Oscar-Nominated Actress Terry Moore’s Turbulent Romance With Howard Hughes To Be Told In Documentary ‘Beautiful Dreamer’
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EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-nominated actress Terry Moore, one of the last surviving stars of Hollywood’s golden age, is prepared to tell her story for an upcoming documentary, including her romance with Howard Hughes.
Filmmaker Vladislav Alex Kozlov has secured Moore’s life rights for the documentary titled Beautiful Dreamer. Kozlov began shooting material for the nonfiction project while working with the actress on their narrative feature Silent Life: The Story of the Lady in Black, which premiered earlier this year at the Sedona International Film Festival.
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“Beautiful Dreamer will reveal the true story behind her mentally abusive relationship with Howard Hughes,” a release about the project notes. “The documentary will recount the dark side of that romance and how he destroyed both her personal life and her career.”
Moore starred in 1949’s Mighty Joe Young, Peyton Place in 1957, and earned her Oscar nomination for 1952’s Come Back, Little Sheba. She met Hughes in the late 1940s while still in her teens; he was then well into his 40s. She describes the aviation pioneer and motion picture studio owner, who died in 1976, as her first love. But in an interview with People magazine in April, she characterized their romantic relationship as “very complicated.”
She said of Hughes, “He was the most charming man you could ever find. He was also a liar. And he did unthinkable things. He did so many things that hurt me. Was he cruel? I guess you could say he was cruel but I didn’t know that he was cruel. He was just too much for me to handle. I was too naive.”
Moore, 94, says she and Hughes were married in 1949 in a ceremony that took place at sea in international waters, but the marriage was never legally recognized. After his death, Hughes’ heirs paid her a financial settlement, reportedly between six to eight figures.
“We are making this documentary to tell her story with unadulterated honesty; unlike in years past when it was customary for women to sweep under the rug any abuse or mistreatment by men of power for fear of losing their career or producing a negative victim image,” said Silent Life writer-producer Natalia Dar. “She was a teenager when she met Howard and as a skillful predator, he pursued her relentlessly. His mind games left Terry confused for years.”
Moore plays the titular “Lady in Black” in Silent Life, a mystery woman who leaves a red rose each year on the grave of her beloved, silent film star Rudolph Valentino. Kozlov directs and plays Valentino in the film.
“When I was casting Terry, I didn’t know why she wanted this role (‘Lady in Black’) so much,” Kozlov said in a statement, “but then when we started working together on Silent Life and I got to know her and her life story better, I understood why this was so important to her.”
Moore said her role in Silent Life rekindled memories of her time with Hughes.
“I played the Lady in Black who was in love with Rudolph Valentino, his image, for her entire life,” Moore said in a statement. “It’s reminding me so much of my own life. Howard Hughes was the biggest love of my life, and he was also the biggest and hardest disappointment of my life.”
Dreamer Pictures is producing the documentary. Beautiful Dreamer is expected to release in 2025.
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