Who is Tommy Lee Jones' first wife? Everything to know amid family tragedy

The recent death of Victoria Jones, daughter of Tommy Lee Jones and Kimberlea Cloughley has sparked a sudden interest in the Hollywood star’s personal life.

She was reportedly found dead at the age of 34 in a San Francisco hotel on January 1. The authorities reported that foul play is not suspected in her death. However, the cause of her death remains under investigation.

Tommy Lee Jones shared Victoria with his second wife. He has been married three times. His first wife is Kate Lardner. Her full name is Katharine Lardner Rosen. She is a writer and actress, the granddaughter of Ring Lardner.

They married in 1971, and their wedding ceremony was performed at the bride's home by the Rev. Dana Klotzle of the Unitarian ‐Universalist Association. A report in the New York Times reported that she was previously married to Dr. John F. Rosen.

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All about Tommy Lee Jones’ first wife Kate Lardner

Tommy Lee Jones’ first wife, Kate Lardner, is the daughter of New York writer David Lardner and actress Frances Chaney, who later married David’s brother and screenwriter, Ring Lardner Jr. David was killed in Germany in the war when Kate was only two. Lardner was born on January 14, 1943, in New York City. She was the half-sister of James Larder, who was born to her mother and Ring Lardner Jr.

Jones is known for her acting roles in films and TV shows like Making Mr Right (1987), Quincy, M.E. (1976) and The Crutch (2005), according to her IMDb profile. She also wrote books, notably the memoir Shut Up He Explained: The Memoir of a Blacklisted Kid, which drew from her family's Hollywood blacklist experiences.

Kate Lardner married Tommy Lee Jones shortly after he graduated from Harvard in 1969 and began his acting career in New York, in Broadway roles such as A Patriot for Me.

During that time, Jones was an up-and-coming actor and completed two films, Love Story and Life Study, that were unreleased at the time of his marriage. In contrast, Lardner had completed her graduation from the High School of Music and Art and attended Denison University. She brought two children from her previous marriage into her union with Tommy Lee Jones - Carlo La rdner Rosen (5) and Ellis Annabelle Rosen (3). Jones and Lardner never had children of their own.

The couple relocated from New York to Los Angeles around 1978 to advance Jones’ film career. However, after remaining together for about 6-7 years, the couple divorced in early 1978. The reason for their divorce is unknown, but Lardner mentioned in her autobiography that Jones was a big drinker. She wrote:

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“His drinking scared me.”

Reports indicated that post his divorce from Lardner, Jones briefly dated model Lisa Taylor before marrying his second wife, Kimberlea Cloughley. Lardner has largely stayed out of public light post her divorce from Jones. She appears to be living privately in New York. He is currently married to Dawn-Laurel Jones.

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