Celebrity couples
Hollywood's Longest Marriages
Celebrity couples seem to change partner with every changing season, but there are some relationships that are still going strong, standing the test of time and the temptations of the Hollywood lifestyle. Here follow the top 20 longest marriages in Hollywood.
1. Kirk Douglas & Anne Buydens [56 years]
Not all plain sailing but honesty seems to have been a critical factor in their married life. Anne once said, "I had no illusions [about the infidelities]. But I told him, 'Look. I'll understand a lot of things if you tell me. But if I hear it from others and it has happened, that would hurt me very badly.'" In 2004, they renewed their vows before 300 guests.
2. Alan Alda & Arlene Weiss [53 years]
Alda and Weiss both come a long way from the Bronx. Typically, they’ve never made a big deal of it and don’t make it a habit to talk about his personal life.
3. Martin Sheen & Janet Templeton [49 years]
One of ten children, he was the first to be born in the United States, and he married a girl from his hometown, Dayton, Ohio. They have four children.
4. Julie Andrews & Blake Edwards [41 years]
As for the secret of their marital success, flexibility seems to be key: Julie once said, “All love shifts and changes. I don’t know if you can be wholeheartedly in love all the time.” (Edwards died in Dec 2010.)
5. Christopher Plummer & Elaine Taylor [40 years]
In his autobiography In Spite of Myself, Plummer wrote of how “empty and despondent” he felt at being separated from her.
6. Sissy Spacek & Jack Fisk [36 years]
After she starred in some classic movies (including the terrifying Carrie), Spacek decided to take some time off to focus on her family. She stayed away from the industry for four years. Maybe it’s that willingness to put her family first that’s kept her and Fisk together for nearly four decades.
7. Ron Howard & Cheryl Alley [35 years]
Asked what he thinks his greatest achievement is, Howard said in 2006, “Forty-eight years of steady employment in television and film, while preserving a rich family life.” They have four children.
8. Jeff Bridges & Susan Geston [33 years]
Bridges said it took just a week for him to fall in love with her. “I had a feeling of being at home—a soothing feeling of being where I belonged,” he said.
9. Meryl Streep & Don Gummer [32 years]
Streep attributes the longevity of the marriage to a deep understanding between her and Gummer of what’s important in life: "... I think you have to have somebody as a partner who shares what you value."
10. Dustin Hoffman & Lisa Gottsegen [30 years]
“The trick,” Hoffman has said, “is to live your own life while sharing your space.”
[February 2011]