While the world eats the famous McDonalds burgers and the man behind, Ray Kroc, they seem unaware of his wife, Ethel Fleming. Contrary to the business tycoon, Fleming was a promising actress at her time. 

The veteran actress gave some classic movies such as The KissModern Husbands, and Love Insurance in the early 1900s. Surprisingly, high school lovers broke up after forty years of their married life.

Ethel Fleming Married McDonald’s Ray Kroc

Ethel Fleming, the aspiring actress during the 1900s, married twelve years young salesman, Ray Kroc, way before he got successful. They used to be high-school lovers, the only justification for them to be together at that point of time. 

The duo tied the knot back in 1922 and went on to spend forty years together. Surprisingly, she even left her widely successful acting career shortly after getting married to focus on family life.

The two were blissfully together for a pretty long time. Fleming even welcomed their only daughter, Marilyn Kroc, into their lives. 

Also See: Jerod Haynes earned millions as a actor!

As they often say, behind every successful man is a woman. Ray Kroc found his business breakthrough as the founder of McDonald’s while he was married to Fleming.

Ethel Fleming Divorced Ray Kroc  

While everyone thought Ethel Fleming and Ray Kroc were a happy and inspirational couple, they too had problems between them. What baffled most of them is the reason for their divorce, which was McDonald’s itself.

The McDonalds founder, who was obsessed with business, wanted to sell milkshake machines, which Fleming denied straight away. Following McDonald’s success, the only thing Kroc cared about was his firm, which resulted in their divorce agreement.

Ethel Fleming’s First Marriage 

The Undercover actress, Ethel Fleming’s marital bond with Kroc, wasn’t her first. Previously, she exchanged her vows with William Courtleigh Jr. in 1915. Unfortunately, that didn’t end well, like her second. 

You may also like: Details of Cavemen writer Herschel Faber’s net worth.

They spent three years together in their married life until her husband died in 1918. Since it was the prime period of her career, she didn’t welcome any children during that time.

Kroc went on to marry Jane Dobbins Green and Joan Beverly Smith AKA Joan Kroc after their divorce, unlike Fleming, who never married.

Ethel Fleming Was A Top Actress

Ethel Fleming was a Hollywood sensation during the early 1900s. She earned about sixteen big-screen credits in her acting career.

Also See: What is the net worth of Amber Marchese?

Ethel appeared on movies like A Woman’s WilessA Slave of Corruption, and Love Insurance. Moreover, she also featured on SmilesThe Silent Rider, and Untamed.

Ethel Fleming Died in 1965

Ray Kroc’s first wife, Ethel Fleming, passed away on December 26, 1965. Following her divorce, the former sensation lived a lowkey life away from fame. 

Thus, she died in Miami, Florida, due to natural causes at the age of 75.

Quick Facts: Ethel Fleming

  • Fleming was born in a middle-class family to father Sir Alexander Fleming, a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist.
  • She grew up in her birth town Ohio, USA, and also spent some time in Illinois.
  • Fleming completed her high-school from Lincoln School in Oak Park.
  • She was one of the six children of her parents.
  • As the ex-wife of Ray Kroc, she owned a staggering net worth of $2 million.

For more updates and news about your favorite stars, stay connected with us at The Celebs Closet.