The 1980s show “Dynasty” was all about shoulder pads, campiness, and drama. Four years after its launch in 1981, it became the most-watched show in America and took home a Golden Globe in 1984 for “Best Television Series.” It turns out, their main characters’ personal lives were just as messy as the roles they played on-screen. Here are stars on “Dynasty” who hid dark secrets.
1. Linda Evans was in a racist cult
After playing Krystle Carrington, Linda Evans turned into an instant soap opera legend. In real life, however, she fell into the teachings of a spiritual guru called J.Z. Knight, who claimed to be channeling the voice of Ramtha, an ancient warrior. She even moved to Washington so she could be closer to his School of Enlightenment. While “channeling” the 35,000-year-old warrior, she was accused of spewing homophobic and racist views, encouraging her ex-husband not to get treated for HIV, which resulted in his death.
2. Joan Collins slept with a married man
Collins’s character was known for getting into many a catfight, but her love life was just as eventful in real life. She engaged in an affair with the married director George Englund. Collins called it “utter hell” to The Guardian and swore never to do it again but admitted she was charmed by the older man’s charm, wit, and good looks. The scorned wife wrote about the event in her autobiography, including how Collins called her late at night and admitted it all.
3. James Farentino stalked Tina Sinatra
This actor played the vengeful doctor Nick Toscanni, and he was just as shady in real life, targeting a well-known Hollywood player. In 1994, he was charged with stalking Frank Sinatra’s youngest daughter, Tina, whom he had dated on and off years before. He was put on probation for 36 months and ordered to attend AA and psychiatric counseling sessions.
4. Heather Locklear got arrested for domestic violence
This blonde bombshell played Krystle’s niece, Sammy Jo, and in real life, she had lots of legal problems, romantic problems, as well as a domestic abuse arrest. In 2008, she was charged with a DUI after driving recklessly. A decade later, she was arrested for domestic violence and also lashed out at a police officer during the incident. Months later, she was arrested on more battery counts.
5. Helmut Berger overdosed on drugs and nearly died
This European cinema icon was earning Golden Globe noms in the 1960s, so it was a surprise when he agreed to play a drug-addicted tycoon in “Dynasty.” It turns out he was related to the character in real life, as he struggled with substance abuse, particularly with cocaine. The actor nearly died from an overdose in the late 1970s after his long-time lover, Luchino Visconti, passed away.
6. Michael Nader attempted to sell a cop drugs
Along with playing Dex Dexter, Nader was a big fan of substances, like his colleague Helmut Berger. He told TV Guide that he took hallucinogens as a teenager, but that’s not all. In 1997, he was arrested on a DUI charge and was fighting with police while driving his daughter, Lindsay. In 2020, he attempted to sell cocaine to an undercover police officer. In 2021, Nader passed away.
7. Diahann Carroll had a long, torrid affair with Sidney Poitier
Carroll played Dominique Deveraux in “Dynasty”—the long-lost half-sibling of Blake Carrington. In 1959, the actor began a relationship with Sidney Poitier, who was another African-American icon. However, both actors were married at the time. They hid their affair and posed for pictures on the red carpet years later. Carroll said Poitier eventually agreed to get a divorce, but after Carroll left her husband, her married beau got cold feet, and things didn’t work out.
8. Billy Dee Williams was arrested for spousal battery
On TV, he played Dominique’s music manager and second husband. But 12 years later, he had a darker reality and was arrested for spousal battery. The LA police were alerted to an altercation that left Williams’s girlfriend with bruises and scratches. Although the charges were dropped, he was instructed to undergo therapy for a year. Years later, he denied the situation, saying, “I’ve never abused women” to Rolling Stone magazine.
9. Catherine Oxenberg brought her daughter into a cult
Like Linda Evans, Oxenberg was susceptible to some upsetting schools of thought. The actor, who played Amanda Carrington, fell into the NXIVM cult, which she originally thought was a self-help program. The classes were, as we all know now, a way to gain mind control, but even when she wanted to leave, her children were fully indoctrinated. She spent years trying to get her daughter out of the cult, but it took many years—she ultimately left in 2018 when Raniere was arrested.
10. James Healey committed assault with a deadly weapon
Onscreen, he played Alexis’ fourth husband, Sean Rowan. Five years later, he inflicted some serious damage when he broke into the home of his Sibling’s estranged partner and cut his throat with a shard of glass. He only spent three months in jail with a three-year probation and 200 hours of community service, shockingly, though he was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon.
11. A co-star accused John Forsythe of misogyny
Forsythe’s co-star Joan Collins was never subtle about her feelings towards the actor, telling Piers Morgan in 2021, “I didn’t like him because he was a real misogynist.” Forsythe played Blake Carrington and demanded thousands more in his weekly salary than his co-stars. Though Collins eventually got a pay rise, they cut her screen time as a result.
