On September 1, 1956, Shirley MacLaine and her then-husband Steve Parker welcomed their only child, Sachi Parker, whose real name is Stephanie Sachiko Parker. Growing up during the height of Hollywood’s success, Sachi had a privileged and complicated upbringing. Even though Sachi was raised by a well-known actress, she still had to deal with the difficulties of growing up in the spotlight and her parents’ turbulent relationship
Complicated Mother-Daughter Relationship
Sachi Parker had a complicated relationship with her mother Shirley MacLaine. Even though the two had an immense amount of love for each other, there were notable problems among them. Sachi’s autobiography, “Lucky Me: My Life With — and Without — My Mom, Shirley MacLaine” released in 2013, accounts for the ups and downs experienced by the mother and daughter. She candidly wrote about her private life and her upbringing in Hollywood as the niece of Warren Beatty and the daughter of a well-known actress, Shirley Maclain. She also wrote about her early years, detailing the frequently traumatic events of growing up with MacLaine, as her daughter.
But these statements were rejected by Shirley. In an interview, Shirley addressed her daughter’s book as “virtually all fiction”. She also added that she was sorry to see such a dishonest and opportunistic effort from her daughter. Despite these disagreements, Sachi in an interview, said that she and her mother “love each other so dearly” and that she has accepted her mother as who she is.
Early Childhood Of Sachi
Sachi lived with her father in Tokyo in her early childhood as Shirley opted to be a working mother. In a 1984 interview, Shirley revealed her decision to work soon after Sachi was born, which was an uncommon practice during those days. As her mother was busy at work, Sachi lived with her father in Tokyo and visited her mother during vacations and summers.
In the 1984 interview, Sachi said that her mother was just a call away despite staying far away for most of the year. She also said that she never felt abandoned or deserted by MacLaine. Later these events and the reunions with her mother were noted in her memoir. But contrary to the first statement, in a 2013 interview, Sachi said that her mother was very absent in her life. She said that she was lonely and added that the abandonment issues and loneliness still affect her life. Sachi also remembered feeling the same way about her late father, Parker, who passed away in 2001. In May 2013, she revealed to the Hartford Courant that he frequently vanished while on business travels. She also shared that more than the physical abandonment, the emotional abandonment affected her the most.
Sachi Tried Her Hands In Different Fields!
Before making her breakthrough in Hollywood, Sachi worked in a variety of professions that kept her out of the spotlight. In 1991, she said that she planned to travel the world for six years after turning eighteen. She traveled to Hawaii to work as a waiter and then to New Zealand to work as a ski instructor. After that, she worked as a flight attendant for Qantas Airways for five years. Sachi lived and worked as an au pair in Paris towards the end of her trip. Her career took a drastic turn when she visited her mother in Los Angeles while returning to Japan.
Sachi revealed her desire to be an actress to her mother while in Los Angeles, to which MacLaine responded positively. Sachi revealed that she used to “do little skits down the aisles of planes,” indicating that she probably got the acting bug before realizing it. She said that she always wanted to act but didn’t know it. Her roles over the years have included Roxy Carmichael, Peggy Sue Got Married, Welcome Home, Scrooged, and more.
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Marriage And Family
Sachi always wanted to marry and have a home and children as she considered it important. She broke her first engagement with an Australian sheep rancher Ben as she got to know better about life being more than just women belonging to the kitchen. She later married business executive Frank H. Murray in 1993. The 20 years of marriage ended in 2011. Sachi described the divorce as ‘the real kick in the butt’ and added that it was a real opportunity for her to reassess her life.
Sachi shared her two children, Frank Jr. and Arin with Murray. Although Sachi has kept quiet about her children for the most part, she did make an infrequent mention of them in a 2013 interview when she discussed how her own upbringing shaped the way she views motherhood. She said that she overcompensated and being a great mom healed herself.