Faye Dunaway on Film

[Soaplover]

My late mom was a huge Faye Dunaway fan and told me that she was very A-list in the 70s.. and I have to admit that my favorite of her 70s movie output was 'Eyes of Laura Mars'.

I think her Hollywood career declined for a variety of reasons. It was a combination of Mommie Dearest, her taking time away from Hollywood to raise a child, and living in the UK for a few years in the 80s.

She did move into doing tv movies in the 80s and 90s.. which was always a more generous place for female actresses over 40.

Some of my fav post 1984 Faye projects:

Beverly Hills Madam (1986 Tv) - 80s Madam
The Temp (1993) - So bad that it's good.
Columbo (1993 TV) - She was warm, likable, and she won a much deserved Emmy
Gia (1998 TV) - Won the Golden Globe
Running Mates (2000 TV) - A fun ensemble effort
Midnight Bayou (2009 TV) - a Nora Roberts Southern Gothic novel where she was the scene stealing grandmother

 

[ginnyfan]

She has sort of gone viral with that ''you're right in my eyeline'' video. Oh Faye....

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

She has sort of gone viral with that ''you're right in my eyeline'' video. Oh Faye....

It's just exactly how you'd picture it. I'd venture to guess this might've even been a good day for Faye. She didn't even appear to slap anybody!

Some people just want to be seen as "difficult" to convey status. It's hard to believe that Dunaway isn't one of them.

 

[Crimson]

I mean, she wasn't even being difficult. I'm sure there are genuine horror stories about Faye being a DIVA, but this was just someone trying to perform without distraction. She was even fairly polite about it. Compare to Tom Cruise's rant when someone in the crew interrupted him performing.

I'm not an actor but my job frequently requires me to present to groups of people; someone in my field of vision doing something can be distracting, causing me to lose my place in my thoughts. "Block them out" is easier said than done.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I mean, she wasn't even being difficult. I'm sure there are genuine horror stories about Faye being a DIVA, but this was just someone trying to perform without distraction. She was even fairly polite about it. Compare to Tom Cruise's rant when someone in the crew interrupted him performing.

I'm not an actor but my job frequently requires me to present to groups of people; someone in my field of vision doing something can be distracting, causing me to lose my place in my thoughts. "Block them out" is easier said than done.

Oh, yeah. She's having a good day, for sure.

 

[Crimson]

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Ahhh, My Way of Life...

 

[DallasFanForever]

Ahhh, My Way of Life...

One thing we know; this documentary definitely won’t be boring to watch.

 

[Toni]

One thing we know; this documentary definitely won’t be boring to watch.

No it wasn´t, and showed as much of her career as of her life events and persona. It shocked me a bit to know that she had been diagnosed with bipolarity long ago and that she had also been in rehab for alcoholism. The doc touches all the subjects and movies you could expect (yes, even THAT movie...), and gives a good image of hers for the new and future generations.

Few were greater than Faye in the 80s (at least in the US) though there weren´t many ups after the downs caused by "Mommie" and "Supergirl". It was moving to see the Little Christina actress saying she was sorry that Faye had no good memory about the filming because she had a lot of them, and cherished the way she was treated by everybody, including her Mommie... Again, YouTube is a real source for today´s creative forces, though it truly affects the look of the image quality.

Christina Actress: "Isn´t it fun to be in the movies?"
Faye: "Enjoy it as long as you can..."​

 

[DallasFanForever]

It shocked me a bit to know that she had been diagnosed with bipolarity long ago and that she had also been in rehab for alcoholism

I wasn’t aware of this myself. It certainly explains a lot. For all the negative stuff we hear about her it actually gave me a much better understanding of her now. There were definitely some things going on that make sense now and I respect her for sharing all of that.

The doc touches all the subjects and movies you could expect (yes, even THAT movie...)

I was wondering how they would handle this. THAT movie, as flawed as it is, is still one of my personal favorites. I know she will never embrace that role for obvious reasons but I wish she was able to look back on it more fondly now. A lot of us wish she felt differently about it but at the same time I can’t blame her for the way she feels.

 

[Toni]

I wonder if Faye saw Feud and envied Jessica Lange juicy scenes...

 

[Crimson]

No it wasn´t, and showed as much of her career as of her life events and persona. It shocked me a bit to know that she had been diagnosed with bipolarity long ago and that she had also been in rehab for alcoholism. The doc touches all the subjects and movies you could expect (yes, even THAT movie...), and gives a good image of hers for the new and future generations.

I don't know why this documentary sat for so long in my To Watch queue, but I finally got around to it last night. I thought it was excellent. It was particularly interesting in how Dunaway's erratic and demanding behavior was defended, contextualized, but also that she accepted responsibility for said behavior.

Despite the inexplicable drop off of her career after the mid-80s, she still has one of the most satisfying filmographies of any female star.

 

[Toni]

Just watched "13 at Dinner", a Poirot mystery for TV starring Ustinov and Faye Dunaway (everyone else here is just part of the decor). She is playing the wife of a noble man and an actress who looks like her. So it´s a Faye fest in all its glory. In her final scene, she goes all Marilyn and is very enjoyable. The romp is dull when she is not in. The supporting cast has almost nothing to do, and the direction and script is formulaic. But I´m a Faye fan and she deserves it!

I forgot to add that the REAL Poirot plays another
detective role here, and is good at it too!​

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Miss Dunaway turns 85 on 14 January 2026...

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Just posted this on @tommie's "There's no such thing as horoscopes" thread:

When Warren Beatty was casting BONNIE & CLYDE, he initially thought than then-unknown Faye Dunaway was Catherine Deneuve. And then, a teenaged Morgan Fairchild became Dunaway's double on B&C.

All three women are Virgo Rising/Moon in Leo (with different sun signs). What makes Fairchild nicer? (And she is). Sun in Aquarius combines with Moon in Leo in a nicer way, for whatever reason.