The Troubles of Hollywood's Starlets - page 2

10 months ago 08th Jan 14:23

But her private life was not as rosy. Her second husband producer Paul Bern was found dead at their home creating a scandal that still exists today. Despite being ruled as suicide Harlow has always been implicated in his death.

She became a more popular actress but her private life was still out of control as she embarked on an affair with boxer Max Baer. When Baer's wife threatened divorce proceedings MGM tried to diffuse the situation by arranging a marriage between the actress and Harold Rosson.

But she passed away at the age of twenty six due to renal failure.

She may have been one of the big screen's most popular child stars with the likes of The Wizard of Oz but Judy Garland's personal life was blighted by problems, not helped by film executives.

Constantly told that she was overweight and ugly by studio executives Garland spent most of her career on drugs that controlled her weight and she spent decades struggling with and fighting against addiction.

A number of suicide attempts and five marriages later Judy Garland died of an accidental overdose at the age of forty seven leaving behind two children.

Drew Barrymore shot to fame as Gertie in E.T and she became one of the most famous and promising child stars of the early eighties.

But this early fame lead to trouble as she later revealed that she was smoking cigarettes at age nine, drinking alcohol by the time she was eleven, smoking marijuana at twelve, and snorting cocaine at thirteen.

After a suicide attempt she was put in rehab at the tender age of fourteen and a three month stay with David Crosby, she has never relapsed. Barrymore has seen her career get back on track with the success of the Charlie's Angels movies and more recently Music and Lyrics.

However this curse doesn't seem to effect all of Hollywood's actresses as the like of Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank and Keira Knightley let their acting do the talking.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw