very honoured to be invited to Lyon for this festival dedicated to film lovers,' the actress said.

The festival was launched by Cannes' artistic director Thierry Fremaux, who started the Lumiere festival in his home-town six years ago.

In 1976, Faye won the Best Actress award for her role as Diana Christensen in Network. 

Faye has one son, Liam O'Neill, 34, with her photographer ex-husband Terry O'Neill. 

As Benjamin Franklin allegedly said once, there are only a few certainties in this life: death, taxes and Faye Dunaway flying into a rage if you ask her about Mommie Dearest. Avoiding questions about the film is a common mandate handed to journalists prior to interviews with the veteran actress, but it appears that this might soon change with news that the Oscar-winner is writing a book about the tumultuous making of the camp classic.

Dunaway’s lingering anger over Mommie is somewhat understandable. The film adaptation of Christina Crawford’s bestselling exploitation novel about the horrors she faced at the hands of her adoptive mother, screen icon Joan Crawford, crashed and burned instantly upon its theatrical release in 1981. However, it just as quickly became to be regarded as a camp film with few rivals (only 1967’s Valley of the Dolls and 1995’s Showgirls are spoken about in the same hushed tones).
Despite a bravura turn by Dunaway (it was hailed by the perceptive critic Pauline Kael as a “startling, ferocious performance”), the star took the brunt of the harsh criticism, which should have been leveled at director Frank Perry for not creating a more balanced portrait that showed the humanity of Crawford, instead of a non-stop horror show of Dunaway wielding an axe, bathroom cleaning powder and, in the film’s most talked-about scene, wire hangers.

While many pundits have suggested that the commercial failure of the film caused the Oscar-winning actress to topple from Hollywood’s A List, Dunaway has said she paid a greater price by having her own persona confused with that of the movie’s depiction of the forever-raging Crawford. Before the 1981 film, Dunaway’s breathtaking beauty and remarkable acting ability had made her one of Tinseltown’s most sought-after and acclaimed actors. During her heyday, she starred in a number of landmark films including Bonnie and Clyde,Chinatown and Network, for which she won an Academy Award for best actress. Since then, however, the actress has appeared in a number of lesser movies considered beneath a star of her stature, with only an occasional film of note, 1987’s Barfly for example. And stories of Dunaway’s temperament, whether true or not, are legion within the industry. But at age 74, perhaps the actress is in a calmer, more reflective mood and finally ready to address the career-changing film.

Publisher’s Lunch, a publishing industry newsletter, mentioned an upcoming memoir in a recent email:

Academy Award winning actress Faye Dunaway’s recollections, stories and behind the scenes account of the making of one of Hollywood’s most iconic films, Mommie Dearest, to Julia Cheiffetz at Dey Street Books, by Alan Nevins at Renaissance (World).

Keep your fingers crossed that this comes to fruition, because it wouldn’t be a complete surprise for Dunaway to scrap the project. Just think about how amazing the book signings will be.

Actress Faye Dunaway and Mara Hobel on the set of Paramount Pictures movie ' Mommie Dearest' in 1981. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) | Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images

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Faye Dunaway may finally open up about what really went on behind the scenes of the 1981 camp classic, "Mommie Dearest."

Publisher’s Lunch mentioned the prospective memoir in a recent newsletter, according to Queerty:

Academy Award winning actress Faye Dunaway’s recollections, stories and behind the scenes account of the making of one of Hollywood’s most iconic films, Mommie Dearest, to Julia Cheiffetz at Dey Street Books, by Alan Nevins at Renaissance (World).

If the book materializes, it will mark one of the first times that Dunaway, 74, has discussed "Mommie Dearest" in any length. She is believed to have blamed the Joan Crawford biopic for nearly destroying her career, and journalists have reportedly been instructed to make no reference to the movie when interviewing the star, as The Guardian's Xan Brooks pointed out in 2008.

Dunaway, who nabbed an Academy Award in 1976 for "Network," is said to have been aiming for another Oscar nod for her portrayal of Joan Crawford in the movie, which was based on the controversial memoir penned by Crawford's daughter, Christina.

Unfortunately for Dunaway, the critics were less than amused, but that hasn't stopped "Mommie Dearest" from becoming a cult classic among gay fans, inspiring countless drag homages and comedic interpretations.

Among those to criticize the film was Christina Crawford herself. "It wasn’t accurate," she told The Huffington Post in 2013. "It did not portray the essence of my book, and it changed the point of view. My book is told from the point of view of a young person who is trying to get through trauma, while the movie tells the story from the stance of the movie star who creates that trauma. That’s a very different story."

Dunaway infamously made a blistering reference to the movie, as well as her dismissal from the Los Angeles production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Sunset Boulevard" in 1994, in a widely-circulated answering machine rant:

Here's the actress having a rare conversation about "Mommie Dearest" on "Inside The Actor's Studio".