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One of Hollywood's most notorious lotharios, Errol Flynn lived up to his reputation as a womanizer, his name becoming synonymous with promiscuity and hedonism. His errant love life, which included chasing men, caught up with him in 1942 when he was charged with the serious sexual misconduct of two 17-year-old girls. Flynn was acquitted, but the scandal surrounding the trial followed him to an early grave.
English actor David Niven cultivated a suave and sophisticated public persona, but in private gallivanted with a host of Hollywood starlets, among them, allegedly, a young Marilyn Monroe. For a while between marriages Niven shared a bachelor pad with close friend Errol Flynn until the swashbuckler's scandalous lifestyle proved too much for even a seasoned philanderer such as himself.
Frank Sinatra was married four times, including to Ava Gardener and Mia Farrow. But his fame was such that "Ol' Blue Eyes" enjoyed a string of affairs with scores of Hollywood beauties, among them Lauren Bacall and Juliet Prowse.
"The King of Hollywood," as Clarke Gable was often referred to, held court over numerous women and had affairs with many famous actresses, among them Joan Crawford and Lana Turner. In fact, Gable was dallying with Turner when his wife, actress Carole Lombard, was killed in a place crash.
In true Hollywood tradition, Richard Burton had a habit of sleeping with most of his leading ladies even while still married to first wife Sybil Williams. His philandering continued after he'd tied the knot with second wife Elizabeth Taylor, and indeed wife number three, Suzy Miller. By the time of his fourth marriage to Sally Hay in 1983, Burton is said to have seduced hundreds of women.
Warren Beatty's sexual conquests are legendary. A prolific gigolo, the actor has been linked to hundreds of high-profile female celebrities, including Jane Fonda, Brigitte Bardot, Diane Keaton, and, of course, Carly Simon, who famously wrote 'You're So Vain' after dating Beatty in the early 1970s.
Fredric March was married to actress Florence Eldridge from 1927 until his death in 1975. A pretty solid and stable kinda guy, right? Er, not quite. By all accounts, March was a considerable lech who would chase down his female co-stars with alarming tenacity, providing Mrs. March was well out of the picture.
London-born actor and socialite Peter Lawford was a member of the infamous "Rat Pack" of entertainers, a group that included Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Married four times, Lawford took full advantage of his "membership" and the fact that his brother-in-law was President John F. Kennedy (through his marriage to Patricia Helen Kennedy). Lawford's philandering extended to relationships with men, but his colorful social life took a significant hit when Sinatra eventually banished him from his circle.
Olympic swimmer and Hollywood actor Johnny Weissmuller's honed physique won him the plum role of Tarzan in a string of movies featuring the jungle hero. But his buff body also attracted numerous women, and Weissmuller took full advantage of the fact, especially with his leading ladies, female swimming partners, and five wives.
Not the most obvious of Hollywood heartthrobs, English actor and movie idol Leslie Howard nonetheless had a roving eye and was known as a "ladies man." Tallulah Bankhead and Merle Oberon numbered among his conquests, and it was his apparent desire to see another girlfriend in London that made him switch planes in Lisbon, Portugal on June 1, 1943, a flight that would end in tragedy. The aircraft he was traveling in was shot down over the Atlantic by a German Luftwaffe fighter, killing all on board.
Long before he harbored any political ambitions, Ronald Reagan was one of Hollywood's most popular actors in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. Before he married Jane Wyman in 1940, Reagan by all accounts played the field. But it was after his divorce from Wyman in 1949 and before he met and married second wife Nancy Davis that Reagan began firing on four cylinders, ensconcing himself at the infamous Garden of Allah Hotel where fellow guests included Errol Flynn, Frank Sinatra, and Tyrone Power, and where he seduced dozens of actresses and starlets.
Jimmy Stewart was known for playing characters of strong moral fiber who upheld the traditions of family and the American way. Off screen, too, he was the model movie star, the quintessential everyman. But Stewart was also quite the "ladies man." He enjoyed a number of well-publicized romances with Loretta Young, Olivia de Havilland, and Marlene Dietrich, among others. He remained unmarried until 1949, and was often dubbed by the press as the "Great American Bachelor."
