With the star-studded Maestro hitting Netflix streaming this week, it’s possible a few musical theater classics are running through your brain. The film, directed by Bradley Cooper and produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, is a highly-anticipated look at the life of composing legend, Leonard Bernstein.
The late conductor (played by Bradley) was best known for the music from his heartbreaking classic West Side Story. But, Leonard actually had quite the romantic saga himself with his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (played by Carey Mulligan). Their relationship plays out in front of audiences, taking inspiration from the memories of their three children, and especially their eldest daughter, Jamie. If you're curious about the real love story that inspired Maestro, here's a full breakdown of Felicia and Leonard's relationship.
February 5, 1947: Leonard and Felicia meet at a party.
The pair were first introduced at a party just one day before Felicia's 24th birthday, per Biography.com. The party was hosted by Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau, who had just performed a concert with Leonard, then 28, and also happened to be Felicia’s former piano teacher, per Leonard Bernstein: The Infinite Variety of a Musician by Peter Gradenwitz. Arrau introduced the two “and that’s where we fell in love,” Bernstein said, according to Gradenwitz's book.
Before they officially met, however, Felicia spotted Leonard conducting at the New York City Center, and was immediately smitten, according to the biography Leonard Bernstein by Humphrey Burton. She then said she would marry him.
And she was right—the couple were engaged within months of meeting.
1947: They break off their engagement.
Leonard and Felicia's engagement ended as quickly as it began. The two separated within a few months because they were not ready for marriage, as well as rumors that Leonard was having affairs, per Biography.com.
1948 to 1951: Felicia is romantically involved with Richard Hart.
Felicia moved on and fell in love with actor Richard Hart, and the two starred in several plays together.
January 1951: Richard dies.
Richard tragically died of a coronary occlusion at age 35, per Burton’s biography.
August 1951: Felicia gets re-engaged to Leonard.
After the death of Richard, Felicia and Leonard reconnected. By August, the pair were engaged again.
September 10, 1951: They get married.
In case you hadn’t noticed, Felicia and Leonard moved fast. They were married less than a month after their engagement at Temple Mishkan Tefilah in Roxbury, MA, according to the official Leonard Bernstein Facebook page.
September 8, 1952: Felicia and Leonard have their first child, Jamie.
Two days before the couple's first wedding anniversary, Felicia gave birth to their first child, Jamie Bernstein.
July 7, 1955: The couple's only son, Alexander, is born.
A few years after having Jamie, Felicia gave birth their second child and only son, Alexander Bernstein. While Leonard seemed like a devoted father and husband to the public, rumors of affairs bubbled beneath the surface of their seemingly happy family. (More on that in a moment.)
February 28, 1962: The couple welcome their youngest daughter, Nina Maria.
Fifteen years after the couple's first fateful meeting, Felicia and Leonard completed their family with their third child, Nina Maria Bernstein.
But their marriage and family life was not as picture-perfect as it may have seemed to the public at the time. All three Bernstein children appeared on CBS Sunday Morning to discuss the forthcoming film and their relationship with their parents, per The Hollywood Reporter. Jamie shared that her mother wrote a letter to her father shortly after their wedding. In it, she said, “I’m willing to accept you as you are without being a martyr and sacrificing myself on the L.B. altar,” regarding Leonard's affairs with men.
“She knew exactly what the deal was. They, obviously, loved each other to death. They never fought in front of us. We never saw any darkness. We felt a lot,” Alexander added. “They kept everything very well tidied and pretty well hidden.”
1976: Leonard leaves Felicia to live in California with his lover.
Leonard fell in love with Tom Cothran, the music director of a San Francisco classical radio station in 1971, and began a years-long affair with him, according to Leonard Bernstein: An American Musician by Allen Shawn.
Leonard left Felicia in 1976 to be with Tom in California. Felicia was “destroyed” by this, per the book, as not only did Leonard say he was in love with this man, but he was his best friend and the only one to truly understand his music. Felicia told her husband he was“going to die a bitter and lonely old man.”
June 16, 1978: Felicia dies with Leonard by her side.
Shortly after this explosive separation, Felicia became sick with lung cancer. Leonard returned and cared for her until she died at age 56. Leonard was heartbroken, per reports, and never fully recovered from the loss of his wife.
He ended his romance with Tom, and the two remained friends until Tom died of AIDS in 1987. Leonard died of a heart attack three years later on October 14, 1990.
You can now watch Maestro on Netflix.
Jacqueline Tempera is an award-winning writer and reporter living in New Jersey with her many pets. She is a business owner and a double Scorpio who loves all things astrology and reality television. She is passionate about body diversity and representation, mental health, and the fight to end sexual assault and harassment. To learn more about Jackie, follow her on Instagram @jacktemp or visit her website at jackietempera.com.
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