Before Michelle and Barack Obama or Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles (before Harry Styles was even born, in fact), Hollywood’s red carpets were packed with notable couples that, unfortunately, many have forgotten.
From on-set romances to notorious on-off affairs, these couples deserve to be remembered. So, let’s take a look back at some of the most iconic couples from the ’70s.
Jack Nicholson and Michelle Phillips
Because Michelle Phillips was the ex-wife of Jack Nicholson‘s friend Dennis Hooper, Nicholson’s relationship with The Mamas & the Papas singer was already off to a shaky start. Nevertheless, they dated on and off for the early part of the ’70s.
Warren Beatty and Julie Christie
When Warren Beatty and Julie Christie dated, they were the Hollywood “It” couple. They split up in 1973, but it doesn’t appear that there were any residual resentments. In 2016, Beatty told People, “We’re very close and she’s a remarkable person.”
Sally Field and Burt Reynolds
Smokey and the Bandit, one of the decade’s biggest hits, also gave birth to one of the decade’s most renowned couples. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds met on set in 1977 and had a three-year on-again, off-again relationship.
Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg
The English model and French singer were often a topic of discussion during their 13-year romance. They had one daughter together during their relationship and were married from 1968 until 1980.
Audrey Hepburn and Andrea Dotti
Audrey Hepburn fell in love with Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti while on a cruise after divorcing Mel Ferrer in 1968. They married in 1969 and spent the ’70s living together in Rome.
Harrison Ford and Mary Marquardt
Harrison Ford entered Hollywood as a married man. In 1964, Ford married Mary Marquardt, his high school sweetheart and they were a couple until 1979.
Mick and Bianca Jagger
The Rolling Stones frontman and his first wife were among the most photographed couples of the decade, from their wedding in St. Tropez in 1971 through to their regular antics at Studio 54. They divorced in 1978 after a seven-year marriage and one daughter.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley
Unfortunately, Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s iconic marriage ended in the 1970s. Elvis filed for divorce in 1973 after six years of marriage and a decade of courtship.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward had been married for more than a decade by the 1970s, having married in 1958. Despite this, the Hollywood pair remained one of the most popular of the period.
Paul and Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney was the perfect rock and roll wing woman in the 1970s, particularly on the Wings Over Europe tour in 1972. The long-time couple wedded in London in 1969 and remained together until Linda sadly died in 1998.
Michael and Shakira Caine
Michael Caine first glimpsed his future wife in a Maxwell House coffee advertisement in 1971. They married in 1973 after identifying her through his agents, and have been together ever since.
Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards
Shortly after divorcing her first husband, Julie Andrews met the love of her life. Andrews married Blake Edwards, a well-known director, in 1969, and the couple remained together until Edwards’ death in 2010.
Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould
Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould were the definition of a Hollywood power couple when they entered the 1970s —she’d just had success with Funny Girl and Hello Dolly!, and he was starring on M.A.S.H. Nonetheless, in the early 1970s, they parted ways.
Ronald and Nancy Reagan
When Ronald and Nancy Reagan married in 1952, they were ambitious Hollywood actors, but their marriage was cast in a new light when Ronald entered politics in the late 1960s, first as Governor of California and then as President of the United States.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
After marrying in 1963, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton separated in 1974, only to remarry in 1975 and divorce for good a year later. Whatever you think of Liz and Dick, they knew exactly how to make headlines.
Bernadette Peters and Steve Martin
In the late 1970s, Broadway star Bernadette Peters and comedian Steve Martin were one of Hollywood’s hottest couples. They even starred opposite each other in the 1979 film The Jerk.
Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke
Clint Eastwood has had a number of lovers throughout the years, but none more famous than Sondra Locke. They began dating after meeting on the set of The Outlaw Josey Wales in 1976, and they went on to feature in six films together throughout their relationship.
Cher and Gregg Allman
Cher‘s romance with Allman Brothers singer Gregg Allman was one of the most talked-about romances of the mid-’70s, since they married three days after her divorce from Sonny Bono was completed. The couple’s turbulent marriage was widely publicised during the next three years, and they eventually divorced in 1979.
Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton
It was a scandal in the world of rock and roll when Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton first started dating because Boyd had previously been married to Clapton’s pal, George Harrison. Clapton and the model married in 1979 and were married for ten years.
Diana Ross and Gene Simmons
During their relationship in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Gene Simmons and Diana Ross kept a low profile. They met in 1979 (when Simmons was seeing Cher), began a romantic relationship, and remained together until 1984.