orig. Shirley McLean Beaty
born April 24, 1934, Richmond, Va., U.S.
U.S. film actress.
She worked as a dancer on Broadway. After replacing the injured star in The Pajama Game (1954), she was discovered by a film producer and made her movie debut in Alfred Hitchcock 's The Trouble with Harry (1955). Known for her deft portrayal of charmingly eccentric characters, she went on to play comic and dramatic roles in Some Came Running (1959), The Apartment (1960), Irma La Douce (1963), Sweet Charity (1969), The Turning Point (1977), Terms of Endearment (1983, Academy Award), Madame Sousatzka (1988), and Mrs. Winterbourne (1996). She wrote several best-selling books, often about her mystical experiences, including Out on a Limb (1983) and Going Within (1989). She is the sister of Warren Beatty .