In Rita Harrison's 1961 separation documents, filed in Alabama, she accused John Bullock of repeated violent behaviour, according to U.S. publication the Globe, which obtained the file.

In the papers, Harrison's lawyer claims Bullock "committed violence on her person" and "periodically flew into fits of rage".

Harrison says, "He frequently demanded that I divorce him and told me that if I didn't that he was going to get a divorce from Reno (Nevada) and I would be cut off without anything."

Bullock's ex-wife also suggested he was an unfit father to their two daughters, Nancy and Katherine - Sandra Bullock's half-sisters. She suggests her then-estranged husband never "seemed to assume or take on the responsibilities of the children," adding, "He always seemed annoyed by family life".

After the divorce, John Bullock met and fell in love with Sandra's mother Helga while he was working in Germany. His first wife, who is now 94 and living in Oregon, moved to Florida to bring up the couple's kids.

John Bullock's eldest daughter, Nancy, now 62, tells the Globe, "What happened between my mother and father was a long time ago, and water over the dam. We've all moved on with our lives."

The news of the bitter divorce comes just six months after Oscar winner Sandra split from her husband Jesse James over his infidelities. The couple is now divorced.