Inside Cary Grant's Love Life, Including Five Marriages & Bromance With His Roommate Randolph Scott

Jun 29, 2022

Actor Cary Grant is considered one of the greatest movie stars of all time, second only perhaps to Humphrey Bogart. Grant starred in countless classic Hollywood films such as "His Girl Friday" (1940), "To Catch a Thief" (1955), "North by Northwest" (1959), "An Affair to Remember" (1957), as well as "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) alongside Katherine Hepburn. He was known for not only his debonair good looks but also his comedic timing and famed "Transatlantic" accent. 

Grant was also one of the wealthiest actors of his era. He owned houses in Beverly Hills, Malibu, and Palm Springs. Something of a socialite, Grant entertained the likes of Gregory Peck, Quincy Jones, Merv Griffin, as well as Frank and Barbara Sinatra. Romantically, he was similarly popular, being one of the most eligible bachelors of the time. Grant married, but each union would eventually run its course after a few years. Of the five times Grant got hitched, he most notably eloped with actresses Virginia Cherrill (1934–1935), Betsy Drake (1949–1962), and Dyan Cannon (1965–1968). Grant had one daughter, Jennifer Grant, in 1966, which is around when he formally retired from acting to pursue his business interests. 

Grant was also romantically linked to Sophia Loren, with whom he starred in "The Pride and the Passion" (1957) as well as "Houseboat" (1958.) Either unlucky in love or unwilling to settle, Grant enjoyed a somewhat reoccurring role as a bachelor. During these periods when he was sporadically single, Grant would notably move in with fellow actor Randolph Scott. 

Perhaps best known for his Western roles, Randolph Scott was most recognizable astride a saddle. The lanky, six-foot-two actor made his name playing cowboys and outlaws. Occasionally, he would leave the genre, playing the lead in the Shirley Temple film "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (1938). Scott also starred in the romantic comedy "My Favorite Wife" (1940), playing the role of the "other man" alongside Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. Scott and Grant had also featured in "Hot Saturday" (1932) with Nancy Carroll.

The two actors became friends as they were both coming up in Hollywood, eventually moving into a beach house in Malibu together. Perhaps aware of how their arrangement may seem to an outside audience, the actors playfully referred to their home as "Bachelor Hall." Scott, like Grant, would not live at the "Hall" for long. Both men would leave, it seems periodically, to enter somewhat fraught marriages, only to return again. This pattern went on for years and led to rumors that the actors were romantically involved. However, both men maintained that their cohabitation was merely a convenience, not wanting to subject a woman to living their stereotypical bachelor life. 

Scott and Grant coexisted on and off until 1944. The two would "batch" it until romance called them away. Unlike Grant, who frequently married, Scott seemed to have more luck. He married the heiress Marion duPont in 1936; however, the couple divorced in 1939. Then in 1944, Scott married actress, Patricia Stillman. Together they adopted two children, Sandra and Christopher, in 1950.

While both men entered marriages with women, there remained a question of their connection to one another. There was something suspect in their cohabitation, which to this day seems to some to be less frat house and more "Frankie & Grace."

Those rumors are greatly fueled by photo sets that the actors had published in fan magazines throughout the existence of "Bachelor Hall." Similar to the spreads of boy bands today, the pictures featured Grant and Scott in candid, action-filled poses. They tossed a ball poolside, sat singing together at a piano, and worked the weights and speed bag at the gym. 

Amid these shots, there were also ones that hinted at a tenderness between them. Whether feigned for the camera or not, they show Scott and Grant peering apparently lovingly into each other's eyes over a breakfast spread. Another photo features the two sitting separately but close together, reading the papers. A third shows Scott about to playfully shove Grant off the diving board they're sharing. While it is entirely possible that the two men were hamming it up for the camera, applying their acting skills to create the picturesque image of domesticity, the reason for "why" lingers. 

Sure, the pictures drum up attention for either actor, creating free publicity for whatever up-and-coming film they had. The spreads also gave the fan girls of the thirties and forties something to ogle over, feeding the emerging celebrity culture. However, both Grant and Scott seemed to have really put effort into appearing like a loving couple. Why? Perhaps because they truly cared for one another. 

What was your favorite Cary Grant movie? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family, and fellow movie fans!