Ali MacGraw’s rise from modest beginnings to Hollywood icon began in New York, where she parlayed her Wellesley education and early work at Harper’s Bazaar into a breakthrough modeling career. Discovered by photographer Melvin Sokolsky, she soon transitioned to film, earning Golden Globes for Goodbye, Columbus (1969) and her legendary turn as Jenny in Love Story (1970), which also brought her an Oscar nomination and cemented her status as a screen legend.

At the height of her fame, MacGraw’s personal life played out in the tabloids: she married Paramount executive Robert Evans in 1969, had son Josh in 1971, then left Evans for co-star Steve McQueen. Their passionate but turbulent relationship led her to briefly step away from acting—only to part ways in 1978 when McQueen’s traditionalism clashed with her fiercely independent spirit.

The late ’70s and ’80s marked a period of profound transformation: MacGraw overcame addiction at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1986, survived a devastating wildfire in 1993, and ultimately relocated to a quiet New Mexico village. There, she reinvented herself as a community advocate, animal-rights supporter, and yoga practitioner—finding peace far from Hollywood’s glare.

Today, at 84, Ali MacGraw thrives surrounded by her son Josh and grandson Jackson, her silver hair and serene New Mexico home symbols of a life lived on her own terms. Her journey—from Hollywood heights through personal losses and back to creative and humanitarian pursuits—stands as a testament to resilience, reinvention, and the enduring power of following one’s own path.