40 Love Letters From Iconic Stars That Will Restore Your Faith In Romance

You only ever see one side of the famous; whether they’re on the silver screen, performing to adoring audiences or even leading a country. Their real personalities come out when they’re at their most vulnerable, but they don’t often let that side show. That’s why it’s such a surprise to read stars’ secret love letters — some penned to equally-as-famous faces. Even those who put up a wall while walking the red carpet have poured their heart into these private messages. Now, it’s your turn to read how they told their loved ones exactly how they felt.

40. John Steinbeck to Gwyn Steinbeck

John Steinbeck would have three wives in his lifetime, but he penned this fiery love letter to his second spouse, Gwyn. Eventually, the pair divorced in 1948 after she became jealous of his literary success. But before then, the couple felt inseparable — at least, from his point of view. The Grapes of Wrath author wrote to her in 1943, “I want you to keep this thing we have inviolate and waiting — the person who is neither I nor you but us…”

39. Charlotte Brontë to her English professor, Constantin Heger

Jane Eyre author Charlotte Brontë fell for her English professor, Constantin Heger, and she admitted as much in an 1845 love letter. She wrote, “You showed me of yore a little interest, when I was your pupil in Brussels, and I hold on to the maintenance of that little interest — I hold on to it as I would hold on to life.” Unfortunately, there’s no evidence that he ever reciprocated her very deep feelings.

38. Ted Hughes to Sylvia Plath

Those familiar with Sylvia Plath’s work will know about her tragic love for fellow poet Ted Hughes. Their split — he left her and their children for another woman — is thought to be one reason she ended her own life. At the beginning of their relationship, though, their affection for one another was palpable. Hughes wrote to her, “I wish this year were over and our wedding in America were over and I were just laying you down on the bed.”

37. Marlon Brando to his flight attendant

Marlon Brando was one the greatest screen actors of the 20th century. And, as it turns out, he was a skilled love letter writer, as well. He once penned a flirtatious note to a flight attendant who caught his eye. Brando gushed, “…Somehow by the mystery of genetic phenomena you have been visited by the gifts of refinement, dignity and poise…” He then wished that he and the stewardess “[would] have occasion to cross eyes again sometime.”