Lana Turner’s Spouses: How Many Times Was She Married?

 

Lana Turner’s Spouses: 

How Many Times Was She Married?

Becca Bleznak

February 8, 2021

Though she died decades ago, fans of actor Lana Turner celebrated what would have been her 100th birthday on February 8, 2021. Besides her many famous roles, Turner was perhaps best known for her many marriages — and a few affairs. How many times did Lana Turner marry?

Who was Lana Turner married to the longest?

(L-R): Lana Turner and Lex Barker arrive at London Airport from Rome.

(L-R): Lana Turner and Lex Barker arrive at London Airport from Rome. | PA Images via Getty Images

RELATED: 25 Celebrities With the Most Marriages and Divorces

Turner married seven different men in her lifetime — and one of them, she married twice. Her first marriage to Artie Shaw lasted just a few months. Then she married Steve Crane, but their marriage was annulled because his divorce wasn’t finalized. They remarried and then divorced after a year.

Turner then married Bob Topping, followed by Lex Barker, both of whom she was married to for about four years. She was also married to her sixth husband, Robert Eaton, for four years — her longest stretch. Her marriage to Fred May lasted less than two years, while her final marriage to her last husband, Ronald Pellar, was less than three years.

She has one child, Cheryl Crane

Lana Turner (L), wearing a period costume with a feather headdress, sits with her daughter, Cheryl Crane, on the set of 'The Merry Widow' in 1952.

(L-R): Lana Turner with her daughter, Cheryl Crane, on the set of ‘The Merry Widow’ in 1952. | Bob Beerman/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Given the number of times she married, Turner’s personal life remained a popular topic of conversation throughout her lifetime (and beyond). She joked about her circumstances, once saying, “My goal was to have one husband and seven children, but it turned out to be the other way around.”

Turner gave birth to her only child, Cheryl Crane, in 1943. The actor’s rare blood type made pregnancy difficult for her, resulting in potentially life-threatening complications. After Cheryl, she had two stillbirths: First in 1949, while married to Topping, and second in 1956, while married to Barker.

The one Turner didn’t marry 

In addition to her several marriages, Turner had a number of highly publicized affairs. In between her second and third husbands, she was linked to such famous men as Frank Sinatra and Howard Hughes. But the actor she speaks most fondly of from this time is The Mask of Zorro star Tyrone Power.

While promoting her 1982 memoir, Joan Rivers asked Turner if Power was “the big romance of [her] life.” “Yes, I loved him dearly,” the actor answered. When Rivers questioned whether Turner thought they might have ended up together, she replied, “Of course, I had dreams of it being finalized with marriage and babies… But it wasn’t meant to be.”

She didn’t have an affair with Clark Gable

Lana Turner (L) leaning into Clark Gable (R) in a scene from the film 'Somewhere I'll Find You', 1942.

Lana Turner (L) leaning into Clark Gable (R) in a scene from the film ‘Somewhere I’ll Find You’, 1942. | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images

During The Tonight Show interview, Rivers also asked Turner about another alleged affair she had. Turner starred with actor Clark Gable in four movies: Honky Tonk, Somewhere I’ll Find You, Homecoming, and Betrayed. However, they were never romantically involved.

Turner called Cable “one of the most wonderful gentlemen that I’ve ever had the good fortune to meet and work with.” When Rivers pressed her about an affair, she replied, “No, sorry to disappoint you.” Her reason for why they didn’t get together? “I do not play around with the people that I work with.”

 

What Was Lana Turner’s Real Name?

Becca BleznakMORE ARTICLES

February 8, 2021

February 8, 2021, would have been the 100th birthday of famed Old Hollywood actor Lana Turner. The movie star appeared in many notable films throughout her lengthy career. However, like plenty of others, Lana Turner isn’t her given name — it’s a stage name. What was her real name?

Lana Turner broke out in the 1940s

Turner became a model and actor in the 1930s. Her first film, They Won’t Forget, featured her in a small role that earned her a lot of attention due to her tight-fitting sweater. Before she finished high school, she starred in her first box office success: the Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland-led Love Finds Andy Hardy.

But it was Turner’s World War II-era musicals that made her into a superstar. Following roles in Two Girls on Boardway and Ziegfeld Girl, she became what was known as a pin-up girl. Turner went on a war-bond tour and sold kisses to the highest bidder to support the troops fighting overseas.

She became famous for working with Clark Gable

Lana Turner (L) leaning into Clark Gable (R) in a scene from the film 'Somewhere I'll Find You', 1942.

Lana Turner (L) leaning into Clark Gable (R) in a scene from the film ‘Somewhere I’ll Find You’, 1942. | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images

As stars were tied to contracts with particular studios during this time, many worked together repeatedly. Several of Turner’s most well-known roles were opposite one of the biggest movie stars of the time: Clark Gable. The pair first worked together on the 1941 Western Honky Tonk.

During the production of their second film, Somewhere I’ll Find You, Gable’s wife, Carole Lombard, died. Rumors that Gable and Turner were involved may have been part of what fueled their projects’ success. They subsequently filmed Homecoming (1948) and Betrayed (1954).

How Turner got her stage name

Lana Turner in 1955 posing on a silk sheet with large cushions in a sleeveless v-neck jumpsuit and a short-sleeved silk robe.

Lana Turner in 1955 | Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Like many stars of the time (and several to this day), she used a stage name. Turner’s real name was Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner. But, filmmaker Mervyn LeRoy, who directed her in They Won’t Forget, wanted a catchier name. That’s when Lana Turner was born. She later made the name change legal.

Turner also cared a great deal about the pronunciation of her name. In 1982, while promoting her memoir Lana: The Lady, the Legend, the Truth, she spoke to Joan Rivers on The Tonight Show. “Laa-nah or Lah-nah?” Rivers asked. “Please, if you say ‘Laa-nah,’ I shall slaughter you,” Turner replied.

She faced scrutiny throughout her career

Because she was beautiful, some people doubted whether or not Turner could become a serious actor. Warner Bros. was willing to let her out of her contract to go work with MGM because they didn’t see her potential, and it took her years to be given dramatic roles like that of Ziegfeld Girl.

However, Turner proved them wrong. Though some think of her as the “epitome of the Hollywood machine-made stardom,” she pointed out where fame comes from. “Only the public makes a star,” Turner told Rivers. “And it takes a long time for that to happen.” She noted that she “had to earn” her stardom, saying, “I’m one of the fortunate ones.”