From the original Dynasty series to the hit 1955 movie, Land of the Pharaohs, it’s no surprise that Joan Collins, 90, is a household name! The brunette beauty has won several awards for her work over the years including an Emmy Award nomination and a Soap Opera Digest Award, per her official IMDb. Joan celebrated her 90th birthday on May 23, 2023.
She took to Instagram two days later to share a glamour shot of herself and thank everyone for their birthday wishes. “Yes thank you I have a very happy birthday. Xxxx,” she captioned the photo.
On January 15, 2024, the bombshell icon is set to present at the Emmy Awards. Ahead of the show, here’s what to know about Joan’s five marriages over the years.
Maxwell Reed
In May 1952, Joan became married for the first time at the age of 18. Her husband was famous Irish actor Maxwell Reed, who was 15 years her senior. Years later, she claimed he had sexually assaulted her on their first date after he drugged her. “He gave me the rum and Coke, he gave me this book, which was full of the most explicit, sexually explicit, pictures that I’d ever seen,” she recalled on the Originals podcast, per Los Angeles magazine. “And the next thing I know, I was on the sofa in his sitting room and he had raped me, and I hadn’t known anything about it because he had drugged me.”
She said yes to his proposal months later because he apologized. “And I thought, ‘Well I better because you know, he took my virginity,'” she explained on the podcast. “I really hated him, but I was so filled with guilt, that he had done this thing to me.” They eventually divorced in 1956. Maxwell died of cancer on Oct. 31, 1974 at the age of 55.
Anthony Newley
From 1963 to 1971, Joan called British singer-songwriter Anthony Newley her husband. The pair would go on to welcome two children: daughter Tara (b. 1963) and son Alexander (. 1965). During his career, Anthony scored quite a few Top 40 hits as a songwriter, including “Feeling Good,” which was covered by Nina Simone. He also received an Academy Award nomination for the film score of 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Anthony died on Apr. 14, 1999, at the age of 68.
Ron Kass
American businessman Ron Kass wooed Joan and put a ring on her finger a year after her divorce from Anthony. “For a year, he bombarded me with love, attention and proposals of marriage,” Joan wrote of Ron in the Daily Mail. They welcomed a daughter, Katyana (b. 1972), the same year.
However, Ron suffered from substance use disorder which came to a head after he lost a job. “This came as a massive blow to my husband’s ego,” she wrote in the outlet. “It’s at this point, I believe, that Ron started taking drugs. He became terribly uncommunicative — and our money began to run out. So we started downsizing, moving to smaller and smaller houses.” Eventually, they divorced in 1983, notably three years before his death.
Peter Holm
Swedish pop singer Peter Holm was acting as Joan’s manager when they decided to walk down the aisle together in Las Vegas in 1985. Joan has alleged that Peter, who was 14 years her junior, was constantly demanding money. After a bitter separation, they officially divorced in 1987.
Percy Gibson
Fifth times a charm! The Tales From the Crypt actress married her fifth and current husband Percy Gibson in February 2002 at Claridge’s Hotel in London. The film and television producer is 31 years younger than his wife. Most recently, the 58-year-old and Joan were spotted on a dinner date in Hollywood in Jan. 2023. During their night out, the Hollywood legend rocked a black coat with a fur scarf while her leading man opted for a classic black suit.
Joan often shares photos of her fifth husband via Instagram, including a sweet post on May 18, 2023. “We’re going #onthetown,” she captioned the photo of her holding Percy close. They also posed together on the beach on Apr. 8, 2023. “#thankyoufollowers for lovely #comments about my #post yesterday and @janeelizabethhanson for having taken the photo! Celebrating #easter at @tahiti_beach -what a #sky !!”, Joan captioned the selfie.