EXCLUSIVE: George Hamilton Reveals Surgery Left Him With Years of Memory Loss
George Hamilton reveals surgery left him with memory loss that lasted for years and changed his life.
Sept. 5 2026, Published 8:25 a.m. ET
Hollywood lothario George Hamilton couldn't remember his many conquests when he lost his memory after surgery – he said he had to read his memoir to recall them, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 87-year-old tanning enthusiast and Love at First Bite star said an operation for an undisclosed condition four or five years ago left him "not knowing who I was."
Wagner Had to Rediscover Himself
Elizabeth Taylor was among George Hamilton's former partners.
His doctors assured him the amnesia would last only a few days, but he says it took him years to piece together his very colorful, eventful life.
"I had to read my own biography to learn who I was," he said.
His memoir, Don't Mind If I Do: My Adventures in Hollywood, was published in 2008.
"I had to think, 'Do I like this person?'" he says. "I read it through several times and looked at things from my past and I wasn't sure if I had done them."
The By Love Possessed actor famously romanced a string of A-list ladies, including Elizabeth Taylor, Vanessa Redgrave and President Lyndon B. Johnson's elder daughter, Lynda Bird.
He was married once – to Alana Stewart, the mother of the elder of his two sons.
As his memory gradually returned, the most vivid recollections were from his childhood and "memories of manners and kindness.
Wagner Says 'Kindness' Matters Most
William 'Bill' Potter Hamilton told his brother he wished he had loved more.
"Other things have come and gone, but kindness and good manners and optimism and belief in something more important than our egos is something people probably don't think I think about, but it's most important to me at this age," he said.
He pointed to his brother, interior designer William "Bill" Potter Hamilton, who focused more on material things.
When the actor asked him how he would have changed his life, William replied: "I would love more."
Hamilton Proves It's Never Too Late for Love
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Writer George Gurley is helping George create a sequel to his memoir.
"You realize those are the things that are the valuable things in life once you have lived it," the Hollywood veteran said. "You don't want to learn it too late."
But some things never change, and at 87, Hamilton is proving you're never too old for romance. His latest lady love is socialite Katherine Bryan.
And now that he's recovered his memory, he's working on a sequel to his memoir with Bryan's son, writer George Gurley.
