Faye Dunaway Biography

Dorothy Faye Dunaway was born prematurely, and claims that the survival instincts that were required of her, during her early years, have facilitated the longevity of her Hollywood career.

In 1965 Faye had her first New York stage success, in 'Hogan's Goat' at the American Place Theatre and, in the same year, she made her TV acting debut in an episode of 'The Trials of O'Brien'.

1967 saw Faye in her first screen role in 'The Happening', which starred Anthony Quinn, and her breakthrough screen role, as Bonnie Parker, in 'Bonnie and Clyde' came in the same year, for which she earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress.

Faye's second Best Actress Oscar nomination came in 1974, for her co-starring role, with Jack Nicholson, in Roman Polanski's noir drama, 'Chinatown'.

Two years later Faye finally won the Best Actress Academy Award, for her turn as a ruthless TV executive, in Sidney Lumet's 'Network'.

Her last Broadway appearance to date was in the short-lived 'The Curse of an Aching Heart' and soon after that run she moved to London.

Her London stage debut came in 1986, in 'Circle and Bravo', soon after which she divorced her husband Terry O'Neill, a photographer whom she'd met at the 1977 Oscars ceremony.

In 1994 Faye became embroiled in two major lawsuits. Firstly, she sued Andrew Lloyd Webber, over his claims that she could not sing or act the part of Norma Desmond, in the musical version of 'Sunset Boulevard'.

She then appeared as Maria Callas in a national tour of Terrence McNally's stage play 'Master Class', which led to further court proceedings with regards to film rights to the play.

In 1996 her position as 'Hollywood star' was cemented, receiving star number 2074 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

Her most recent projects have been a long line of successful but not outstanding movies, such as 'The Rules of Attraction', 'The Calling', 'Yellow Bird', 'The Yards' and 'The Story Of Joan Of Arc', Luc Besson's war epic.