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Celebrity Wives: Then and Now
Celebrities are incredibly fascinating individuals, but oftentimes what makes them the most intriguing is their personal life. We may try to imagine exactly what they experienced before and after fame, but many times looking into their families tells a greater tale.
One thing we do know is that no strong man ever makes it without an equally strong woman on by his side. Famous or not, these captivating wives of male celebrities may not have lasted in their Hollywood romances forever, but where they ended up today may surprise you…
Warren Beatty & Annette Bening
The couple wed in 1992 (Bening was 34, Beatty was 55) much to everyone’s surprise. Beatty was considered one of Hollywood’s most renowned bachelors, but the Bonnie and Clyde actor has since stated that it was one of the best things to ever happen to him. Annette is still acting; she was in last year’s Rules Don’t Apply (which was directed by her husband).
Clint Eastwood & Maggie Johnson
The two met on a blind date and were married six months later in 1953. Maggie filed for divorce in 1978 when Eastwood’s decade-long affair with dancer Roxanne Tunis was discovered. They had two children together, Kyle and Alison.
Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward
Paul and Joanne represent that small portion of Hollywood marriages that have actually stayed intact. The two starred together in The Long, Hot Summer and enjoyed exactly 50 years of unbreakable marriage before Newman’s death in 2008. He had affectionately referred to her as “one of the last great broads”. Sadly, Joanne’s Alzheimer’s prevents her from remembering many of their fond memories.
Sean Connery & Micheline Roquebrune
They met at a golf tournament, but their wedding in 1975 was about as poetically romantic as they come. They eloped and were married secretly in Casablanca. The Albuquerque Tribune wrote of their marriage: “Sean Connery says that golf – which has probably ruined more marriages than infidelity – was a component that brought him together with his new wife”.
Elvis Presley & Priscilla Presley
Priscilla met the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll when she was just 14 and married him almost eight years later at 21. Unfortunately, his long trips on the road caused the two to drift apart, and they divorced six years later. But even after their separation they remained very close. Concerning her husband’s death, she said, “It certainly changes your viewpoint on life and puts things in perspective”.
Robert Redford & Lola Van Wagenen
Their marriage lasted for 27 years (which is approximately 26 years longer than most these days). Since then, she has executively produced several films and has formed organizations aimed at creating awareness for consumerism’s impact on the environment.
Burt Reynolds & Loni Anderson
Unfortunately, their memories together are less than stellar. “I should have known that you don’t marry an actress,” he said. Loni never wore a dress again after being photographed. “I gave her a platinum American Express card with a $45,000 credit limit. She maxed it out in half an hour.” Though she’s still looking good, Loni’s acting career steadily declined over the years.
Dustin Hoffman & Lisa Hoffman
At 35 years of blissful union, it’s safe to say that the two have it all figured out. Currently, Lisa has her own skincare company in addition to being a grandmother and qualified lawyer. She’s also about as down-to-earth as any successful businesswoman and celebrity wife can be.
John Travolta & Kelly Preston
Their marriage has been described as “bizarre”, but apparently it’s effective. 25 years of marriage can attest to that. When not attending the Church of Scientology with Travolta, Kelly has been enjoying a modest but sparse acting career in both film and television.
Jack Nicholson & Sandra Knight
Despite their separation after only six years, Sandra still insists that Nicholson is “a loving, caring, giving person”. They were married in 1962 but officially divorced after eight years when she suspected him of being unfaithful. The two have one daughter together.
Michael Douglas & Diandra Luker
They married in 1977 (Douglas was 32 and Diandra was 19) and managed to hold it all together for 23 years. Now Douglas admits that they probably should have called it quits much sooner.
Michael Caine & Shakira Caine
The Cider House Rules and Dark Knight actor has jokingly quipped that “the secret of a good marriage is two bathrooms”. They’ve been wed for 43 years, and the 83-year-old legend has figured out that plenty of personal space is the key to happy nuptials. Shakira is a Guyanese-British model and the couple have one daughter.
Gene Hackman & Betsy Arakawa
Gene and Betsy were married in 1991 and have been married ever since. She is a classical pianist.
Robert De Niro & Diahnne Abbott
Diahnne has had a pretty slim acting career (her biggest roles are supporting roles in movies like Taxi Driver). She and De Niro were married in 1976 but then divorced in ‘88. Since then she’s stayed pretty well out of the limelight.
