40 Iconic Couples From the '70s
40 Iconic Couples From the '70s
Before there was Michelle and Barack Obama or Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles (actually, before Harry Styles was even born), the red carpets of Hollywood were filled with iconic couples that, sadly, time has allowed many to forget. From romances that sparked on-set to notorious on and off affairs, these duos deserve to be remembered.
Farrah Fawcett and Lee Majors
Farrah Fawcett was an up-and-coming actress when she was set up on a blind date with established actor Lee Majors. They tied the knot in 1973 and were married during the time that Fawcett found success on Charlie's Angels. Sadly, they divorced in 1982.
Jack Nicholson and Michelle Phillips
Jack Nicholson's relationship with The Mamas & the Papas singer had a rocky start, since Phillips was previously married to Nicholson's friend, Dennis Hooper. Regardless, they dated on and off in the early '70s.
Raquel Welch and Joe Namath
While Raquel Welch and Joe Namath's relationship could be described as brief, the New York Jet's quarterback escorted her to the Academy Awards in 1972. At the time, Welch was recently divorced from her second husband and Namath was a hotshot playboy nicknamed "Broadway Joe."
Warren Beatty and Julie Christie
Warren Beatty and Julie Christie were not only some of the biggest actors in Hollywood when they dated, but the "It" couple in town. They broke up in 1973, but it sounds like there were no hard feelings. "We're very close and she’s a remarkable person," Beatty told People in 2016.
Jane Fonda and Roger Vadim
When Jane Fonda married Roger Vadim in 1965, the French director had already been linked to many other famous actresses, like Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve. They were together for eight years and had one child together, but split in 1973.
Diane von Furstenberg and Prince Egon von Furstenberg
What would the '70s be without the this pair? Diane founded her fashion brand in 1972, a few years after becoming a Princess through her marriage to Prince Egon. They often frequented Studio 54 during its heyday.
Sally Field and Burt Reynolds
One of the biggest hits of the '70s, Smokey and the Bandit, also led to one of the decade's favorite couples. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds met on the set in 1977 and dated for three years on and off.
Diane Keaton and Warren Beatty
Diane Keaton had just ended her long-term romance her The Godfather costar, Al Pacino, when she became romantically involved with Warren Beatty. The couple began dating in 1978 and he even casted her in his 1981 film, Reds.
Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg
Throughout their 13-year relationship, the English model and French singer were constantly the topic of conversation. They were together from 1968 until 1980 and had one daughter together.
Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott
While filming The Legacy in 1978, Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott fell in love. They eventually married in 1984—the union was The Graduate actress's fifth—and they've been together ever since.
Sylvester Stallone and Sasha Czack
Sylvester Stallone's first wife, Sasha Czack, is one of the few people to have known the action star before his Rocky fame. The couple married in 1974, Stallone got his big break two years later, and they eventually split in 1985.
Audrey Hepburn and Andrea Dotti
After divorcing Mel Ferrer in 1968, Audrey Hepburn fell in love with Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti while on a cruise. They got married in 1969 and lived together in Rome throughout the '70s.
Harrison Ford and Mary Marquardt
When Harrison Ford was just a young actor, he entered Hollywood as a married man. Ford said "I do" to his high school sweetheart, Mary Marquardt, in 1964. The were together until 1979.
Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson
We don't like to think about a time before Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, but back in the '70s, Hawn was part of another iconic duo with Bill Hudson. The couple married in 1976, but by 1982 they were done.
Dustin Hoffman and Anne Byrne
Dustin Hoffman was married to his first wife, Anne Byrne, throughout the '70s and lived in New York City with their two children. It wasn't until 1980 that the pair were officially divorced—and both remarried that same year.
Mick and Bianca Jagger
From their St. Tropez nuptials in 1971 to their constant antics at Studio 54, the Rolling Stones singer and his first wife were one of the most photographed couples of the time. After a seven-year marriage and one daughter, they divorced in 1978.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley
Sadly, the '70s is when Elvis and Priscilla Presley's iconic marriage came to an end. After six years and a decade-long courtship before that, Elvis filed for divorce in 1973.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
By the 1970s, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward had already been married for more than a decade, after tying the knot in 1958. But the Hollywood couple was still one of the most beloved of the era.
Jacqueline Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis
America had to adjust to the former First Lady's new last name in the '70s, after she married shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis in 1968. They was one of the most high-profile couples of the decade, whether they were in walking the streets of NYC or on Aristotle's yacht.
