Michelle Triola Marvin

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Michelle Triola Marvin (born Michelle Triola; November 13, 1932 – October 30, 2009) was an American actress and dancer from Los Angeles. She studied theater at UCLA and performed on Broadway in Flower Drum Song in 1958, along with small film and TV roles.

She married actor Skip Ward for six months (1961–1962). From 1965 to 1970 she lived with Lee Marvin, and in 1977 she famously sued him for financial support after their relationship ended. The case, Marvin v. Marvin, helped establish the legal concept of palimony for unmarried couples. She sometimes used the surname Marvin after the relationship and was represented by attorney Marvin Mitchelson.

Triola later was reported to have lived with actor Dick Van Dyke from 1976 until her death; she had no children. In court, she sought alimony and a share of Marvin’s earnings, but the outcome was limited. A 1979 ruling ordered Marvin to pay $104,000 for rehabilitation costs but denied a community-property claim to half of Marvin’s earnings. An appellate ruling in 1981 left intact the precedent that unmarried couples could seek property rights in some circumstances.

Michelle Triola Marvin died of lung cancer at her home in Malibu, California, at age 76.