5 Celebrity Couples Whose Marriages Have Lasted for 40 Years and More

These are marriages where the couple has been happily married for more than four decades. This article looks at five Hollywood couples who’ve broken the alleged stereotype, starting with Ron and Cheryl Howard.

Ron and Cheryl Howard’s Love Story

In 2022, Ron Howard and his wife, Cheryl, celebrated their 47th anniversary, but their love story dates back to when they were at Burrough High School in Burbank, California. According to his biography, “Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon…and Beyond”, written by Beverly Gray, when Ron started junior high school, he already had a car, a Volkswagen Beetle, but the actor was too shy to start dating.

That changed when Cheryl, a redheaded girl, sat before him in an English class. Beverly wrote that Cheryl was so socially awkward that she described herself as “crippled by her shyness.” She also did not know that Ron was an actor because her father did not allow her to watch TV.

Even though Cheryl’s father’s job was renting apartments for actors, he gave his daughter the impression that acting was not the best career. Beverly wrote that Ron and Cheryl spoke about her dog for an hour before the actor dared to ask her out.

To the shy girl’s surprise, their first date went pretty well because the couple have been inseparable ever since. According to Beverly’s biography, friends of the couple also thought they were made for each other from their first meeting.

However, as their romance grew, Cheryl’s parents tried to stop the teenagers from moving too fast and told Howard he was not allowed to take Cheryl out more than twice a week. Ron could not stay long without seeing his girlfriend, so he found a way to bypass her parents’ request by joining his Burroughs High School cross-country team.

Beverly revealed that the actor would jog every morning and end up at Cheryl’s house. He would then ask her out for breakfast or ask if they wanted “to fool around” before her father returned. Nonetheless, the couple enjoyed their secret walks, and Cheryl would drop him off a few blocks away from her house so her father wouldn’t see them while Ron sprinted back home.

The romance between the pair never died. They married in 1975, and when the couple celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary, the director told People:

“I met her, and there was never anybody else.”

Cheryl and Ron welcomed four children together. They had their first child, a daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard, followed by twins Paige Howard and Jocelyn Howard and a son, Reed Howard. Award-winning director Ron confessed that he was surprised that his relationship with his wife of over four decades lasted beyond their high school romance.

In an interview, Ron said he knew the likelihood of a high school relationship lasting was slim, but somehow he and Cheryl made it. The actor shared:

“It’s crazy — we were teenagers; it shouldn’t have worked. We got married young; that shouldn’t have worked either, and yet it really and truly has.”

But Cheryl has been more than just a wife to him. She has been his support system since the start of his career, and the director even revealed why he appreciates his wife so much with him saying:

“[Cheryl] has made so many good things possible and so many difficult things manageable. I’m forever grateful.”

Gary wrote that when Ron and Cheryl were in high school, he featured her in his short film “The Deed of Daring-Do” for his submission to the Kodak teenage filmmaker contest, and from that day, his wife became a trademark in his movies. The next star, who has had a long relationship, is also an actor.

Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Courted for Years before Marrying

Samuel L. Jackson met LaTanya Richardson in the 1960s. At the time, he was a student at Morehouse College studying Marine Biology, and she was enrolled at Spelman College, both based in Atlanta. After joining a theater club for extra credit, he fell in love with the stage and switched his major to drama.

Jackson often went to Spelman to act in plays; this was how he met Richardson, majoring in theater. The pair connected while starring in a drama program and started dating afterward. Atlanta, at the time, served as the city where most African Americans demanded racial justice, and Jackson was one of those who took part.

The future star graduated in 1972, and the duo courted for a long time and even dated other people during that period. In 1976, the pair moved to New York to pursue acting careers. Eventually, when Richardson had to choose who to marry, a rich boy or an intelligent boy, she decided on Jackson, with her noting:

“I married the smart boy.”

After the birth of their first child, daughter Zoe, the actress stopped working regularly because she and her husband had vowed to be an intact revolutionary family. However, it was a tough time for Jackson. During the early stages of their marriage, Jackson became addicted to illegal substances and was not emotionally present for his family.