Sean Penn & Madonna
The actor and pop singer married in 1985 and then starred together in Shanghai Surprise the following year. She even dedicated her third studio album to him, describing him very vaguely as “the coolest guy in the universe”. Madonna filed for divorce in 1989. Madonna still sings and performs; she threw an election-eve concert for Hillary Clinton recently.
Harrison Ford & Calista Flockhart
Ford and Calista began dating in 2002 after meeting at the Golden Globes. They were engaged in ‘09 and got hitched the following year. Calista has recently been active in several TV shows, including Supergirl.
Johnny Depp & Lori Anne Allison
Johnny has had a string of girlfriends, marriages, and exes, but makeup artist Lori Anne was his first. The two were married in 1983 and divorced two years later. Allison recently came out, with Depp’s assault allegations on then-wife Amber Heard, and said that the man she knew would never lay a hand on anyone.
Jeremy Irons & Sinéad Cusack
The Irish V for Vendetta actress married the Oscar-winning Jeremy Irons in 1978, and the couple have two sons. They’ve managed to stay together, despite Irons’ unusual ideas about touching women as acts of friendship. Cusack is still acting, appearing in several recent television shows.
Anthony Hopkins & Jennifer Lynton
Anthony Hopkins and Jennifer Lynton were married for 29 years between 1973 and 2002. Hopkins married Colombian Stella Arroyave the following year.
Bruce Springsteen & Julianne Phillips
Springsteen married the model/actress in ‘85, but never really connected to her. She was 11 years younger than him, and he traveled quite a bit while touring. Three years later they divorced and Bruce began a relationship with fellow musician Patti Scialfa. Julianne’s latest acting role was in 1997.
Michael J. Fox & Tracy Pollan
Great Scott! Tracy Pollan has been married to Fox for nearly 29 years! Even though the Back to the Future star has suffered from Parkinson’s, his wife has supported him through it all. The couple have four children together.
Jeff Bridges & Susan Geston
Merely 10 years is a milestone for actors and celebrities, but 38?? The Big Lebowski actor says that supporting your loved ones, paying attention to the little things, and showing your love are the keys to blissful marriage. Perhaps it helped that Bridges’ Montana-born wife wasn’t an actress and could instead focus on being a true wife.
Bruce Willis & Demi Moore
He met her at the premiere of Stakeout and they got married in 1987. They had three daughters together before separating in 1998. The Ghost actress is still acting and has kept up good relations with her ex-husband.
Mel Gibson & Robyn Moore
They met in 1977 when Gibson was still an unknown and were wed three years later. The couple had six children together. After 26 years together, Moore divorced him when he was arrested for a DUI in 2006.
Dennis Quaid & Meg Ryan
It almost seems strange seeing Meg with someone other than Tom Hanks, but the You’ve Got Mail actress was married to Quaid in 1991 before divorcing ten years later. They had a son together, Jack, who is now 24. Meg has kept her acting pretty minimal since the divorce (which was the same year as Kate & Leopold).
Pierce Brosnan & Keely Shaye Smith
Perhaps 15 years isn’t such a monumental milestone for the average marriage, but for a celebrity couple it’s quite a feat. His 007 character may be known for making his rounds with the ladies, but Brosnan doesn’t employ that same method in his own life. Their years of marriage have only yielded apparent happiness – a stark contrast to many of these other marriages.
Kevin Costner & Cindy Silva
The two met in 1975 while attending school in California and were wed three years later. Costner was an unestablished actor at the time, but his reputation grew throughout the ‘80s (especially following Dances With Wolves), which is said to have caused the rift between the two. Their marriage ended in 1994 due to conflicting differences.
Mark Hamill & Marilou York
He had just starred in one of the biggest films of all time, and she was a humble dental hygienist in 1978 when they privately married. It wasn’t all heart and flowers for the two, as Hamill’s sudden thrust into stardom began to affect him, but she learned to deal with the fame. 38 years later, they’re still enjoying each other’s affections.
Sylvester Stallone & Brigitte Nielson
Both said goodbye to their former marriages when they got hitched in 1985, Stallone at the height of his stardom at the time. Two years later they separated (you could say that they had a rocky marriage). Brigitte has recently been involved in a small handful of TV shows, including Portlandia.
Michael York & Patricia McCallum
They met in 1967; she was a photographer and he was an up-and-coming actor. Nearly 50 golden years later, they’re showing the kiddos how marriage is done.
