Who Did Warren Beatty Date?: The Full List Of His Lovers
By | December 7, 2016
Circa 1961: Actor Warren Beatty and actress Natalie Wood attend a party in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
The question of just who Warren Beatty dated has been asked for decades -- read up on the heartthrob actor's love life and you begin to wonder whether it's better to ask if there are any famous ladies of the time period he didn't romance. Warren Beatty was rarely seen without a beautiful woman on his arm, from the late 1950s through the early 1990s. Although he has been happily married to actress Annette Bening since 1992, Warren Beatty had a long-established reputation for being a womanizer. The list of celebrities he dated is long and reads like a who’s who of the groovy era. He slept with virtually every one of his co-stars (Julie Christie, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Isabelle Adjani). He slept with folk singers and pop stars. He slept with Bond Girls and Brigitte Bardot. He slept with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue models (Carol Alt, Elle MacPherson, Stephanie Seymour). He slept with women much younger than him and much older than him. He slept with newscasters. And though it strains belief in one man's virility, it's alleged that he slept with both a sitting First Lady and a member of the British royal family.
In a 2010 biography, writer Peter Biskind asserted that Beatty had bedded 12,775 women -- a number the actor disputed. The math is tricky -- if you figure Beatty had a 40-year run as a bachelor, he'd have to seduce a new woman almost every day over that entire time period (like God, he'd get Sundays off) to put up such an eye-popping total. There's little doubt that Beatty was Hollywood's most accomplished lothario, but there has to be some level of exaggeration here. He could not possibly have slept with all the women to whom he's been connected.
Or could he?
"Warren goes through women on an industrial scale," Natalie Wood once remarked, "although he does it with great charm."
When it comes to Warren Beatty, it's hard to know where the truth ends and the legend begins. So many of the women -- among the most beautiful in Hollywood -- freely admit to the relationships or interludes. There's a lot of photographic evidence that he stepped out on the town with a lot of different women. Beatty himself doesn't say much, but nobody is calling him a liar. And most of his conquests did take place in the '60s and '70s, when people were getting around a lot more than they seem to today.
If you're wondering who Warren Beatty has dated, we've got an attempt to give you the long and scarecely-believable story. This is the "full" list of partners we could verify (except where indicated), but there are more stories out there that journalistic integrity prevents us from repeating.
Joan Collins
Source: Daily Mail/Getty Images
Starting in 1960, Warren Beatty was hot and heavy with Joan Collins, an established actress. Before her, his relationships were low profile. The relationship was serious, she got pregnant, they were engaged but she ended up getting an abortion and the couple fell apart. She wrote a tell-all autobiography back in 1978 that spills all the juicy details.
Cher
At some point after moving on from Collins, Beatty had a brief fling with a not-yet-famous, pre-Sonny Cher. She was only 16-years old at the time and Beatty was 25 and was already involved with Natalie Wood. Here's the version of the story recently presented by Elle magazine:
One night, while passing Schwab’s Drugstore, [Cher] was run down by a white Lincoln convertible. “Are you nuts?” she remembers saying to the guy. “Then I looked at his face, and I thought, My God, it’s Warren Beatty.” Spoiler alert: Cher and Beatty started dating. “But you can’t call it a relationship,” Cher tells me. “It was very Warren.” Cher didn’t get home until well after curfew that night. As punishment, she was barred from seeing Beatty the following night. Beatty called Holt and negotiated Cher’s release.
Natalie Wood
Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood in 'Splendor In The Grass' (1961). Source: IMDB
Warren Beatty and Hollywood icon Natalie Wood co-starred in Splendor in the Grass (1961) and began a torrid love affair. Beatty allegedly drove Natalie mad with stunts like hitting on her sixteen-year-old sister and abandoning her at restaurants to go run off with the hat check girl. Their on-again, off-again relationship lasted two years before Natalie finally said goodbye for good.
