A Brief History

On July 12, 1543, King Henry VIII of England married Catherine Parr, his sixth and final wife. Henry had divorced #1, beheaded #2, #3 died, divorced #4, beheaded #5, and Catherine outlived Henry. Over the years, there have been some marriage happy people known for their many spouses. Here we list 10 of those frequently wed individuals.

Digging Deeper

1. King Henry VIII of England.

Obsessed with producing one or more viable male heirs to the throne, Henry kept trying to find a wife that would give him the male children he coveted. Wife #3 died from complications of giving birth to his only male child. Since only 50% of his wives ended up dead, Henry’s reputation as a terrible choice for marriage may be overstated. (Just kidding, he was a terrible choice!)

2. Muhammad, Prophet and founder of Islam.

Married a lucky 13 times, when you write the rules, you do what you want! (Muslim rules are that a man can have “only” 4 wives, except of course, Muhammad.) One of those wives was Ayesha, a 9 year old (mature for her age?) child. Actually, the girl was 6 when they married, and 9 when the 54 year old Muhammad consummated the marriage (per Ayesha’s own account, Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, number 64, and other Hadiths).

3. Joseph Smith, Prophet and founder of Mormon Church.

Smith decided polygamy was the right thing for his followers as early as 1831, and is believed to have become a polygamist around 1835. With perhaps over 30 wives, at least 10 of which were between 14 and 20 when he married them, Smith alienated many of his flock, especially those that feared Joe was trying to steal their wives! Rifts developed in the Mormon movement in great part due to the polygamy policy and the way Smith acted upon it. Oddly enough, Smith’s first wife, Emma, was a fierce opponent of polygamy and denied her husband had engaged in the practice of “plural marriage.” During Smith’s lifetime, the practice of polygamy was kept secret from all but a few high ranking church officials.

4. Brigham Young, Prophet and Leader of Mormon Church.

Young came out on top (in more ways than one!) in the power grab in the Mormon Church upon the death of Joseph Smith. Young had one wife prior to his joining the Church, but ended up with a total of 55 wives with whom he sired 56 children (meaning the marriages were not some sort of symbolic gesture). By the time Young died in 1877 at the age of 76, 19 of his wives had already died and he was divorced from 10 others. Young made polygamy official Church policy in 1853, and the practice ended (did it?) in 1890.

5. Zsa Zsa Gabor, Actress.

Ms. Gabor died in 2016 at the age of 99, so many people today may remember her only as an eccentric old lady, but in her day she was the 1936 Miss Hungary and was considered a beautiful “blonde bombshell” actress. Gabor went through men like politicians go through lies, marrying an impressive total of 9 times! Quote: “I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house!” Her most notable husband was probably Conrad Hilton of Hotel fame and fortune. Not much was made of her Jewish roots during her career. Notable movie, Queen of Outer Space, 1958.

6. Magda Gabor, Actress.

Yes, you guessed it, the older sister of Zsa Zsa, and Magda apparently set the example by marrying 6 times, including once to the same man that Zsa Zsa had also wed and divorced, actor George Sanders. Yes, there was yet another Gabor sister, Eva was the youngest of the 3 notorious marrying Hungarians, but Eva managed only 5 marriages, narrowly avoiding her own entry on this list.

7. Elizabeth Taylor, Actress.

Famous for her violet colored eyes, this English beauty was not always the worn-out alcoholic hag she became later in life. Married 7 times, not counting the second time to Richard Burton (we count him as 1, though they married twice), other notable husbands include Conrad Hilton, Jr, hotel empire heir, and singer Eddie Fisher (who had also been married to Connie Stevens and Debbie Reynolds among his 5 marriages).

8. Larry King, TV and Radio Host.

Hard to believe people keep marrying this old guy in suspenders, but he has 8 marriages to 7 women to his credit. In the past several years he has been seen mostly on infomercials pitching various products. The wife he married, divorced, and then remarried, Ailene Akins, had been a Playboy Bunny. You go Larry!

9. Linda Wolfe, Obsessed with Marriage.

Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Married Woman in the world, Linda, born Linda Lou Taylor, is an American grandma married 23 times (so far), and is allegedly looking for #24. Her last marriage (2001?) was a stunt, when she married Glynn Wolfe (Baptist preacher no less) who was in the Guinness Book as the most married man with 29 marriages to his credit. (He died a year later.) Linda has had some lulus among her many spouses, including a marriage of only 36 hours, a marriage to a one-eyed prison inmate, 2 weddings to homosexuals, 2 more unions to homeless men, and out of so many husbands, at least 1 that beat her. Then there was the husband that put the lock on the refrigerator. (No wonder she divorced him!)

10. Bonnie Lee Bakley, Singer, actress, groupie.

Somewhat of a goof, Bakely was obsessed with celebrities, and after her first 9 marriages she picked the wrong man for #10, actor Robert Blake, who ended up shooting her to death in 2001. The reason we even know of Ms. Bakley is because of this notorious Hollywood murder, although Blake was acquitted of all charges. Robert Blake was, however, found liable in a wrongful death lawsuit later. Some of her objects of obsession included Jerry Lee Lewis, Dean Martin, Frankie Valli, Christian Brando, and Gary Busey. Oddly enough, she was also married to the Reverend Glynn Wolfe (#8) among her 10 spouses.

Bonus: “Gretchen,” the former Brazilian “Butt Queen” (some kind of championship for having nice buns) has been wed 17 times since the 1970’s. (Birth name Maria Odete Brito de Miranda, born 1959.)

Who would you add to the list? (Hint: Stan Laurel, Lana Turner, Mickey Rooney, Jennifer O’Neill, and Georgia Holt just from Hollywood.) Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

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Historical Evidence

For more information, please see…

Prole, Lozania. Henry’s Last Love (Catherine Parr) (House of Tudor Book 4). Wyndham Books (Historical), 2017.