Seventies Power Duos
The 1970s have been called the “Decade of Decadence”. Although the world at large witnessed widespread social protests, inequality, and discontent over the Vietnam War, many celebrities of the era lived in a golden age of excess. As they navigated stardom and 1970s nightlife, they often seemed to use a revolving door in their romantic lives. As sparks flew and divorce papers were served, the 1970s introduced us to several iconic couples.
Farrah Fawcett and Lee Majors
In 1968, a publicist set up a blind date between the fledgling actress Farrah Fawcett and the ruggedly handsome Lee Majors. The two married in 1973, three years before Fawcett found stardom as Jill Munroe in the original Charlie’s Angels. One of the most iconic couples of the 1970s, they divorced in 1982.
Jack Nicholson and Michelle Phillips
When Jack Nicholson first met Michelle Phillips, she was a vocalist with one of the greatest folk-rock groups of the 1960s: the Mamas and the Papas. Nicholson and Phillips dated for a few years in the early ‘70s after she split from Nicholson’s friend, Dennis Hopper.
Borsari, Peter, Wikimedia Commons
Raquel Welch and Joe Namath
A few years after Raquel Welch donned her iconic doe-skin bikini for One Million Years B.C., she was escorted to the Academy Awards by football’s flamboyant playboy, Joe Namath. Although that 1972 outing was the only time the two stepped out together in public, Namath was well-known for dating beautiful starlets.
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Warren Beatty and Julie Christie
Together from 1967 to 1974, Warren Beatty and Julie Christie were a gorgeous Hollywood power couple who never married. The iconic actors starred in one film together during the heyday of their romance: McCabe & Mrs. Miller. They remained close lifelong friends after they parted and made two more movies together: Shampoo and Heaven Can Wait.
Diane von Fürstenberg and Prince Egon von Fürstenberg
Born Diane Simone Michele Halfin, the iconic Belgian fashion designer took on the von Fürstenberg surname after marrying Prince Egon von Fürstenberg of Germany in 1969. A year later, she began her career as a fashion designer. Although the von Fürstenbergs separated in 1972 and divorced in 1983, she has very famously kept his last name.
Sally Field and Burt Reynolds
After meeting on the set of Smokey and the Bandit, Sally Field and Burt Reynolds quickly became a high-profile celebrity couple. Their on-again-off-again relationship was marred by Reynolds’ jealousy over Field’s successful career. Field famously dished in 2022 that Reynolds was her worst on-screen kiss.
Diane Keaton and Warren Beatty
Both Diane Keaton and Warren Beatty are well known for their romantic entanglements with the Hollywood elite. It’s perhaps unsurprising that the two coupled up in the 1970s. Keaton famously dated Al Pacino and Woody Allen before becoming involved with Beatty, who wooed her between relationships with Michelle Phillips and Madonna.
Reagan White House Photographs, Wikimedia Commons
Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg
British actress Jane Birkin had a steamy twelve-year love affair with Serge Gainsbourg, the French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. The two met on the set of Slogan in 1968, when Birkin was just 21 and Gainsbourg was 38. And, yes—Birkin is the one for whom the iconic Hermès Birkin handbag was named.
Umberto Prizzi, Wikimedia Commons
Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott
After being married four times, Katharine Ross coupled up with Sam Elliott, known for his many film and TV cowboy roles. The two technically met for the first time in 1969, on the set of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but Elliott, who had only a walk-on part, was shy about approaching the film’s leading lady. The two started dating in the late 1970s, tied the knot in 1984—and are now celebrating 40 years of marital bliss.
Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack
Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack met as aspiring actors and tied the knot in 1974, two years before Stallone hit it big with Rocky. Although they divorced in 1985, they remained close to co-parent their two sons, Sage Moonstone and Seargeoh.
Audrey Hepburn and Andrea Dotti
Andrea Dotti, an Italian psychiatrist-neurologist, wooed Hollywood darling Audrey Hepburn in the late 1960s. They tied the knot in 1969 and had one child together. Their marriage was marred by a miscarriage and Dotti’s numerous infidelities. The two divorced in 1979.
