Hollywood has always been a land of dreams, glitz, and glamour.

But behind the dazzling lights and red carpets, some of the brightest stars have lived lives marked by turmoil, tragedy, and behavior that shocked the world.

This article uncovers the dark, often hidden stories of some of the most out-of-control actresses in film history—women whose struggles with fame, mental health, and personal demons were kept secret for decades.

Greta Garbo was the epitome of mystique and allure, commanding attention with every film she made.

At the peak of her career in 1941, MGM offered her $270,000—a fortune equivalent to nearly $5 million today—to stay under their spotlight.

Yet, Garbo walked away without hesitation.

She vanished into a Beverly Hills mansion, transforming it into a fortress of solitude for almost 50 years.

 

Garbo suffered from agoraphobia, a fear of leaving safe places, which remained unknown to the public for decades.

She was terrified of restaurants and believed someone was trying to poison her.

This paranoia led her to swallow up to 20 sleeping pills a night.

For years, she hired a private investigator to follow her stalker—a man obsessed with her for eight years.

 

Her life was a vault of secrets: distrustful of banks, she hid $300,000 in cash around her home and kept detailed journals rating people’s trustworthiness.

When she died at 84, worth $32 million, she was still alone and still guarded, a true enigma.

 

Hedy Lamarr was Hollywood’s “most beautiful woman alive,” but behind the camera, she struggled deeply.

By 1963, she had developed a habit of shoplifting baby clothes despite having $100,000 in her bank account.

Experts believed this behavior stemmed from a yearning for motherhood she could never fully experience—her relationships with her three children were distant.

Lamarr was also an inventor, holding a patent on frequency hopping technology that the military profited from for decades.

Yet, her personal life was marked by self-sabotage, including two arrests for shoplifting shortly after career setbacks.

Her story is one of brilliance shadowed by inner turmoil.

 

Dorothy Dandridge was a trailblazer, becoming the first Black woman nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards in 1954.

However, her personal life was marked by heartbreak.

Her daughter was born with severe brain damage, requiring lifelong care, which Dorothy paid for even as her finances dwindled.

 

Her second husband embezzled nearly all her savings, leaving her nearly bankrupt by 1962.

Struggling with addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs, she often appeared dazed on set.

In 1965, she was found dead from a lethal overdose—a tragic end to a life filled with pain and unmet potential.

 

Known for her iconic peekaboo hairstyle, Veronica Lake was a wartime star whose behavior on set was notoriously difficult.

She was habitually late, causing costly delays, and co-stars dreaded working with her.

A biting incident during a kissing scene and hiding a six-month pregnancy during filming only added to her reputation.

 

Lake’s drinking escalated after the premature loss of a child, leading to multiple arrests for public intoxication.

By the 1950s, she was no longer welcome in Hollywood, living in poverty and working as a bartender.

She died at 50 from organ failure caused by years of alcohol abuse.

Jean Harlow was a sex symbol who pushed boundaries, often shocking crew members by appearing on set without underwear.

Her life was marked by scandal and tragedy.

She had a secret abortion arranged by MGM to avoid a potentially career-damaging lawsuit after becoming pregnant by a married boxing champion.

 

Her husband’s mysterious death by gunshot, rumored to be murder, added to the turmoil.

Despite her fame, Harlow died young at 26 from kidney failure, her secrets buried with her.

 

Olive Thomas died at just 25 after ingesting mercury chloride in a Paris hotel.

The circumstances were suspicious, with rumors of her husband’s infidelity and possible syphilis infection.

The delay in medical help and the American hospital’s refusal to treat her due to scandal fears worsened her condition.

Her death was a sensational story that haunted Hollywood.

Louise Brooks defied Hollywood norms with her sharp bob haircut and bold lifestyle.

She openly had relationships with both men and women, facing public scandal.

Her career suffered after a stuntman spread damaging rumors, and her intense personal losses, including the institutionalization and suicide attempt of her lover, left lasting scars.

 

Brooks remained unapologetic, choosing lovers on her own terms and refusing to conform to Hollywood’s expectations.

 

Paula Negri arrived in Hollywood with grandeur, demanding luxurious treatment and making headlines with high-profile romances, including with Rudolph Valentino.

After Valentino’s death, her public image suffered, and her career faded with the advent of sound films.

 

She clung to her past fame until her death at 90, still insisting she was a major star.

 

Francis Farmer’s life spiraled after a drunk driving arrest in 1942.

She was institutionalized and subjected to brutal treatments, including insulin shock therapy, electroshock, and possibly lobotomy.

These abuses destroyed much of her spirit.

 

Though she worked modest jobs afterward, she never fully recovered from her trauma and died in obscurity in 1982.

Barbara Payton’s career ended after a violent fight between her fiancé and another lover.

She turned to escorting for survival, associating with dangerous figures connected to organized crime.

Arrests and addiction followed, and she died at 39 from organ failure related to alcoholism.

 

Lana Turner’s story was marked by control and chaos.

MGM arranged a secret abortion when she got pregnant at 19, a traumatic event paid for by the studio.

Her tumultuous relationship with gangster Johnny Stompanato ended violently when her daughter stabbed him in defense of her mother.

 

Though Turner continued working, her career never fully recovered, and she struggled with alcohol in later years.

 

Judy Garland was molded into a star from childhood, controlled by MGM with harsh diets and drug regimens.

She took up to 80 pills a day to maintain her performance. Multiple forced abortions and relentless pressure led to addiction and mental health issues.

 

Her final years were marked by public breakdowns and a tragic early death at 47 from an accidental overdose.

Mae West was a powerhouse who earned more than any studio head in her prime.

She embraced controversy, starring in plays that got her arrested but boosted her fame.

West’s boldness extended to her personal life, including a secret long-term marriage.

 

She used her sharp wit and fearless style to dominate Hollywood during the Great Depression, becoming a legend of stage and screen.

 

These stories reveal the harsh realities behind Hollywood’s glamorous facade.

The pressure to maintain an image, the exploitation by studios, personal tragedies, and mental health struggles created a perfect storm for many actresses.

Their lives were often marked by out-of-control behavior not as a choice but as a symptom of deeper pain and conflict.

 

Remembering these women means acknowledging the complexity of fame and the human cost behind the silver screen’s brightest stars.