Faye Dunaway – Net Worth, Career Ups and Downs, Awards and Achievements

Photo of author

By David

Real Name:Dorothy Faye Dunaway
Birthday:January 14, 1941
Net Worth$40 million
Height:170 cm
Occupation:American Actress

Many critics consider Bonnie and Clyde as the first films of the New Hollywood era. It is a landmark movie. And Faye Dunaway played a large role in it. Bonnie and Clyde helped break cinematic taboos for members of the counterculture. The icy, elegant blonde Dunaway played amazingly in the movie. And she followed it with a series of iconic movies. So, how much is Faye Dunaway’s cash flow?

Many people still remember Faye as the Bonnie of Bonnie and Clyde. That movie is a rallying cry for many critics. It prompted filmmakers to present sex and violence more openly in their movies. And the ending is iconic. It is still one of the bloodiest death scenes in cinematic history.

Born in 1941, the icy, elegant blonde had a knack for playing complex and strong-willed female characters. Many of her movies defined Hollywood’s second Golden Age. And most importantly, Faye proved more than a capable match for some of the biggest macho stars at the box office.

She started her career in the early 1960s on Broadway but then evolved to more mature and character roles. As of September 2020, Faye Dunaway’s fortune is more than $40 million. If the movies back then brought millions as they do now, she could have earned billions.

Career Ups and Downs

Born in Bascom, Florida in 1941, Faye spent her childhood traveling through the US and Europe. Her mother worked as a housewife, and her father had a career as a non-commissioned officer in the US army. That is how she traveled during her childhood.

At a young age, Faye took dance classes, tap dancing classes, piano classes, and singing classes. She graduated from Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida. And she got her graduate degree in theatre from Boston University.

At the age of 21, she took acting classes at the American National Theater and Academy. Shortly after her graduation, Dunaway started appearing on Broadway as a replacement for other actresses.

Her first screen come came in a comedy crime movie, The Happening in 1967. The movie starred Anthony Quinn alongside her. The same year, she starred in Hurry Sundown alongside Michael Caine and Jane Fonda. The director, Otto Preminger didn’t believe she has any acting skills.

But that experience, clashing with the director, provided a psychodrama that helped her improve her skills. Yet, she signed a six-picture deal with Preminger but decided to get her contract back. And that helped her land breakthrough roles. If she stayed with Otto, Faye would have missed the opportunity to star in Bonnie and Clyde.

Director Arthur Penn gave Faye an opportunity to read for the role of Bonnie Parker, for his upcoming movie Bonnie and Clyde. Many actresses tried for the role, including Jane Fonda, Leslie Caron, and Natalie Wood. But Dunaway left a huge impression on Penn and he helped convince producer Warren Beatty to get her.

The movie rose to the status of an iconic picture. At the time, it was controversial due to the glorification of murderers and the amount of graphic violence. But it performed excellently at the box office and elevated Dunaway’s status to stardom.

Faye followed Bonnie and Clyde with another big hit, The Thomas Crown Affair. That movie emphasized her sensuality and elegance with a character who many consider an influential style icon to this date. For the role, she had to go through more than 29 costume changes.

After two big hits, many thought her career will take off. But she suffered some minor setbacks. In 1968, Faye appeared in A Place for Lovers, an Italian movie set in Venice. The movie performed awful and many consider it a commercial failure.

Then, the next year, she appeared in The Arrangement alongside Kirk Douglas. This movie performed poorly at the box office as well. While the movie received negative reviews, fans praised her performance.

For the next two years, Dunaway’s movies performed poorly. But she did earn a Golden Globe nomination. In 1972, following years of commercial failure, Dunaway returned to stage acting in the adaptation of Old Times by Harold Pinter. She said that the stage presented more challenges for her and loved it more.

Luckily for Faye, her career was not yet dead. In 1974, Roman Polanski offered her the lead role for the mystery neo-noir Chinatown. Dunaway accepted the challenging and complex role and played perfectly opposite Jack Nicholson. While Polanski wanted her for the role, the two clashed during filming. Despite complications on the set, the movie proved a classic. It received glowing reviews.

Chinatown earned 11 Academy Award Nominations, a record at the time. It also made back its budget five times. For the movie, she received Golden Globe Nomination, Academy Award Nomination, and BAFTA nomination.

The next year, Dunaway appeared in the satire Network, portraying a ruthless woman willing to do everything for higher ratings. She believed to be one of the most important female roles at the time. The movie remained a classic. Many critics discuss it nowadays because of its prophetic take on the television industry.

In 1981, Faye portrayed Joan Crawford in the adaptation of the controversial memoirs, Mommie Dearest. Faye depicted Joan as an abusive tyrant to her adoptive daughter. Despite negative reviews, the movie achieved commercial success. And it earned Dunaway two Best Actress award nominations.

In the 1980s, Faye made the jump to television and theater. She started with her appearance in the dramatic play The Country Girl. But by the end of the 1980s, she returned to complex roles again.

In 1987, Dunaway appeared opposite Mickey Rourke in the drama Barfly. Faye said it is a role she cared deeply about. While the movie achieved small success at the box office, it helped her earn reviews from critics.

In 1996, Faye got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The same year, she returned to the stage playing famed opera singer Maria Callas in the award-winning play Master Class.

In the 2000s, Faye wanted to try something new and challenging. So, she started playing in independent movies. And during this period, she appeared in small roles in television series like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo_vjixctQk

Awards and Achievements

Faye Dunaway is one of the most popular actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood. She won a couple of awards during her career, including an Academy Award for Network in 1976. Dunaway also has two nominations for Chinatown and Bonnie and Clyde.

Besides Academy Awards, Faye has 10 Golden Globe Nominations. She won the award three times. Once in 1999 for her supporting role in Gia, once in 1984 for her supporting role in Ellis Island, and for her leading role in Network.

And to prove she can succeed in television roles, she has a Primetime Emmy for her Guest appearance in Columbo.

Net Worth

In total, Faye has 115 acting credits. That is more than 100 movies or television roles. Her career spans more than five decades. Her movies performed excellently at the box office. And for the period they got released, some might say they did even better.

Her best box office movie is The Towering Inferno, earning $559 million. In it, she starred alongside Paul Newman. Bonnie and Clyde is her second box office hit with $429 million in earnings. Network, her most successful role in terms of awards, earned $180 million at the box office.

As of September 2020, Faye Dunaway’s wealth is more than $40 million.