Celebrity Marriages That Have Stood the Test of Time
With This Ring
Actor Rob Lowe and his wife Sheryl Berkoff recently celebrated more than three decades of marriage, an achievement that's proven unattainable for many couples, regardless of their ties to Hollywood. And Lowe and Berkoff aren't alone. Though we're used to reading about the quick demise of celebrity marriages, the number of celebrity couples who have endured the test of time is noteworthy. Many star-studded pairings (sometimes not the first time around) have survived the often-unforgiving glare of the Hollywood spotlight to reach silver anniversaries and beyond, a milestone fewer and fewer mortals can claim these days.
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Rob Lowe and Sheryl Berkoff
Tied the knot: 1991
Having a long successful career in Hollywood isn't the only achievement worth boasting about for Rob Lowe. In a recent interview with Parade, the 59-year-old actor shared the secrets that have made his 32-year marriage with wife Sheryl Berkoff successful. "Well, it starts at the very beginning. I married my best friend, and if you're lucky enough to be in a relationship with your best friend, you're so far ahead of the game," he said. Lowe and Berkoff first met in 1983 after being set up on a blind date, but didn't start a romantic relationship until 1990.
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Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
Tied the knot: 1996
Australian actor, singer, and producer Hugh Jackman is also a devoted husband and father. He and Deborra-Lee Furness, a fellow Aussie actor, producer, and philanthropist, have been together since meeting "at work" in 1995 and have raised two children together. Their introduction came during Jackman's first job out of drama school, when Furness, some 13 years older, was already an established actor. From those early sparks, it's said the "soulmates" never looked back.
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Daniel Day-Lewis and Rebecca Miller
Tied the knot: 1996
The famously low-profile actor Daniel Day-Lewis and novelist-filmmaker Rebecca Miller marked their silver wedding anniversary last November. Despite Day-Lewis having garnered three Best Actor Academy Awards, his personal life remains far from the Hollywood rumor mill. The couple met when Day-Lewis was filming "The Crucible," based on the play by Arthur Miller (Miller's father). The couple would go on to work together in 2005, when he starred in "The Ballad of Jack and Rose," written and directed by Miller. They are rarely in the spotlight, reportedly raising their children in suburban Connecticut.
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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
Tied the knot: 1996
Talk about a soap opera-worthy story. Actors Kelly Ripa ("Live with Kelly and Ryan") was a Jersey girl, and Mark Consuelos ("Riverdale") was born in Spain to an Italian mother and Mexican father. They met on the "All My Children" set in 1995 and eloped to Las Vegas the following year. It's no fly-by-night union, though, as the couple who are parents of three children marked their silver anniversary last year. In the milestone's honor, Ripa got a tattoo of the wedding date.
Candace Cameron Bure and Valeri Bure
Tied the knot: 1996
The little girl known as D.J. Tanner on "Full House" (and later D.J. Tanner-Fuller on "Fuller House") has become the de facto face of The Hallmark Channel. She said "I do" to her Russian NHL player-husband 26 years ago. Who introduced them? None other than Uncle Joey, aka "Full House" co-star Dave Coulier, at a charity hockey game. The Bures have three children.
Steve Carell and Nancy Walls
Tied the knot: 1995
Michael Scott is a classic sitcom character. Steve Carell's interpretation of Scott on "The Office'' is some of Carell's best work, and true "Office" fanatics might know this bit of trivia: the Carol Stills character, Scott's girlfriend in a handful of episodes, was portrayed by his real-life wife. Carell married Nancy Wells, an actress, comedian and writer who has worked on "Saturday Night Live," "The Daily Show',' and "The Office" after they met while both were part of the acting-comedy scene in Chicago. In speaking with Parade magazine of the long standing relationship, which has included working and raising two children together, Carell said this about his wife: "We make each other laugh. We always have … Nancy and I share a sense of humor. We must have a thousand inside jokes, between the two of us, and it never gets old."
