Inside Ellen Barkin's Nasty Divorce From Billionaire Spouse Ron Perelman

Ellen Barkin made her acting debut in a 1980 New York stage production of Irish Coffee and later appeared in the original off-Broadway presentation of Extremities.

After that, she made her feature debut in Barry Levinson's 1982 ensemble film Diner as the belittled wife who misfiles her husband's records.

She starred in many movies, and in 1987 while filming Siesta, she met her first spouse, Gabriel Byrne.

Who Is Ellen Barkin Married To?

Barkin and Byrne tied the knot a year later and had two kids, Jack and Romy Byrne. 

However, after 11 years of marriage, they divorced in 1999 and moved on.

Ellen Barkin's first spouse, Gabriel Byrne. (Source: Gabriel Byrne/Instagram)

In 2011, Barkin sat down for an interview with New York Times and opened up a little about her first spouse and kids. 

She shared that her son Jack was a blues guitarist whose band toured with Bob Dylan while her daughter Romy was ready to go to college.

Speaking of Byrne, she said, "I have enormous respect for him, and I would say it's reciprocated. He was extremely supportive of me during some very difficult times. And he's a great father to our kids." 

Just months after her divorce from Byrne was finalized, the actress started a whirlwind romance with billionaire Ron Perelman.

The duo tied the knot on June 28, 2000.

Skeptics said that the billionaire married the actress because she was renowned, and he wanted a Hollywood trophy wife. 

Meanwhile, rumors also had that Barkin married the Revlon cosmetics king for his money, as her spouse had an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion. 

But whatever the speculations were, witnesses and close friends iterated that despite the difference between the couple, they had a fierce attraction and were once genuinely in love. 

Ellen Barkin and Her Second Spouse's Divorce

Barkin was Perelman's fourth spouse, and his previous split with Democratic fund-raiser Patricia Duff was highly public and ugly. 

Although their romance was fairytale-like, things took a disastrous turn after some time. 

The couple ended their marriage and divorced on February 14, 2006. 

According to reports, Perelman rushed the divorce because of financial reasons. 

As stated in the prenuptial agreement, Barkin would have been granted a significant increase in alimony if he had not sought a divorce soon. 

In March 2006, the actress was kicked out of their home and forced to move in with her best friend, Julianne Moore. 

Later that year, Barkin auctioned the jewels accumulated during the marriage, totaling $20 million.

However, the real mess started when Perelman refused to keep his promise. 

The billionaire was reportedly supposed to invest $3.4 million in Barkin and her brother George's film production company. 

But Perelman sued Barkin and George, stating that they were trying to use the money for their personal use. 

Barkin counter-sued, claiming her former husband failed to keep the agreement made before the divorce.

Eventually, both parties came to an agreement, but the terms were kept confidential.