Gloria Grahame became the talk of the town in the 1940’s, and rightfully so. She started her career in theater, but her hard work and talent earned her roles in some of the biggest movies of all time. She made her film debut in 1944 in the movie “Blonde Fever”, and just two years later appeared as Violet Bick in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Despite her movie success, MGM Studios cut short their contract with Gloria because they weren’t convinced she was the star they had once thought. Gloria moved to RKO Studios where she was determined to prove MGM wrong. Her following roles earned her an Oscar award and an Academy award, as well as leading lady roles alongside some of Hollywood’s leading men, including Humphrey Bogart.

Sadly, it’s not all of Gloria’s accomplishments that people remember about the film siren. Her career was filled with scandal and her fall from grace happened nearly as fast as her rise to fame. It was her messy love life that triggered her downfall, and her career would never recover.

In 1946, Gloria filed divorce from her first husband, Stanley Clements, after being married less than a year. The couple worked out their problems and got back together, only to have Gloria file for an annulment in 1948 citing abuse as the reason.

The same day the annulment was finalized, Gloria, who was four months pregnant with her first child, married for the second time to director Nicholas Ray. Ray admitted that he was infatuated with Gloria, but never really liked her that much. The marriage ended when Nicholas found her in bed with his 13-year-old son, Tony, although the reason for the divorce wouldn’t be revealed for several more years.

In 1954, Gloria married producer Cy Howard and they had a daughter two years later. She filed for divorce citing mental cruelty for the reason, and that divorce was finalized in 1957. She stayed single for a few years, but in 1962 married yet again.

This marriage was secretly held in Mexico and her fourth groom was none other than her stepson Tony. When the public learned of her affair with Tony when he was a minor, the public backlash was astounding. As a result, Gloria suffered a major breakdown and reportedly underwent electric shock therapy to treat her depression.

Gloria managed to overcome her struggles and her marriage to Tony lasted longer than any of her other marriages. The 14 year union resulted in two more sons for Gloria. She eventually broke things off with him too, however, and the divorce was finalized in 1974.

The actress left Hollywood and pursued theater roles in London where she met actor Peter Turner. Peter was 30 years younger than her, although Gloria was used to controversy when it came to her relationships. Despite the pair being an unlikely match, it wasn’t long before Peter moved into Gloria’s New York City apartment.

Shortly after Peter’s move, however, Gloria began acting strangely. She would disappear for days on end without explanation. This worried Peter, and frustrated him. Finally he moved back to London and didn’t communicate with Gloria for a year.

In 1981, Peter received a call from a Lancaster theater saying that Gloria had collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. When Peter reconnected with Gloria, he found out that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1974 and that had been the cause for her strange behavior.

The cancer had gone into remission after treatments, but came back in 1980 and this time, Gloria refused treatment. After her collapse, Gloria asked to go to Liverpool and spend her final days with Peter’s family. She died at the age of 57 in New York City at St. Vincent’s Hospital and her remains were interred at the Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, Los Angeles.

Peter says he contacted her eldest children before her death and they were the ones that chose to bring her back to New York just hours before she died. He says even at the end of her life, Gloria chose to follow her heart and spend her final moments with the people she loved the most.