Anne Douglas Writes Openly About Kirk Douglas’s Extramarital Affairs

Kirk and Anne Douglas have been married since 1954. Together, they share two sons, Peter and the late Eric, and more than six decades of partnership. But their marriage hasn’t been a completely monogamous one. Anne wrote about this in her and her husband’s new book, Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter and a Lifetime in Hollywood, per People.

“Kirk never tried to hide his dalliances from me,” Anne details in the book, noting that her husband’s infidelities were something she accepted as a part of marriage. “As a European, I understood it was unrealistic to expect total fidelity in a marriage.”

Kirk Douglas, now 100, wrote about his extramarital affairs in his 1988 autobiography, The Ragman’s Son. “I’m a sonofabitch, plain and simple,” he said then, per the New York Post. He detailed sexual conquests with Joan Crawford’s daughter, Christina Crawford, Rita Hayworth, and Patricia Neal. He tried and failed to seduce Lauren Bacall.

“Kirk secured my permission before including stories of his trysts . . . I’m positive his candor helped him make the book a major bestseller,” Anne said.

This couple comes from a generation where affairs were often swept under the rug or blew up in scandal. When Eddie Fisher cheated on Debbie Reynolds with Elizabeth Taylor, the trio became the talk of Tinseltown. Sometimes, as in the case of longtime couple Marlon Brando and Rita Moreno, years of endured infidelity led to the demise of the relationship. But the Douglases have remained strong in their relationship, largely, according to Kirk, because of Anne’s continued support.

Read more at Vanity Fair.