#30. Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth’s Marriage, 1943
Ever heard of the saying that opposites attract? Well, when it comes to Orson and Rita's passionate love story, this couldn't be truer. The Citizen Kane star was born into a wealthy family who encouraged his Hollywood career from the start, while Rita was born into a family of Spanish dancers and was forced to drop out of school in order to become his father's partner on the road.
As you can imagine, Orson was a self-confident young man while Rita was plagued with insecurity. To make matters worse, they always suffered endless scrutiny from journalists who would always magnify their weak points. In 1946, Rita decided to take a break from her marriage and moved out with her daughter to a rented house. Sadly, Orson's erratic behavior was too much for her to bear, so she ended up divorcing him.
#29. Bette Davis and William Grant Sherry’s Marriage, 1945
Oscar-winner Bette Davis went down in history for her brilliant portrayal of villainous roles, but she was also known for doing some of the silliest things. For instance, she decided to get married to William for the strangest of reasons. The thing she loved the most was that William had never heard of her before, so she guessed he wouldn’t feel intimidated by her.
Bette filed for divorce from William in 1950 but she told everyone about it except him. To make matters worse, the actress then ridiculed her “ignorant ex” in public by entertaining her friends after reading out loud a heartfelt note from William, in which he declared his profound love and desire to reconcile. She really dropped the ball there.
#28. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall’s Marriage, 1945
Hollywood icons Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall started off their thrilling love story with a scandalous affair. Lauren was a Jewish girl from the Bronx while he grew up on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Back in the day, Humphrey, aged 45 at the time, was married to his third wife, actress Mayo Methot, while Lauren was only 19.
Despite their 25-year age gap, the two shared a lot of those “eyes meet eyes” moments and started falling in love. When their director got wind of their affair, he tried to put a stop to it by threatening to ruin Lauren's career. Nevertheless, little did these two lovebirds care about the threats, as they soon got married and shared a baby boy together.
#27. Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh’s Marriage, 1940
This Hollywood power couple will always be remembered as one filled with passion, romance and betrayal. Their love story never grows old, as newly discovered love letters between the two have shed light on the evolution of their romance. Apparently, Oliver laid eyes on Vivien around the same time the rest of England did, right after her big break in the play The Mask of Virtue.
Both Vivien and Laurence were married to different people when they first met. The pair soon toured the world together to star in Hamlet, and by the time they got back to England, they informed their spouses that they were filing for divorce and immediately started building a life together. It wasn't long before they tied the knot and their marriage lasted two decades, eventually coming to an end due to infidelity.
#26. Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra’s Marriage, 1966
Despite Mia being younger than Frank’s eldest daughter, these two Hollywood icons totally fell for each other. Precisely due to their age gap, many people shared negative opinions on their relationship, with Frank's ex-wife Ava Gardner even calling them a "Hollywood joke". In spite of the backlash, Mia and Frank tied the knot in 1966.
However, the passion didn't last too long. While Frank was looking for a full-time wife, Mia was extremely committed to her acting career. Once it dawned on him that she wasn't going to sacrifice her work, he served her with divorce papers while on set. Despite their differences, the two remained the closest of friends until the very end.
#25. Sir Elton John and Renate Blauel’s Marriage, 1984
Sound engineer Renate and rock icon Elton met back in 1983 while working together on his album, Too Low For Zero. According to Elton's friends, the pair initially struck up a lively friendship over music, which even resulted in Renate joining the entourage of his world tour.
To everyone's surprise, by the time the tour landed in Australia, Sir Elton John got down on one knee and proposed to her. The two lovebirds got married on Valentine’s day that same year, with his manager and secret lover John Reid as his best man. Fans definitely didn't see this relationship coming, as Elton had recently admitted to being interested in both genders.
#24. Kirk Douglas and Anne Douglas’s Marriage, 1954
Kirk and his wife Anne set a Hollywood world record, having been married for a whopping 66 years. During past interviews, the actor expressed repeatedly that he and Diana were soul mates and that he knew this ever since the day they first met. Back in the days, Diana was working in Paris as a publicist while Doug had already launched his acting career.
