Quick Links
A glamorous movie star and a brilliant director, Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles shared one of the most awe-inducing relationships in Hollywood.
Though it lasted only a few years and was marred by multiple infidelities on his part, their romance and marriage had an impact on both of them, even long after it ended in divorce.
How Rita Hayworth And Orson Welles Met
The Hollywood star, known for her roles in movies such as Only Angels Have Wings and You Were Never Lovelier, and the talented Citizen Kane filmmaker met in 1942.
According to Hayworth's biographer Barbara Leaming, Welles were shooting a documentary in Brazil when he came across a pinup picture of Hayworth in Life magazine. He was immediately drawn to her.
"I saw that fabulous still in Life magazine where she's on her knees in bed. And that's when I decided: 'When I come back, that's what I'm going to do!'" Welles would tell Leaming.
The director kept his promise. Once back in Hollywood, he, then 28, asked Hayworth, 25, on a date. The pair hit it off right away.
That same year, Welles and Hayworth, together with one of his frequent collaborators, actor Joseph Cotten, worked on The Mercury Wonder Show, a radio magic variety aimed at boosting World War II troops' morale. Hayworth was later replaced by Marlene Dietrich so she could pursue other acting endeavors.
Welles and Hayworth were married a year later. He was previously married to actress and socialite Virginia Nicolson. His first marriage lasted from 1934 to 1939, with their divorce finalized in 1940. In 1937, Hayworth married Edward Charles Judson, an oilman-turned-promoter who was twice her age. She filed for divorce in February 1942 with a complaint of cruelty.
Welles And Rita Hayworth Tied The Knot During Her Lunch Break
Hayworth and Welles' wedding ceremony couldn't have been more down-to-earth, in contrast with her movie star status and his Oscar-winning fame.
The couple tied the knot in secret on September 7, 1943. Reportedly, Welles picked Hayworth up during her lunch break while she was filming Cover Girl. They got married in Santa Monica, with Cotten serving as best man.
"I never saw a happier, more tickled, more delighted, adorable couple in the world," studio secretary Shifra Haran told Leaming.
You can hear it for yourself in an interview Hayworth and Welles gave, together with Dietrich, on the day of their wedding. Welles unexpectedly announced he was a married man, with the host introducing Hayworth, whose laugh was absolutely infectious.
They were in love and Hayworth soon got pregnant, with the couple welcoming their daughter Rebecca in 1944.
Did Orson Welles Cheat On Rita Hayworth?
During their relationship, Welles wrote passionate love letters to Hayworth, which were discovered, hidden in her makeup case, after her passing.
"You are my life — my very life," the director wrote in one of these.
"Never imagine your hope approximates what you are to me. Beautiful, precious little baby — hurry up the sun! — make the days shorter till we meet. I love you, that’s all there is to it."
Meanwhile, Hayworth wanted to please him in every way possible, showing interest in his causes and reading the books he was reading.
"I really wanted to be everything Orson wanted of me," she would tell movie star, June Allyson.
But being smitten with one another wasn't enough and the marriage soon deteriorated. Welles started an affair with heiress Gloria Vanderbilt while Hayworth was pregnant with Rebecca. He also had other rumored extra-marital relationships, included one with The Wizard of Oz's Judy Garland.
Inside Welles And Hayworth's Divorce
Tired of putting up with Welles' emotional and physical distance and his multiple affairs, the Gilda star filed for divorce in 1947. They officially went their separate ways the following year.
"During the entire period of our marriage, he showed no interest in establishing a home. When I suggested purchasing a home, he told me he didn't want the responsibility. Mr. Welles told me he never should have married in the first place; that it interfered with his freedom in his way of life," she would say in court.
However rocky their marriage might have been, their professional bond continued, and the two starred together in Welles' noir The Lady from Shanghai, released in 1948. For the movie, Welles asked Hayworth to cut off her ginger hair and dye it blonde. By the time the picture was out in theaters, Welles and Hayworth's divorce had been finalized.
Despite having had other relationships — the actress tied the knot three times after Welles; he married Paola Mori and spent his last days with partner Oja Kodar — the filmmaker claimed he loved Hayworth up until the night he died, while she famously called him "the great love of my life."
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGipoqyRYrWixdaoqa2gXai9sMHSnmSoqqOku27DxKWjnqtdp7KtrdOipqermJ69cA%3D%3D