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty in 'The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone' (1961). Source: IMDB
In The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone, which came out in the same year as Splendor In The Grass, Beatty played an Italian gigolo opposite Gone With The Wind actress Vivien Leigh, who was 24 years older. If you think they didn't hook up, you might very well be wrong, although it's possible that the affair was invented to publicize the film. At that time, the pattern had yet to be established, but within years it would be a rule: If you're a woman starring opposite Warren Beatty, you have to sleep with him.
Leslie Caron
Warren Beatty and Leslie Caron in Promise Her Anything (1966). Source: IMDB
As the story goes, Beatty ran into Leslie Caron at a party and it was lust at first sight. “We practically did not leave each other for the next two years,”
Leslie divulged. She went on to confess that he was “one hell of a lover–but we fought like stray dogs.” The pair may have drifted apart romantically but they have managed to remain friends over the years.
Mamie Van Doren
The early 1960s also brought Warren Beatty a short-lived affair with Mamie Van Doren. According to Mamie, the two love birds “romanced” a bit but never had intercourse. She also went on to describe him as a very wet kisser. “He drools a lot. He has such active glands,” said Mamie, according to People magazine.
Julie Christie
Warren Beatty and Julie Christie in 'Shampoo' (1975). Source: IMDB
Warren Beatty and Julie Christie were a beautiful couple, and they were smitten with each other. Julie would forfeit roles in order to stay close to him, and he would publicly refer to her as his wife even though the two were never married. Christie’s friends all warned her of Beatty’s reputation as a womanizer and urged her to leave him. But she stayed, despite his affairs with other women. They lasted from the late '60s until 1973 when she finally broke it off.
Faye Dunaway
The love affair between Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, the co-stars of Bonnie And Clyde (1967), may have ended long ago, but the two are still bickering all these years later. Most recently, they were mortified to find they were presenting at the Oscars together and argued the whole time. During the award show, Dunaway wrongfully announced LaLa Land as Best Picture (after Beatty handed her the card) even though it was Moonlight who rightfully won. Rumors began flying immediately that Beatty set Dunaway up to embarrass her.
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot, Warren Beatty, and Pierre Brice walking the streets of Paris in 1969. Source: Pinterest
It’s not surprising these two found each other, although it’s hard to tell who lured who into this steamy affair. Was it the charms of notorious Hollywood lothario Warren Beatty that sealed the deal? Or did the serial seductress Brigitte Bardot get the best of Beatty? Either way, Beatty met his match with Bardot. There was no way he was going to get her to commit–not that he tried. Bardot seemed untroubled, later writing that "Warren had a ferocious charm that was impossible to resist. Why or for whom would I have resisted him?"
Carly Simon
Carly Simon openly admitted that a portion of her 1971 hit "You’re so Vain" was written about Warren Beatty. Their whirlwind romance involved more people than Carly was aware of. One of Beatty’s indiscretions took place within hours of sleeping with her and it was her therapist who broke the news to her. According to Carly, during her 11 a.m. appointment, her therapist broke the news that Carly wasn’t the first patient of the day to say they slept with Warren Beatty last night.
Joni Mitchell
It’s rumored Warren Beatty’s initial motivation behind romancing Joni Mitchell was to get back at Carly Simon for her “You’re so Vain” dedication. It was no secret that Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell were rivals, both vying for the love of James Taylor (whom Carly ended up marrying). The odd couple spent more time together than a "revenge fling" would normally last so Warren could very well have been quite taken with the soulful Joni Mitchell.
Britt Ekland
Warren Beatty had a six-week fling with Britt Ekland in the early ’70s. It was right after her divorce from Peter Sellers and their relationship seems to have served her well. In her 1982 book
True Britt, she described the effect their romance had on her. "I have never known such pleasure," she
wrote in her memoir True Britt. "He could handle women as smoothly as operating an elevator."
Judy Carne
Judy Carne in 1971. Source: Tumblr
Some of Beatty's relationships are more like sub-atomic particles than love stories: We know they exist or existed, we just can's say where or when. At some point, he also dated Judy Carne, the “Sock it to me!” girl from TVs’ Laugh-In. It took place before, after, or during his romance with her Laugh-In co-star, Goldie Hawn.
