Pop quiz: what is the decade you most associate with celebrities behaving badly? Most people would say the ‘80s…after all, that was a decade remembered for cocaine-fueled excesses on the part of the rich and famous. But it turns out that the era of Miami Vice and Back To the Future has nothing on the previous decade: the sleazy ‘70s!
Celebrities of the ‘70s were on a different level altogether. We’re talking about rampant affairs, runaway spending, alcohol-fueled performances, and even secret daughters. Which celebs had the biggest scandals, and just what did they get caught doing? Keep reading to find out!
Burt Reynolds spent himself into the poorhouse
Back in the ‘70s, Burt Reynolds was one of the biggest movie stars on the entire planet thanks to movies like Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit. His hit movies earned hundred of millions of dollars over the years, helping this movie star live like a king. Unfortunately, he lost his kingdom due to the simple fact that Reynolds was really, really bad with money.
Where did all of Reynolds’ money go? First, he spent money faster than he could earn it. Along the way, he made some bad investments…for example, he invested in an ambitious restaurant scheme that ultimately cost him millions of dollars. On top of that, his high-profile divorce from fellow actor Loni Anderson drained much of his wealth. Eventually, Burt Reynolds fell into nasty tax troubles that culminated in him having to file for bankruptcy. It was sad for the actor, and this outcome seemed unthinkable for the millions of fans who assumed that riches would never stop flowing in for one of the most talented actors the world had ever seen.
Steve McQueen’s abusive, drug-fueled marriage
If you were to look up the definition of “cool” in the dictionary, you’d likely see a picture of Steve McQueen. Onscreen, he was one of the slickest actors in Hollywood history, giving virtuoso performances in action-packed films like The Getaway and Bullitt. He was famous (some would say infamous) for doing his own death-defying stunts, and when the cameras weren’t rolling, he kept his rockstar lifestyle going behind closed doors. Unfortunately, that made life a living hell for the most important women in his life.
Steve McQueen’s first wife, Amelie Adams, described her husband as erratic, claiming that he was often a pain in her ass. Second wife Ali McGraw was blunter, alleging that her husband was physically violent and that he constantly struggled with substance abuse. She claims that back when they were first dating, the two had a lovers’ quarrel that ended with McQueen having loud sex with two other women where McGraw could hear it; even though he asked her to make him breakfast the morning after, they still ended up getting married. Sadly, he continued to abuse substances and cheat on her throughout the majority of their time together.
The Darkest Secrets That ‘70s Movie Stars Tried (and Failed) To Hide
