We are living in an era whereby divorces are as common as bread and butter. Some countries experience a high rate of divorces, especially developed countries, owing to a variety of factors: financial difficulties, temptations, unfaithfulness, little time spent home, boredom and so on.
If we turn our eyes on celebrities, it is easy to note only a small percentage of celebrities’ marriages survive to the end. Despite this fact, whenever we hear a celebrity’s marriage ended up in divorce, we are left speechless. We tend to believe their marriages are as ‘perfect’ as depicted in films or novels.
What perhaps people forget is celebrities are normal people like the rest of us. We view them as demi-gods because of how they have been portrayed in the films they’ve appeared and the notion celebrities are ‘gods’ unlike the rest of us who aren’t celebrities.
Well, the following list indicates celebrities are as humans as we are.
Here is the list of top 10 most divorced celebrities – most marriages and divorces by a celebrity.
10. Martin Scorsese
Divorced: 4 times.
An American actor, director, producer and screenwriter, Scorsese has married five times with only four divorces in his badge. He is currently married to Helen Schermehorn Morris. He has three children from three different marriages – the first, the second and the fifth marriage.
Scorsese has received many awards due to his contribution in the film industry. He has produced and directed numerous documentaries and feature films. Some of the awards are: Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, and DGA Awards.
He is the founder of The Film Foundation, a non-profit organization, which he established for the purpose of preserving films.
10. Billy Bob Thornton
Divorced: 5 times.
He is an American actor, singer, songwriter, producer, director and writer. He has appeared in numerous films such as The Man Wasn’t There, Alama, Armageddon, Monster’s Ball and in the TV series, Fargo.
Bob has received numerous awards such as: Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Edgar Poe Allen Award, Independent Spirit Award and National Board of Review Award.
Thornton has married six times. The first five marriages were not successful. His first wife was Melissa Lee Gatlin while his fifth wife was Angelina Jolie. Thornton and Angelina divorced in 2003. In 2014, at the age of 59, Thornton married special effects artist, Connie Angland, aged 51.
He has four children.
9. Danielle Steel
Divorced: 5 times.
One of the world’s wealthiest writers/authors, Steel has commanded a wider readership spanning to 70 countries. She has written many international bestsellers such as Rushing Water, The Mistress, Dangerous Games and The Award.
Over 800 million copies of her novels have been sold worldwide, and her works have been translated in more than 40 languages.
In addition, she has written children’s books, poetry and non-fiction books.
Some of Steel’s works have been adapted for television, such as: A Perfect Stranger, Fine Things and Now and Forever. Additionally, she has received various awards including: Outstanding Achievement Award and Distinguished Service in Mental Health Award.
As of 2017, her net worth was estimated to be $375 million.
Steel is the founder of Nick Traina Foundation. The organization’s aim is to support financially institutions that deal with cases of child abuse and mental illness.
The New York Times Bestseller, Steel’s love life hasn’t been successful. She has been married five times. Currently, she’s not married. She has seven children.
7. Richard Pryor
Divorced: 5 times.
An African-American, Pryor was an actor, comedian, writer and director. He was regarded as a controversial figure due to the sensitive issues he addressed such as racism and animal rights, especially through acting and stand-alone comedian.
He has appeared in more than 50 movies such as: Which Way is Up?, Greased Lighting, The Wiz, Harlem Nights, The Toy, California Suite, The Mack and has appeared in several TV series.
Pryol married seven times – five divorces, two remarriages. His recent marriage, seventh, was to Jennifer Lee before he died on December 2005, at the age of 65, as a result of a prolonged illness, multiple sclerosis. Pryror and Jenifer Lee got married in 1981. They divorced a year later then got remarried in 2001.
He left behind six children.
6. Larry King
Divorced: 6 times.
The undisputed king of interview who is not afraid to ask sensitive questions in a simplistic manner, King also makes the list of celebrities with the highest number of marriages and subsequent divorces.
Well, he has married eight times – six divorces, one annulled. He is currently living with his eighth wife, Shawn Southwick. They got married in 1997 at UCLA Medical Center. King was admitted at the center due to chest pains. He underwent heart surgery three days later.
King has appeared in numerous TV programs and films. He has authored more than twenty books including a children’s book and his autobiography, My Remarkable Journey, which was published in 2009.
He retired from his international TV show, Larry King Live, in 2010 which was aired on CNN. The show had spanned for 25 years with over 30,000 interviews in his badge.
