Old Hollywood continues to hold intriguing secrets, and one such revelation has come to light.
Gregory Peck, at the age of 71 in 1987, admitted to having an affair with a co-star over four decades earlier.
Although Peck did not disclose any specifics, it is known that both actors were married during that time.
He simply stated, “I was young.
She was young.”
Read on to discover the identity of Peck's co-star and delve into their relationship.
The pair collaborated on a film in 1945.
In 1945, Peck starred alongside Ingrid Bergman in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Spellbound.
Peck portrayed the director of a psychiatric hospital with a mysterious past, while Bergman played a psychiatrist who ends up analyzing the director and falling in love with him.
Both stars were committed to other marriages.
During the filming of Spellbound, Bergman and Peck were already married, but not to each other.
Bergman had tied the knot with doctor Petter Lindström in 1937, and they had a daughter named Pia Lindström born in 1938.
Meanwhile, Peck had been married to Greta Kukkonen since 1942, and they eventually had three children together.
However, by 1945, they had only welcomed one son, Jonathan Peck.
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Peck indirectly confirmed the affair.
In an interview with People magazine in 1987, Peck indirectly acknowledged his affair with Bergman.
Though he didn't divulge many details, journalist Brad Darrach noted that when asked about his leading ladies, Peck became somewhat incoherent when Bergman's name was mentioned.
Peck described his feelings for Bergman by saying, “Now we get into an area where I can't answer.
All I can say is I had a real love for her, and I think that's where I ought to stop.
Except to say she was like a lovely Swedish rose.
I was young.
She was young.
We were involved for weeks in close and intense work.”
Rumors had circulated for years before Peck's confession.
According to Gary Fishgall's biography, Gregory Peck: A Biography, rumors about Peck and Bergman's affair had been circulating since their time working on Spellbound.
An anonymous co-worker on the film reportedly informed Bergman biographer Laurence Leamer that one day, “Ingrid and Peck came in late, all disheveled,” leading to extensive speculation.
Fishgall's book also quotes Peck as saying, “I think you fall in love a little bit with a woman like Ingrid Bergman.
I don't think there's any way to avoid it, for she was incredibly beautiful, and a very sweet person…
Her lovely skin kind of took your breath away, and her whole radiance was something to behold.”
Both Bergman and Peck found love again.
Following the affair during Spellbound, Peck remained married to Kukkonen until 1955.
That same year, he tied the knot with journalist Veronique Passani, with whom he had two children and stayed married until his death.
Bergman divorced Lindström in 1950 due to an affair with director Roberto Rossellini, which caused significant controversy in Hollywood and led to hate mail from her fans.
Nevertheless, Bergman and Rossellini got married that year and had three children together before divorcing in 1957.
Bergman then married producer Lars Schmidt in 1958 and stayed with him until 1975.
Peck revealed the affair with Bergman five years after her death at the age of 67 in 1982.
Peck himself passed away in 2003 at the age of 87.