His name is forever associated with Lucille Ball, whom he married in 1940. Desi Arnaz, however, was a serial adulterer. His problems with alcohol and infidelity deepened to the point where his behavior created national scandals. Ball divorced him in 1960.
Spencer Tracy's affair with Katharine Hepburn is one of the great love stories of classic Hollywood. But Tracy was a famously tormented and seasoned alcoholic, and strayed often from the relationship to seek solace in the arms of dozens of other actresses and, allegedly, several men too.
David Janssen made his name as Dr. Richard Kimble in the iconic sixties TV series 'The Fugitive' (1963–1967). The success of that show brought with it fame and plenty of opportunities for dalliance. A inveterate womanizer, Janssen had affairs with many actresses, including Suzanne Pleshette and Angie Dickinson.
A favorite matinee idol in the 1930s and early 1940s, Tyrone Power took full advantage of a bachelor lifestyle before he married his first wife, French actress Annabella. He later had affairs with Lana Turner and Judy Garland and, by all accounts, lusted after men, including Errol Flynn and Cesar Romero.
Born Yuliy Borisovich Briner in Vladivostok, Russia, Yul Brynner was married four times and enjoyed a string of affairs and one-night stands along the way. His numerous lovers included Marlene Dietrich, Gina Lollobrigida, and Anne Baxter.
Burt Reynolds achieved considerable fame in the 1970s as one of cinema's most iconic sex symbols (he famously posed naked in the April 1972 issue of Cosmopolitan). He married twice, but still found time to date the likes of Dinah Shore, Sally Field, Catherine Deneuve, and Faye Dunaway. Tennis star Chris Evert and country singer Tammy Wynette also fell for his dark, brooding looks.
One of Hollywood's great sword-and-sandal actors of the 1950s, appearing in 'Samson and Delilah' (1949), 'The Robe' (1953), and 'Demetrius and the Gladiators' (1954), Victor Mature's conquests over and above his five wives included Esther Williams, Elizabeth Taylor, and Veronica Lake.
Anyone in Hollywood who lives beyond 100 obviously takes good care of themselves, and Kirk Douglas was fit. Really fit. Possessed of an Olympian physique and the stamina—and aggression—to match, Douglas enthusiastically slept his way through the 1950s and 1960s, bedding numerous iconic actresses, including Rita Hayworth and Marlene Dietrich. He first married and later divorced Diana Dill (mother of Michael). But despite his infidelity, he remained married to his second wife, Anne Buydens, for 66 years.
Rory Calhoun had a troubled past. Brushes with the law ended up with him serving time in prison for robbery, and his criminal past would later catch up with the actor. He broke into movies in the late 1940s, and by the 1950s was a big Western star. His fame brought wealth and women–lots of them. Betty Grable, Lana Turner, Barbara Stanwyck, and a host of other A-list actresses ended up in his saddle. His career took a nosedive however when Confidential magazine ran an expose detailing his criminal record.
Sources: (The Daily Mail) (The Hollywood Reporter) (USA Today) (The Hairpin) (The Mirror) (Biography) (Mercury News) (Attitude) (Your Tango) (GQ Magazine) (Cosmopolitan) (The Guardian)
See also: The most beautiful actresses ever
A man of few words he may be, but Clint Eastwood's prowess in the sack speaks volumes. Married twice, the "man with no name" has also enjoyed numerous encounters with women, and has at least eight children from five different lovers to prove it. High-profile flings include those with Catherine Deneuve, Jean Seberg, and Barbara Streisand.
Troubled actor Charlie Sheen long ago admitted to substance abuse and sex addiction. His early success was spectacular, appearing in 'Platoon' (1986) and 'Wall Street' (1987), for instance. But sleeping with hundreds of women, including sex workers, took its toll, and led Sheen in 2015 to publicly declare that he was HIV positive, having been diagnosed four years previously.
