Erich von Stroheim did not enjoy his success in Sunset Boulevard or stay in Hollywood for the film's premiere. For the rest of his life, he referred to Max as "that goddamned butler role."

Director Paul Morrissey modeled one of his best film's for Andy Warhol, Heat (1972), on Sunset Boulevard. Sylvia Miles stars as the faded film star living in a decaying mansion, with Joe Dallesandro as the young hustler taking advantage of her.

Norma Desmond has become an icon of Hollywood grandeur and star power, with variations on her closing line, "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," turning up in several films, including The Boys in the Band (1970) and Mrs. Doubtfire (1993).

On her hit variety show, Carol Burnett played a series of Sunset Blvd parodies as Nora Desmond, with Harvey Korman as her devoted butler, Max.

Director-writer Bruce La Bruce borrowed plot elements from Sunset Boulevard for his film about a gay hustler, Hustler White (1996).

Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Sunset Boulevard premiered in London in 1993 with Patty Lupone as Norma Desmond before moving to Broadway in 1994 with Glenn Close in the leading role. Other Norma's on tour and on Broadway included Betty Buckley, Rita Moreno and Diahann Carroll. Currently, the musical is slated for a film production, with Close repeating her award-winning performance. Norma's songs include the hit "With One Look" and "As If We Never Said Goodbye."

by Frank Miller