Hollywood has always been famous, or infamous, for the frequency with which so many celebrities have married and divorced. Here are my top 7 who put the promise in promiscuity. Gloria Swanson (6) 1899-1983
One of the great Hollywood legends was married 6 times in 60 years. Her first marriage was at the age of 17 to another Hollywood great, Wallace Beery, who was 14 years older than her. Her last marriage, in 1976 was to William Dufty, who was 17 years her junior, when she was 77 and he was 60. Duffy reversed the adage that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, as he was a nutritionist who pioneered the macrobiotic diet. She had two daughters and an adopted son from these marriages. Her affair with Joseph Kennedy, father of JFK, was well-known in Hollywood circles. Boris Karloff (6) 1887-1969
Karloff, born William Henry Pratt, will be forever remembered as the iconic Frankenstein's monster in three films as The Mummy, all in the 1930's. He married 6 times between 1910 and 1946. None if his real-life brides were famous actresses. Despite all these marriages, he only had one child, a daughter, Sara. Elizabeth Taylor (8, but only 7 husbands) 1932-
One of the most beautiful actresses of all time, Taylor married 7 husbands 8 times between 1950 and 1991.
All but her last husband, Larry Fortensky, were celebrities in their own right.
Conrad Hilton Jr. was the heir to the Hilton fortune. Their marriage lasted one year.
Michael Wilding was Hollywood leading man and fellow-Brit (although her parents were Americans living in London) but the marriage lasted only 5 years and produced two sons.
Her third marriage to Mike Todd was tragically ended by his death in a plane crash in 1958. They had one daughter.
Marriage to Eddie Fisher, himself married five times, followed until her famous affair with Welshman, Richard Burton, ended the Fisher marriage. Taylor and Burton became the most famous celebrity couple in Hollywood history. Their tempestuous relationship lasted more than a decade and led to a divorce followed by a remarriage and another divorce. They adopted a daughter.
In 1982, Taylor married politician, and later senator, John Warner.
After their divorce Taylor's health deteriorated and she met her latest, and probably last, husband at the Betty Ford clinic. The marriage lasted five years. Fortensky is 20 years younger than Taylor. Lana Turner (8 marriages, 7 husbands) 1921-1995
The Sweater girl was a notorious man-eater. Her seven husbands were the tip of a sexual iceberg.
She married musician and bandleader Artie Shaw in 1940, but the marriage lasted only four months.
She married her next husband, Stephen Crane, twice because the first marriage was annulled after his previous marriage was found not to have been finalized. They had a daughter, Cheryl.
Next, Turner moved on to millionaire Henry J Topping until he lost his wealth and Turner dumped him.
Lex Barker was next in line but this marriage only lasted four years.
She somehow managed to get herself married to a complete unknown rancher called Fred May, but that only lasted two years.
Two more marriages followed: Robert Eaton and Ronald Pellar, who ran off with $100,000 worth of her jewelry.
Other paramours were Joe Louis, the boxer, Robert Taylor, Fernando Lamas, Tyrone Power and Victor Mature. She also had connections with the underworld in the shape of Johnny Stompanato, which led to his notorious killing by Turner's daughter, Cheryl, in defense of her mother. Artie Shaw (8) 1910-2004
Musician, jazz legend, writer and composer, Shaw's many marriages were testimony to his self-confessed “difficult” personality, which sometimes could be abusive and violent.
He somehow managed to attract some of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. He was married to Ava Gardner, Lana Turner and Evelyn Keyes. This last marriage to Keyes was the longest, running from 1957 to 1985. Despite his many wives, he only had one child, with Doris Dowling whom he had married in 1952. Apart from Keyes, none of his marriages lasted for more than four years. Mickey Rooney (8) 1920-
Little Joseph Yule Jr. aka Mickey Rooney is not everyone's idea of a lady's man; yet he is currently enjoying his eighth and longest marriage to Jan Chamberlin (1978).
Perhaps the most unlikely Hollywood marriage ever was his first, in 1942, to Ava Gardner. This was a good move for Gardner, who was little known at the time, as it was a stepping-stone to future success. The marriage lasted a year.
Like Artie Shaw, Rooney had a series of short marriages, but unlike many other much-married stars, he did manage to father several children; 9 in all.
Rooney has remained one of the most durable and prolific stars, out-living almost all the many actors he has appeared with in a career spanning eight decades. He is still touring and still loves performing at the age of 87. Zsa Zsa Gabor (9) 1917-
Another husband was Conrad Hilton, the father of Elizabeth Taylor's first husband, “Nicky” Hilton. It's all getting a bit incestuous, isn't it.
Just for the record, here are Zsa Zsa's 9:
Burhan Belge 1937 - 41
Conrad Hilton 1942 -47
George Sanders 1949 - 54
Herbert Hutner 1962 - 66
Joshua S. Cosden, Jr. 1966 -67
Jack Ryan 1975 - 76
Michael O'Hara 1976-82
Felipe de Alba 1983 - marriage annulled after 1 day!
Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt 1986 - by far her longest marriage.
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