Erling Mandelmann, CC-BY-SA-3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Harrison Ford and Mary Marquardt
Harrison Ford and Mary Marquardt met in college and tied the knot in 1964, long before Ford gained superstar status for his role in Star Wars. Their marriage was stressed by Ford’s affair with co-star Carrie Fisher while filming the iconic sci-fi movie. Ford and Marquardt divorced in 1979.
Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson
Before Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell became one of Hollywood’s most iconic couples, the actress was married to Bill Hudson. Hawn and Hudson had two children together—Oliver and Kate—before they divorced in 1982.
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Dustin Hoffman and Anne Byrne
Dustin Hoffman and Anne Byrne were both fledgling actors when they met in 1963. They married in the late 1960s as Hoffman’s career took off with iconic roles in The Graduate and Midnight Cowboy. The two divorced in 1980.
Mick and Bianca Jagger
Mick and Bianca Jagger were the epitome of ‘70s cool: glamorous and decadent, the two enjoyed frequent visits to Studio 54. Famously introduced at Bianca’s urging after a Rolling Stones concert in 1970, the famous couple was married from 1971 to 1978.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley
Elvis and Priscilla Presley are one of history’s most iconic couples but they were only married for six years. They divorced amicably in 1973. Neither ever remarried and Priscilla referred to Elvis as the love of her life.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
Not strictly an iconic couple of a single decade, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward married in 1958 and enjoyed a 50-year marriage. One of Hollywood’s most beloved couples, the two starred in 16 films together, including two in the 1970s: WUSA and The Drowning Pool.
Jacqueline Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis
When John F. Kennedy’s widow Jackie wed Aristotle Onassis, the Greek shipping magnate, in 1968, the two became one of the most high-profile couples of the 1970s. Sadly, Jackie was widowed for a second time in 1975, when she was just 45 years old. She never remarried.
Paul and Linda McCartney
Married for 29 years, Paul and Linda McCartney were one of music’s most iconic long-term couples. The two met when Linda, an eminent photographer on the pop and rock scene, attended the record release party for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.
Capitol Records, Wikimedia Commons
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood
Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood were married twice—1957-62 and 1972-81—and both marriages were tumultuous. Their second marriage ended when Wood drowned after an argument with Wagner on the couple’s yacht. The circumstances around her death remain a mystery but in 2018, Wagner was named a person of interest by the police.
Chad Everett and Shelby Grant
Chad Everett got his big break in Medical Center, starring as Dr. Joe Gannon from 1969-76. His wife, Shelby Grant, who he married in 1966, appeared in the same TV series. The two were married for 45 years, until Grant’s death in 2011.
Michael Caine and Shakira Caine
Shakira Caine, born in British Guiana (present-day Guyana), entered and won the Miss Guyana pageant in 1967. She travelled to London to represent Guyana at the Miss World pageant and ultimately decided to make London her home. Working as a model and actress, she famously appeared in a Maxwell House coffee commercial—which caught the eye of Michael Caine. Declaring her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, Caine tracked her down. The two married in 1973.
Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards
British actress Julie Andrews and American director Blake Edwards met briefly at an event in 1959. They reconnected a few years later, realizing they shared the same therapist, as their cars passed each other on the way to and from the therapist’s office. They married in 1969 and remained married until Edwards’ death in 2010.
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
Country music’s most beloved and iconic couple, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, had a tumultuous courtship. Both were married to other people when they met at the Grand Ole Opry in 1956. They toured together for several years before divorcing their spouses in the mid-1960s. In 1968, Cash famously popped the question on stage in London, Ontario, Canada, in front of 7,000 people.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
John Derek and Linda Evans
Linda Evans started dating director John Derek in 1965, the same year she landed her breakout role as Audra Barkley in television’s The Big Valley. The two married in 1968 and remained married until Derek revealed—on Christmas Day in 1973—that he was having an affair with the 17-year-old actress who would become known as Bo Derek.
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Ronald and Nancy Reagan
The love story between Ronald and Nancy Reagan spanned Hollywood, the California Governor’s Mansion, and the White House over the course of six decades. During the 1970s, Reagan left state politics for a run at the presidency, putting the couple squarely in the public spotlight.
