Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are one of Hollywood's best-loved couples. But, before they could tie the knot in 2000, the Wall Street actor had to finalize his divorce with his first wife, Diandra Luker, resulting in one of the largest divorce settlements in Hollywood history.
A film producer and the daughter of a Swiss-American diplomat, Diandra met Michael when she was a 19-year-old student at Georgetown's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. The actor, then 32, was smitten instantly.
© Getty ImagesAfter two weeks of dating, Michael had proposed, and six weeks later, the couple had tied the knot and started a new life together in LA. On 13 December 1978, Diandra and Michael's son, Cameron Douglas, was born. While the former spouses were married for 22 years in total, it was in 1995 that Diandra officially filed for divorce.
Extramarital relationships seemingly contributed to the split as well, with Michael revealing in his 2026 memoir One Helluva Ride that during his brief separation from Diandra in the '80s, he had a romance with his Romancing the Stone co-star Kathleen Turner. And while making 1992's Basic Instinct, he almost left Diandra for his younger co-star, Jeanne Thrippleton.
Reflecting on their split in 2013, Michael told The Mirror: "I know I'm going to get into trouble here. I have nothing against her and in fact I'm very fond of my first wife. But we should have ended that marriage eight or 10 years earlier."
"It took me too long to realize that if you go to a marriage counselor to resolve problems, it's in his interest to keep the marriage going. Because if I end the marriage he's got no business. I think Diandra would probably say the same thing. That's the only clear regret that I have."
© Getty ImagesAccording to several reports, Diandra received a divorce settlement of over $40-45 million, and she also received their Santa Barbara, California estate. By 2011, an additional lawsuit was brought to attention, as Diandra and Michael battled over whether she would be entitled to part of his earnings from 2010's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
As Diandra and Michael had been married during the production and release of the original film, Diandra claimed that she would be entitled to earnings from the subsequent sequel. Ultimately, this second lawsuit was dismissed in court.
© Getty ImagesFrom their divorce, the exes had retained shares of their luxurious home in Mallorca, however, which boasts 10 bedrooms, 11,000 square feet of space and direct access to the sea, but Michael eventually decided to buy out her share of the property.
The actor and his ex-wife tried to sell the home and put it on the market in 2014 but failed to receive a viable offer. Speaking to Mallorcan newspaper Ultima Hora in 2021, Michael later admitted: "It was very uncomfortable sharing the property with my ex-wife Diandra."
© Getty Images"Six months for each of us wasn't very pleasant for anyone. Catherine is very happy here, especially now that we don't share with Diandra. She feels much more comfortable," he added.
Following her divorce from Michael, Diandra has spoken fondly of Michael, as well as his marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones. During a 2011 interview with Harper's Bazaar, the film producer explained: "I loved Michael very much when I married him."
© Getty Images"And I don't think love ever really disappears. It might metamorphose, [but] I certainly don't think that hate is the right recipe. "I'm really happy that he is madly in love and has two lovely children."
