“Know When to Hold Them, and Know When to Fold Them” – A Brief Look at Notorious Marriages and Divorces in Nevada By Kristen Simmons, Esq. “Marriage is a gamble, let’s be honest.” – Yoko Ono. If marriage is a gamble, it is only fitting that Nevada has had a significant role in many of the notorious marriages and divorces in America. Reno was once known as the “Divorce Capital of the World,” and Las Vegas has seen many drive-through and quickie weddings. The following is a list of A-listers who may have hit the “jackpot” by marrying in Nevada and those who used Nevada to cut their losses and run. Famous Marriages: Richard Gere & Cindy Crawford – December 12, 1991 Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos – May 1, 1996* Barbara Hutton and Count Haugwitz Reventlow – March 1935 Carmen Electra & Dennis Rodman – November 15, 1998 Betty Grable & Harry James – April 1943 Billy Bob Thornton & Angelina Jolie – Rita Hayworth & Dick Haymes – May 5, 2000 September 24, 1953 Andre Agassi & Kirk Douglas & Parisian Ann Steffi Graff – Buydens – May 28, 1954* October 22, 2001* Joan Crawford & Britney Spears & Alfred Steele – May 1955* Jason Alexander – Howard Hughes & Jean January 3, 2004 Peters – January 12, 1957 (annulled the following Monday) Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward – January 29, 1958* Nicky Hilton & Todd Andrew Meister – Elizabeth Taylor & August 15, 2004 Eddie Fischer – May 12, 1959 Mary Tyler Moore & Grant Tinker – 1962 * denotes still married or married at time of death of Betty White & Allen Ludden – one spouse June 14, 1963* Jane Fonda & Roger Vadim – Famous Divorces August 14, 1965 Frank Sinatra & Mia Farrow – Mary Pickford & Owen Moore – 1920 July 19, 1966 Huguette Clark Gower & W. A. Gower – August 11, 1930 Elvis Presley & Priscilla Anne Beaulieu – May 1, 1967 (Huguette was the daughter of Senator William A. Clark, for whom Clark County is named) Ann-Margret & Roger Smith – May 1967* Jack Dempsey & Estelle Taylor - 1931 Wayne Newton & Elaine Okamura – June 1968 Clark Gable & Ria Langham – January 1939 George Hamilton & Alana Collins – October 1972 Rita Hayworth & Ali Khan – 1953 Cher & Gregg Allman – June 30, 1975 Eddie Fisher & Debbie Reynolds – 1959 Robert Goulet & Vera Novak – 1982* (Eddie divorced Debbie to marry Elizabeth Taylor) Joan Collins & Peter Holm – November 6, 1985 Nelson Rockefeller & Mary Rockefeller – 1962 Demi Moore & Bruce Willis – November 21, 1987 Howard Hughes & Jean Peters – June 18, 1971 Jon Bon Jovi & Dorothea Hurley – April 29, 1989* Corey Feldman & Vanessa Marcil – August 6, 1989 Author’s bio on page 5. Michael Jordan & Juanita Vanoy – September 2, 1989 Photos courtesy of the Nevada Historical Society. 50 Nevada Lawyer May 2011