Barry Diller, the super-successful businessman, left a trail of hits from “Roots” at ABC, to Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Terms of Endearment and Beverly Hills Cop from his time as CEO of Paramount Cheers, before moving onto Fox and The Simpsons and thence into a blizzard of influential, money-making companies. At 83 he has published an autobiography Who Knew? in which he reveals he thought he was gay until aged 33 when he met fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg. Their first meeting was pass remarkable and even after they got together it was on and off until they reunited in 1991 and married in 2001.
He says: “ There are many complex aspects of my relationship with Diane von Fürstenberg: romantic love and deep respect, companionship and world adventuring.”
“I’m well aware that this part of my life has caused confusion and lots of speculation. A relationship that began with indifference, then exploded into a romance as natural to us as breathing, surprised us and everyone else. It really is the miracle of my life.”
“We weren’t just friends. We aren’t just friends. Plain and simple, it was an explosion of passion that kept up for years.”
“Yes, I also liked guys, but that was not a conflict with my love for Diane. I can’t explain it to myself or to the world. It simply happened to both of us without motive or manipulation. In some cosmic way we were destined for each other.”
He was born 2 February 1942 San Francisco (no birth time) and has a Sun Venus in Aquarius opposition Pluto Chiron square Mars in Taurus – charming, friendly and ultra-determined, a real go-getter. He also has an innovative and creative Saturn Uranus in Taurus trine Neptune in Virgo. His Moon is Leo/Virgo.
Diane von Furstenberg, 31 December 1946 3.30 am Ixelles, Belgium (astrotheme), has a quick-witted and ambitious 3rd house Sun Mars conjunction in Capricorn square a 5th house Aries Moon and inconjunct Saturn Pluto in Leo. Her Moon also opposes Neptune and trines Saturn Pluto – so a complicated emotional and domestic life. She has a charming and fashion-oriented Jupiter Venus conjunction in Scorpio in her 1st house inconjunct Uranus in her 8th house which rules sexuality. Which latter will give her an unconventional and individualistic approach to intimate relationships. Her Chiron on her Ascendant will have given her a confused sense of self and identity from early on.
His Jupiter falls in her 8th house for a deep sense of connection emotionally and financially. With his Sun Venus opposition her Pluto for a strong bond. His Mars and Saturn Uranus fall in her 7th house which looks fractious and unpredictable which may point to the recurring rumours about his sexuality but would also have a difficult internal dynamic as well.
Their relationship chart has two yods: Sun Mercury inconjunct Neptune sextile Saturn; and Mars inconjunct Neptune sextile Pluto – yods occur where people are drawn together in a ‘fated’ way which feels meant and changes the destiny of both. It may not always be happy, viz Wallis Simpson and the Duke of Windsor, but they do feel preordained. Diane and Barry also have a composite Venus opposition Saturn, giving longevity if not warmth; and a needs-space, uncompromising Mars square Uranus. It would not be quite as seamless a togetherness as he makes it sound but it has lasted.
Their wedding chart, 2 February 2001, New York, has an Aquarius Sun sitting on the Uranus/Neptune midpoint which is fairly highly-strung – plus a difficult Mars in Scorpio opposition Saturn in Taurus square Uranus suggesting one partner had to grit their teeth and fit in to make the relationship run smoothly.
Good on them for making it work even if it was not always an idyll of romantic bliss.
The good of the 12th house might be: loss of relativity, gain of spirituality, enlightenment, moksha, loss of attachment, donations, charity, journey to far-off, distant lands. It is a house of endings and liberation. In Vedic astrology it is also the house of sexual pleasures, enjoying luxuries, and foreign residency.
In Barry and Diane’s relationship there is also her Saturn opposing his Sun, which would speak of her authority trying to suppress his identity. It is not that this aspect couldn’t work.
Her Saturn also opposes his Venus, which would speak of obstacles in the free flow of love and this time she being on top of him.
Her Saturn squares his Mars: “Saturn’s standards are in conflict with Mars’ efforts”.
Her Pluto opposes his Sun, which, literature says, speaks of him trying to humiliate her, the battle of light and darkness a constant source of irritation.
Her Mercury squares his Neptune: distrust, devious communication.
Her Saturn is on his Pluto, which is an aspect of a business connection. Saturn is organization, Pluto is effort and insight. It gets ugly when a question of who’s in charge arises.
Lots of Saturninan undertones to this relationship.
