This week (December 3-9) in Hollywood history – Silent
film actress Clara Bow married politician Rex Bell (December 3, 1931); Warren
Beatty’s Red’s premiered (December 4,
1981); Elizabeth Taylor married John Warner (December 4, 1976); Walt Disney was
born (December 5, 1901); Director Otto Preminger was born (December 5, 1901); Actress
Agnes Moorehead was born (December 6, 1900); Bette Davis divorced Harmon Nelson
(December 6, 1938); Actress Fay Bainter was born (December 7, 1891); Sophie’s Choice starring Meryl Streep opened
in theaters (December 8, 1982); Actor Kirk Douglas was born (December 9, 1916);
Actress Margret Hamilton was born (December 9, 1902).
Highlighted story
of the week –
On December 4, 1981, Reds,
a film about an American Communist and the Russian Revolution written, directed
and starring Warren Beatty premiered. The movie, based on a true story,
received 12 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor
(Beatty) and Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor for Beatty's co-stars Diane
Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Beatty won for Best Director, his inaugural win in
that category. He had received his first Best Director Oscar nomination several
years earlier for his directorial debut, 1978's Heaven Can Wait.
Beatty was born on March 30, 1937, in Richmond, Virginia,
and is the younger brother of actress Shirley MacLaine. He studied acting at
Northwestern University and later with the legendary teacher Stella Adler in
New York City. After a string of early roles in TV and theater, he made his
big-screen debut in 1961's Splendor in
the Grass, co-starring Natalie Wood. In 1967, he and Faye Dunaway
co-starred in the box-office hit Bonnie
and Clyde. During the 1970s, Beatty appeared in such films as McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Shampoo (1975), and Heaven Can Wait (1978). Beatty's next movie was Reds, a historical epic that ran more
than three hours in which he played the role of radical journalist John Reed. The
film lost the Best Picture Oscar to Chariots
of Fire. During the 1990s, Beatty appeared in such films as Dick Tracy (1991), Bugsy (1992), and Bulworth
(1998). Off screen, he was known for his political activism and high-profile
romances with such actresses as Julie Christie, Diane Keaton and Madonna. Since
1992, he has been married to actress Annette Bening.
Check back every
Wednesday for another installment of “This Week in Hollywood History.”
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