Wife No. 1
Faith Golding
Married: 18 years
Children: 4
Met her when she was 17, borrowed money from her to start his buyout empire, and split from her over his affair with a florist.
Settlement total: $8 million

Wife No. 2
Claudia Cohen
Married: 9 years
Children: 1
The gossip journalist introduced him to fashionable society, where he met, among other people, the alluring Patricia Duff.
Settlement total: $80 million

Wife No. 3
Patricia Duff
Married: 18 months
Children: 1
The fierce custody battle over daughter Caleigh, which Perelman won, lasted roughly twice as long as the marriage.
Settlement total: $30 million

Wife No. 4
Ellen Barkin
Married: 5 years
Children: none
The romance began at an Oscar party in 1999; Perelman filed for divorce in January.
Settlement total: $60 million, according to a friend of Perelman’s; $20 million, according to a friend of Barkin’s

Related:

• Archive: “Features”
• Articles by Geoffrey Gray
• Table of Contents: March 27, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!