Richard Long Was Married Twice - His Second Union Lasted until His Death

Richard Long's first marriage ended when his wife died, and his second marriage ended when he died. His second marriage was the longest, as it spanned over a decade.

Suzan Ball was Richard Long's first wife, whom he first saw on TV before connecting with her in person. Long and Ball were briefly married, as she passed away just 16 months after their wedding.

Long found love again and married his second wife, Mara Corday, an actress. Despite their tumultuous marriage, the two remained married until the actor's death.

Richard Long Was Married to His First Wife for 16 Months

Long and Ball wed in 1954 in Santa Barbara, California. Their marriage was one of Hollywood's nicest love stories. Suzan, who had lost her one leg to cancer, stole glances at how beautiful she looked in her white gown.

The guests were surprised because everyone had anticipated Ball to walk down the aisle using crutches. However, she defied expectations and made her way down the aisle using an artificial leg. At the time, she said:

"I always knew I would get married without crutches, although no one else did."

In 1960, Mara sued the actor for divorce following 16 periods of separation.

Ball, escorted down the aisle by her dad, had spent six days before the wedding practicing walking with her artificial leg. Long, who costarred with Linda Evans and Barbara Stanwyck in "The Big Valley," first saw Ball in a movie when he was serving in the army in Japan.

Upon returning to the United States, he resumed his acting career, and it was during this period that he had the opportunity to meet Ball in person. He introduced himself, and the two hit it off from there.

Long's marriage to Ball was short-lived; they were married for 16 months. She passed away in 1955, aged 21, after losing her battle with lung cancer. Long, who was working on a film project at the time of her death, received the heartbreaking news about an hour later from his brother-in-law.

Inside Richard Long's Marriage to his Second Wife

Long found love again with actress Mara Corday, and the two tied the knot in January 1957. The pair welcomed three children, Corey, Valerie, and Gregory. Long and Corday lived in San Fernando Valley, where they raised their children.

The pair had a rocky marriage despite sharing three children. In 1960, Corday sued the actor for divorce following 16 periods of separation. Corday reportedly had filed a similar lawsuit in 1959 but ultimately dropped it after the couple resolved their differences and reconciled.

Corday recalled their troubled marriage during an interview, revealing that in her many attempts to separate from Long, the actor would plead on his knees and ask for forgiveness, to which she would forgive him and give him another chance.

When they married, Corday's acting career came to a standstill. She revealed that Long couldn't stand her working in the show biz and that at one point when she got a guest role alongside Long, he refused.

Despite their tumultuous marriage, Long and Corday remained married until his death in 1974. After Long's death, Corday sought to connect with him through a medium to find closure.