They met after failed relationships and found lasting happiness with each other. Their love for each other has become a legend in the industry.
There are very few Hollywood actors who truly know how to compliment their women. Among those few, actor Ted Danson might be leading the charge. His devotion to his wife of 25 years, Mary Steenburgen, is quite legendary at this point.
It was while filming the 1994 movie Pontiac Moon that the duo had met. And by this time, they had both given up on love. "I announced to all my friends — not dramatically, but very seriously — that I was done with relationships," the Oscar-winning actress told CloserWeekly.
Danson met her after two public break-ups, one of which included a $30 million settlement. He had recently divorced his second wife, Casey Coates, and broken up with Whoopi Goldberg after an 18-month relationship. The Book Club actress was on a similar boat -- she was a single mother after divorcing her first husband Malcolm McDowell in 1990. She had also experienced emotional trauma as a young child in Arkansas because of the multiple heart attacks her father had suffered.
During the five-hour shoot as a married couple, they somehow went from friends to lovers. "We paddled in sync," the Cheers actor told CloserWeekly. "We went out as friends and by the time we came back, we were in love."
While many believe that Danson helped Steenburgen move on after her traumatic youth, it was also her who helped him. "I was a mess-and-a-half," he told AARP magazine. "I thought, I’m incapable of being in a relationship. But I was working on myself. Ironic how life works in those moments. Once you throw your arms up and surrender, a lot of times things come your way," he said.
The couple, married since October 1995, has four step-children and three granddaughters. Their relationship is beautiful and they are unafraid of showing it to the world. They constantly heap praises on each other.
"I’m madly in love with Mary Steenburgen. She’s a remarkable human being so I’m just incredibly blessed,” the 71-year-old told Us Weekly. "It feels like heaven on Earth. If I were to die, I can say, I know what it’s like to be loved and to love."
He not only tells the world but also her how much he loves her. "He does tell me every single day of my life I’m beautiful, and I do know a lot of women live without that,” Steenburgen, 66, revealed to People. "And it does matter, someone just telling you that."
Coincidentally, or fatefully, even before they started dating each other, the Melvin and Howard actress found joy in his show Cheers, a funny show about a playboy, Sam Malone. "When I was going through sad times, I’d watch Cheers at the end of the day to make me feel better," she added. Thankfully, the connection she felt with the person on-screen became a real-life love.
Unlike the character he played, his love for his wife shows how committed he is in the relationship. "I like the way Mary laughs and smiles," the Good Place actor told AARP. "I like her willingness to say yes to leap off tall buildings of life. I love her sense of fairness and right and wrong. And I don’t think you’re supposed to say this when you’re almost 70, but she’s very sexy."
The Curb Your Enthusiasm actress is no less when it comes to showing her love for her husband. "I’m ridiculously in love with him," Steenburgen confessed. "I find him endlessly fascinating. He surprises me all the time and most of all he makes me laugh." Danson replied, "I get nervous around her because I want to impress her." He thinks of himself as the luckiest because she is a great partner too. He says, "I tell myself, 'Aren’t you lucky?'"
Finding a love that lasts through the years and gives joy even later is what true love is made of! We hope the couple has many more happy years together.
References:
https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/celebrities/info-2017/ted-danson-celebrity-interview-news.html
https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/ted-danson-wife-mary-steenburgen-163668/
https://people.com/movies/mary-steenburgen-ten-danson-25-years-together/
