Warren Beatty moved his family from Richmond to Norfolk and then to Arlington and Waverly, then back to Arlington, eventually taking a position at Arlington's Thomas Jefferson Junior High School in 1945. During the 1950s, the family resided in the Dominion Hills section of Arlington. Beatty's elder sister is the actress, dancer and writer Shirley MacLaine. His uncle, by marriage, was Canadian politician A. A. MacLeod. Beatty became interested in movies before his teens, when he often accompanied his sister to theaters. One film that had an important early influence on him was "The Philadelphia Story" (1940), which he saw when it
Warren Beatty issue of military service without ever serving on active duty. He enlisted in the California Air National Guard on February 11, 1960 under his original name Henry W. Beaty. On January 1, 1961, he was given a dishonorable discharge from the Air National Guard and the United States Air Force Reserve. This made him ineligible for the draft and any military service. Beatty started his career making appearances on television shows such as "Studio One" (1957), "Kraft Television Theatre" (1957), and "Playhouse 90" (1959). He was a semi-regular on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" during its first season (1959–60).