There's a very telling line in Tony Curtis' autobiography which reads: "All through my life I wanted to conquer every woman I met." Estimates put those conquests at around 1,000 women, among them a young Norma Jean Baker before she transformed into Marilyn Monroe. Curtis found time to marry six times: his union with Janet Leigh provided the couple with two daughters–Jamie Leigh Curtis and Kelly Curtis.
Over 40 years since his death, Elvis Presley's astonishing good looks still gets the singer regularly voted as the world's most beautiful man. Charming and bashful, Presley was by all accounts a real hound dog in bed. Early girlfriends numbered Natalie Wood and Tempest Storm. Starlets came and went before the king met his queen, Priscilla Beaulieu, whom he wed in 1967. But Presley also found time to romance the likes of Juliette Prowse, Ann-Margret, and Cybill Shepherd.
Another one of cinema's greats, Gary Cooper struck a reserved and unassuming figure in public. But the handsome cowboy developed a reputation as one of the most notorious philanderers in Hollywood, and made it into the beds of a host of well-known actresses from the late 1920s onwards: Clara Bow was roped in quickly, as was Lupe Vélez. Throughout the 1930s, Cooper's catches included Carole Lombard, Merle Oberon, Claudette Colbert, and Mae West. And despite the furious bed-hopping, Gary Cooper was married, having tied the knot with Sandra Shaw in 1933.
Marlon Brando's tumultuous personal life is well documented. The tormented genius was a self-confessed sex addict, totally at ease sleeping with men or women. He married three times, had affairs with hundreds more, and fathered at least 11 children. Eva Marie Saint, Grace Kelly, Rita Moreno, and Ingrid Bergman numbered among his bed mates. Brando lusted after men with the same vigor, and acknowledged James Dean, Tyrone Power, Laurence Olivier, Cary Grant, and Richard Pryor as some of those he slept with.
The jury is still out on just how much of a Casanova cinema's first screen lover was. Rudolph Valentino was without doubt one of Hollywood's first great sex symbols, and women did literally swoon at his feet. He married actress Jean Acker in 1919, but a divorce quickly followed. His second marriage to Natacha Rambova was turbulent and unhappy. Affairs with other women became commonplace. It was only after Valentino's untimely death at age 31 that rumors about his sexuality began to emerge. Claims that the actor was gay are numerous, but unsubstantiated.
Short in stature he may have been, but what Mickey Rooney lacked in height he made up for elsewhere. Incredibly, Rooney was in pictures for 88 years, which gave him enough time to marry eight times. But his was a largely unhappy and unfulfilled personal life, which he compensated for by bedding dozens of actresses, among them Lana Turner, Elizabeth Taylor, and Carole Landis.
Stardom in Hollywood brings with it wealth, fame, and a tendency to overindulge. Back in the day, some actors gained a notorious reputation as insatiable philanderers, men whose unscrupulous behavior was fueled by sex, seduction, and high-profile flings and affairs. You wouldn't get away with it today, and many of these womanizing studs are now regarded with scorn. But there are others who simply took advantage of their movie star status to cheat and bed-hop with their leading ladies.
Click through and take a look at Tinseltown's legendary lotharios.
His romantic history is the stuff of legend, and Jack Nicholson was once dubbed "the guy men want to be and women want to bed." Now in his 80s, the legendary actor's trysts and hook ups are countless. Among those who have fallen for his devilish charms are Angelica Huston, Meryl Streep, Kate Moss, and Lara Flynn Boyle.
Tinseltown's legendary lotharios
Hollywood's famous philanderers
CELEBRITY Hollywood
Stardom in Hollywood brings with it wealth, fame, and a tendency to overindulge. Back in the day, some actors gained a notorious reputation as insatiable philanderers, men whose unscrupulous behavior was fueled by sex, seduction, and high-profile flings and affairs. You wouldn't get away with it today, and many of these womanizing studs are now regarded with scorn. But there are others who simply took advantage of their movie star status to cheat and bed-hop with their leading ladies.
Click through and take a look at Tinseltown's legendary lotharios.