Vivien Leigh, celebrated for her remarkable portrayals of characters like Scarlett O’Hara and Blanche DuBois, was renowned not only for her talent but also for her striking beauty.

However, her path to success and her tumultuous marriage to Sir Laurence Olivier were marked by challenges and ethical complexities. One of her many documentaries says that, Leigh:

“Went to see [Laurence Olivier] in a play, and declared, ‘that’s the man I’m going to marry.’ And a friend of hers who was with her had to point out ‘well, actually you’re already married.’ But this was all part of this ruthless ambition… people were to be cast by the wayside in those early days, until she achieved what she really wanted.”

Laurence Olivier, who was already married to actress Jill Esmond, found himself in a romantic entanglement with Vivien Leigh during a vacation in Capri.

Despite the fact that Olivier’s wife was pregnant, he pursued a relationship with Leigh, leading to the end of his marriage to Esmond. Shortly thereafter, Olivier married Leigh.

Tallulah Bankhead was a unique sex symbol known for her beauty, rebellious nature, sharp wit, and the fearlessness to speak her mind, even if it occasionally alienated people.

Actor-writer Emlyn Williams once described her voice as “steeped as deep in sex as the human voice can go without drowning.” She had an insatiable appetite for life.

One memorable anecdote, as reported by The New Yorker, involved:

“a second-rank actor named John Emery, whom Tallulah had picked up on the summer circuit and, rather casually, married. Emery was good-looking, capable, and amiable. Best of all, he bore a marked resemblance to John Barrymore, and not only in profile: years earlier, when Barrymore revealed himself to her in his dressing room, Tallulah had sworn to herself (and anyone within earshot) never to sleep with any man who wasn’t ‘hung like Barrymore,’ and went on to claim that she had stuck to her word. (Since she also claimed five hundred or more conquests, perhaps she wasn’t always so picky.) One of Tallulah’s party tricks was to escort guests to the master bedroom, fling back the covers from the bed in which Emery was sleeping, and crow, ‘Did you ever see a prick as big as that before?’”

Jayne Mansfield, often mentioned in the same breath as Mae West, is renowned for her association with racy and glamorous Hollywood antics. She’s remembered for many things, including the iconic image of Sophia Loren seemingly side-eyeing Mansfield’s prominent cleavage.

This blonde bombshell had numerous lovers and was known for her erotic escapades, with rumors even suggesting a romantic involvement with JFK.

However, her most notorious connection was with Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan. According to sources, Mansfield didn’t hesitate to tease and torment the infatuated Satanist:

“Mansfield, who made no secret of her many affairs, denied knowing LaVey intimately… according to [his] publicist, Mansfield would ridicule her Satanic suitor by calling from her Los Angeles home and seductively teasing him while her friends listened in on the conversation. LaVey’s public claims that he had an affair with Mansfield began only after Mansfield’s death in an automobile accident, which he also claimed was the result of a curse he had placed on her lover, Sam Brody.”

Clara Bow, the iconic silent film “It” girl, was one of the earliest and most famously sensationalized starlets in cinema history. Her retirement in 1931, at the young age of 28, coincided with a web of scandals.

However, it’s worth noting that many of the so-called “scandals” surrounding her were largely rooted in traditional romanticism, a belief that Bow herself ardently held. As the article aptly puts it:

“like many female stars of the time [Bow] treated the boyfriends that she (most likely) slept with as ‘engagements.’ This led to a series of quickly formed and broken ‘engagements’ to the likes of Gary Cooper… the director Victor Fleming, and ‘Latin Lover’ Gilbert Roland. When she had a ‘case of nerves’ in the late ’20s, she was treated by a Hollywood doctor. She developed a crush on the doctor… when the doctor’s wife sued for divorce, she named Bow as cause for ‘alienation of affection.’ No good.”

Clara Bow indeed faced other scandals, some of which were more infamous, such as the allegation that she had engaged in relationships with the entire USC football team.

Additionally, she encountered a significant setback when her secretary stole her personal records and later attempted to blackmail the actress by making various damaging claims, including accusations of constant drunkenness and promiscuity.

Louise Brooks had a remarkably brief yet influential film career. She held a strong aversion to Hollywood and aimed to create a personal sanctuary centered around “sex, books, and gin,” as eloquently described in a Pop Matters article.

Brooks, despite her fleeting film success, embraced a lively lifestyle. She divorced her first husband, director Eddie Sutherland, after falling in love with George Preston Marshall, the owner of the Washington Redskins.