Curiously, back then he had a reputation for being quite the playboy. In fact, his trailer was often referred to as “The lion’s den.” Kirk hired Anne as a publicist so that he could get to know her better and it was only a matter of time before the two got married and had two children. They were together until 2020, when Kirk passed away at age 104.
#23. Phyllis Gates and Rock Hudson’s Marriage, 1955
In case you haven’t had enough drama already, this one will probably do the trick. Rock Hudson lived a double life, one being a Hollywood heartthrob and the other being a total mystery. One day, he met a lovely young secretary who caught his eye and would soon become his wife.
Rock and Phyllis definitely had their ups and downs, to say the least. Phyllis filed for divorce in 1958, on the grounds of mental cruelty as well as stating that her husband might be gay. She had recorded a conversation between them discussing men where he initially acknowledged it, although denying it after the following inquiry. Despite countless rumors, Rock never came out in public.
#22. Dolly Parton and Carl Dean’s Marriage, 1966
Dolly and Carl are not your typical stormy Hollywood couple. Believe it or not, the pair has been together since the day after her graduation back in 1964. Back in the day, Dolly decided to take a trip down to Nashville, but little did she imagine she would meet the love of her life on the first day.
However, the strangest part is that the couple has never had much in common. They've always led extremely different lives: while Dolly is one of the most famous country singers in the world, Carl has always chosen to stay far from the spotlight. Regardless, Dolly understands his desire for privacy and better yet, she loves him more for it.
#21. Marilyn Monroe and James Dougherty’s Marriage, 1942
This isn’t a romantic love story at all, so the faint-hearted might wanna skip to #20. Marilyn Monroe’s real name is Norma Jean. Norma first got married only a week after turning 16 to police officer James Dougherty. James’ family lived next door to a woman named Grace, who was a friend of Marilyn’s mom, Gladys. Gladys was frequently in and out of psychiatric hospitals placing Marilyn in and out of foster homes.
At one point, Marilyn was taken in by Grace and her husband, but they warned her that they'd eventually need to move across the country and wouldn't be able to take her along. To prevent Marilyn from being sent to another foster home, Grace suggested her to marry her neighbor, James the police officer. Surprisingly, they were together for 4 years, but Marilyn filed for divorce in 1946 after becoming famous.
#20. Jimmy Stewart and Gloria Hatrick McLean’s Marriage, 1949
Are you ready for one of the all-time greatest love stories? Gloria and Jimmy actually didn’t start off on the best foot as the night that they first met, Stewart had gotten quite drunk. Luckily he didn’t ruin his chances completely, as the two were properly introduced at a dinner party one year later and it was love at first sight.
These two lovebirds were married for 45 years until Mclean passed away at age 76. They lived together happily ever after in their Beverly Hills home, which they purchased back in 1951 until they both died. Wow! They basically years together than we could ever hope for in a marriage.
#19. Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville’s Marriage, 1926
This marriage must have been as good as Hitchcock’s movies, or else it wouldn't have lasted so long! Alma and Alfred were married from 1926 until the director passed away in 1980. In other words, they literally spent 54 years together. During most of their lives, they lived at Winter’s Grace, a stunning 11-acre Tudor farmhouse in Surrey, England.
Reville wasn't only the love of his life, but she also became her husband's closest collaborator. Someone once said that “The Hitchcock touch had four hands, and two were Alma’s.” In fact, Hitchcock confessed in an interview that he would've been lost without his wife, both personally and professionally. Who would've thought they were such a power couple!
#18. Audrey Hepburn and Andrea Dotti’s Marriage, 1969
There is no doubt that Audrey Hepburn will forever be a household name. This being said, it may come as a shock that most people have no clue as to who she was married to! Hepburn met her second husband, Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti, when she was on a cruise across the Mediterranean with her friends in 1968. The two instantly hit it off and got married a few months later on January 18th, 1969.
Even though the star had struggled with several miscarriages in her previous marriage, Hepburn fell pregnant rather quickly with their son, Luca, who was born on February 8th, 1970. Unfortunately, they were both unfaithful to each other, which was the main reason why they chose to call it quits after a 13-year marriage.