All About Shirley MacLaine's Daughter, Actress Sachi Parker

Shirley MacLaine welcomed her only child, Sachi Parker, in 1956

Shirley MacLaine has a complicated relationship with her only daughter, Sachi Parker.

MacLaine wed film producer Steve Parker in 1954, and the couple welcomed their first and only child, Sachi, born Stephanie Sachinko Parker, two years later in 1956. After almost 30 years of what the actress described as an “open marriage,” MacLaine and Parker divorced in 1982.

MacLaine and Sachi have have had their ups and downs at times, as explored in Sachi's 2013 autobiography Lucky Me: My Life With — and Without — My Mom, Shirley MacLaine.

In the book, she shared candid details about growing up immersed in Hollywood as the daughter of an acclaimed actress and niece of Warren Beatty. She also delved into her childhood, writing about her often painful experiences having MacLaine as her mother.

In a statement to PEOPLE, MacLaine called her daughter’s book “virtually all fiction,” adding, “I’m sorry to see such a dishonest, opportunistic effort from my daughter.”

Despite their sometimes difficult relationship growing up, Sachi told PEOPLE in February 2013 that she and her mother “love each other dearly.” She added, “I’ve accepted who she is.”

Here’s everything to know about Shirley MacLaine’s daughter, Sachi Parker.

She lived with her father in Japan and visited MacLaine in the U.S.

After Sachi was born in 1956, MacLaine opted to be a working mother before it was common practice. In a 1984 interview with PEOPLE, MacLaine opened up about her decision to return to acting after her daughter was born, explaining, “I never would have given up my work to stay home. That was never a consideration, and Sachi would have felt the frustration had I done it.”

As a child, Sachi went to live with her father in Japan, as he was an American producer based in Tokyo, and would spend summers and vacations with her mom.

Despite being apart for most of the year, Sachi told PEOPLE in the same 1984 interview, “She was always just a phone call away and I never felt abandoned or deserted by her. That was just the way my parents had worked out our lives.”

She later reflected on this period of her life in her memoir, writing about her reunions with her mother. In an excerpt of her book shared with PEOPLE in February 2013, Sachi wrote, “My visits in L.A. started at the airport, with Mom rushing up and giving me an all-encompassing hug. Once we got into the car she’d say, ‘Let’s have fun!’ “

However, nearly 30 years later, Sachi said during an interview with 20/20 in January 2013 that her mother was “very absent.” She said, "I was very lonely — very lonely. Definitely. And I still struggle with abandonment issues and loneliness."

Sachi also recalled experiencing a similar sentiment with her father, Parker, who died in 2001. She told the Hartford Courant in May 2013 that he often disappeared on business trips.

“But it was the emotional abandonment was the problem for me, not the physical one," Sachi said.

She held different jobs while traveling the world

Before Sachi got her start in Hollywood, she pursued a string of careers far away from the limelight. In 1991, she told the Los Angeles Times that when she turned 18 years old, she embarked on a six-year trip to see the world.

Her journey included New Zealand, where she was a ski instructor and Hawaii, where she was a waitress. She then spent five years as a flight attendant for Qantas Airways. At the tail end of her travels, Sachi lived in Paris and worked as an au pair.

On her way back to Japan, she stopped in Los Angeles to see her mother, a moment that would change the trajectory of her career.

She became an actress

When Sachi arrived in L.A. to see her mother after six years of travel, she said her ambitions of becoming an actor became clear.

Sachi told the Los Angeles Times in 1991 about the conversation she had with her mother, explaining, “She told me later that she had a sense ever since I was a kid that I could act but she never mentioned it to me.”

“She was in total neutral until that moment, and then encouraged me to no end,” Sachi added. “And it was the right time. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life.”

Sachi acknowledged that she likely had the acting bug before becoming aware of it, sharing that she would “do little skits down the aisles of planes.” She said, “I obviously wanted to act, and I just didn’t know.”

Over the years, her roles have included Scrooged, Peggy Sue Got Married, Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael and more.

She was married for almost 20 years

Sachi married business executive Frank H. Murray in 1993.

Though she inherited much of her mom’s independence, Sachi has always been open about her desire to tie the knot and start a family. In 1984, she told PEOPLE, “I want to marry eventually and have a home and children and do all those things wives do. That’s important to me.”

Before she met Murray, Sachi was engaged to a man named Ben, who was an Australian sheep rancher, but ultimately broke off the engagement. She shared her reasoning with the Los Angeles Times, explaining, “The guys there are mates, and the women belong in the kitchen. In a way, I was attracted to that. I know better now.”

Sachi told PEOPLE that their relationship was “terribly romantic” for the first year before “things began to go bad.” She sought the help of her mother, who was filming in North Carolina at the time.

Rather than remain in Sydney, Sachi moved in with her mother in Malibu, noting, “I finally had a chance to really get to know my mother for the first time.”

After 20 years of marriage, Sachi and Murray split in 2011. In her interview with the Hartford Courant, she reflected on their divorce, explaining, “I was the good wifey-wifey for so long ... safe and sound in my little cocoon and living in Greenwich with all the country clubs and all that [expletive].”

She described their amicable divorce as a “real kick in the butt,” adding, “It was a real opportunity to reassess my life.”

She has two children

Sachi and Murray welcomed two children during their marriage: son Frank Jr and daughter Arin.

While Sachi has remained tight-lipped about her kids over the years, she made rare comments about them during a 2013 interview, reflecting on how her own childhood influenced how she approaches motherhood today.

She told PEOPLE, “I overcompensated. But being a great mom is healing for me.”

She wrote an autobiography

Sachi has followed her mother’s footsteps in more than one way. In addition to becoming an actress, she authored the candid autobiography Lucky Me: My Life With — and Without — My Mom, Shirley MacLaine, published in February 2013.

Around her book release, Sachi told Fox 411 that it was “very difficult” for her to start writing the book. She added, “However, once I got started, it flowed. It was a wonderful feeling every day. The floodgates were opened.”

“It was time in my life to write it and put the pieces of the puzzle together and finally have a lot of questions answered,” she continued. “I think the process of writing this story was extremely cathartic.”

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