However, he overcame his struggles with the help of his wife, who insisted he check into a rehab facility. Although Richardson could have left, she chose to stay and help her husband recover. The actress revealed she could not leave him because God had told her not to go but instead help her husband recover.

She said she spoke to God about her concerns and realized her husband needed her. Richardson confirmed that she would have left if she had given him the help he needed and still wanted to go. The actor, who has been in recovery for more than 30 years, lauded his wife for being his backbone and the person who helped change his life for the better, with him disclosing:

“She gave me the chance to be the man I was supposed to be.”

Once he left rehab, Jackson was cast to star in Spike Lee’s “Jungle Fever” in 1991, and his career has gone from strength to strength ever since. The couple has stayed together through the good and bad times to weather the storms. Jackson also credits his family’s love as aiding him in becoming the man he was meant to be. The next celebrity couple we’ll examine is Sam Elliott and his wife.

Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross’ Marriage Remains Strong

Katharine Ross was married and divorced four times before tying the knot with Sam Elliott. The couple first saw one another physically on the set of the 1969 Western drama “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” However, the former told AARP The Magazine in 2015 that he had not even attempted to talk to his future wife. In his words:

“I didn’t dare try to talk to her then. She was the leading lady. I was a shadow on the wall, a glorified extra in a bar scene.”

Irrespective of his thoughts, the actress intrigued Elliott, and he spent his time on set in a dark corner watching Ross and her co-stars perform. Ten years later, Elliott and Ross finally had their first interaction when they worked together again on the horror film “The Legacy.”

They played a couple of guests terrorized at a creepy English estate. Ross and Elliot saw more of each other while filming. It was only a matter of time before the pair became romantically involved.

During an interview, Ross confessed that what attracted her to Elliott was his baritone voice, mustache, and rugged good looks. She also added:

“Probably all that and more. We were working together, and one thing led to another. And here we are.”

The lovebirds eventually tied the knot in 1984, and while it was Ross’s fifth marriage, it was Elliott’s first. The couple’s only daughter, Cleo Rose, was born in the same year the couple tied the knot. In April 2022, Elliott and Ross married for 37 years and are one of Hollywood’s most enduring couples. When asked what their secret to a long marriage is, Elliott said:

“We have a common sensibility, but we also work at being together. You work past the [expletive]; you don’t walk away from it. That’s how relationships last.”

Elliott once mentioned that he wanted nothing more than to be married, have a family, and have a movie career. He added that he has abundance in all those things and is grateful to have his daughter. Reflecting on their marriage, he confessed:

“We – I think really what it boils down to is we love each other, and we work at it. And I think more importantly than anything, it takes wanting to be married.”

Elliott and his wife’s loving relationship is only matched by Denzel Washington and his wife, who have been happily married for over forty years. Here’s more about their solid and loving bond.

Denzel and Pauletta Washington’s Relationship That Started with Them First Seeing Each Other in the 70s

This love story between Denzel and Pauletta Washington began many years ago after they spotted each other on two occasions. The first was in 1977; they had both been selected for roles in a film. Fresh out of college, Denzel appeared confident; he had been cast for the lead role.

But, despite being in the same film, they did not talk to each other. Six months later, an opportunity arose for them to become acquaintances. They had attended a party separately; Pauletta’s friend from Broadway invited them.

While partying, they realized they had like minds and shared much in common. Pauletta was mesmerized by Denzel’s interest in her viewpoint, while the latter could not keep his eyes off the attractive young woman, as she displayed an engaging personality.

That same day, their never-ending relationship and bond were set in motion. As if the heavens signed off on their love, the duo met again, this time in a theater. They had planned to see a play in a Manhattan theater individually.

Throughout the play, they sat next to each other, unknowingly. In the end, Pauletta and Denzel realized they had always been so close, watching the same play in the same theater! This was too much of a coincidence, and many years later, Pauletta still believed they were destined to meet, with her saying:

“Our whole introduction to each other felt like the heavens set it up.”

After their accidental theater meeting, Pauletta invited the actor to a cast party hosted by her friends. This was when their relationship deepened. Denzel felt relaxed enough to confess to his date that he did not have enough money for the cab much later, even though he asked that they ride in one to the venue.

