Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty star as two teenaged lovers in 1928 Kansas whose internal conflicts over intimacy and sex–learned from overbearing parents–thwart their hopes for happiness in this heart-wrenching romantic drama. “Splendor in The Grass” won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

More About Warren Beatty (courtesy of Biography.com):

In the 1950s, Beatty landed some television roles, including a recurring part on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. He made his Broadway debut in the William Inge drama A Loss of Roses in 1959. Receiving underwhelming reviews, the production folded quickly folded. Beatty, however, managed to give an impressive performance, raising his professional profile. He also won over the playwright who helped the young actor get his first feature film, 1961’s Splendor in the Grass. Starring opposite Natalie Wood, Beatty played a wealthy teen who struggles with his love and desire for Wood’s character. The film’s depiction of teenage sexuality was quite daring for the times.

Beatty’s career reached a new level of fame in 1967 with his crime drama Bonnie and Clyde, based on the real-life thieving couple of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Behind the scenes, Beatty took the reins as the film’s producer. He worked closely with director Arthur Penn to create this now classic film. A commercial and critical hit, Bonnie and Clyde earned 10 Academy Award nominations, including several acting nods for Beatty, his co-star Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman and other supporting cast members.

In the 1970s, Beatty seemed to be quite selective in his projects. He won praise for his work in Robert Altman’s 1971 western McCabe & Mrs. Millerwith Julie Christie. For 1975’s Shampoo, he worked hard both in front of and behind the cameras. Beatty wrote, produced and starred in this story about a straight, promiscuous hairstylist and his romantic misadventures. Some believed the film to be autobiographical to some extent, given Beatty’s reputation as a ladies’ man.

Teaming up with Elaine May, Beatty co-wrote 1978’s Heaven Can Wait, which also marked his directorial debut. The remake of 1941’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan proved to be a hit both with critics and the public. Beatty picked up Academy Award nominations as an actor, director, producer and writer for the project. At the time, he was the second person to receive nominations in these four categories for one film, following in the footsteps of Orson Welles and his work on Citizen Kane (1941).