WILLIAM POWELL - A Lifetime of HEARTBREAK

THE STAR OF THE THIN MAN MOVIES ENDURED TERRIBLE MISFORTUNE ON HIS WAY TO LASTING HAPPINESS

- Amanda Champagne-Meadows

As Nick Charles, one half of the crimefighting duo, Nick and Nora, William Powell made marriage look fun. He and Myrna Loy, his co-star in the Thin Man mysteries, dressed impeccably as they bantered over cocktails or cooed affectionately in each other's ears. The actors were so believable as Nick and Nora, fans wrote seeking marital advice! In his real life, however, William knew a lot of heartache. His first two marriages ended in divorce, and soulmate, actress Jean Harlow, died tragically at 26. William also survived the suicide of his only child and a brush with cancer before finding joy in the last decades of his life.