Candice Bergin’s Romantic History Includes Donald Trump, Odd Charles Manson Link & More

MURPHY BROWN, Candice Bergen, (1988), 1988–2018. — Bernard Boudreau/TV Guide/CBS/courtesy Everett Collection

Candice Bergen turns 80 on May 9, 2026, and for many fans, she will always be the star of Murphy Brown. Over the years, Bergen has been in the tabloids for her star status and her highly publicized love life, including a one-time date with Donald Trump, a date with Henry Kissinger, a serious relationship with record producer Terry Melcher, and two marriages that shaped the second half of her life.

In honor of her birthday, let’s dive into her love life based on what we know.

Donald Trump

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One of Bergen’s oddest dating stories goes back to her college years at the University of Pennsylvania, where she and Donald Trump were both students. Bergen later said Trump called her dorm and asked her out when she was around 18. She remembered him arriving in a burgundy three-piece suit, burgundy patent-leather boots, and even a burgundy limousine. It did not turn into anything serious. Bergen said she was home by 9 pm and described the night as a “very short dinner.” She also said there was no physical contact between them.

Henry Kissinger

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Bergen also once went on a date with Henry Kissinger. She was the daughter of two well-known Hollywood figures, and her social circle often overlapped with some of the most famous stars. In a 2018 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Bergen said Kissinger had been a better date than Trump, but it also didn’t last.

Terry Melcher

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Bergen was linked to Terry Melcher, the record producer who was also Doris Day‘s son. Melcher worked with major acts, including the Byrds, and had ties to the Los Angeles music world of the late ’60s. Bergen and Melcher were together during that period, and their relationship later became entangled in one of the decade’s darkest stories. Bergen and Melcher had lived at 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles for a while. That address later became infamous as the house where followers of Charlie Manson murdered Sharon Tate and others in August 1969, after Bergen and Melcher no longer lived there. Still, it is a creepy connection.

Louis Malle

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Bergen eventually found a much deeper relationship with French filmmaker Louis Malle. Malle was already an acclaimed director, known for films including Elevator to the Gallows, The Lovers, Pretty Baby, Atlantic City and My Dinner With Andre. Bergen later described their relationship as a wonderful love story, and their marriage became one of the most important relationships of her life. Bergen and Malle married on September 27, 1980. Their daughter, Chloe, was born in 1985. The couple remained married until Malle’s death from cancer in 1995, and Bergen later wrote about that time in her memoir A Fine Romance.

Marshall Rose

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After Malle’s death, Bergen found love again with Marshall Rose, a New York real estate developer and philanthropist. They married in 2000 and remained married until his death on February 15, 2025. He died at 88 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Their marriage lasted nearly 25 years, making it the longest publicly documented romantic relationship of Bergen’s life.

She spoke to PEOPLE this year about being a caregiver for two of her now late husbands and shared this advice to other caregivers: “Take tiny breaks for yourself from time to time — short lunches with good old friends that you’ve lost touch with. Do things for yourself to keep yourself normal.”