King established a non-profit organization, Larry King Cardiac Foundation, which aims to help people who are unable to pay for medical treatment. “Surviving heart problems, including severe heart attacks and quintuple bypass surgery in 1987, led King to establish the Larry King Cardiac Foundation to help those without insurance afford medical treatment.” (CNN)
He has five children.
5. Elizabeth Taylor
Divorced: 7 times.
A British-American actress, Taylor was mostly known for her violet eyes. The eyes weren’t violet but dark-blue. The color variation resulted from the cinematic lightings, film processing technique, clothing and makeup.
Two times academy winner, Taylor has appeared in numerous movies and TV series including Victory of Entebbe, The Blue Bird, Ash Wednesday, The Nanny (TV Series), All My Children (TV Series) and Giant. Her first of the many roles in films was at the age of 10 when she performed in the film, There’s One Born Every Minute which was released in 1942.
In addition, she had won several awards including Crystal Award, Acting and Activism Award, Stinker Award, Maverick Award and Life Achievement Award.
She was married eight times – seven divorces, and a remarriage. Her third husband, Michael Todd, died from a plane crash. Her last husband was Larry Fortensky. They divorced in 1996.
Taylor died in 2002 as a result of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. She left behind four children.
4. Lana Turner
Divorced: 7 times.
Turner began her acting career at the age of 16. She played different roles in films such as Love Finds Andy Hard, Somewhere I’ll Find You, The Three Musketeers, The Bad and the Beautiful, Madame X and Johny Eager. Additionally, she appeared in television series.
Commonly known in the Hollywood circle as a goddess, Turner was married eight times – seven divorces, one annulled). She was first married to Artie Shaw, a bandleader, at the age of 20. They divorced six months later. The other marriages weren’t successful.
Turner retired from acting in 1982. She wrote her autobiography, The Lady, The Legend, The Truth which was published in 1983.
She died in 1995, at the age of 75.
Turner left behind one daughter.
3. Jennifer O’Neill
Divorced: 7 times.
She is an American actress, model, motivational speaker, horse trainer and author.
O’Neill has been married nine times – seven divorces, one annulled. Currently, she’s living with Mervin Sidney (her ninth husband). They got married in 1996. She was first married to Dean Rossiter, at the age of 17.
She has written 9 books including her autobiography, Surviving Myself, which was published in 1999. Some of the books are: All That Glitters, From Fallen to Forgiven and You’re Not Alone.
Additionally, she has worked for several charitable organizations including: March for Dame, The National Right to Life and has acted in the capacity of Chairperson for American Cancer Society.
She has three children and four grandchildren.
2. Zsa Zsa Gabor
Divorced: 7 times.
As is the case with O’Neill, Gabor was married to eight different men – seven divorces.
She first appeared in television series before moving on to movies. She has appeared in numerous films such as Lovely to Look At (which she was), We’re Not Married, Moulin Rogue, Lili, Death of a Scoundrel and The Man Who Wouldn’t Talk.
Gabor wrote three books including her autobiography, My Story, which was published in 1960. The other books are: How to Catch a Man, How to Keep a Man, How to Get Rid of a Man, One Lifetime Is Not Enough and Zsa Zsa’s Complete Guide to men published in 1970, 1991 and 1969 respectively.
Gabor was born in 1917 in Buldapest, Hungary. She died in December 18, 2016 at the age of 99 at Los Angeles, California. The cause of death was cardiac arrest (heart attack).
Before her death, she was living with her husband Frederick Pinz von Anhart, her ninth husband.
Her daughter, Francesca Hilton died in 2015, at the age of 67, due to massive stroke.
1. Bonnie Lee Bakley
Divorced: 7 times.
She is undeniably the celebrity with the highest number of marriages, or you might say divorces. She has been married ten times – seven divorces, three annulled. Bakley was married to Robert Blake in 2000 before she was murdered the following year.
On May 2001, she was shot on the head and shoulder while in Blake’s car which was parked a few meters away from Vitello’s Italian restaurant, Studio City, California. At the time she was shot, Blake was not in the car. Blake was charged with the murder of his wife. He was acquitted on March 2005. He claimed he had gone back to the restaurant for his revolver which he had forgotten, after they had had dinner, when the incident took place.
She left behind four children.
In addition to all these above most divorced celebrities, her’e another actress, Blake didn’t appear in many films. Also, she was known for chasing after celebrities. She was obsessed with them which brought her to the limelight. She was jailed several times due to her involvement in illegal activities including sex scams and drug peddling. Many of her marriages lasted for a few days or weeks. In addition, one marriage spanned only for one day.
List Created By: Benny Njuguna