Tim Allen & Laura Deibel
Unfortunately, their marriage didn’t go to infinity and beyond, though it did last a fairly hefty 15 years. The Santa Clause and Home Improvement star separated with his wife due to “irreconcilable differences”.
Russell Crowe & Danielle Spencer
Their relationship throughout the ‘90s was on-again, off-again until they finally married in 2003. Unfortunately they went off-again in 2012 when they divorced. They have two sons. The same year as their divorce, Danielle placed 2nd in season 12 of Dancing with the Stars.
Jeff Goldblum & Geena Davis
Geena had starred in two films alongside Jeff Goldblum before they got together in 1987. They were an item for a couple years before they married, but were divorced almost as quickly as they were wed. They’ve since explained that they were just too independent and free-spirited, but they still interacted post-separation.
Kelsey Grammer & Camille Grammer
“It was pretty much over as soon as it began,” Kelsey Grammer describes their 13-year marriage. They didn’t have much sexual interaction during their marriage, and their children were about the only factor in their seemingly-long relationship. Since then Camille has used less than cordial terms to refer to her ex.
Colin Firth & Livia Giuggioli
Even at 56, Oscar-winner Colin Firth is still a pretty dapper-looking gentleman (his recent Kingsman role can attest to that), so it isn’t inconceivable to hear that he has his fair share of female attention. But the British actor claims that he uses his wife to ward off his lady fans. The couple met on set in 1995 and have been together almost 20 years.
Antonio Banderas & Melanie Griffith
Their marriage was less than perfect, but they at least separated on relatively good terms, “honoring and respecting each other… and the beautiful time we have spent together”. Their separation after 18 years was due to periods of time away from each other, something that plagues many actor-actress relationships. Griffith is still actively acting.
Alec Baldwin & Kim Basinger
The L.A. Confidential actress married the Hunt for Red October actor in 1993 and had one daughter before filing for divorce eight years later. The divorce process was an extremely difficult time for all three, especially with problems concerning Baldwin’s anger issues. Kim is still acting extensively, having appeared recently in Grudge Match, The 11th Hour, and The Nice Guys.
Robert Downey Jr. & Deborah Falconer
The Elite model and singer married the Iron Man star after only 42 days of dating. They were married in 1992 and she filed for divorce four years after. She stated it was due to “irreconcilable differences”, though doubtless it was largely due to his drug possession charges that nearly destroyed his acting career.
Andre Agassi & Brooke Shields
The then-32-year-old actress married the pro tennis player in 1997. Merely two years later their marriage ended. The Blue Lagoon actress has since revealed that her ex-husband had anger issues when they were dating. But what really did it was when she found out he was addicted to crystal meth. Brooke Shields has appeared in recent television shows including Scream Queens and The Middle.
George Clooney & Talia Balsam
Their brief four-year marriage was most likely broken by Clooney, who has stated, “I probably – definitely – wasn’t someone who should have been married at that point.” Talia has since stated that Clooney “remains charming”. The Mad Men actress is currently married to John Slattery and can be seen in the TV series Divorce.
Tommy Lee & Heather Locklear
Their marriage caused quite the stir back in ‘86, with many thinking the two were the most ideally-fit crazies to ever be wed. In truth, the couple were far more normal than the popular perception. Unfortunately not normal enough to make the marriage last, as they were divorced by 1993.
Gary Oldman & Uma Thurman
He may be one of the most established and respected actors working today, but the Dark Knight and Leon: The Professional actor has had a string of marriages and divorces. He and Uma had met on the set of State of Grace and were married in 1990, but it lasted only two years.
Hank Azaria & Helen Hunt
They were together for six years but their eventual marriage was incredibly short, marrying in ‘99 and separating less than a year later in 2000. At 53, the As Good As it Gets actress is looking as classy as ever and is still modestly involved in acting.
Howard Stern & Alison Berns
They both met in college when Stern asked Alison to be in a movie he was creating for a class. They fell in love on their first date and married in 1978. She was very supportive of his radio program and had three daughters with him, but the two started to drift apart and divorced after 23 years.
Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson
The two have been in six movies together and were married in 1988. Hanks’ attraction to Wilson (no, not that Wilson) went back to her appearance on The Brady Bunch. “Rita and I are blessed because we really like each other and we always have. We weather a storm here and there, it’s no big deal, you can get past it,” the Forrest Gump actor has said. Rita has been in several recent television shows and had a small part in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
