The couple met on the set of 'Rancho Deluxe' in 1975 and got married two years later in 1977.
Many Hollywood couples' relationships hit the rocks, but some truly stand the test of time -- like that of screen icon 72-year-old Jeff Bridges and his wife Susan Geston, 69.
Before he met the love of his love, Bridges was scared of commitment. "I don’t know how it is for women or for other guys, but when I was young and in my 20s, I had a fear of marriage," he wrote in Reader's Digest back in 2006. "I thought it was a giant step toward death. So I did everything in my power to resist it—the idea was frightening to me, man."
But that was about to change. Little did The Big Lebowski star know that he was going to enter a relationship that would last decades filled with love. Bridges and Susan met on the sets of Rancho Deluxe in 1975 and the rest was history. They wed two years later, and they're in the honeymoon phase even after all these years.
Jeff Bridges carries this photo in his wallet from day he met his wife 45 years agohttps://t.co/V3JU6GnekK
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 20, 2020
"We love each other, but we really like each other. I was 21 when we met. We were kids. And we still feel like kids," Susan told PEOPLE.
The pair has been through so much together, especially in recent times when Bridges was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (a cancer of the lymphatic system). Things took a turn for the worse when the Oscar-winner tested positive for COVID while in chemo. "We didn't know if he would recover," said Susan.
At one point she got a call from the hospital saying that they may have to put him on a ventilator. "I said, 'Save his life. No matter what you have to do,' " Susan told PEOPLE.
Fortunately, things got better for the actor. "I was pretty close to dying. The doctors kept telling me, 'Jeff, you've got to fight. You're not fighting.' I was in surrender mode. I was ready to go. I was dancing with my mortality."
The incident reminded the actor that life is truly short and to spend as much time as possible with his loved ones. "We don't have to do much. Just being in the same vicinity feels wonderful," he said of spending time with his wife. They also enjoy bonding with their three daughters, three grandkids and puppy Monty, and are looking forward to the future. "It's all like a bad dream now," Susan said of the year and a half Jeff was sick. "And now's the good dream part."
Jeff Bridges & Susan Geston have been married since 1977 & I love relationships that last the distance. Look at then, just as beautiful then and now. pic.twitter.com/Db2DQhLuH1
— rotund chimken 🐶🐱🐔 (@alice_the_malis) October 29, 2019
References:
https://www.rd.com/article/movie-star-jeff-bridges-on-his-28-year-marriage/
https://people.com/movies/jeff-bridges-and-wife-susan-gestons-sweetest-photos-through-the-years/
Cover Image Source: (L) Photo by Jason Kirk/Newsmakers (R) Photo by Michael Tullberg/Getty Images