George Peppard's ex-wife once revealed what it was like being married to a movie star
Tony award-winning actress Elizabeth Ashley and Hollywood star George Peppard were married long before he starred as Hannibal Smith on The A-Team. In fact, Peppard was already married to someone new (his second wife after their divorce, fourth overall), when Ashley shared her experience of marrying someone of his caliber.
From 1966 to 1972, Elizabeth Ashley was Mrs. Peppard. Although she had her own stellar stage career, being married to George made headlines. They met while working on the 1964 film The Carpetbaggers, and their relationship went from co-stars to secret lovers, then marriage two years later.
While it sounds like a true old-Hollywood love story, behind the cameras, red carpets, and glamorous dresses, Ashley felt "locked up."
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During an interview with The Leader-Post in 1986, she said, "Honey, have you ever been locked up in Beverly Hills? I have. Between 24 and 30, when I was married to George Peppard, I was some sad creature on my knees trying to understand life. Marriage to a movie star was like being a piece of the furniture. You see and hear things you're not supposed to. Yet I was the one who made myself feel like an alien."
The marriage taught her a few life lessons, including that humility is one of the greatest gifts you can have in the industry.
Ashley added, "When I divorced George, I asked for no alimony, only custody of our three-year-old baby. What did I know? I was young and figured I could always return to acting and make money. I found out I had nothing but my Tony Awards, and still had to audition for people who couldn't read or write. Man, I was really arrogant, and the doors closed quickly. See, honey, arrogance without humility is cheap conceit."