Reagan White House Photographs, Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
When Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton began an extramarital affair on the set of Cleopatra in 1962, the scandal rocked the world. Even the Vatican publicly condemned the affair. The two divorced their respective partners and married in 1963—for the first time. That first marriage ended in divorce in 1974 but the two remarried in 1975. Their second marriage lasted less than 10 months.
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Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin
Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin kept crossing paths before they started dating. The couple first met in 1977, via Martin’s publicist. Later, they both played in Kenny Rogers’ celebrity softball league and guested on Hollywood Squares at the same time. After Martin finally asked Peters out, they became a couple for about five years.
Carly Simon and James Taylor
Carly Simon and James Taylor first met as teenagers, as their families vacationed at Martha’s Vineyard. They crossed paths again in the 1960s but met more formally in 1971 when Taylor attended one of Simon’s performances. They became romantically involved shortly afterwards and married in 1972. Their marriage lasted for 11 years.
Arthur D'Amario III, Shutterstock
Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw
Ali MacGraw was married to Josh Evans when she met Steve McQueen on the set of The Getaway in 1972. MacGraw and McQueen began a very public affair while filming, leading to MacGraw’s divorce from Evans and her marriage to McQueen in 1973. They divorced five years later. Despite numerous high-profile romances, MacGraw never remarried.
Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke
When Clint Eastwood arrived in Hollywood in the 1950s, he was married to his first wife, Maggie Johnson. Their marriage lasted until 1979. Eastwood was several years into an extramarital affair with Sondra Locke before he and Johnson called it quits. Eastwood and Locke made six films together during their turbulent 13-year relationship.
Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston
Jack Nicholson referred to Anjelica Huston as the love of his life, but his infidelities marred their on-again-off-again 17-year relationship. When Nicholson told Huston that his mistress, Rebecca Broussard, was pregnant with his baby in 1989, Huston beat him up.
Cher and Gregg Allman
The rollercoaster relationship between Cher and Gregg Allman played out very publicly in the 1970s. Married just three days after her divorce from Sonny Bono was finalized in 1975, Cher filed to dissolve the marriage nine days later. Allman won her back. But, when Cher reteamed with Bono for another stab at a Sonny and Cher Show in 1976, Allman was the one who filed for divorce. However, the couple stuck it out for three more years after Cher revealed that she was pregnant.
Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton
Pattie Boyd was at the center of one of music’s greatest love triangles in the 1970s. While her marriage to George Harrison was falling apart amidst the Beatle’s infidelities and career stresses, Eric Clapton declared his love for her. In the end, Boyd and Harrison split amicably in 1974. Boyd married Clapton five years later.
Jane Fonda and Roger Vadim
The French screenwriter, director, and producer Roger Vadim was known for his romantic entanglements with beautiful young actresses including Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve. He began dating Fonda in 1965. When the two married in 1967, it was Fonda’s first marriage and Vadim’s third of five. They had a daughter together before divorcing in 1973.
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono
One of the most iconic couples of all time, John Lennon and Yoko Ono met when the Beatles visited Ono’s art show in London in 1966. Sparks flew and the two embarked on an affair. Lennon divorced his first wife Cynthia in 1968 and married Ono about a year later. The two were married until Lennon’s assassination in 1980.
Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger
His marriage to Bianca Jagger wasn’t Mick Jagger’s only headline-grabbing romance in the 1970s. While still married to Bianca, Mick began an affair with the supermodel Jerry Hall. After Bianca served Mick with divorce papers in 1977, Jagger and Hall became an on-again-off-again couple. They finally split for good in 1999 after another woman came forward about being pregnant with Mick’s child.
Diana Ross and Gene Simmons
The unlikely pair of Diana Ross and Gene Simmons struck up a friendship in 1979, after Simmons’ girlfriend—Cher—told Simmons to ask her friend Ross what to buy Cher for Christmas. The chemistry between Ross and Simmons soon transcended friendship and the two became a low-profile but glamorous power couple for about five years. 
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Jessica Lange and Mikhail Baryshnikov
Both highly respected in their fields, Jessica Lange and Mikhail Baryshnikov were one of the most elegant couples of the 1970s. The two were together for about 6 years, from 1976 to 1982, but remain friends to this day.
Patrick McMullan, Getty Images
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