Pauletta settled the cab fare but still found her new friend intriguing. Soon, their love blossomed into a romance, and a few years later, they tied the knot in a unique location: Newton, South Carolina, Pauletta’s hometown.

What appears like a straightforward romance tale was complicated. During a 2013 interview, the couple revealed how many attempts it took to walk down the aisle after more than two decades of marriage. The actor’s wife boldly joked that it took three tries before she finally said yes.

Although she never shared the reasons behind her refusals, when they finally wed on June 25, 1983, it was something they both wanted, and their marriage has since been treasured. They went on to have four kids, all of whom they adored and made intentional decisions to raise well.

Denzel was a superstar to the world, but at home, he remained a doting dad, ever ready to listen and support his kids. Alan Alda and his wife, Arlene Weiss, are the last celebrity couple covered here who have managed to have a lasting marriage.

Alan Alda and Arlene Weiss Cake Meeting That Changed Everything

Alan Alda, the legendary face of Captain Pierce Hawkeye from “M*A*S*H,” met his wife, Arlene Weiss, over cake. It may seem strange, but the actor insisted it was the perfect way for them to meet. After that incident, they did not doubt they were perfect for each other.

In 1956, the two attended a mutual friend’s party. At the time, Alda attended Fordham, while Arlene went to Hunter College. The actor, always the joker, was sitting at the other end of the table spouting wisecracks.

While he was making quips, Arlene was at the other end of the table, laughing at everything he said. Alan recalled, “I was captivated… I heard her at the end of the table laughing at my jokes.” At that same party, there was a rum cake on top of a refrigerator that dropped on the floor, with Alan recounting:

“Arlene and I were the only two people who went in with spoons and ate it off the floor. That’s how you know. When two people eat a cake off the floor, that’s it for life.”

After their dinner date, Alan took Arlene home to the Bronx, “unheard of” for a guy from Manhattan. Eleven months later, the two tied the knot with a small, modest wedding. At the time, they didn’t expect the fame ahead of them. They merely wanted to live a comfortable life.

Sixty-eight years later, a dropped cake still seems like a firm foundation for a relationship. Even in their old age, they still enjoy laughing together. The two came a long way from the small apartment they shared when they were young, but they still support each other wholeheartedly.

After almost seven decades together, the two are still going strong. With endless jokes between them and a deep concern for each other, they still love one another in their old age. Each is over 80 years old, but they’re actively pursuing their passions, with Arlene explaining:

“I have a blurb to write for someone’s book. I have soup I want to cook. I have a good chicken I want to roast. I have a book I’m reading that I want to finish. I have email correspondence. I have Facebook posts.”

While Arlene flits about with her long list of tasks, Alan writes and hosts his podcast, “Clear + Vivid with Alan Alda.” Despite this, they always make time for each other. The couple mentioned that laughing together is “the real glue that keeps us happily and willingly stuck together.”

The two “Guffawing ones,” as Arlene described them, also brought little ones into the world. They have three daughters, Eve, Elizabeth, and Beatrice Alda. They initially raised their kids on a slim salary; then Alan soon got the part of Hawkeye. But then it became a matter of time management.

Alan was almost constantly working, and Arlene had to care for the children. Meanwhile, she didn’t want to become a bystander while her husband did something with his life, so she took up photography and started writing projects. They made it through even these tough spots with loads of laughter.

Despite successfully raising their daughters during one of the busiest times, the actors had their health luckily. In 2015, however, Alan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He kept it quiet until 2018, when he announced it publicly for the first time.

Even in his old age, Alan has continued to act in TV shows and movies. When asked how Parkinson’s affected his career, he said he has been open with the crew about his disease. In many cases, directors weren’t scared off by the illness but saw new opportunities to deepen Alan’s characters.

Despite his diagnosis, Alan remains positive. He has created a happy life for himself. He spends his days doing his podcast and playing chess with Arlene, and he said, “laughing with my wife” makes him happiest, and the disease has made him sure life is a process of “adapting, adjusting, and revising.”