Who is Jordan Belfort’s ex-wife Denise Lombardo?

Jordan Belfort had been a source of fascination long before Martin Scorsese immortalized him in film. But immortalize him he did, and now everyone knows his name.

As depicted in The Wolf of Wall Street portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, Belfort came from humble beginnings to climb the corporate ladder. He got his trader’s license before creating his own brokerage firm. Belfort is arguably the reason why so many people consider Wall Streeters crooks, as the millionaire went to extreme and criminal lengths to expand his wealth.

DiCaprio may add charm to the goings-on of this real-life figure, but there is no question that he made some mistakes, even by his own admission. In addition to illicit drugs and financial fraud, Belfort had a string of wives with varying reports on how they were treated during their marriages. Arguably the most intriguing is one people know the least about — Belfort’s first wife, Denise Lombardo.

Denise Lombardo was fictionalized by Cristin Milioti in Wolf of Wall Street

Long before Cristin Milioti wore Sofia Gigante’s iconic fur in The Penguin, she played a far more understated role in The Wolf of Wall Street. The Martin Scorsese film was inspired by Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same name, but many identities were changed for the film, including Jordan’s wives Teresa (Milioti) and Naomi (Margot Robbie). Milioti plays the woman that Jordan originally falls in love with and marries. She supports him getting his brokerage license, up until the moment he changes completely and falls in love with someone else. Teresa was inspired by Denise Lombardo, Belfort’s first wife.

Because Belfort married Lombardo before his career took off, little is known about her compared to his second and third wives. According to Belfort’s memoir, Lombardo worked at a hair salon as Teresa does in the film. The two met while he was working as a salesman and married in 1985. Similar to the movie, the marriage fell apart due to Belfort’s extramarital affair with Nadine Caridi. In the book, he details that he and Denise divorced in 1991 and his regret over the situation.

“I should’ve been horsewhipped for what I did to Denise. I don’t care if it’s Wall Street or Main Street. What I did was in-f***ing-excusable.”

He went on to marry Caridi, though he expressed their relationship differed from his first marriage. Lombardo was with him before he gained all his affluence and they had a level of trust he couldn’t have with anyone else. Less than 10 years later, Belfort would be arrested and convicted of fraud for his activities at his brokerage firm, Stratton Oakmont.

Since their divorce, Lombardo has had no need to be in the spotlight, and as a result, there is much we don’t know about her. Most of the information comes from Belfort’s own account, which can admittedly be somewhat skewed. Lombardo has not made any comments, even after the release of The Wolf of Wall Street about how she is depicted in the media. Without any other sources to cross-reference his account, fans will just have to take his word for it.