Ron Perelman, the billionaire head of Revlon Corp., is seeking a divorce from his wife of five years, actress Ellen Barkin, the New York Post and gossip columnist Liz Smith reported Friday.
Spokesmen for Perelman and Barkin declined comment. Perelman’s representative, Howard Rubenstein, said, “I’m being kept out of the loop on this. I doubt if anyone will talk.”
Quoting sources, the Post said Perelman served divorce papers on his fourth wife Thursday at the couple’s Manhattan mansion. Perelman, 62, is worth an estimated $6 billion and according to Forbes Magazine is the 34th richest man in America.
The Post said that under an agreement signed before their marriage in 2000, the 51-year-old actress, whose films include “Sea of Love” and “The Big Easy,” could expect to get $20 million in the divorce but that amount could rise if they stay together beyond five years.
The tabloid, quoting unidentified sources, reported that Barkin was “knocked for a loop” when she was served with the divorce papers. “She’s shocked. She wasn’t expecting it,” the source told the Post.
Patricia Duff, Perelman’s third wife from 1994 to 1997, received $30 million following a divorce and custody battle over their daughter, Caleigh. Gossip columnist Claudia Cohen, Perelman’s second wife from 1985 to 1994 and who also had a child with Perelman, got $80 million in their divorce.
His first wife, Faith Golding, who was married to him from 1965 to 1984 and is the mother of four of Perelman’s children, received $8 million in their divorce.