The Tragic Rise and Decline of Old Hollywood Star Veronica Lake

Veronica Lake divorced Joseph McCarthy in 1959, ending her final marriage. By then, she was nearly broke, largely unemployed, and cut off from the Hollywood system that once sustained her.

The divorce left her without emotional or financial support. Unlike earlier separations, there was no studio cushion or public sympathy. Lake was now fully exposed to the consequences of years of instability, addiction, and abandonment by the industry that had profited from her youth.