At the height of his movie star fame, Warren Beatty was as much known for dating many of Hollywood’s most desirable women as he was acclaimed for his film roles, with one biographer estimating that Beatty had slept with close to 13,000 women in his life.
Now, a dark side of Beatty’s womanizing may be emerging with a lawsuit filed against the 85-year-old “Bonnie and Clyde” star. A Louisiana woman has alleged that he coerced her into having sex with him in 1973, when she was 14 or 15 years old.
Variety reported that Kristina Charlotte Hirsch filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday. The suit does not cite Beatty by name, but identifies the defendant as an actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Clyde in the 1967 film, “Bonnie and Clyde,” a clear reference to Beatty.
Hirsch alleged in her lawsuit that Beatty, about 35 at the time, met her on a movie set, where he paid “undue attention” to her, Variety reported. He commented on her looks, gave her his phone number and called her numerous times in 1973.
Hirsch said he also invited her to the hotel where he was living, brought her on car rides, offered to help her with her homework, and talked to her about losing her virginity, Variety reported. Hirsch acknowledged that she “was initially thrilled” by the attention from Beatty and believed she was in a romantic relationship with him.
In her lawsuit, Hirsch accuses the defendant of using “his position and status as an adult and a Hollywood movie star to coerce sexual contact with plaintiff on multiple occasions, including oral sex, simulated sex and finally coerced sexual intercourse with the minor child,” Variety reported.
The suit is filed under a 2019 California law that opened a three-year period during which alleged survivors of child sexual abuse can seek redress for crimes that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations, Variety reported. That “lookback window” expires on Jan. 1, 2023.
Hirsch seeks compensation for psychological, mental and emotional distress, Variety reported. Since her alleged interactions with Beatty, she said she has had difficulty with issues of “trust and control” and interacting with people in positions of authority.
Representatives for Beatty did not respond to requests from Variety for comment.
In a 2016 interview with AARP magazine, Beatty didn’t deny sleeping around but insisted that he was always honest and courteous with the women he dated and bedded. His famous partners include Natalie Wood, Joan Collins, Carly Simon, Cher and Madonna. He also had two serious relationships and successful creative partnerships with Julie Christie and Diane Keaton, the latter of whom he directed to an Academy Award nomination in his 1981 historical epic, “Reds.”
“Look, I never misled anyone,” Beatty told AARP. “And … and I’m a nice guy.”
Beatty also laughed off the idea that he had slept with anywhere near 13,000 women, saying the number had been wildly exaggerated. “Think about it, sleeping with 12,775 people,” he told AARP. “That would mean not just that there were multiple people a day, but that there was no repetition.”
Beatty didn’t offer up an actual number of sex partners to AARP. He also said he mostly stayed unattached until his 50s, when he met and married actor Annette Bening in 1992. Together, they have four children.
“I waited a long time to be married,” he told AARP. “When you don’t get married until you’re 54 … well, as Arthur Miller said, ‘It comes with the territory.’”
In referring to a line in the playwright’s “Death of a Salesman,” Beatty is talking about how a male star needs to maintain an illusion of beauty, success and success with women, AARP reported.
“You’re participating in a profession that, for obvious reasons, needs to heighten elements of sexuality,” especially “if you delay marriage a long time,” Beatty said.
At the height of his movie star fame, Warren Beatty was as much known for dating many of Hollywood’s most desirable women as he was acclaimed for his film roles, with one biographer estimating that Beatty had slept with close to 13,000 women in his life.
Now, a dark side of Beatty’s womanizing may be emerging with a lawsuit filed against the 85-year-old “Bonnie and Clyde” star. A Louisiana woman has alleged that he coerced her into having sex with him in 1973, when she was 14 or 15 years old.
Variety reported that Kristina Charlotte Hirsch filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday. The suit does not cite Beatty by name, but identifies the defendant as an actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Clyde in the 1967 film, “Bonnie and Clyde,” a clear reference to Beatty.
Hirsch alleged in her lawsuit that Beatty, about 35 at the time, met her on a movie set, where he paid “undue attention” to her, Variety reported. He commented on her looks, gave her his phone number and called her numerous times in 1973.
Hirsch said he also invited her to the hotel where he was living, brought her on car rides, offered to help her with her homework, and talked to her about losing her virginity, Variety reported. Hirsch acknowledged that she “was initially thrilled” by the attention from Beatty and believed she was in a romantic relationship with him.
In her lawsuit, Hirsch accuses the defendant of using “his position and status as an adult and a Hollywood movie star to coerce sexual contact with plaintiff on multiple occasions, including oral sex, simulated sex and finally coerced sexual intercourse with the minor child,” Variety reported.
The suit is filed under a 2019 California law that opened a three-year period during which alleged survivors of child sexual abuse can seek redress for crimes that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations, Variety reported. That “lookback window” expires on Jan. 1, 2023.
Hirsch seeks compensation for psychological, mental and emotional distress, Variety reported. Since her alleged interactions with Beatty, she said she has had difficulty with issues of “trust and control” and interacting with people in positions of authority.
Representatives for Beatty did not respond to requests from Variety for comment.
In a 2016 interview with AARP magazine, Beatty didn’t deny sleeping around but insisted that he was always honest and courteous with the women he dated and bedded. His famous partners include Natalie Wood, Joan Collins, Carly Simon, Cher and Madonna. He also had two serious relationships and successful creative partnerships with Julie Christie and Diane Keaton, the latter of whom he directed to an Academy Award nomination in his 1981 historical epic, “Reds.”
“Look, I never misled anyone,” Beatty told AARP. “And … and I’m a nice guy.”
Beatty also laughed off the idea that he had slept with anywhere near 13,000 women, saying the number had been wildly exaggerated. “Think about it, sleeping with 12,775 people,” he told AARP. “That would mean not just that there were multiple people a day, but that there was no repetition.”
Beatty didn’t offer up an actual number of sex partners to AARP. He also said he mostly stayed unattached until his 50s, when he met and married actor Annette Bening in 1992. Together, they have four children.
“I waited a long time to be married,” he told AARP. “When you don’t get married until you’re 54 … well, as Arthur Miller said, ‘It comes with the territory.’”
In referring to a line in the playwright’s “Death of a Salesman,” Beatty is talking about how a male star needs to maintain an illusion of beauty, success and success with women, AARP reported.
“You’re participating in a profession that, for obvious reasons, needs to heighten elements of sexuality,” especially “if you delay marriage a long time,” Beatty said.