The Four Husbands Of Joan Crawford: A Deep Dive Into Hollywood's Most Volatile Marriages

Joan Crawford's love life was as dramatic and meticulously crafted as her on-screen persona, a whirlwind of ambition, glamour, and intense emotional volatility that played out across four distinct marriages. As of late 2025, modern reappraisals of the Golden Age of Hollywood continue to dissect the formidable star's private world, revealing how her relationships with four very different men—three actors and one powerful business mogul—were often a reflection of her own relentless drive for success and control. Each union, though relatively short-lived, shaped her public image and private life in profound ways, from navigating the pressures of Hollywood royalty to mastering the corporate world of Pepsi-Cola. The legendary actress, born Lucille Fay LeSueur, famously remarked, "I never go to bed with a man whose name I don't know." Her four official husbands were not merely brief flings but strategic or passionate partnerships that defined different eras of her seven-decade career, ultimately ending in three divorces and one death, proving that even for one of cinema's most powerful women, finding lasting romantic stability remained an elusive goal.

Complete Biographical Profiles of Joan Crawford's Four Husbands

Joan Crawford’s husbands were all prominent figures in their own right, spanning the worlds of Hollywood aristocracy, Broadway theater, and corporate America. Their lives, though often overshadowed by the formidable presence of their wife, offer a fascinating glimpse into the men who shared her spotlight.

• Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (1909–1994)
  • Full Name: Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr.
  • Born: December 9, 1909, New York City, New York.
  • Died: May 7, 1994, New York City, New York.
  • Career: Esteemed American actor, decorated naval officer during World War II, and diplomat. He was the son of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and stepson of Mary Pickford, making him Hollywood royalty.
  • Marriage to Crawford: 1929–1933 (Divorced).
• Franchot Tone (1905–1968)
  • Full Name: Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone.
  • Born: February 27, 1905, Niagara Falls, New York.
  • Died: September 18, 1968, New York City, New York.
  • Career: Highly respected American actor of stage and screen, known for his work with the Group Theatre in New York and his Oscar-nominated role in *Mutiny on the Bounty* (1935). He was considered a "serious" actor.
  • Marriage to Crawford: 1935–1939 (Divorced).
• Phillip Terry (1909–1993)
  • Full Name: Frederick Henry Kormann.
  • Born: March 7, 1909, Little Rock, Arkansas.
  • Died: February 23, 1993, Santa Barbara, California.
  • Career: American film and television actor, primarily known for B-movies and supporting roles. His career was less prominent than Crawford's, which was a source of tension in the marriage.
  • Marriage to Crawford: 1942–1946 (Divorced).
• Alfred N. Steele (1901–1959)
  • Full Name: Alfred Nu Steele.
  • Born: April 24, 1901, Nashville, Tennessee.
  • Died: April 19, 1959, New York City, New York.
  • Career: American business executive, famously known for his tenure as the President and later Chairman of the Board of the Pepsi-Cola Company. He was instrumental in revitalizing the brand in the 1950s.
  • Marriage to Crawford: 1956–1959 (Ended by his death).

The Young Hollywood Power Couple: Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Joan Crawford's first marriage to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was a union of two rising stars, a real-life Hollywood fairytale that captivated the public in the late 1920s. They married in a small ceremony in June 1929; Fairbanks was just nineteen years old. The relationship was steeped in the glamour of the silent film era transitioning into talkies, but it was also a clash of cultures. Fairbanks Jr. came from a background of old-money sophistication, with his father, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., and stepmother, Mary Pickford, being the undisputed king and queen of Hollywood. Joan, still learning the social graces and determined to shed her working-class roots, reportedly tried to emulate the polished lifestyle of Pickfair, the famous estate of his parents. The marriage began to crumble as Crawford's star power rapidly eclipsed her husband's. The underlying tension stemmed from Joan's overwhelming ambition and her growing reputation as a major box office draw at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). By the end of 1932, Crawford had mentally "checked out" of the marriage, and she filed for divorce, which was finalized in May 1933. Despite the split, Fairbanks Jr. maintained a gentlemanly silence about his ex-wife for decades, even refusing to criticize her after the publication of Christina Crawford's controversial memoir, *Mommie Dearest*.

The Actor vs. The Star: Franchot Tone's Resentment

Crawford’s second husband, Franchot Tone, represented a different kind of partner: an intellectual, respected stage actor from a wealthy industrialist family, who was serious about his craft. They met while filming *Today We Live* (1933) and married in 1935. Crawford often expressed gratitude to Tone, claiming he helped her develop her cultural and intellectual side. However, this marriage, too, fell victim to the cutthroat nature of the studio system and the disparity in their respective careers. Tone, despite his talent, was often relegated to supporting roles, while Crawford was one of MGM's biggest and most bankable stars. This reversal of roles—where the wife was the greater success—led to deep-seated resentment from Tone, who grew weary of playing "second banana" to his famous wife. The emotional strain, coupled with rumors of Crawford's affairs (notably with Clark Gable), proved too much. The divorce in 1939 was a painful one, yet Crawford and Tone maintained a complex, lifelong friendship. In a surprising twist of fate, Crawford even helped care for Tone in the final years of his life.

The Quiet Interlude: Phillip Terry and the Quest for Domesticity

Following the high-profile, volatile marriages to Fairbanks Jr. and Tone, Crawford sought a quieter, more domestic life with her third husband, actor Phillip Terry. They married in 1942, a period when Crawford was embracing motherhood, having adopted her first two children. Terry, whose birth name was Frederick Henry Kormann, was reportedly a loving and attentive father to the children. Despite Terry’s suitability as a family man, the marriage lasted only four years, ending in 1946. The reason, according to those close to Crawford, was simple: the star found herself "getting bored with his placid nature." Crawford, a woman fueled by drama, ambition, and intensity, found the stability and calm of Terry's personality ultimately unfulfilling. The divorce was amicable, with Crawford filing and even paying Terry a settlement. A significant and telling detail of this split was Crawford's decision to rename her adopted son, whom she had initially named Phillip Terry Jr., to Christopher Crawford, effectively erasing her ex-husband's name from her family life. This demonstrated her need to control her narrative and her domestic sphere completely.

The Corporate Executive: Alfred N. Steele and the Pepsi Years

Joan Crawford's final marriage to Alfred N. Steele, a powerful business executive, marked a dramatic shift from Hollywood to the boardroom. Steele, a former vice president at Coca-Cola, had defected to become the President of the struggling Pepsi-Cola Company in the 1950s. They married in 1956, and Crawford immediately threw herself into the corporate world, using her celebrity to promote the Pepsi brand globally. This marriage was a true partnership of power and ambition. Crawford became a tireless and highly visible ambassador for Pepsi, traveling the world to attend bottler meetings and promote the soft drink. She even insisted that Pepsi be featured in her films, a groundbreaking move for product placement at the time. The marriage ended tragically with Steele's sudden death from a heart attack in 1959. Following his death, Crawford was appointed to the Pepsi-Cola Company's Board of Directors, a role she took extremely seriously, serving for many years. This final union, though short, cemented her legacy not just as a film star but as a pioneering female corporate figure, a testament to her enduring drive to conquer every arena she entered. The relationship with Steele provided her with a final, powerful identity beyond the silver screen, successfully transitioning her from a Golden Age icon to a savvy businesswoman.