Top 10 Most Scandalous Old Hollywood Break Ups
#10: Judy Garland & Sidney Luft
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Judy Garland was married five times throughout her tragically short life. The most contentious of those unions was probably to Sidney Luft. Luft, who was a movie producer and manager, would also have five marriages in his life. Sparks flew between him and Garland at a New York City nightclub, even though they both had other spouses at the time. The pair would go on to wed in 1952. However, things started to get bumpy, and would eventually come to a tumultuous end. Indeed, by 1965, Garland and Luft were divorced, with her alleging that he was frequently intoxicated and violent.
#9: Douglas Fairbanks & Mary Pickford
The start of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks’ relationship was rocky, to say the least, as they were both married people when they first crossed paths. But when the pair tied the knot in 1920, they quickly became dubbed the “King and Queen of Hollywood” in its silent era. At the beginning of their union, they seemed inseparable. As the decade came to an end and talking pictures gained prominence, though, trouble arrived for their stardom and their marriage. They both reportedly began to suspect the other of infidelity, and apparently, both eventually did start affairs. However, definitive evidence of her cheating is more scarce. Nevertheless, they divorced in 1936.
#8: Sophia Loren & Cary Grant
Sophia Loren is one of the most iconic women of the classic Hollywood era. As a young star taking on Hollywood, she began an affair with one of Tinsel Town’s most famous leading men. Even though she was with Carlo Ponti, Loren began seeing Cary Grant in the mid-50s. They were starring in “The Pride and the Passion” together, and Grant was married to Betsy Drake at the time. Yet he was deeply enchanted with Loren. She ended up co-starring in “Houseboat” alongside him, in a part Drake was reportedly meant to play. Still, Loren ended things with Grant and tied the knot with Ponti.
#7: Jimmy Stewart & Marlene Dietrich
For the early part of his career, Jimmy Stewart was one of the most recognizable bachelors in Hollywood. The leading man wouldn’t tie the knot until 1949. But before he settled down, he had an affair with actress Marlene Dietrich. The two were co-stars in 1939’s “Destry Rides Again,” and it reportedly soon turned romantic. However, Dietrich is said to have become pregnant as a result of their relationship. While it’s unclear exactly what happened, she reportedly terminated the pregnancy. As for the two of them, it seems things didn’t last very long, with sources claiming he was the one who ended things.
#6: Marlon Brando & Rita Moreno
Marlon Brando is one of the most celebrated actors of the Old Hollywood era. But his intimate relationships were a different story. For a little under a decade, Brando and actress Rita Moreno dated on and off. When Moreno became pregnant, Brando sent her to get an abortion that would go wrong. She was struggling so much in the relationship that at one point, she attempted to take her own life. Afterwards, the two broke things off. They made a movie together in the late 60s, when, according to Moreno, Brando wanted to give things another shot. But she was in a much better spot and turned him down. She’s been quoted as saying “he was a bad guy when it came to women.”
#5: Arthur Miller & Marilyn Monroe
At first glance, Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe were polar opposites. But before they married, the two were madly in love. Unfortunately, after tying the knot things turned sour. While the two were in the UK so Monroe could film 1957’s “The Prince and the Showgirl,” she found some writings Miller had made about her. Exactly what he said is unclear, but it’s believed he claimed he wasn’t loving married life. Monroe was said to be extremely saddened by this revelation. Things didn’t get better, and multiple failed pregnancies were also reportedly adding to the tumult in their relationship. Their marriage officially ended in 1961.
#4: Greta Garbo & John Gilbert
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When it comes to the legendary relationship between Greta Garbo and John Gilbert, there’s a chance nothing happened at all. Some suspect that MGM made up the reports of a romance between the two silent film stars to support their roles on screen. But if reports of their affair are true, it has one of the most shocking endings in Hollywood history. Apparently, Gilbert had the idea to set up a double wedding for him and Garbo with director and friend King Vidor. Yet when the big day arrived, Garbo was nowhere to be found, reportedly leaving Gilbert bereft.
#3: Frank Sinatra & Ava Gardner
Sometimes, the steamiest affairs aren’t quite love at first sight. When Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner first met in the 1940s, she apparently wasn’t a huge fan. Gardner thought Sinatra was “conceited” and egotistical, but later, she was seemingly able to overlook those traits. They had a lot in common, both loving partying and intimacy. But they also reportedly had trouble being by themselves and had jealous streaks, which led to terrible fights. When their affair came to light (Sinatra was married at the time), things went down the drain for the singer career-wise. The two got married in 1951, but after infidelity and one-too-many fights, officially divorced six years later.
#2: Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton
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During the 1960s, Liz and Dick were a staple of the tabloids. The two hit it off on the set of 1963’s “Cleopatra” while they both had spouses. But that didn’t stop them. The pair married in 1964 and had a wild, glamorous lifestyle that the press could not get enough of. But with great passion comes great trouble. There were multiple reports of wild spending, infidelity, and substance use disorder, and the two divorced in 1974. That wasn’t the end, however. Roughly a year later, they gave it another shot and got married again. But this time, the union wouldn’t even last a full trip around the sun.
#1: Debbie Reynolds & Eddie Fisher
Elizabeth Taylor had her own wild marriages and splits, but she also played a part in a break up of one of her best friends, actress Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds married singer Eddie Fisher in 1955. Reynolds and Fisher were close with Taylor and her husband at the time, Mike Todd. But after Todd passed away in 1958, things took a turn for the worse. It didn’t take long before Reynolds learned that Taylor and Fisher had been having an affair. In 1959, her and Fisher’s marriage officially ended, and he ended up tying the knot with Taylor. Still, the scandal took hold of the public consciousness. As a result, Fisher’s variety TV show was pulled off the air.
