45. She Hit the Mat
While in her 50s, MacGraw discovered the healing powers of yoga. Her video, Ali MacGraw Yoga Mind and Body, had a huge impact. In 2007, Vanity Fair magazine declared that she had been instrumental in bringing yoga to the masses in America. MacGraw had successfully pivoted her life away from acting.
And then she surprised everyone—and herself—by pivoting back.
Screenshot from Ali MacGraw: Yoga, Mind & Body, Warner Home Video (1994)
46. She Was Still Nervous
After a 10-year break from acting, MacGraw got an offer to appear on Broadway. The Celebration was the English version of a disturbing Danish play about a dysfunctional family. Even after all her years as an actor, she told New York magazine that she was very nervous about acting on stage. MacGraw’s troubled life was a source of inspiration for her role.
But MacGraw shouldn't have felt insecure. She’s earned her fair share of positive attention.
47. She Got Her Share Of Recognition
In her lifetime, MacGraw has been noted for her beauty and talent. In 1991, she made People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” list. GQ magazine named her in a list of the “Sexiest 25 Women in Film Ever” edition. For her acting, she got her handprints in Grauman's Chinese Theater in 1972, and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021, alongside Love Story costar Ryan O’Neal.
There’s another list she’s on that’s very lucrative.
48. She Was At the Top
Early in her career, in 1971, MacGraw earned her spot on a prestigious list. She was the top female on the list of Hollywood stars’ bankability. The men above her were names like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman and even her future husband, Steve McQueen. Sadly, it was only MacGraw who didn't have a lifelong career as an A-list actor.
But don’t worry. We’ll always remember her for one single line of dialogue.
Harry Chase, Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
49. She Was The First
In Love Story, MacGraw has the often-referenced line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”. The next year, Barbra Streisand said it to O’Neal in the comedy What’s Up, Doc? O’Neal’s hilarious reply was that it was the “dumbest thing” he’d ever heard. They also used variations of it in The Simpsons and iZombie. In an ad for The Abominable Dr Phibes, the tag line read, "Love means never having to say you're ugly”.
Sometimes, an apology can feel really good.
Screenshot from What's Up, Doc?, Warner Bros. (1972)
50. She Deserved An Apology
After her divorce from McQueen, MacGraw never remarried but became a serial dater with men like Peter Weller and Warren Beatty. It seemed that her marriage to McQueen had damaged both her career and her desire for long-term relationships. We don’t know if McQueen ever had the chance to say he was sorry, but some say that he never got over MacGraw.
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21,
