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Michael Douglas has the marriage and divorce history you’d expect from an A-list actor with a long career.
Whether fans know him for his classic work decades ago or for his role as the cantankerous Hank Pym in the MCUMichael Douglas is a Hollywood legend.
But the topic of his marital status has come up more than once – and with good reason.
Hollywood marriages are complex subjects. But here is his story and where things stand today.
Who was Michael Douglas’ first marriage and divorce?
As we mentioned, Michael Douglas has been a prominent actor since before many of his fans were alive. As such, his relationship history goes back almost as far.
In 1971, Michael Douglas began dating actress Brenda Vaccaro after the filming of Summer tree.
That romance would go on to span six years of their lives.
He moved on, however, and his next serious relationship took on a more formal label.
In March 1977, the then 32-year-old Douglas married the daughter of an Austrian diplomat. Diandra Luker was 19 at the time.
During their relationship, they welcomed a child. Their son, Cameron, was born in 1978.
In 1995, after almost 20 years together, Diandra filed for divorce from Michael Douglas.
The settlement included a payout to her of $45 million.
Michael Douglas’ most famous relationship is with Catherine Zeta-Jones
In March 1999, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones began dating.
They were both already hugely famous stars – and quickly made it clear that they were serious about each other.
On November 18, 2000, Douglas and Zeta-Jones married.
They have welcomed two children. The couple had a son, Dylan Michael, on August 8, 2000, and a daughter, Carys Zeta, on April 20, 20003.
Despite their famous romance and two children together, there have been bumps along the way.
At the end of summer 2013, People reported that Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were live apart.
In fact, the report claims that the two had begun this informal separation – without filing for anything – in May of that year.
However, reports maintained that they took a break to make the marriage work.
In November, they had reportedly reconciled and were living together again. In 2015, Douglas characterized their marriage as “stronger than ever” while speaking Ellen DeGeneres.
Did Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones divorce?
In October 2023, RadarOnline claimed that Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were real divorce in all but name. Memorable, Zeta-Jones has expressed disgust over divorce and don’t feel like it.
“The marriage is over, but they don’t want to do the whole divorce and separation thing,” the insider claimed.
“So, they have this arrangement that works for them because no one knows about it. They definitely live separate lives.”
If Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are truly divorced in all but name, they do one great work to hide it.
As of early 2025, there was still no official buzz about any marital discord in the longtime Hollywood couple.
Catherine sends a birthday message to the world
Interestingly, Michael and Catherine share a birthday.
And last year, Catherine marked the occasion by posts a nude photo on Instagram.
Many took it as her way of confirming that her marriage to Michael is still happy and healthy.
Whatever her intention, it reminded millions that Michael is a very lucky man!