Holly Robinson Peete and Rodney Peete
Tied the knot: 1995
It's not the frantic days of "21 Jump Street'' anymore. Holly Robinson rocketed to fame on the classic TV show that teamed her up with Johnny Depp, among others. She not only acted in but sang its theme song, a precursor to an enduring career as an actor, author, talk-show host and activist. Did we mention she's also a reality star? "Meet the Peetes" and "For Peete's Sake" have chronicled her personal life with husband and onetime NFL star Rodney Peete and their four children.
Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley
Tied the knot: 1993
Despite each of them being entrenched in the entertainment industry, Academy Award-winning actress Michelle Pfeiffer caused a stir when she revealed a long-held vow — to never work with her husband, television writer, and producer David E. Kelley of "Doogie Howser, M.D.," "Chicago Hope," and "Big Little Lies" fame. Having raised two children together, the couple keeps the personal life separate from the professional and it seems to have worked.
Annette Bening and Warren Beatty
Tied the knot: 1992
"Bugsy" was the film that brought this Hollywood couple together. They worked together. They started a relationship. They had a child in 1991. They married the following year. Times had changed. Beatty, an acclaimed actor, was considered a notorious womanizer — his Wikipedia page links him "before marriage" to some 100 women, among them are Isabel Adjani, Barbra Streisand, Brigitte Bardot, Diana Ross, Raquel Welch, Jane Fonda, Mary Tyler Moore, Twiggy, Joni Mitchell, and Joan Collins — for starters… whew. Bening, though, turned out to be the one — they have four children and are going strong.
Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa
Tied the knot: 1991
Is "The Boss" really the boss at home in New Jersey? Only Bruce and his wife of 30 years know. The American rocker is said to have met Scialfa at The Stone Pony, the Asbury Park, New Jersey, club that plays into so much Springsteen lore, back in early '80s. She would become a backup singer in the classic E Street Band lineup. Scialfa was also there in the background, watching Springsteen marry and divorce actress Julianne Phillips a few years later. Then, the sparks rumored to have always been there really heated up, with Scialfa — who's become an artist in her own right — and Springsteen joining forces and welcoming their first of three children in 1990.
Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw
Tied the knot: 1991
Sometimes, it's not the first marriage that lasts the longest … legendary film director Steven Spielberg was married to actress Amy Irving from 1985-89 but met his current wife (of some 32 years), actress Kate Capshaw, when she auditioned for one of his "Indiana Jones" movies. In a modern-day "Brady Bunch," Spielberg and Capshaw have raised seven children, from previous relationships, as well as adoptions and their biological children.
Denis Leary and Ann Lembeck Leary
Tied the knot: 1989
Actor, writer, stand-up comedian, and producer Denis Leary — he of the sharp wit and "Rescue Me" fame — met his wife of 30-plus years back at Emerson College in Boston. Um, no, they weren't fellow students — he was her English instructor. As Denis continues to ply his trade in Hollywood (his most recent series is "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll"), his wife maintains a career as an author. Together, they have two children. It hasn't been a bed of roses — Lembeck Leary's piece in The New York Times about their marriage inspired an episode of "Modern Love" called "Rallying to Keep the Game Alive" — but they are holding strong.
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley
Tied the knot: 1989
The man born Jon Bongiovi in small-town New Jersey would go on to become singer-songwriter, actor and philanthropist Jon Bon Jovi. And Dorothea Hurley has been along for most of the ride. The couple, sweethearts from their days at Sayreville War Memorial High School, share four children. Hurley has been a karate instructor and co-owner of a restaurant with her husband over the years. Their secret? "Mutual respect," the Bon Jovi singer told People magazine in 2020.
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick
Tied the knot: 1988
Well, Kyra Sedgwick is probably the all-time winner in the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" connection game. This veteran couple met on the set of a forgettable television project called "Lemon Sky." At the time, he was the "Footloose" star and she was an up-and-comer; they clicked and as they say, history was made. The couple share two children and raising them in Manhattan, where they bond over "technology-free" family dinners.
