Harlene Rosen Bio – Who Is Woody Allen’s First Wife?

Harlene Rosen – full name: Harlene Susan Rosen, born in 1938, is 86 years old.

Harlene is better known as an ex-celebrity spouse. While she has remained largely out of the media and public spotlight for the best part of more than half a century, she attained her status as a celebrity spouse as a result of her previous marriage to Woody Allen.

Woody Allen, an American filmmaker, playwright, actor, and comedian who was regarded as one of the greatest comedians in American history, and Harlene Rosen were married to each other technically for about 6 years between the late 1950s to the early 1960s.

The circumstances surrounding the end of their union were less than palatable but after more than 50 years of feuding with each other, Rosen’s decision to write a moving tribute to celebrate Woody’s 80th birthday in 2015 reignited the public and media attention on her. Here is all you need to know about Woody Allen’s first wife, Harlene Rosen.

Harlene Rosen was born in New York City

Harlene Rosen was born Harlene Susan Rosen in 1938, in New York, United States. So far, we have been unable to determine the exact date and month of her birth but we can confirm that she is currently around 86 years old.

Harlene Rosen is the daughter of Julius Rosen whom he had with his wife Judith Rosen. Other than their names, we have no way of knowing what her parents did for a living, and if they had any other children aside from the ex-celebrity spouse.

Rosen is an American citizen by birth and also belongs to the Caucasian ethnic group. She spent her formative years in New York but the finer details of her formal educational background, including where she went to high school, are yet to become public knowledge.

Part of the content of the tribute she sent in to commemorate her ex-husband’s 80th birthday indicated that she is a college-educated woman, even though the minute details like the college she went to, and the course she studied are details she has yet to make public.

Harlene Rosen is Woody Allen’s first wife

Long before Woody Allen became the famous actor, filmmaker, playwright, writer, and comedian that he is today, he was a married man, and the first woman he ever got married to was Harlene Rosen. The celebrity ex-wife was just a 16-year-old teenager at the time they got married while the then-upcoming Woody Allen was a 20-year-old man.

Born Allen Stewart Konigsberg on November 30, 1935, in New York, United States, the actor who would later legally change his name to Heywood “Woody” Allen when he was 17 years old is one of two children born to Lithuanian-American immigrants Nettie Konigsberg née Cherry and Martin Konigsberg.

He grew up with a younger sister named Ellen Letty Aronson, now a film producer, in Brooklyn, New York. Allen graduated from Midwood High School in 1953 but dropped out of both New York University and City College of New York in 1953 and 1954 respectively.

Woody Allen’s legacy as a talented and decorated actor and comedian is rivaled by only a few in the business but it is important to re-emphasize the point that when Harlene Rosen married him in 1956, he had just begun his journey to the top of the entertainment food chain, and wasn’t a priority entertainer for most media houses.

It most likely explains why the early days of Rosen’s relationship with him remain undocumented. As his star grew, interest in Allen and everything about him grew. Thus, some tabloids were quick to reveal that he and Rosen had separated in 1959. The divorce which was finalized in 1962, also made the news after it became official.

Harlene Rosen’s marriage to Woody Allen ended on a sour note

When Harlene’s marriage to Allen officially ended in 1962, the respected comedian was gradually starting to make headway after just over half a decade in show business. Thus, the public and the media were especially interested to discover why their marriage ended.

To date, neither the celebrity ex-wife nor her ex-husband has been forthcoming about why they broke up but almost every source of the saga was unanimous in the conclusion that the marriage ended badly and on a sour note.

The flames of animosity between the former couple were further fanned by Woody’s disparaging comments about Rosen during one of his stand-up comedy shows. Rosen swiftly responded by suing him for defamation and that more or less gave birth to a feud that lasted for more than half a century before seemingly ending in 2015 with the birthday tribute from the ex-celebrity spouse.

She did not have children with Allen and seemingly never remarried

A few things were lacking in the marriage between Harlene Rosen and Woody Allen, and one of the joys they never experienced as a couple was becoming parents together. Other reliable sources of information on the actor’s life after his marriage to Rosen, however, reveal that he went on to father five children, including journalist Ronan Farrow and family therapist Moses Farrow both with one of his ex-partners, actress Mia Farrow.

Even though there is a strong possibility that she did, so far, we have seen nothing that suggests that Harlene Rosen remarried. It’s no secret, however, that her ex-husband had other partners and has been married two more times, including his present rather controversial marriage to Soon-Yi Previn, the daughter of musician Andre Previn and the adopted daughter of Mia Farrow.

Rosen’s ex-husband received a lot of backlash for his decision to sleep with and later marry Soon-Yi, but time and 2 adopted children later, and it would seem that the worst of the storm has passed for them.

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Fast facts

Did Woody Allen marry his stepdaughter?

Woody Allen did not marry his stepdaughter but he married the adopted daughter of actress Mia Farrow, a woman he dated for 12 years.

Who is Woody Allen’s first wife?

Woody Allen’s first wife is a woman named Harlene Susan Rosen. They were technically married for six years between 1956 and 1962.

Did Woody and Soon-Yi Have a child?

Woody and Soon-Yi do not have any biological children together but they have two adopted daughters.

How much money is Woody Allen worth?

Woody Allen has a net worth of over $140 million, most of which he made from his career as a filmmaker, actor, and comedian.

How old was Soon-Yi when she slept with Woody?

Soon-Yi was around 21 years old when she slept with Woody Allen.