She was once denied a role by director Arthur Penn who felt she didn’t have the right face for cinema. Now she is an undisputed Hollywood legend. Like Meryl Streep, Faye Dunaway is known for playing strong female leads. She rose to prominence after playing notorious gangster Bonnie Parker in the hit 1967 film Bonnie And Clyde.
Dunaway is known to be controversial, but her acting career is without blemishes. Somewhere in her trophy cabinet is an Oscar, an Emmy, three Golden Globes and a BAFTA award. She is also one of the few actors to be honored with the prestigious Leopard Club Award. This is an award that honors all types of professionals in the film industry whose work has remained iconic over the years. Here are her best ever movies according to Rotten Tomatoes
The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) - 78%
The Thomas Crown Affair was one of the films that pioneered the use of split-screen images, commonly seen in shows like 24. In the film, a Boston millionaire called Thomas Crown (Steve McQueen) is tired of being part of the city’s elite. He thus does the craziest of things. He makes plans to rob a bank then flee to the Brazilian city of Rio.
Crown assembles a group led by Erwin Weaver (Jack Weston), though he doesn’t meet Erwin in person. The robbery is executed perfectly but soon a detective called Eddy Malone begins hunting him down with the help of insurance investigator Vicky Anderson (Faye Dunaway).
Voyage of the Damned (1976) - 82%
Voyage Of The Damned is based on a true story about the St. Louis ocean liner that transported Jewish refugees from Germany to Cuba back in 1939. In the movie, Nazi officers load the ship with 937 Jewish refugees headed to Cuba. Once it docks in the South American country, the Jews are denied entry.
The plot twist is that this is what the Nazis intended to happen all along. Their aim was to prove that the Jews were not desired anywhere in the world thus the anti-semitism perpetrated against them was justified. Dunaway plays Denise Kreisler, the wife of a professor. Denise and her husband are the last to board the ship, hoping for a better future.
The Three Musketeers (1973) - 85%
Based on the popular novel by Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers strictly adheres to its source material. In it, D’Artagnan, a young man who has learned the art of swordsmanship from his father moves to Paris to make a name for himself.
In the French capital, he makes friends with three men named Athos, Aramis, and Porthos. They tutor him on the inner workings of the city as they fight to protect the Queen from evil French clergyman and state official Cardinal Richelieu. Faye plays Milady de Winter, a spy for Richelieu. The film was also recently re-released in 3D format.
Three Days Of The Condor (1975) - 86%
The spy film follows Joe Turner, a book-loving researcher for the CIA who steps out briefly for lunch only to come back and find all his colleagues dead. Not sure who murdered them, he goes on the run as he tries to piece the events together and find out the people responsible.
Dunaway plays Kathy a woman who Joe holds hostage in her apartment as he is hiding. When Joe explains himself, Kathy begins trusting him and they eventually fall for each other. Three Days Of The Condor was recently remade into a series by the Audience network. The series goes by the shorter name of Condor.
Arizona Dream (1993) -87%
The comedy film follows Axel Blackmer (Johnny Depp), an obsessive lover of fish who is interested in all their habits including what they dream about. His uncle Leo would like him to take over the family’s car dealership business but he isn’t that interested. Dunaway plays Leo’s lover Elaine.
Due to mysterious factors, the film was never widely released. It was only shown in three theaters in the US. Filming was also done in 1991 yet the movie was released in 1993. But despite its commercial complications, it was widely praised by critics who were impressed by the unpredictability of the story.
Bonnie And Clyde (1967) - 88%
Among a few other films, Bonnie And Clyde ushered in the New Hollywood Era - an era during which Hollywood taboos like no violence and no sexual content were discarded. The bloody death scene in the film’s final moments is something even Tarantino would be proud of. It is also the film that turned Dunaway into a bonafide superstar.
Dunaway played Bonnie Parker, who along with her lover Clyde Burrow terrorized America during The Great Depression. The two were notorious for robbing banks and killing whoever stood in their way. Bonnie And Clyde received eight Academy Award nominations.
Network (1976) - 92%
Network is considered one of the most impressive films of all time. It won three out of the four Academy Awards it was nominated for. Its script was also included in the 101 Greatest Screenplays In The History Of Cinema list by the Writers Guild Of America.
In Network, Howard Beale an anchorman for the fictional UBS network is forced to hang up his boots because of old age and poor ratings. In a surprising twist, he shocks viewers by announcing that he’s going to commit suicide during his final show. Dunaway stars as Diana, the head of UBC’s programming department.
Gia (1998) - 92%
The film chronicles the rise and fall of supermodel Gia Carangi. Gia who was known to be carefree in real life is played by Angelina Jolie. After being abused as a child in her home in Philadelphia Gia decides to moves to New York to become independent and seek new opportunities.
She links up with Wilhemina Cooper (Dunaway) who shows her the ropes until she scores a big cover girl gig. She becomes a star but she gets addicted to drugs which end up propelling her downward spiral. The film was aired by HBO
Little Big Man (1970) - 96%
In Little Big Man, 121-year-old Jack Crabbe is reminiscing about his younger life. Via flashbacks, we are shown how Jack was adopted by an Indian family while young. But when Cavalry troopers carry him, he is forced to renounce his Cheyenne upbringing to avoid getting murdered. This decision sets the pace for the rest of his life.
Faye Dunaway plays a preacher’s wife, who ends up catching the interest of folk hero Wild Bill Hickok’s affection. With a running time of 150 minutes, Little Big Man might seem too long but there is no wasted minute. Every single moment is meant to push the plot.
Chinatown (1974) - 99%
Chinatown had plenty of behind-the-scenes drama involving director Roman Polanski and Faye Dunaway. It is rumored that Dunaway splashed an unpleasant ’liquid’ at Polanski after a disagreement. Despite the drama, the movie ended up being a huge success. It was nominated for a whopping 11 Academy Awards.
In Chinatown, a private investigator known as J. J. Gittes gets hired by a woman who calls herself Evelyn Mulwray to track her engineer husband Hollis Mulwray who she suspects of cheating. Gittes captures photos of Hollis with a woman. The photos end up getting published on the papers. Not long after that, a woman claiming to be the real Evelyn Mulwray files a lawsuit against Gittes for defamation. It turns out Gittes is being used as a pon by people who have been looking to take Hollis down for refusing to be part of a water supply corruption conspiracy.
