All About Shirley MacLaine’s Daughter, Actress Sachi Parker

Shirley MacLaine has a complicated relationship with her only daughter, Sachi Parker.

MacLaine married film producer Steve Parker in 1954, and the couple welcomed their first and only child, Sachi, born Stephanie Sachinko Parker, two years later in 1956. After nearly 30 years of what the actress described as an “open marriage,” MacLaine and Parker divorced in 1982.

MacLaine and Sachi sometimes had their ups and downs, as explored in Sachi’s 2013 autobiography. Lucky Me: My life with — and Without — My mom, Shirley MacLaine.

In the book, she shared candid details about growing up immersed in Hollywood as the daughter of an acclaimed actress and the niece of Warren Beatty. She also delved into her childhood, writing about her often painful experiences with MacLaine as a mother.

In a statement to PEOPLE, MacLaine called her daughter’s book “almost complete fiction,” adding, “I am sorry to see such a dishonest, opportunistic attempt by my daughter.”

Despite their sometimes rocky relationship growing up, Sachi told PEOPLE in February 2013 that she and her mother “love each other a lot.” She added: “I accepted who he was.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Shirley MacLaine’s daughter, Sacha Parker.

She lived with her father in Japan and visited MacLaine in the US

Shirley MacLaine and Steve Parker with their daughter Sachi Parker on the March 6, 1959 episode of the CBS celebrity interview program ‘Person to Person’.

CBS Photo Archive/Getty

After Sachi was born in 1956, MacLaine decided to be a working mother before it was common practice. In a 1984 interview with PEOPLE, MacLaine spoke openly about her decision to return to acting after her daughter was born, explaining, “I would never have given up work to stay at home. That was never out of the question and Sachi would have felt frustrated if I had done that.”

As a child, Sachi went to live with her father in Japan, as he was an American producer based in Tokyo, and would spend summers and vacations with her mother.

Despite being separated for most of the year, Sachi told PEOPLE in the same 1984 interview, “She was always just a phone call away and I never felt abandoned or abandoned by her. This is exactly how my parents arranged our lives.”

She later reflected on that period of her life in her memoirs, writing about her reunions with her mother. In an excerpt from her book that she shared with PEOPLE in February 2013, Sachi wrote, “My visits to LA started at the airport, with my mom rushing over and giving me a big hug. When we got into the car, she would say, ‘Let’s have fun!’ ”

However, almost 30 years later, Sachi said during an interview with 20/20 in January 2013 that her mother was “very absent”. She said: “I was very lonely – very lonely. Definitely. And I still struggle with abandonment and loneliness issues.”

Sachi also recalled experiencing a similar feeling with her father, Parker, who died in 2001. Hartford Courant in May 2013 that he often disappeared on official trips.

“But the emotional abandonment was the problem for me, not the physical,” Sachi said.

She held various jobs while traveling the world

Shirley MacLaine with her daughter Sachi Parker.

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Before Sachi started in Hollywood, she pursued careers away from the limelight. 1991, she said Los Angeles Times that when she turned 18, she embarked on a six-year journey to see the world.

Her travels included New Zealand, where she was a ski instructor, and Hawaii, where she was a waitress. She then spent five years as a flight attendant for Qantas Airways. At the end of her travels, Sachi lived in Paris and worked as an au pair.

On her way back to Japan, she stopped in Los Angeles to see her mother, a moment that would change the trajectory of her career.

She became an actress

Shirley MacLaine and daughter Sachi Parker at the 31st Annual Thalians Ball on October 11, 1986 in Los Angeles, California.

Ron Gallela, Ltd. / Getty

When Sachi arrived in LA to see her mother after six years of travel, she said her ambitions to become an actress became clear.

Sachi said Los Angeles Times in 1991 about a conversation she had with her mother, explaining, “She later told me that she had a feeling that she could act since she was little, but she never mentioned it to me.”

“She was completely neutral until that moment, and then she encouraged me to no end,” added Sachi. “And it was the right time. I didn’t know what to do with my life.”

Sachi admitted that she probably had an acting problem before she became aware of it, saying that she would “do little skits in the aisles of the planes”. She said: “Obviously I wanted to act and I just didn’t know how.”

Over the years her roles have included Scrooged, Peggy Sue Got Married, Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael and more.

She was married for almost 20 years

Shirley MacLaine with her daughter Sachi Parker and Frank Murray at the second annual Directors Guild of America Awards on December 10, 2000 in New York.

Evan Agostini/ImageDirect

Sachi married business executive Frank H. Murray in 1993.

Although she inherited much of her mother’s independence, Sachi has always been open about her desire to marry and start a family. In 1984, she told PEOPLE, “I want to eventually get married and have a home and children and do all the things that women do. That’s important to me.”

Before meeting Murray, Sachi was engaged to a man named Ben, who was an Australian sheep farmer, but eventually broke off the engagement. She shared her explanation with Los Angeles Times, explaining: “The guys there are friends, and the women belong in the kitchen. In a way, that attracted me. Now I know better.”

Sachi told PEOPLE that their relationship was “horribly romantic” for the first year before “things started going bad.” She enlisted the help of her mother, who was filming in North Carolina at the time.

Instead of staying in Sydney, Sachi moved with her mother to Malibu, noting, “I finally had the chance to really meet my mother for the first time.”

After 20 years of marriage, Sachi and Murray separated in 2011. In her interview with Hartford Courant, reflected on their divorce, explaining: “I’ve been a good wife for so long … safe and sound in my little cocoon and living in Greenwich with all these clubs and all that [expletive].”

She described their amicable divorce as “a real kick in the butt”, adding: “It was a real opportunity to rethink my life.”

He has two children

Sachi Parker attends the benefit performance of “A Twist Of Lemmon” on February 1, 2012 in New York City.

Andy Kropa/Getty

Sachi and Murray had two children during their marriage: son Frank Jr. and daughter Arin.

While Sachi has remained tight-lipped about her children over the years, she made rare comments about them during a 2013 interview, reflecting on how her childhood has influenced how she approaches motherhood today.

She told PEOPLE: “I overcompensated. But being a great mom is healing for me.”

She wrote an autobiography

Sachi Parker signs her book ‘Lucky Me: My Life With — and Without — My Mom, Shirley MacLaine’ on March 21, 2013 in New York City.

WENN Rights Ltd / Alamy

Sachi followed in her mother’s footsteps in more ways than one. Besides becoming an actress, she wrote an honest autobiography Lucky Me: My life with — and Without — My mom, Shirley MacLaine, published in February 2013.

Around the release of her book, Sachi told Fox 411 that it was “very difficult” for her to start writing the book. She added: “However, once I started, it took off. It was a wonderful feeling every day. The floodgates were open.”

“It was a time in my life to write it and put the pieces of the puzzle together and finally get answers to a lot of questions,” she continued. “I think the process of writing this story was extremely cathartic.”

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