Terms of Endearment: Where Are They Now?
It was a simple picture that explored the complicated relationship between an overbearing mom and her exasperated daughter.
Despite a plot bereft of explosions, 'Terms of Endearment' was a film phenomenon when it was released in 1983, one that earned a whopping 11 Academy Award nominations.
On the 25th anniversary of the film's release, Moviefone checks in with the unforgettable cast of the mother of '80s tearjerkers. -- By Carolina Miranda
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Shirley MacLaine
Played: Aurora Greenway
Then: By the time she appeared in 'Terms of Endearment,' MacLaine had a decades-long career behind her. She had partied with the Rat Pack, produced a handful of TV specials, and starred in more than two dozen films, earning five Academy Award nominations in the process. But it was her nuanced performance as the overbearing-yet-loving Aurora Greenway that would result in her first and only (so far!) Oscar.
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Shirley MacLaine
Now: MacLaine, now 74, continues to act, and has stolen scenes in a hodgepodge of made-for-TV flicks and romantic comedies. She reprised the role of Aurora in the 1996 drama 'The Evening Star,' which, unfortunately, did not repeat the original film's critical or commercial success. These days, however, she is more devoted to her spiritual life (or lives), penning best-selling New Age autobiographies that explore her various reincarnations.
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Debra Winger
Played: Emma Horton
Then: An actress known for playing sassy everywomen, Winger was just coming off the success of 'An Officer and a Gentleman' (where she co-starred opposite Richard Gere) -- a role that garnered her an Oscar nod. 'Terms of Endearment' would earn her a second, for her steely, clear-eyed portrayal of the impetuous Emma (with trademark boisterous laugh), a woman trapped in a disintegrating marriage and facing terminal cancer.
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Debra Winger
Now: A mercurial disposition and a history of on-set conflict (she famously battled with Gere in 'Officer' and MacLaine in 'Terms') led the gravelly-voiced actress to withdraw from Hollywood; during her break she served as a teaching fellow at Harvard and homeschooled her children (two sons, one with Timothy Hutton and one with current hubby, actor Arliss Howard). Her occasional returns to the screen include 1993's 'Shadowlands,' with a performance that earned her a third Academy Award nom, and 2008's 'Rachel Getting Married,' which is garnering strong Oscar buzz.
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Vera Anderson, WireImage
Jeff Daniels
Played: Flap Horton
Then: 'Terms of Endearment' was his first major film role and the one that would put him on the map as an actor. His corn-fed good looks and spot-on performance as Debra Winger's feckless, philandering husband caught the attention of critics -- and plenty of other film directors.
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Jeff Daniels
Now: He has since appeared in a full roster of Hollywood productions, including Woody Allen movies (such as 'The Purple Rose of Cairo,' where he had a starring role), action flicks such as 'Speed' and more recently, in the critically acclaimed 'Good Night, and Good Luck.' He can do gross-out comedies too: in 'Dumb and Dumber,' Daniels appears in what is surely the most flatulent bathroom scene in movie history.
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Jack Nicholson
Played: Garrett Breedlove
Then: By the time Nicholson appeared as an off-his-rocker astronaut who woos Shirley MacLaine (by driving her around in a Corvette at high speeds), he had a long history of playing on-screen oddballs, including a boozy lawyer in 'Easy Rider' and a con-artist looney-bin denizen in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.' This role, as the roguishly charming (and boozy) Breedlove, would win him an Oscar for best supporting actor.
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Jack Nicholson
Now: More fame has followed for the devilish Nicholson, who, at the age of 71, continues to make commanding appearances in a variety of movies (and wear sunglasses at the Oscars). His most memorable roles include turns as a mob boss ('The Departed'), a marine colonel ('A Few Good Men') and a surly obsessive-compulsive in James L. Brooks' 1997 dramedy 'As Good as It Gets,' a role that earned him a third Academy Award.
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Danny DeVito
Played: Vernon Dahlart
Then: He was known principally as a television actor, specifically Louie de Palma, the hirsute, loudmouth dispatcher with a Napoleon complex on the hit comedy series 'Taxi.' In 'Terms,' his screen time was short, but memorable: he plays an overzealous Texan suitor -- complete with 10-gallon cowboy hat -- to a largely chilly Shirley MacLaine.
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Reader Comments (11)
solomeeeo at 2:47AM on Dec 11th 2008
Good lord those wrinkles on her neck look like that of a much older woman. She looks 63 not 53!
Witch of Eastwick at 9:11PM on Dec 10th 2008
Jack is the best...always.
Witch of Eastwick at 9:14PM on Dec 10th 2008
Sorry if this is getting posted twice, I don't think it went through the first time...
I love this movie! I did not realize Danny DeVito was in it. He & Jack have done a bunch of movies together. In Shirley's book, My Lucky Stars, she gives a lot of inside info on Terms. To say that Debra didn't get along on the set is putting it lightly. Shirley really went through a lot on that set. I felt sorry for her. Still, I like Debra as an actress. I guess she's just difficult to work with.
Ann Fischer at 9:45PM on Dec 10th 2008
One thing always bothered me about this film. There is a scene where two young ladies have driven Garrett (Nicoleson's character) home from a party. The voice of one of the women is strongly similair to that of actress Mary Kay Place. Was this my imagination or did they really use only her voice (and why?). Hope someone can finally answer this for me as it makes me crazy everytime I see the movie.
nancy at 10:45PM on Dec 10th 2008
Loved this movie. Sorrry to hear Debra was difficult to work wiith because I was such a fan. What a great cast. The ending was so sad. How does eveyone know that Debra was so difficult? curious.
DeAnn at 10:52PM on Dec 10th 2008
How do i find the photo of D.W.? PLEASE HEALP!
Scott Schrader at 10:53PM on Dec 10th 2008
Witch of Eastwick, what a gossipmonging ass you are. Here's a rule to live by--a real simple one most people know already: Don't believe everything you read.
Roy Wassner at 11:34PM on Dec 10th 2008
My Wife love the Movie,
http://www.deliveringonthepromise.com/4581105
jackie at 1:52AM on Dec 11th 2008
I loved Terns of Endearment. I never know there was a sequel "The Evening Star" until I bought it on clearance for like 99 cents. I thought it was as wonderful, if not better, than the first.
chaley666 at 3:57AM on Dec 11th 2008
Debra Winger rules for being the voice of E.T. No kidding.
Jane at 5:10AM on Dec 11th 2008
Amy Fisher: They did use the voice of Mary Kay Place for one of the women in the car. I don't remember why (or if there was a reason given). Hope this helps.