How old was Shirley MacLaine in Steel Magnolias?

There’s something captivating about discovering a celebrity’s age during a defining role. That knowledge can reshape how we view their performance. We’re about to uncover that piece of the puzzle.

At the moment the movie Steel Magnolias was being made, Shirley MacLaine was:

54 years old

Based on our estimate, that was the actual age of the celebrity at the time.

The calculation of the shown age took into account the first day of the year in which the movie Steel Magnolias was released:

January 1, 1989

And the day Shirley MacLaine was born:

April 24, 1934

Given the typical time period between the filming and the release date, Shirley MacLaine could have been a year older or younger than the age shown when some scenes were being filmed.