Subsequently, she left Marshall to marry someone else, only to part ways with him in less than six months. Brooks also had numerous lovers, including a memorable encounter with Greta Garbo, and frequently posed in the nude.

Her time in the film industry concluded when she was just 26 years old, and her subsequent struggles with poverty brought challenges. However, she never truly regretted stepping away from the spotlight.

Lupe Vélez, often referred to as the “Mexican spitfire,” is more commonly remembered for the sensational urban legends surrounding her death.

While rumors suggested she had passed away with her head in the toilet after allegedly committing suicide due to her lover’s abandonment and her unborn child, in reality, she was discovered in her bed by her secretary.

Vélez had a long-lasting relationship with actor Gary Cooper, whom she considered the love of her life. However, her jealousy led her to accuse him of having affairs with various individuals, including actor Anderson Lawler.

Some accounts even suggest she unzipped Cooper’s pants at social events to sniff his crotch, claiming to detect Lawler’s cologne.

Known for her penchant for exhibitionism, Vélez was rumored to have had numerous lovers and was said to engage in provocative acts, such as lifting her dress above her head, often without wearing underwear.

However, many of these reports were likely exaggerated, as Vélez was known for deliberately encouraging gossip and maintaining a highly public persona.

Diana Dors, the British cult actress, epitomized notoriety with her extravagant mansion, flamboyant lifestyle, and decadent parties. She had a tumultuous romantic life, being married three times and engaging in numerous affairs.

Her behavior even led to her being referred to as a “wayward hussy” by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Diana Dors’ notoriety wasn’t limited to her appearances in low-budget films; she also gained fame for her openness to filming explicit content within her own home.

Sources claimed that:

“to whoops and laughter, [Dors’s guests] watched grainy footage, transmitted via video-link, of an unsuspecting couple who had chosen to cavort in one of the dimly-lit upstairs bedrooms… it’s fair to say that pretty much anything was acceptable during the infamous sex parties staged at Orchard Manor in Sunningdale, Berkshire.”

Barbara La Marr, a silent movie star, had a relatively short career, appearing in just 27 films. Although not as widely recognized as some of her contemporaries, her life story is undeniably captivating.

Born as Reatha Dale Watson in Yakima, Washington, she was drawn to Hollywood with a strong desire to become a renowned tragedienne and to portray dramatic roles with a dagger in hand.

According to LA Weekly, La Marr initially pursued fame by traveling across the country with her second husband. However, she eventually left him and entered her third marriage, this time to a dancer and check forger.

Her journey eventually led her to Hollywood, where she caught the eye of Douglas Fairbanks. She then:

“became… famous for her wild love life (she left [her husband] in 1921) and her dramatic, liberated bon mots, which titillated the lost generation of flappers and philosophers. ‘I take lovers like roses… by the dozen,’ she said. ‘I cheat nature. I never sleep more than two hours per night. I have better things to do… one loves to live only because one lives to love.”

Regrettably, Barbara La Marr’s fortunes took a downturn, and she passed away, potentially due to tuberculosis, at the tender age of 29. She was subsequently remembered as “screenland’s beautiful lady of sorrow,” a poignant reflection of her alluring yet tragically short life and career.

Conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton are most widely recognized for their roles in Tod Browning’s cult classic “Freaks” and the exploitation film “Chained for Life.” However, their careers encompassed many movies, and they rose to fame during the vibrant vaudeville era of the 1920s and ’30s.

Despite their physical connection at the lower back and spine, the twins were regarded as pretty, vivacious, and alluring, and they reportedly had numerous affairs.

They were welcomed into A-list America, where they indulged in hedonistic pleasures, partied extensively, and engaged in romantic relationships. They even experienced marriage, divorce, and parenthood.

Living conjoined meant they had no physical privacy, so Harry Houdini taught them a mental technique to “tune each other out” when necessary, a skill they would later apply effectively in intimate situations.

One of their early affairs was said to be with a married friend, whose wife cited them as correspondents in her divorce proceedings.

Daisy’s attempt to marry musician Jack Lewis was thwarted when 21 states refused to grant him a marriage license, citing the possibility of “bigamy” due to their unique situation.

The twins faced challenges due to the norms and prejudices of their time, as well as the Hollywood industry. As they aged and became less employable in show business, they fell into poverty and ultimately experienced tragic circumstances.