I am curious about which house may represent the maternal Uncles? Mine play a huge nurturing role in my life – while my paternal Uncles are more restrictive and competetive, some even trying to contest my Dad’s will and gain his properties although they have zero legal standing. I am piggybacking on the last sentence of El Aznar’s comment “I think it also represents the paternal uncle. And feet.”.
sorry: this was a reply to El Aznar on the topic of the 12th house.
The 6th house should be the maternal uncle and the stepmother.
You need to give us a full family list and houses, El Aznar.
Also, would you look at lordship of the houses in case of empty houses?
Thanks for this! Food for thought …
His Jupiter on her North Node might have helped so much in her life’s mission and getting on that path.
The man I considered my brother’s first husband, though because of the times they were living in, were never married. He said that he thought everyone was b1sexual, but it was individual for everyone as to how much that would be. Which might explain why it takes some adults to work out not just their preferences, but to also recognise their soul mate.
For some reason this resonates with me ‘about everyone being to some degree bisexual, and then making (informed) choices along the way’.
Thank you so much for this.
It’s weird, because I kind of felt that it would have been described by him in a way in which he did describe it, but then also that there would be at least a pinch of undercurrents.
I took a peek at the synastry, and his Sun squares her ascendant, opposing views and purposes in life.
His Mars opposes her ascendant, which would make her nervous to assert her priorities and rights in the relationship.
There are some very nice trines, such as Mars trine Mars, Sun trine Mars, Moon trine Pluto, which would all help to get the better of this coupling.
On the other hand, Pluto opposing Venus and squaring Mars would bring difficulties.
His Pluto squares her ascendant – lots of stuff regarding her rising sign (her priorities in life, how she presents herself to the world) – would indicate that this relationship started in secret and also that he (Pluto) would stir psychological issues in her. Could also be controlling (Pluto) of her public image (ascendant).
Her Venus opposes his Uranus, a lot of annoying conflicts, but could also be indicative of the singular peculiarity (Uranus) of this relationship (Venus).
Her Mercury squares his Venus, differences in how to express love, mundane communication gets difficult.
His Saturn opposes her Venus, which would make her feel as if he is standing on top of her and dampening (Saturn) her flow of feelings in the relationship (Venus).
She always kind of had this melancholic expression on her face and tiredness, in my view, about her. Whenever I think of her, I kind of see her that way.
Jupiter squares the Sun, differences in ideology.
Quite a few aspects speak of, and confirm, that passion he mentions.
Maybe it all tells us that even though we know that what we expect, all sunshine and roses in aspects, doesn’t really turn up in longterm, apparently successful, relationships, it really, really isn’t something we should expect.
Actually I see the Venus Saturn opposition as an unbreakable bond. The Venus person feels that they owe something to the Saturn person and in my experience, the aspect itself is one of deep commitment and loyalty.
I do not disagree. All these aspects, including the ones I branded as positive, have two sides to their coins.
Thank you for this article, Marjorie.
I read Diane von Furstenberg’s Wikipedia article and it seems that even her first husband – Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, born 29 June 1946 in Lausanne, Switzerland – was, at the very least, bisexual (he had a male partner openly between his two marriages).
Is there anything indicative in a chart of an attraction to lavender marriages and open marriages? To some extent, it is understandable. DvF was in the fashion industry, one known for a higher-than-average presence of gay men. But is there an astrological aspect to it?
I’ll search if you have done an article on Louis and Edwina Mountbatten, the Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma, but that is another marriage that was known for its open nature. If there isn’t an article on their marriage already, could I request you to have a look at them when you have the time?
PS: I found your article on them, Marjorie.
For reference, the article is The Mountbattens – eye-curling Royal scandals, dated 24th August 2019.
Unmystic Mom,
If you find Marjorie’s post(s) on Kate–William synastry, let me know. I dread typing their names or some other query in the search box and ending up with nothing (or with not what I wanted).
I would imagine 8th house planets. Edwina has Moon Neptune in 8th and Phyllis Gates’ Rock Hudson’s brief marriage had Pluto North Node in the 8th.
The deep, dark, hidden eighth house. Fascinating. Thank you, Marjorie.
Thej what would u call the 12th?
That’s a house of seclusion, isolation, monasteries, hospitals, care homes, a house of dreams, illusions, losses, also I believe prenatal experience. I think it also represents the paternal uncle. And feet.
Is there nothing positive about the 12 house then?
I tend to think of the 12th (when asked about the positives) as an incubator. The darkness needed to birth an art piece or a creative text. Also as the womb before Aries energy bursts forth in the 1st house.
The 12th house is creative, intuitive – and does point to pre-natal experiences. Is badly written up in the old astrology books. Tracy Marks is good about it.
Marjorie,
Do you know some good resources on the prenatal experiences in a chart?