Celebrities Who Led Double Lives

It’s often difficult for someone who isn’t in the public eye to keep secret identities, so it’s amazing that these celebrities were able to lead double lives—full of relationships and people that knew nothing about one another—without the tabloids getting word of it. Well, at least for a while.

Publicly known as: Warren G. Harding, 29^th President of the U.S.

Harding was once an Ohio senator and would go on to be our 29^th President of the United States.

Secret identity: Sex crazed socialite

During his stint as senator, it was revealed Harding was part of a group of politicians called the “Ohio Gang” who held wild orgies in Washington D.C. It was also revealed that Harding had been having an affair with a local businessman’s wife for over 15 years.

Publicly known as: Eliot Spitzer, New York governor

Eliot Spitzer was a Democratic Party politician and New York governor who came down hard on corrupt Wall Street bankers in New York.

Secret identity: patron to sex workers

In 2008, it came to light that Spitzer had spent between $15,000 and $80,000 at a high-end prostitution service. Oh yeah—and he was married. He is now divorced.

Publicly known as: Anna Chapman

Anna Chapman, owner of an international real estate company and doting wife living in Manhattan’s Financial District. She had up to 50 employees at her successful real estate company.

Secret identity: Anna Kushchyenko, spy

“Chapman” was in fact a member of Russia’s external intelligence agency in 2010. Not even her husband knew, but he had his suspicions because she attended strange meetings she wouldn’t explain to him.

Publicly known as: Frank Abagnale, Jr., pilot

His life was the basis for the movie, “Catch Me If You Can” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and he worked as an airline pilot, a lawyer, a college professor and a chief resident pediatrician in his lifetime.

Secret identity: Frank Abagnale, Jr., con artist

Abagnale forged his degrees for those professor and lawyer jobs, and forged his licenses for his pilot and pediatrician work. He was a con artist who, at the age of 22, was finally caught for forging checks.

Publicly known as: Brian Myerson, city tycoon

Myerson was a city tycoon and activist investor in London with homes all over the world. He was a major shareholder in real estate, oil companies and more.

Publicly known as: Johnnie Cochran, OJ Simpson’s attorney

In 1970, Cochran was a defense attorney, happily married to a college sweetheart, raising two children and building a reputation as a celebrity lawyer.

Secret identity: Philanderer

Feel what you may about him getting Simpson off the hook, but Cochran was a cheater. In 1974 he bought a second home in North Hollywood for his mistress and their child. Cochran’s wife divorced him in 1977, and in 2005 his mistress sued him for “palimony,” which is basically alimony for people who’ve never actually been married.

Known publicly as: David Poitier, son of Sidney Poitier

David Poitier was a New York socialite who attended VIP rooms at Studio 54, dined for free on his father’s name at high-end restaurants, was a friend to stars like Melanie Griffith and Calvin Klein whom he also lived part time with and received money from for business ideas.

Secret identity: David Hampton, con artist

David Poitier was not son of famous actor Sidney Poitier. He was just the son of an attorney who learned that famous, wealthy people would believe what he said, and conned his way into the homes and bank accounts of celebrities and socialites.