Wealth & Woes: Inside Armie Hammer's Long Line Of Family Scandal

The oil tycoon attempted to distance himself from his Soviet past, embracing his role as an American industrialist and businessman. He partied with Prince Charles, flew private planes, collected expensive artwork, and attended everything from the Olympics to Presidential Inaugurations before dying in 1990. He even hired someone to write his own memoir, titled, of course, The Remarkable Life of Dr. Armand Hammer.

Beneath the surface, however, things were darker. After his death, it was revealed that Armand was laundering money (shocking!), bribed his way into the oil business, secretly funded Soviet espionage through his art dealings, and knocked off Fabergé eggs. He made illegal donations to the Nixon campaign - probably helping to cover up Watergate - for which he faced a felony charge for obstructing justice. He was later pardoned by President H. W. Bush.

But the drama wasn't just in his business affairs. Armand has multiple mistresses, one of whom he forced to change her name and wear wigs, glasses, and makeup to change her appearance (so his wife wouldn't catch on) whenever they rendezvoused. Their affair lasted a decade, during which he made her use tapped phones and a car with a tracking device, and submit to what she called "extremely humiliating" sexual demands. Long story short, he left her out of his will after promising to take care of her and her children. 

When it came to family life, the patriarch was harsh and demanding. Casey Hammer, Armand's granddaughter and Armie's aunt, told Vanity Fair, "God forbid you did anything wrong in front of his friends. You couldn’t wear the same dress twice to his gala parties. On the outside, we had to be the perfect family."

He even forced his son and grandchildren to make appointments to see him.