Harlene Rosen Is Woody Allen’s 1st Wife Who He Allegedly Taunted in Public Repeatedly

Woody Allen married his first wife, Harlene Rosen, for reasons that had little, if anything, to do with love. The two were young and had common interests, but their marriage was tumultuous and short. Still, Harlene Rosen remembered it fondly.

Woody Allen rose to high ranks as a Hollywood entertainer, but the filmmaker also made headlines regarding how he navigated his personal life. Although reports vary, he married Harlene Rosen around 19 or 20 when she was around 16 or 17.

Allen had pressured Rosen into marriage, and she eventually agreed. They tied the knot on March 15, 1956, at the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel in Los Angeles. A rabbi officiated their union, but it was off to a rocky start.

Woody Allen Married Harlene Rosen for Two Primary Reasons

As written in Jill Franks' "Woody Allen and Charlie Chaplin: Little Men, Big Amateurs," Allen married Rosen, who was Jewish, because he wanted sexual intimacy and to leave his parents' house.

It's unknown how long they dated, but in 1955, they were pictured as a couple in a Cosmopolitan magazine article about Guy Lombardo. Although Allen eventually got what he wanted, things didn't take long to fall by the wayside.

"Wood wrote to me regularly from California, but especially during the honeymoon. I could see it wasn't a honeymoon anymore. There were problems," Allen's friend, Jack Victor, recalled. "It just didn't work out, really," he added.

Despite this, Allen and Rosen had some common ground. When Rosen began studying in college, one of her subjects was Philosophy. She introduced Allen to the discipline, sharing her reading material, which he enjoyed thoroughly.

Harlene Rosen Became the Butt of Her Ex-husband's Jokes

Rosen and Allen's marriage is said to have lasted three years, which means they separated sometime in 1959; their divorce was finalized in 1962. Much of Allen's comedic material featured unkind jokes about his ex-wife afterward, which he performed at nightclubs and on TV.

Most infamously, he called Rosen a "Quasimodo." Rosen eventually sued him and NBC in 1967, and a judge issued a temporary cease and desist order against him and one of the network's hosts. The matter was later settled in 1970.

Harlene Rosen Reached Out to Woody Allen Years Later

Rosen sent a touching and nostalgic message to David Evanier, who authored Allen's 2015 biography, "Woody," for his 80th birthday. Despite a short marriage that ended with a divorce described as "bitter," Rosen harbored no hard feelings.

"Wondrous Woody," she greeted him. Rosen wrote of how Allen inspired her with his "enormous energy, creativity, and charisma." She recalled how much she loved going to the movies and making music with him and his friends.

"After our teenage summer of love, marriage was difficult. You established a career. I completed four years of college. We supported each other, learned about life, and became adults. There was sadness, tears, laughter, and love. Happy 80th birthday," she concluded.

After separating from Allen, Rosen lived a quiet life away from the spotlight, and the comedian moved on and married Louise Lasser. Allen and Lasser divorced, but in a 2013 interview, Lasser said they were still on speaking terms. Allen then married Soon-Yi Previn in 1997.

The latter union raised many eyebrows, given not only the significant age difference but also because Previn was the adopted daughter of Allen's former partner, Mia Farrow. The actress, formerly married to Frank Sinatra, is a mom of 14 and a doting grandmother of 16.