Paul and Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney was the ultimate rock and roll wing woman throughout the '70s, specifically on the 1972 Wings Over Europe tour. The long-time couple married in 1969 in London and were together until Linda's death in 1998.
Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner
It wasn't a new relationship (they were married from 1957 to 1962), but Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner were all anyone could talk about when they reunited in 1972. They were together until Wood's death in 1981.
Chad Everett and Shelby Grant
More often than not, Chad Everett is remembered for being a '70s heartthrob. But his 45-year marriage to Shelby Grant deserves admiration as well. They made it official in 1966 and were together until Grant's death in 2011.
Michael and Shakira Caine
In 1971, Michael Caine saw his future wife in a Maxwell House coffee advertisement. After tracking her down through his agents, they got married in 1973 and have been together ever since.
Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards
Julie Andrews stumbled upon the love of her life shortly after divorcing her first husband. Andrews married famed director, Blake Edwards, in 1969 and they were together until Edwards's death in 2010.
Johnny Cash and June Carter
Johnny Cash famously proposed to his singing partner and long-time love, June Carter, on stage in front of 7,000 people. The couple married in 1968 and remained together until their deaths in 2003.
John Derek and Linda Evans
John Derek was an actor-turned-director, while Linda Evans was a beloved television star when they dated. Sadly, their marriage is more better known for their tawdry breakup, in which Derek left Evans for 17-year-old actress Bo Derek.
Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould
Entering the 1970s, Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould were the definition of a Hollywood power couple—she'd just found success with Funny Girl and Hello Dolly!, while he was starring on M.A.S.H. But in the early '70s, they went their separate ways.
Ronald and Nancy Reagan
Ronald and Nancy Reagan were budding Hollywood actors when they tied the knot in 1952, but were viewed in a new light when Ronald moved into politics in the late '60s—first as the Governor of California and then President of the United States.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
In 1974, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton called it quits after marrying in 1963—only to remarry in 1975 and divorce for good a year later. Say what you will about Liz and Dick, but they knew how to make headlines.
Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin
Broadway star Bernadette Peters and comedian Steve Martin were one of Hollywood's hot couples in the late '70s. They even starred opposite one another in The Jerk in 1979.
Carly Simon and James Taylor
It was a match made in singer-songwriter heaven when Carly Simon and James Taylor said "I do" in 1972. Sadly, they divorced in 1983, but before you assume "You're So Vain" was penned about her ex-husband, the two amicably split. (The song is reportedly about Warren Beatty.)
Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw
Steve McQueen was known as a Hollywood playboy with a penchant for doing his own stunts before he fell for Ali MacGraw on the set of The Getaway in 1971. MacGraw left her husband, they were married in 1973, and were together for five years before divorcing in 1978.
Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke
Clint Eastwood has had a slew of partners throughout his life, but none more iconic than his years with Sondra Locke. They started dating after meeting on the set of The Outlaw Josey Wales in 1976 and starred six films together throughout their relationship.
Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston
Jack Nicholson dated Anjelica Huston on and off throughout the '70s. After breaking up, they lived together sporadically until 1990, when Nicholson revealed he fathered a child with Rebecca Broussard.
Cher and Gregg Allman
Cher's romance with the Allman Brothers singer was one of the biggest stories in the mid '70s, as they got married three days after her divorce from Sonny Bono was finalized. The public watched the couple's troubled marriage unfold over the next few years and they were divorced by 1979.
Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton
When Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton first started dating, it was a scandal in the world of rock and roll—Boyd had previously been married to Clapton's friend, George Harrison. The model married Clapton in 1979 and they were together for a decade.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono and John Lennon are about as iconic of a couple as you can get. The former Beatles singer married Ono in 1969 and they were together until Lennon's assassination in 1980.
Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger
Bianca Jagger served Mick with divorce papers in 1977 citing "adultery"—it turns out, his blossoming romance with Jerry Hall was the cause. After meeting the model in 1976, they were together for more than two decades.
Diana Ross and Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons and Diana Ross kept a low profile while they dated in the late '70s and early '80s. They met in 1979 (while Simmons was dating Cher), started a relationship that soon turned romantic, and were together until 1984.
Jessica Lange and Mikhail Baryshnikov
One of Hollywood's most stylish '70s couples was hands down Jessica Lange and Russian ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. They were together from 1976 to 1982.
You probably forgot about some of these duos.