Tragic Hollywood Starlets: 11 Leading Ladies Who Hid Their Secret Past

Her daughter was born with severe brain damage and ultimately had to be placed in a mental institution. After a long affair with director Otto Preminger ended with him refusing to leave his wife, she discovered those in charge of her finances had stolen $150,000 and left her in debt, owing $139,000 in back taxes.

As half of the original Hollywood power couple with Douglas Fairbanks, Pickford’s life was frequently overshadowed by issues with alcohol, which began when her father abandoned the family before dying of a blood clot.

She also suffered from domestic abuse by her first husband when he drank and became jealous of her career becoming more successful than his own.

Her devoted mother supported her career, but when her father found out about Miranda going on her first audition, he took his disapproval out on her mom with physical abuse.