Goldie Hawn
Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn and Gene Hackman. Source: Tumblr
While Goldie Hawn has fondly referred to her affair with Beatty as a shared “moment together” it was more than just a mere moment. In fact, Hawn’s ex-husband Bill Hudson claimed she was cheating on him with Beatty for some time and eventually admitted to it. Hawn later recalled first meeting Beatty and becoming fearful of falling under his spell. "He was so handsome that I didn't know if my eyes would burn inside my head if I looked up at him."
Michelle Phillips
It was the mid-1970s when Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas left Jack Nicholson for Warren Beatty. The headline-grabbing relationship fell apart because of Warren’s commitment issues and passive-aggressive behavior. Michelle later admitted that Warren Beatty was the love of her life and getting over him took years but at the end of the day, he didn’t know how to treat women so she had to move on.
Candice Bergen
According to model/actress Candice Bergen, Beatty "was romantic and very kind" during their relationship. He did things like show up unannounced to the airport just to hold her hand during a flight she had been nervous about taking alone. Of course, he had to turn around and fly right back, but it was sweet that he was willing to drop everything just to get her across the country.
Kate Jackson
The talented actress, director, and producer Kate Jackson is most famous for her role as "Sabrina Duncan" in the
hit TV series Charlie’s Angels. It was that also that role that caught the eye of legendary ladies man Warren Beatty. So brazen and entitled to women was Beatty, that he picked up the phone after watching an episode of
Charlie’s Angels and called Kate Jackson. It worked and she dated him -- at least for a little while before kicking him to the curb.
Melanie Griffith
The affair between Melanie Griffith and Warren Beatty has been a long unsubstantiated rumor until recently.
Melanie opened up to Vanity Fair about her recent plastic surgery when asked about her alleged affair with Beatty. Griffith admitted to their fling and also to a couple others -- Jack Nicholson and Ryan O’Neal. “I did have a little thing with those three back in the day. Yeah, they were awesome. I am friends with all of them, pretty much.”
Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch in Bluebeard (1972). Source: IMDB
Raquel Welch is often credited with breaking the “submissive” sex icon persona and making strong the new sexy. The screen siren became an icon of the 1960s and 1970s so naturally, Beatty had to have her. They had a fling, which Welch later summed up as “it was just Warren, he’s been with everyone, everything that moves in a skirt, I think! He’s a famous lothario.”
Iman
This one is documented in Andy Warhol's diary entry from January 31, 1977. At Regine's, a disco and nightclub in New York City, Warhol spotted Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty. After remarking that both are looking "a little older and heavier," Warhol adds that "Warren was dating Iman, the black model."
Mary Tyler Moore
It was during the late '70s, that Diane Keaton and Mary Tyler Moore both happened to reside in opposite towers at the San Remo and Warren Beatty was more than happy to bounce between them. He shamelessly went back and forth between apartments and dated both leading ladies at the same time.
Diane Keaton
Warren allegedly fell for Diane Keaton after seeing her performance in
Annie Hall (1971). He seduced her and cast her alongside him in the film
Reds (1981), which he also directed. The relationship between the two was tabloid fodder from the start, and short-lived. Diane reportedly looked out her window one day and spotted Warren a few floors down with Mary Tyler Moore. They split before
Reds even opened.
Diana Ross
Even Diana Ross, the queen diva herself, fell for Warren Beatty's charms, although it did take him around 10 years to get her. It was the 1960s when The Supremes' lead singer met Warren Beatty for the first time. Obviously, he tried to work his magic on her but it failed. It wasn't until sometime in the 1970s when Diana finally gave him a try.
Connie Chung
When on the prowl for potential conquests, Warren Beatty left no stone unturned–not even primetime. Beatty chose to shine his light on journalist Connie Chung before she married Maury Povich. In addition to a talent for making women swoon, Warren Beatty also just so happened to be Connie Chung’s first famous boyfriend, so he had that working for him.
Diane Sawyer
Source: Entertainment News Daily
It’s true, even Diane Sawyer, pioneer of women journalists, had a romantic encounter with Warren Beatty. The weather girl who went on to become a 60 minutes news correspondent admitted to dating Warren in 1984. Diane didn’t have time to get too wrapped up in his playboy’s games and “friend zoned” him pretty fast, referring to him as, “an intelligent and nice person, a friend…”
Justine Bateman
Justine Bateman is best known for her role as Mallory Keaton on the sitcom
Family Ties. As she and her brother, actor Jason Bateman aged they became known as the “Bateman Brats” and were once referred to as the “[raciest] sibling act since Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine.” The sibling acts eventually crossed paths when Warren Beatty and Justine Bateman decided to give a short-lived romance a whirl.
Stephanie Seymour
Of course, Warren Beatty managed to woo superstar model Stephanie Seymour for a spell, but it was never going to last. Despite his love 'em and leave 'em reputation, Stephanie had just gone through a divorce from guitarist Tommy Andrews and was in no mindset for anything lasting. It was Stephanie who turned the tables and did the leaving in this case.
Elle Macpherson
Warren certainly loved to romance the supermodels. Although, with his pickup lines it’s a bit difficult to understand how he bedded so many of them in the first place. During his love affair with Elle Macpherson back in 1992, he boasted that she put the “super” in supermodel. Jeepers, he’s swell.
Carol Alt
Warren Beatty also had a fling with Carol Alt -- for those of you keeping score at home, that's at least three Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue models he romanced. So it seems Sports Illustrated was pretty good to Beatty -- but did he get the football phone?
Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Yasmina Adjani is one of the most highly acclaimed French actresses of all time. The affair between Warren Beatty and Isabelle was passionate and lasted about a year, from 1986 to 1987. They ended things just before she became involved with Daniel Day-Lewis, who she ended up having a son with.
Madonna
Warren Beatty and Madonna. Source: Pinterest
The 15-month relationship between Warren Beatty and Madonna began while they were filming the 1991 movie
Dick Tracy. According to Beatty, Madonna was a "phenomenon," and according to Madonna, Beatty was an in an "incredible lover" -- but neither of these things was enough to keep the pair together. They were everywhere and then they seemed to slowly fizzle out and suddenly one day they just weren’t an item anymore.
Barbra Streisand
Warren BEatty and Barbra Streisand. Source: Pinterest
As strange as it may sound, yes, Warren and Barbra Streisand were an item. Kathy Griffin’s memoir recalled an awkward evening when Warren jested about Babs getting ‘handsy’ with him in the back seat of a car, years ago. Babs just kept saying “No Warren.” She may enjoy casually dismissing their history but she has validated it by referring to him as one of her "flings."
Annette Bening
Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. Source: IMDB
Warren Beatty has always insisted it was love at first sight for him with Annette Bening. He knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Bening on the other hand, while not discouraged by his reputation, will be the first to admit she had no idea where things were going with Beatty. When they were working on
Bugsy together, things began to get a bit clearer for her. The two lovebirds got married in secret on March 3, 1992, and didn’t announce it until the 12th. They’ve been together ever since and have four children together. Annette has been dubbed the ‘tamer of the beast.’
A Bridge Too Far? Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Kennedy in Venezuela during December 1961 trip to South America. Source: JFK Presidential Library and Museum
It may come as a surprise that several people have reported that Warren Beatty and Jackie Kennedy had a brief affair, which was apparently the First Lady’s way of getting even with her philandering husband, President John F. Kennedy.
A Bridge Way Too Far? Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret in 1965. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Beatty also was said to have dazzled and charmed Princess Margaret, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth. How far did it go -- did Warren Beatty actually sleep with a member of the British Royal Family?
We don't know -- but it's not out of the question now, is it?
Now This Is Getting Ridiculous: Lillian Hellman
Lillian Hellman in 1935, two years before Warren Beatty was born. Source: Wikimedia Commons
According to several stories, Beatty enjoyed a romp with Broadway and movie writer, Lillian Hellman, who was 32 years Beatty’s senior.
