She was married to playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon, and starred in several movies based on his works, including The Goodbye Girl, Chapter Two, Only When I Laugh, The Cheap Detective and Max Dugan Returns. Chapter Two (1979) was based on her relationship with Simon up to their marriage. They divorced in 1981.

She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Cinderella Liberty, The Goodbye Girl, Chapter Two and Only When I Laugh. She has received a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

In 2001 she opened an herbal medicine shop, selling products from the garden of her home in Abiquiu, New Mexico.

August 2005: Currently appearing on Broadway in Steel Magnolias, with Delta Burke, Frances Sternhagen, Rebecca Gayheart, Lily Rabe and Christine Ebersole.