The Only Major Actors Still Alive From Bonnie And Clyde
The real Bonnie and Clyde may have died in 1933, but the legend of the couple's crime spree lives on in the form of songs, stories, and one groundbreaking movie. Arthur Penn's "Bonnie and Clyde" took Hollywood by storm when it hit theaters in 1967, generating controversy for its on-screen violence and sensuality — and kick-starting nationwide conversations about who deserves to be the subject of a movie. While film fans still talk about these topics today, the movie's brutal final shootout feels mild compared to modern blood-soaked movie scenes.
Still, "Bonnie and Clyde" is a fantastic film, thanks in large part to its great cast. Warren Beatty plays cocky Clyde Barrow to Faye Dunaway's initially innocent Bonnie Parker, while actors Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, and Estelle Parsons round out the Barrow gang. A young Gene Wilder made his big screen debut as one of Clyde's hostages, while Denver Pile played the Texas Ranger hot on the group's tail. Most of the "Bonnie and Clyde" cast are still with us today, though not every member of the ensemble is still acting.
Warren Beatty, Clyde Barrow
Beatty was already an established actor by the time he played daredevil criminal Clyde in "Bonnie and Clyde," having made his movie debut six years earlier in "Splendor in the Grass." His antihero character may have been gunned down at the end of the movie, but that explosive scene was just the beginning of an especially fruitful era of the actor's career; the film marks his first official producer credit, meaning when the movie earned 10 Academy Award nominations, Beatty was high on the list of people to thank.
The actor would go on to produce some of his most memorable movies, from "Heaven Can Wait" and "Shampoo" to "Dick Tracy" and Elaine May's now-reappraised infamous flop "Ishtar." Beatty has a shockingly good track record, though, with 14 Oscar nominations despite appearing in only about two dozen films across his lifetime. Beatty's work slowed down beginning in the '80s, and he's only appeared in two films — "Town & Country" and "Rules Don't Apply" — in the 21st century.
There seem to be many reasons for Beatty's career slowdown, but the actor did make one famous appearance in recent years: along with Dunaway, he was one of the presenters at the 2017 Oscars who accidentally awarded Best Picture to "La La Land" over "Moonlight." The pair presented the award again in 2018. Once a notorious ladies' man, Beatty has been married to actress Annette Bening since 1992. In 2022, a woman filed a lawsuit claiming Beatty had sexually coerced her as a teen, but that suit was later dismissed with prejudice.
Faye Dunaway, Bonnie Parker
"Bonnie and Clyde" was a breakthrough role for the young actress playing Clyde's partner in crime Bonnie, but Dunaway was just getting started: she did most of her best work after starring in the Arthur Penn classic. Major career standouts include the classic SoCal-set neo-noir "Chinatown," the prescient Sidney Lumet satire "Network" (for which she won an Oscar), modeling drama "Gia," and "Three Days at the Condor," which she starred in alongside Robert Redford.
Dunaway's success wasn't limited to her early years, though: she continued acting into the 21st century, popping up in movies like "The Bye Bye Man" and shows like "Alias" and "Grey's Anatomy" along with plenty of lesser-known titles. An openly religious person, Dunaway has also appeared in faith-based projects like "The Case for Christ" and "Touched by an Angel." Her most recent on-screen role was the 2022 drama "The Man Who Drew God."
According to Deadline, Dunaway has a reputation for being "difficult and temperamental," and it seems to have cost her at least one recent job when she was fired from the one-woman play "Tea At Five" in 2019 after an alleged backstage altercation. Along with Beatty, Dunaway presented the Best Picture Oscar in 2016 in which she infamously read the wrong card, announcing "La La Land" the winner instead of "Moonlight." The pair returned the next year to name "The Shape of Water" as the new, correct winner.
Gene Hackman, Buck Barrow
Hackman is yet another highly acclaimed actor who had a definitive performance in "Bonnie and Clyde." As Clyde's older brother Buck, Hackman turns the hair-brained cross-country robbery plan into a family affair, and his death later in the film indicates to both viewers and the titular characters that the end of the road is near. Hackman was already acting before "Bonnie and Clyde," but the film earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and he'd go on to win Best Actor just a few years later for his part in the William Friedkin thriller "The French Connection."
Other standout works from Hackman include 1988's hate crime thriller "Mississippi Burning," 1992's Western "Unforgiven," and Wes Anderson's much-loved film "The Royal Tenenbaums," in which Hackman plays eccentric family patriarch Royal Tenenbaum. Hackman has also mixed in some more lighthearted roles over the years, playing a blind man in "Young Frankenstein," an uptight Republican senator in "The Birdcage," and more. One of his most-recognized roles is that of Lex Luthor in 1978's "Superman" movie.
In 2004, Hackman said he'd pretty much retired from acting, and since then his only credits are as a documentary narrator. The artist has kept up a writing career, though, publishing 3 historical fiction novels and counting. He also seemingly remains active, and survived being hit by a car while cycling in 2012. In 2021, Hackman gave a rare interview to The New York Post to commemorate the 50th anniversary of "The French Connection," writing, "[I] haven't seen the film since the first screening in a dark, tiny viewing room in a post-production company's facility 50 years ago."
Estelle Parsons, Blanche Barrow
Broadway and variety star Estelle Parsons made a huge impression in "Bonnie and Clyde," her second film role ever in which she memorably played Buck's stressed-out wife Blanche. Before appearing in the film, Parsons had already worked for the "Today" show and been featured in acclaimed turns in several stage productions, but "Bonnie and Clyde" opened a new chapter for the actress on screen. She went on to appear in movies like "Dick Tracy" (alongside Beatty!), "Watermelon Man," "Boys on the Side," and "Rachel Rachel."
No other film role of Parsons was ever quite as influential as "Bonnie and Clyde," but the performer still continues doing great work to this day — much of it on TV. An original star of "Roseanne," Parsons most recently appeared on the reboot series "The Conners," reprising the character of Beverly even well into her nineties. Parsons also had memorable guest spots on "All in the Family," "Frasier," and "The Good Wife."
Parsons has been nominated for five Tony awards for her work on stage, including for the Tennessee Williams play "The Seven Descents of Myrtle" and the Paul Zindel dark comedy "And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little." In a 2022 retrospective for WMUR-TV, Parsons talked about her storied career on stage; the spotlight also revealed that Parsons' productions have raised thousands of dollars for The Village Players, a community theater in New Hampshire.