29 Iconic Power Couples of the 1960s

The 1960s were glamorous, and the era’s most iconic power couples included royalty, movie stars, sports personalities, and models. Although some of these couples weren’t together for long, they had enough visibility to make them status symbols of the decade.

1. Sammy Davis Jr. and May Britt

Sammy Davis Jr. was a member of “The Rat Pack” and a close friend of Frank Sinatra. When he married May Britt in 1960, interracial marriage was still illegal in 31 states, so the relationship was highly controversial. Nevertheless, it helped show the world that love doesn’t care about race or skin color.

2. Eartha Kitt and John William McDonald

Eartha Kitt was a singing sensation, and John William McDonald was a Korean War veteran. Their relationship was another interracial marriage that set tongues wagging at the time. Unfortunately, the relationship didn’t last long, particularly because McDonald had developed an opioid addiction due to his war injuries. 

3. Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones

Princess Margaret hadn’t had much luck in love before she met Antony Armstrong-Jones, whom she married in 1960. Although the marriage appeared strong, it quickly devolved into infidelity and strife. Seventeen years after their marriage, in 1976, Princess Margaret became the first royal since King Henry VIII to end her marriage.

4. Ginger Rogers and William Marshall

William Marshall was the fifth and final husband of fellow actor Ginger Rogers. Although that sounds like they were together happily ever after, it’s not the case. The couple divorced in 1970 after their joint film production company collapsed.

5. Frank Robinson and Barbara Ann Cole

Frank Robinson was a Hall of Fame baseball player who wooed Barbara Ann Cole in between the heavy demands of his distinguished baseball career. Barbara Ann Cole was a real-estate agent who stood by her husband’s side throughout his career. The couple had two children together and remained married until Frank Robinson died in 2019.

6. Aretha Franklin and Ted White

Legendary singer Aretha Franklin married Ted White, eleven years her senior, in 1961. He became her manager and co-wrote some of Aretha Franklin’s songs. Although they had a son, the marriage ended in 1969, largely due to Ted White’s abuse of his famous wife.

7. Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark

The former king of Spain married Sophia of Greece and Denmark in 1962. The marriage took place in Sophia’s birthplace, Athens, and was a glitzy affair that brought together other European royalty. Although Juan Carlos is now retired from public life because of several scandals, Sophia is still by his side.

8. Jack Lemon and Felicia Farr

Jack Lemon and Felicia Farr were Hollywood royalty and met on a film set. Their relationship culminated in a Paris wedding in 1962. Following their marriage, their careers took off, and the couple remained together until Jack Lemon died in 2001.

9. Nancy Kwan and Peter Pock

Nancy Kwan married Peter Pock, an Austrian skier, in 1962. The Chinese-American actress stayed in the high-profile marriage until 1968 when the two divorced. They had one child together.

10. Frank Budd and Barbara Jordan

Once hailed as the world’s fastest human, Frank Budd went from Olympic sprinter to NFL wide receiver during his sports career. His relationship with Barbara Jordan, whom he married in 1963, lasted until his death in 2014.

11. Tony Curtis and Christine Kaufmann

Christine Kaufmann, an Austrian actress, won a Golden Globe at the tender age of 17 and married fellow thespian Tony Curtis, who was twenty years older than her, one year later. However, the marriage didn’t last long. Christine and Tony got divorced in 1968, and later, she admitted she had an affair with Warren Beatty.

12. Betty White and Allen Ludden

Betty White and Allen Ludden married in 1963 and stayed together until Allen died in 1981. Betty White pioneered early television, and Allen Ludden was a game show host. Betty’s famous show, Golden Girls, accurately depicted the couple’s happy marriage.

13. Terry O’Neill and Vera Day

Terry O’Neill was the photographer to the stars during the 1960s. Despite his fame, he preferred to stay under the radar and concentrate on his craft. Although he took pictures of iconic, established actresses like Brigitte Bardot, he also photographed pin-ups. That’s how he met Vera Day, also known as the British Marylin Monroe, who became his wife for thirteen years.

14. Paul Anka and Anne de Zogheb

Paul Anka’s name in music doesn’t need any explanation. Anne De Zogheb, a Ford model and art collector, met Anka in 1962 and married him a year later. The couple had five daughters and put on a strong front for over thirty years. However, in 2000, they divorced.

15. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton are the ultimate power couple not only of the 1960s but of the entire 20th century. The couple married twice and starred in 11 movies together without once missing chemistry on screen. Their turbulent love story started on the set of Cleopatra but didn’t survive their strong personalities in the long term.

16. Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Pancrazzi

Serge Gainsbourg, probably the best French singer of the 20th century, already had a divorce under his belt when he married Francoise Pancrazzi, a wealthy socialite. Although the two made a fashionable couple and had two children together, their marriage only lasted three years.

17. Peter Sellers and Britt Ekland

After seeing her picture in a newspaper, Peter Sellers, one of the funniest English comedians of the 1960s, proposed to Britt Egkland, a former Bond girl. Although the marriage only lasted four years, Britt was very supportive of Peter Sellers’s children from a previous relationship and his declining health.

18. Tippi Hedren and Noel Marshall

Tippi Hedren, famous for such titles as Hitchcock’s The Birds, and her producer husband Noel Marshall were more than a power couple of the 1960s. Fans best remember them for Roar, the most dangerous movie ever made, where the human actors were co-starring with tigers, lions, cougars, and leopards. Although their marriage sounded like crazy fun, the couple divorced in 1982. 

19. Jane Birkin and John Barry

Jane Birkin was a much-loved English actor and singer. She married John Barry, an acclaimed composer whose name appears on eleven James Bond soundtracks, in 1965. Although their marriage only lasted three years, the connection between these two music lovers remained strong after their divorce.

20. Catherine Deneuve and David Bailey

Surprisingly, Catherine Deneuve only married once, and her husband was famous photographer David Bailey. The couple was married for twelve years, divorcing in 1972. Bailey later said that he and Deneuve drifted apart, especially because they lived on opposite sides of the British Channel. Although Catherine Deneuve was happy when they divorced, it wasn’t for the usual reasons. Instead, she was happy that, as divorcees, they could be lovers.

21. Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Hallyday

In 1965, both Sylvie Vartan and Johnny Hallyday were household names in France. After they tied the knot, they became the most popular French couple of the 1960s. Although their marriage ended in divorce in 1980, the duo were influential throughout their years together.

22. Ringo Starr and Maureen Cox

Maureen Cox married ex-Beatle Ringo Starr in 1962, and the couple had three children together before they split in 1975. Ringo Starr had other relationships after his marriage to Maureen ended, yet he remained a devoted father to their three children, with whom he still enjoys a close relationship.

23. Pelé and Rosemeri Dos Reis Cholbi

Pelé’s feats on the soccer field have inspired generations of young athletes. However, the champion had a tumultuous love life, marrying twice and having many relationships. His first love was Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi, whom he married in 1966. The couple had three children and struggled to remain together throughout Pelé’s infidelities and toxic love. Eventually, they were too much, and the two divorced in 1986.

24. Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti

In the 1960s, Sophia Loren’s beauty and talent had become the stuff of legends. As a teenager, she met Carlo Ponti, who was twenty years older than her. Because Carlo Ponti was already married, the couple faced bigamy accusations when they first got married. After a 1975 divorce to avoid the accusations, they remarried. However, Sophia Loren still regrets that she couldn’t get married in a white dress.

25. George Harrison and Pattie Boyd

Pattie Boyd was a model who inspired such unforgettable songs as “Something” and “Layla.” She married Beatle George Harrison after he proposed within minutes of meeting her. Their marriage lasted ten years. Eventually, George Harrison cheated on Pattie with an ex of his good friend Eric Clapton. Strangely enough, Pattie Boyd ended up marrying Eric Clapton after her marriage to George Harrison went sideways.

26. Jane Fonda and Roger Vadim

Jane Fonda was still landing projects based largely on her looks when she met Roger Vadim, the director of her infamous movie, Barbarella, in 1965. The couple had an open marriage arrangement that suited them… until it didn’t, and Jane filed for divorce.

27. Raquel Welch and Patrick Curtis

Raquel Welch was an international femme fatale in the 1960s. The stunning actress, singer, and dancer got married four times. Patrick Curtis, a movie producer, was Raquel’s husband for seven years, from 1965 to 1972. Later, Raquel told interviewers she didn’t regret the marriage.

28. Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu

When Elvis Presley met a 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu in 1959, he was already famous and ten years her senior. Because of the age difference, Elvis thought he could turn Priscilla into his ideal woman. However, as she matured, Priscilla became her own person, leading to their divorce in 1973.

29. Jackie Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis

Less than five years after her husband’s assassination in 1963, former First Lady Jackie Kennedy married shipping mogul Aristotle Onassis. If anything, Jackie Kennedy’s fame increased after the wedding, which took place on the groom’s private island. The marriage wasn’t happy, however. Had Onassis not died in 1975, the duo likely would have gotten a divorce.