Hollywood is full of some larger-than-life personalities. It should come as no surprise that these actors, directors, and writers would all have some creative differences. However, sometimes those differences boil over into full-blown rivalries and feuds!
Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra
Why would Frank Sinatra dislike Marlon Brando? After all, the two have such similar energy and seem like they’d be fast friends. Well, that’s the problem: Brando kept landing roles Sinatra wanted. He lost the leading role in several films to the popular actor throughout the 50s. Then, in the 70s, Sinatra wanted to play Vito Corleone in The Godfather and, naturally, lost the role to Brando.
Shannen Doherty vs Alyssa Milano
Shannen Doherty and Alyssa Milano each starred in Charmed on the WB, which debuted in 1998. While the show was a hit, there was reportedly tension behind the scenes between the two, and, at the end of the show’s third season, Doherty’s character was unceremoniously killed off. The drama didn’t quiet down since the series went off the air, either, with the two actresses trading barbs on and off over the past several years. Sadly, Shannen Doherty lost her battle with cancer on July 13, 2024.
Elizabeth Taylor vs Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor’s feud is sad because the two were actually good friends when they were younger. In the mid-50s, Elizabeth’s husband Mike Todd passed away and she reportedly got with Eddie Fisher—who was married to Debbie Reynolds. This thorny love triangle soured their relationship, but the pair eventually made up after they both remarried.
Johnny Carson vs Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers made her debut on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, often covering for him as a host when he wasn’t available. She felt slighted in the 80s when NBC didn’t offer her the role of host when Carson retired. Instead, Rivers got her own talk show on Fox, which Carson felt betrayed their friendship. Tragically, he passed away before the two had a chance to make up.
Jay Leno vs David Letterman
Interestingly, another long-running Hollywood feud popped up around Johnny Carson’s retirement. Jay Leno and David Letterman were both vying for the coveted role of Tonight Show host in the mid-80s, but, as you probably know, Leno got the job. Letterman would host Late Night and The Late Show for 33 years, though, which isn’t a bad run.
Kim Cattrall vs Sarah Jessica Parker
Rumor has it that Sarah Jessica Parker was paid more than Kim Cattrall for her role on Sex and the City. Some have even speculated that the show ended prematurely in 2004 due to Cattrall’s salary demands getting out of control. Indeed, Cattrall has had only limited screentime in the reboot of the popular show.
MGM vs Raquel Welch
Some feuds weren’t between actors or crew members, but instead entire film studios against one actress. When MGM replaced Welch with Debra Winger on their adaptation of Cannery Row, she alleged that it was due to ageism. At the time, she was 40 and Winger was 25. She sued and won nearly $11 million in 1986, but the fallout from the case put a huge damper on her career.
Jayne Mansfield vs Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is one of the most recognizable sex symbols of the 1950s, but her status as undisputed blonde bombshell of the decade was challenged by Jayne Mansfield when she became successful in the mid-50s. Monroe once remarked that she’d “take legal action” against Mansfield if she could for copying her look.
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Roman Polanski vs Faye Dunaway
Roman Polanski is, to put it lightly, a controversial figure. He reportedly hated working with Faye Dunaway on Chinatown, calling her a “maniac” and starting a rumor that she was difficult to work with. Dunaway, for her part, places all the blame with Polanski, saying he was short-tempered and ill-spirited.
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Bette Davis vs Joan Crawford
As far as “legendary Hollywood feuds” go, this one is the biggest. It sounds strange, but it started with a divorce. Bette Davis’s film Ex-Lady debuted the same day as the news of Joan Crawford’s divorce from Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. broke, crushing the film’s box office performance. Later, Davis fell in love with Franchot Tone on the set of Dangerous but lost him to none other than Crawford. The two maintained a genuine and unrelenting dislike for one another until the end of their lives.
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