Inside Jurassic Park Author Michael Crichton's Secret And Controversial Relationship History
Highlights
- Michael Crichton's successful career as both an author and filmmaker overshadowed his personal life, which included five marriages and a dramatic divorce settlement.
- Despite his multiple marriages and divorces, Crichton believed in the institution of marriage and expressed a desire to get married again and have children.
- Crichton's fifth wife, Sherri Alexander, gave birth to their son after his death and continues to oversee his production company, Crichton Sun, keeping his legacy alive.
Michael Crichton was one of the most legendary authors, and his 2008 death was a profound loss that is still felt in the literary community today. After his 1990 novel "Jurassic Park", Crichton's career basically exploded. The success of the book led to the 1993 film adaptation, which had a great cast chosen by Steven Spielberg. While the Jurassic Park franchise is undoubtedly what the author is most famous for, he also wrote and directed the 1973 movie Westworld. Then came the fascinating, if confusing, HBO drama Westworld that was unfortunately canceled after only four seasons.
When looking back on Michael Crichton's work, it's clear that he wrote about similar themes centering around humanity and nature. Many of his characters work at theme parks as well. Michael Crichton's personal life wasn't talked about as much as his writing, but there's a lot to know about his dramatic five marriages. His fifth wife even had a child after he passed away.
Why Michael Crichton Was Married Five Times
Michael Crichton's career was so successful that news of his five marriages didn't always get attention. He was one of the rare authors who also got involved in the film and TV industry. He even created the medical drama ER, which had a cast who became as famous as the stars of Jurassic Park.
In 1965, Crichton married his first wife Joan Radam, and they got divorced in 1970. He waited a few years before he got married for the second time. Crichton and Kathy St. Johns were only married for two years from 1978 to 1980. His marriage to his third wife Suzanne Childs was brief too, and they were only husband and wife from 1981 to 1983. There doesn't seem to be any information about why these marriages ended.
After getting married in 1987, Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin got divorced in 2003. Several sources reported that she wanted a divorce and said it was because of "irreconcilable differences." The author married his fifth wife Sherri Alexander in 2005. They were still together at the time of his death.
However, it sounds like Michael and Anne-Marie Crichton's divorce was dramatic. According to The Daily Mail, he had to pay £20million. They had a daughter together named Taylor and they decided on joint custody.
The Daily Mail shared documents from the divorce that read, "Anne-Marie and Michael shall live separate and apart from the other and free from the marital control and authority of the other. The sum of $31,000,000 shall be paid by Michael to Anne-Marie by certified cheque or wire transfer to her banking account. They shall have joint legal and physical custody of Taylor to maintain and foster a positive, enduring and loving relationship. Michael and Anne-Marie agree to support Taylor with the intent of maintaining the preseparation lifestyle of the family."
While it's easy to be curious about the details of the divorce, they decided not to be interviewed about it. But Anne-Marie did mention her ex-husband once and explain how she felt about him.
According to Michael Crichton's obituary in The Guardian, Anne-Marie once said, "It's like living with a body and Michael is somewhere else."
While they worked out who would keep what, it still sounds like it was a tough situation. Crichton said that Anne-Marie could continue to live in their house in New York State. The Daily Mail reported that he wanted two rugs that they had in the house.
Someone who has many spouses in their lifetime probably has some complicated feelings about marriage. When someone gets divorced even once, they sometimes decide to never get married again. They just don't want to experience the same pain and heartache. On the other hand, they might want to find someone who is a better fit and get it right this time. It sounds like Michael Crichton always believed in marriage.
After he died in 2008, The Christian Science Monitor published an obituary and mentioned that he was interviewed by the publication back in 1981. When the reporter Lorraine Hirsch wanted to know what could bring him joy, he said, "I'd like to get married again and have children and live like a normal person. I can't explain it. It's like being hungry for a certain food. I'd like to be like the wild gorillas in 'Congo,' sitting back and watching my children play in the sunshine."
Michael Crichton's Fifth Wife Sherri Alexander Had A Son After His Death In 2008
Michael Crichton not only left behind his fifth wife, Sherri Alexander, when he died, but Alexander also gave birth to their son a few months later. Alexander named him John Michael Todd Crichton.
According to Nortonbasu.com, his five wives and son weren't mentioned in his will. The website mentioned that a court in the state of California decided that his son would get some money from his estate. His daughter Taylor reportedly wasn't okay with this.
In 2009, Sherri Alexander was looking for cash from Michael Crichton's estate, according to TMZ. The website reported that according to their prenup from April 22, 2005, she would be given a total of $9 million. The money would be spaced out and she was supposed to receive $1 million annually over 9 years.
Alexander is an actress who starred in a few projects over the years. Her biggest part was playing Samantha in 31 episodes of the soap opera As The World Turns.
Although Crichton's fifth wife was reportedly hoping to receive millions of dollars from her late husband's estate, she has been a big part of making sure that his legacy continues. She is the CEO of his production company, Crichton Sun. In 2019, she was interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter and mentioned that she thinks about him a lot, especially when the date of his death comes around each year.
Alexander said, “It’s always a day of solitude but, I have to tell you, I have the blessing of feeling Michael’s energy around me all the time.”
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