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Tied the knot: 1988
Perhaps the quintessential "Hollywood couple," Hanks and Wilson — who snared the spotlight again in 2020 when they were among those who caught COVID-19 in its earliest days — met on the set of the "Bosom Buddies" sitcom in the early '80s and would team up in the 1985 movie "Volunteers." Hanks, now an Academy Award-winning actor, as well as a director, producer, and screenwriter, would eventually divorce his first wife, marrying fellow actor Wilson (also a singer, songwriter and producer). Hanks converted to Wilson's Greek Orthodox religion; the couple's ties to Greece were recognized in 2019 when they — and their two children together — were awarded honorary Greek citizenshipin recognition of their work to raiseawareness and aid after a 2018 Greek wildfire.
Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan
Tied the knot: 1988
It's a heartwarming example of the wedding vow "For better or worse." Actors Michael J. Fox ("Back to the Future") and Tracy Pollan met on the sitcom "Family Ties," when Pollan was cast as the girlfriend of breakout star Fox's character, Alex P. Keaton. They began dating a few years later, when filming "Bright Lights, Big City." Pollan has stood by Fox since his 1991 diagnosis of Parkinson's disease at age 29, building a life that has included four children. If any further evidence of their commitment was needed, Pollan wished Fox a happy 60th birthday in 2021 with an Instagram post: "Happy birthday to my favorite person, love of my life. Have the bestest day!"
Mark Harmon and Pam Dawber
Tied the knot: 1987
Mark & Mindy? These two veteran actors are one of Hollywood's longest-running teams. Dawber is best known as a sitcom star ("Mork & Mindy," "My Sister Sam,"), while Harmon parlayed early success as an athlete into an acting career that is still thriving with "NCIS." In 2019, Harmon told People (the magazine that named him "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1986) the closest he can come to figuring out a key to he and Dawber's marriage is that, "We were both in our 30s when we got married, so hopefully the stupid stuff we did earlier."
Ray and Anna Romano
Tied the knot: 1987
Everybody really does love Raymond — including Anna, his wife of three-plus decades. The stand-up comedian, sitcom star, film actor, and screenwriter met his actress-cinematographer wife (and mother of his four children) before either one had tasted fame. They were bank tellers in Queens; Romano reportedly waited until they were no longer co-workers to ask her out.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall
Tied the knot: 1987
Can you imagine the laughter in a household led by actors Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Seinfeld," "The New Adventures of Old Christine," and "Veep") and actor, director, and sitcom creator Brad Hall (a "Saturday Night Live" alum)? The pair met during college at Northwestern, raised two sons, and have weathered not only the years but Louis-Dreyfus' breast cancer battle.
Tom Selleck and Jillie Mack
Tied the knot: 1987
The man behind that famous Hollywood moustache (and some pretty-short shorts on "Magnum, P.I."), Tom Selleck of "Blue Bloods" fame these days was utterly captivated by his now-wife, Jillie Mack, when they first met. The story with the fairy-tale ending goes like this: The divorced man in his late 30s was filming in England, went to see "Cats" on the London stage, and soon was asking out the 25-year-old actress-dancer in the show. Fast forward to her contract with "Cats" ending — and her joining Selleck in America for 30-plus years of wedded bliss on a California ranch.
Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross
Tied the knot: 1984
Yes, it's his most distinguishing trait, but actor Sam Elliott is much more than just his voice. He met Ross when he had a minor role, in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" but was reportedly too shy to talk to "the leading lady" of the film. That shyness was gone by 1978, when they were both filming "The Legacy," a horror film. The couple would marry some six years later — Ross' fifth time at the altar but Elliott's first. Ross has been good luck for Elliott's career: He almost missed out on his singular role in "Mask" as he was on his honeymoon; Ross insisted he return to test for the role.
