Their movies provided an escape from the humdrum reality of daily life for their fans, but this stunning collection of images shows how some of the biggest screen idols escaped their busy schedules.
From Mickey Rooney crashing through the waves on Miami beach, to Vivien Lee and Laurence Olivier boarding a boat to take them across Lake Garda, the images show how Hollywood Royalty liked to unwind.
While some stars, such as Humphrey Bogart, pictured with his wife in Venice, and Rita Hayworth, relaxing in a glamorous French resort in Nice, preferred to head to Europe on vacation, others, such as George Harrison, used their holiday to go on spiritual quests.
A city break was the choice of some of the screen legends, including Clark Gable and Jean Harlow who were pictured arriving at New York’s Grand Central Terminal or dining with friends in one of the city’s art deco restaurants.Like regular people, the stars also used their vacation to spend time with family. Several images show Princess Grace of Monaco with her family in the U.S., and Robert Mitchum fishing with his wife and son in Lake Mead.
Beach day: Mickey Rooney makes a splash as he vacations in Miami, Florida in February 1939
Time flies: Thirty years later Rooney was in Los Angeles with wife Carolyn Hockett, after marrying for the seventh time in June 1969
City break: New York was the destination of choice for many stars, including Jeanne Crain and Paul Brinkman, pictured arriving at Grand Central station in 1951
Wine and dine: Clark Gable and his wife enjoy drinks with Peggy Hopkins Joyce at an art deco restaurant in February 1934
Reconciled: Mitchum fishes with his wife and two boys, who stood by him after his arrest in 1948
Travels: Rex Harrison and Kay Kendall in Italy’s Santa Margherita Ligure in 1958
Homeward bound: Audrey Hepburn boards a plane for Hollywood in August 1957 after vacationing in Switzerland
