How long were Dyan Cannon and Cary Grant married? Actress says she has several friends with benefits at 88

Dyan Cannon recently made revelations about her dating life. The 88-year-old actress admitted during a conversation with People that she is still actively dating and has multiple “friends with benefits.” When asked whether she is in a relationship with anyone, Dyan said, “Of course,” and told the magazine that it is “somebody very special.” She added:

“Several special [people]... I have friends with benefits, yes.”

During the ‘60s, Dyan Cannon made headlines for her relationship with Cary Grant. They were married for less than three years — from July 1965 to March 1968. Cannon and Grant welcomed their only child, Jennifer, in February 1966. In September 1967, the actress filed for divorce from her first husband. It was finalized a few months later, per The Windsor Star.

Dyan Cannon was the fourth wife of Cary Grant, who married again in 1981. He remained married to his fifth wife, Barbara Harris, until he died in 1986 at 82. Years after her divorce from Grant, the Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice actress tied the knot again. She married Stanley Fimberg, a relationship that lasted six years before they parted ways in 1991.

Dyan Cannon and Cary Grant started dating in 1961

The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond actress reflected upon her relationship with her first husband in her book, Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grant. The North by Northwest star was well-established as a Hollywood icon when Dyan Cannon began her showbiz career. In her book, she revealed that Grant had contacted her agent to arrange a meeting with her.

According to ABC News, Dyan Cannon wrote about being reluctant to meet Cary Grant and turned down the request. The actors had a 33-year age difference — one reason for her initial rejection. Eventually, the Charade actor was able to arrange a meeting without Cannon’s knowledge, per her book.

Per ABC News, the actress described Cary Grant as “the most arrestingly handsome man” after meeting him for the first time. Their relationship became the talk of the town after they started dating in 1961. As mentioned, the couple married a few years later, but their marriage ended in a divorce. In a 2023 interview with the gossip column Page Six, Cannon talked about Grant’s criticizing persona:

“I never knew what was going to set him off next, and when he wasn’t at work he trailed me around the house, listing my shortcomings. I didn’t place a coaster under my water glass.

She continued,

I parked my car in the driveway crooked. I shouldn’t be so friendly to the postman because he might get the wrong idea, or to the maid because it was good to keep a distance.”

In the same conversation, Dyan also recounted,

“About four months ago I was going through my safe and I found some notes from him that were so adorable, and made me understand why I fell in love with him.”

Dyan Cannon, linked with many notable Hollywood names throughout her six-decade-long career, also secretly dated Johnny Carson. In a recent interview with People, Cannon confirmed her past relationship with the late comedian and The Tonight Show host. She also revealed:

Trending

“He [Johnny Carson] loved it. We used to go to restaurants, and they'd shut down the entire restaurant for him. He was a special man.”

Cannon added that she knew “a lot of special men” like Carson, “and there's more to come,” referring to her dating life.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback