Warren Beatty if its regular host comedians, Milton Berle. Beatty learned to do a "superb imitation of Berle and his routine," said a friend, and he often used Berle-type humor at home. His sister Shirley MacLaine's lasting memories of her brother include seeing him reading books by Eugene O'Neill or singing along to Al Jolson records. In "Rules Don't Apply" (2016), Beatty plays Howard Hughes, who is shown talking about and singing Jolson songs while flying his plane. MacLaine noted, on what made her brother want to become a filmmaker, sometimes writing, producing, directing and starring in his films: "That's why he's
John Beatty (Continental Congress) and Christiana (née Clinton) Beatty. John's grandmother was the daughter of James Clinton and the sister of Charles Clinton (himself the father of Revolutionary War Major General James Clinton and Vice President George Clinton, and the grandfather of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton). Beatty graduated from the College of New Jersey (later known as Princeton University) in 1769. He was a student of Founding Father Benjamin Rush. Beatty became a doctor and opened his first practice in Hartsville, Pennsylvania. He rose to the rank of major in the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.