The Not So Merry Wives of Mickey Rooney: A Look at the 8 Women He Married

Ava Gardner

Rooney married the Hollywood starlet before she was famous in 1942, but the pair were divorced by 1943 after the actor's compulsive habits — like gambling and philandering — got in the way.

Betty Jane Baker

While stationed in Alabama during his days in the military, Mickey met and married local beauty queen Betty Jane in 1944. The pair had two sons together but were divorced by 1949. Eight days after the end of their marriage, the former Miss Alabama wed composer Buddy Baker.

Martha Vickers

In 1949, Mickey married television and film actress Martha and they had one son together. But the marriage was short-lived, ending in 1951.

Elaine Devry

In 1952, the National Velvet star married actress Elaine and their relationship lasted for six years. The couple officially divorced in 1958 after Mickey had an affair with fifth wife Barbara Ann Thomason and discovered she was pregnant.

Barbara Ann Thomason (Stage Name: Carolyn Mitchell)

Mickey married Barbara in 1958 after beginning an affair with her while still married to Elaine. The couple had four children together. When she discovered he was having an affair in 1963, Barbara started one of her own with actor Milos Milosevic. The Yugoslavian ended up shooting Barbara and himself in 1966 after hearing of a possible reconciliation between the estranged couple.

Marge Lane

After falling into a deep depression over the death of Barbara, Mickey married her friend Marge in 1966. Their marriage lasted only 100 days. When talking about his sixth wife, the actor has reportedly said, "I think that was her name."

Carolyn Hockett

Mickey married Carolyn at a Las Vegas chapel in 1969 when he was 48 and she was 25. They had one child in 1970 and the actor adopted Carolyn's son Jimmy from a previous relationship. The couple divorced in 1975.

Jan Chamberlin

The actor's last marriage proved to be his longest, marrying the singer in 1978. Their union hit a rough spot in 2011 when Mickey accused his wife's son of elder abuse. The pair separated in May 2013 and were reportedly estranged at the time of Mickey's death.