Ali MacGraw Celebrates 85 Sans Her Iconic Dark Hair – She's Proud to Age Naturally after Choosing Life in Small Town

Ali MacGraw looks slim at 85! She rarely appears publicly after giving up her fame and life in Hollywood for her son. She showed how to age naturally.

American actress and activist Ali MacGraw became famous after her role in "Love Story." She had a successful career in Hollywood until she married and made a name for herself as an activist.

She recently turned 85 and has made a rare appearance online. Fans were excited to see MacGraw and how she looks these days. Her life has not always been easy, but she has never shied away from sharing her stories.

MacGraw began her career as a photographer's assistant and stylist. However, after she appeared in a Chanel print ad, her career began to flourish. In the ad, a film executive noticed her and cast her in "Goodbye, Columbus."

After that, she starred in the film that made her famous—"Love Story." While she experienced immediate success, she did not feel equipped to deal with her newfound fame. She once admitted:

"It was a blessing. But what I'm sorry about is that I wasn't prepared to do the quality work."

MacGraw was criticized for her inexperience in the film industry, but she found happiness when she married producer, Robert Evans. The pair welcomed a son named Josh together, but MacGraw's joy didn't last long.

MacGraw and Evans' relationship crumbled, and by 1985, she had been divorced thrice and had checked herself into the Betty Ford clinic because she was so unhappy with how her life was going.

The actress gave up drinking and relationships for a year and confirmed it was one of the most transformative years of her life. When she left, she felt a sense of peace she had always wanted and had a renewed belief in a higher power. She said that when she was drinking she felt "like garbage."

Now, MacGraw lives a quieter and more peaceful life. She wakes up with the sun, walks as a form of meditation, and expresses gratitude every day. She is more confident than ever and says she is glad she doesn't feel the need to be accepted any longer.

Ali MacGraw Shows Natural Aging at 85 in Video

MacGraw first glimpsed Hollywood when she was featured in the Chanel print ad. Some time ago, Chanel posted a video on Instagram last year, which showed off MacGraw's look at 84. Penelope Cruz was also featured.

In the video, the two women ask each other a series of questions about one another's lives. One of the questions Cruz asked MacGraw was what the most decisive moment of her life was. MacGraw replied:

"To tell the truth, my life has been a series of decisive moments, with huge changes in between."

A skinny MacGraw wore a smart pair of black pants, a white button-up shirt, and a pair of patent black and white shoes in the video. Her long, gray hair was elegantly pulled back into a low ponytail, and she wore simple makeup that accentuated her beautiful features.

Fans were delighted to see how great MacGraw looked in her early 80s. One fan gushed that MacGraw had always had classic beauty, which had never changed. Another said, "Ali is more beautiful than EVER," and one more gushed, "Such an elegant time piece." "Ali looks amazing," was also among the comments.

While her Hollywood career slowed down mostly after she married Evans and subsequently checked into the Betty Ford Clinic, she has built another successful career path for herself over the years.

In 2017, MacGraw debuted her first work as a designer on a collection she did for Women without Borders. The collection was called the ali4ibu collection and was showcased at Studio Four NYC.

The term Ibu is used in Indonesia as a sign of respect to women of great esteem. The collection was filled with garments made by women worldwide. This allowed the women involved to become independent and support their families.

MacGraw wanted women in these communities to feel empowered in environments where the male/female balance was otherwise off. As an activist, MacGraw mused:

"I've had many causes. I'm doing this as a service because I love it… I love the authenticity of it. I love the heart of it."

Talking about what the clothing line was and what it meant to her, MacGraw said, "Ibu is a movement of women artisans around the world growing into economic self-sufficiency through the talent of working with their hands." She felt it was wonderful what women could do for other women, creating an energy that had never been experienced before.

The women who MacGraw works with are nothing short of professional. MacGraw once gushed, "We work with artisans who are experts at stitching, beading, fabric, and even silver for the bracelets and earrings that I love. These women create every single piece by hand, and most of the money raised goes to them. It gives them respect which is good in this shifting moment for women."

MacGraw is a mother and grandmother and admitted they were two of the most challenging jobs she ever had. She also knows what it takes to provide for your family and what it means for women to be able to do so.

The former actress believes the collection embodies what it means to be a woman living on earth. Each item of clothing and accessory makes a statement toward this idea.

In January 2022, she once again spoke about her work with Ibu and Women without Borders, saying she felt energized and excited about her work and the women she was empowering in the process.

MacGraw Coped with Addictions for the Sake of Her Child

The actress, who had experienced substance abuse issues said when she was holding an alcoholic drink, she thought, "They won't know I'm poor." After going into rehab, she shared, "I thought, 'I'm going through this experience for a reason."

In May 2022, a friend said that MacGraw enjoys spending much of her time in Mexico because women there don't care much about fashion and aren't afraid to age gracefully, embracing their gray hair and wrinkles.

MacGraw has never been afraid of her aging, and even once joked on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that when the producers called her, she asked if the title of the episode was "Still Alive." Shared that although she intially found it difficult to be authentic, she finally found the power to ask for exactly what she wanted from life.

The actress also explained that the reason she was not afraid to admit her age was because she didn't want to think she had to "check out" simply because she was living a vastly different life now to the one she was living when she first became famous.

MacGraw shared that women her age tended to share the message with 30 and 40-year-old women that things were nearly over for them, when in fact it was just beginning. She felt that she only began waking up to her life and true potential when she was in her 50s.

Her friend also confirmed that she spends time writing, painting, doing yoga, gardening, and meditating. Although she has not acted in many years, fans still recognize her whenever she travels. MacGraw is grateful her fans are still interested in her life.

When she is not partaking in any one of her various hobbies, MacGraw loves spending time with her only son, Josh Evans. Shortly before they divorced, she welcomed her son with her ex-husband in 1971.

MacGraw married for the third time to Steve McQueen, and the pair moved to Malibu with their respective sons. Her career came to a halt as McQueen did not want her to work, so she focused on raising Josh instead.

Josh has now welcomed children of his own, to whom MacGraw is a doting grandmother. His son, Jackson, was born to him and his partner, Roxy Saint, in December 2010.

MacGraw is a devoted mother and grandmother and remains an activist. What a remarkable woman!

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