Bette Midler and Martin von Haselberg
Tied the knot: 1984
"The Divine Miss M" was the title of the first album and also the flamboyant stage persona of singer-actress Bette Midler. It's no surprise, then, that her wedding to actor-artist Martin von Haselberg was equally exuberant. As she shared with "Jimmy Kimmel Live" earlier this year, she asked him to get hitched, then they eloped and got married by an Elvis impersonator. Their daughter had an equally small, if less wild, wedding in 2020, getting married during the pandemic at her parents' country home.
Frances McDormand and Joel Coen
Tied the knot: 1984
There must be a lot of hardware in that house. Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand added to her honors with a win for "Nomadland" in 2021 while her husband, Joel (half of the famed Coen brothers with his real brother, Ethan), has multiple Oscars himself. The longtime couple met on "Blood Simple," the Coen brothers' directorial debut. Said to have fallen in love over literature, the socially-aware couple has supported numerous causes and together, adopted a son from Paraguay in 1995.
Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest
Tied the knot: 1984
Christopher Guest, the son of a British diplomat and his American-born, television executive wife, is perhaps best known for role as simpleton rocker Nigel Tufnel in "This Is Spinal Tap." The real-life baron, though, would go on to write, direct and star in mockumentaries ranging from "Waiting for Guffman" to "A Mighty Wind." He married Hollywood royalty Jamie Lee Curtis (the "Halloween" actress who earned the title "The Lady Haden-Guest" with the union), daughter of icons Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. The couple eventually adopted two children. How'd they do it? Curtis reportedly told a virtual audience earlier the key to their enduring union was found in this one act: "Don't leave."
Keith Richards and Patti Hansen
Tied the knot: 1983
Never one for predictability, Rolling Stone Keith Richards married his model-actress lady friend Patti Hansen on his 40th birthday, some four years after they met at Studio 54 when native New Yorker Hansen was celebrating her 23rd birthday. A rock 'n' roll life? Sure, but it's also one filled with domesticity, as the couple has raised two daughters and stood strong as Hansen battled cancer. If you can't imagine the rock icon as a sweet guy, check out what Hansen said of his courtship in a Harper's Bazaar interview: "Keith was constantly making me mix tapes, and he would do beautiful drawings on them … That was his method of communication."
Denzel and Pauletta Washington
Tied the knot: 1983
Why does actor, director and producer Denzel Washington think his 40-year marriage works? He often points to one unwavering force — his wife, the former Pauletta Pearson. The acting pair met in 1977 on the set of a movie called "Wilma." They'd go on to date, with Denzel reportedly proposing a few times before his actress paramour said yes. Today, they continue to thrive in the entertainment industry, with their four grown children also involved in the field.
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne
Tied the knot: 1982
If you consider Ozzy Osbourne as a bumbling one time rocker, it's a pretty sure bet his longtime wife, Sharon, will challenge you with real fervor. She's known the heavy metal singer-songwriter since she was 18, as her father was the manager of Ozzy's band, Black Sabbath. Decades later, the couple remain together, after briefly splitting in 2016 after reports of Ozzy having an affair. With three children, various reality projects, and concert tours in their shared history, it seems they are destined to outlast all doubters.
Jason Alexander and Daena E. Title
Tied the knot: 1982
Think of "Seinfeld" character George Costanza and his ill-fated marriage to Susan Ross. It would be enough to spook anyone. But Jason Alexander, who memorably portrayed George — a signature role in a multifaceted career — has been married 40 years to New York-born actress Daena E. Title ("For Better or Worse") with whom he has two sons.
Bono and Ali Hewson
Tied the knot: 1982
Anyone can look at Bono, the singer of the legendary Irish rock band U2, and his wife, Ali, the formidable Irish activist and businesswoman, and see a stunning pair with worldwide success. But it wasn't that way when they met as fellow students Paul and Alison at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin. Decades later, as Bono told Irish Central, he still looks to his wife (with whom he shares four children) for balance: "She just repeated what she's been telling me since we were teenagers, which is, ‘Don't look down at me but don't look up at me either. Look across to me. I'm here.'"
Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd
Tied the knot: 1982
Amid the glitz and glamour, this partnership has included the ownership of more than 35 trendy restaurants, bars, and clubs in London and Los Angeles. Lisa Vanderpump (late of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and "matriarch"of "Vanderpump Rules") and Ken Todd have also been paired in love, raising two children, and advocating for various animal-themed charities — and businesses. The pair met through Vanderpump's brother, and despite a 16-year age difference, there was, as she has said, "an instant connection."
Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas
Tied the knot: 1980
For those who still think it can't be done, perhaps it's time to check out the book "What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life." The book is not only a celebration of marriage but was written by the famous longtime couple (Donahue is a famed talk-show host and Thomas is an actress), who marked their own 40-year anniversary in 2020.
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer
Tied the knot: 1978
It's been said sculptor Don Gummer has always been there for his wife, the iconic Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep. Gummer, a fellow Yale grad and friend of Streep's brother, stepped in to support the actress when she was grieving for her boyfriend, the actor John Cazale ("Dog Day Afternoon"), who had died of lung cancer. From there, a lifelong romance began, one that yielded four children who would all grow up to become involved in the creative fields. A sweet note: Streep's 2012 Academy Award acceptance speech honored Gummer — as she joked, before the music would cut her off – saying, "I want him to know that everything I value most in our lives, you've given me."
Jeff Bridges and Susan Geston
Tied the knot: 1977
Whether you think of "The Big Lebowski" or "The Fabulous Baker Boys," Jeff Bridges is a pure Hollywood star. The son of Lloyd Bridges and brother of Beau might be expected to lead a playboy lifestyle to go along with that pedigree — but Bridges has been married to Susan Geston for 45 years. They met on the set of a movie in Montana — he was the actor, she the local. She refused him at first, but love would soon blossom and the pair has lived a storied life ever since, raising three daughters along the way. A gesture that will melt your heart? Bridges keeps a photo with him at all times, a snapshot taken by one of that Montana movie's makeup artists of the moment the lovebirds first met. Bridges recently beat cancer and Covid-19 with his wife by his side.
Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw
Tied the knot: 1976
You have to wonder if Dr. Phil McGraw and his wife (introduced through Phil's sister and married since the Bicentennial) ever shake their heads over the guests on McGraw's namesake TV show. Unlike those often quarrelsome guests, the McGraws seem to work harmoniously on the show and through charitable efforts including their own foundation. Marital success, Dr. Phil has said, all comes down to this: "The quality of a relationship is a function of the extent to which it is first based on a solid underlying friendship."
Michael and Shakira Caine
Tied the knot: 1973
Sir and Lady Caine are approaching their golden wedding anniversary. Caine, the famed British actor who's appeared in seemingly thousands of films, didn't find wedded bliss in his first marriage — but since teaming up with the former actress and fashion model from Guyana, has never looked back. Famously, Caine saw Shakira in a coffee ad and tracked her down through a friend in advertising.
Christopher and Georgianne Walken
Tied the knot: 1969
Christopher Walken met his wife, Georgianne, way back in 1963 when both were acting in a tour of "West Side Story." They would marry six years later, with Georgianne transitioning into a successful casting director ("The Sopranos," "Entourage"). This two-career couple never had children but are said to dote on their cats and support cat-themed initiatives.
Dolly Parton and Carl Thomas Dean
Tied the knot: 1966
You'd be forgiven for not knowing that Dolly Parton — the country singer-actress and all-around bubbly personality — has been married for decades. Parton, 76 and still considered Playboy material, is rarely seen in public with Carl Thomas Dean, whom she married two years after meeting outside a Nashville laundromat called the Wishy Washy. The couple helped raise Dolly's siblings but never had their own children, though Parton is the godmother of Miley Cyrus.
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