Clark Gable was the first to have called me a mermaid.

Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Thrill of a Romance was the 8th highest grossing film of 1945. She married singer/actor Ben Gage on November 25 1945; they had three children Benjamin Stanton (born August 6 1949) Kimball Austin (October 30 1950 – May 6 2008) and Susan Tenney (born October 1 1953).

It was at the Aquacade that Williams caught the attention of MGM scouts. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics because of the outbreak of World War II Esther Williams joined Billy Rose's Aquacade where Esther Williams took on the role vacated by Eleanor Holm after the show's move from New York City to San Francisco. As of 2011 Williams lives with her fourth husband Edward Bell in Beverly Hills.