# On screen couples who are (or were) real couples too. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2015, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872 "2015-11-18T07:27:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/81 "2015-11-20T02:27:27Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Anybody mention Cruise and Kidman in _Eyes Wide Shut_? Post 47. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/82 "2015-11-20T20:15:42Z")
Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone (he was “Air Marshall Jon” in Bridesmaids) have been married since 2005. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/83 "2015-11-21T20:25:33Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > On the series _House, M.D._, two of the leads, Jesse Spencer and Jennifer Morris were engaged at the same time their characters, Dr. Chase and Dr. Cameron, were in a relationship. Spencer and Morris broke off their engagement. Their characters got married, then divorced. I seem to remember their real relationship actually occurred during the first year or so of shooting the series, before their on-screen one did. And their real one had ended by the time their pretend one started. Knowing this and watching those later episodes concerning them being together on one hand gives me great respect for what it takes to be a professional actor. But at the same time it creeps me out a little, knowing that they probably lived thru most of the stuff for real together that they were now pretending to go thru as actors together (a relationship starting, flourishing, then breaking up and ending)… ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/84 "2015-11-21T20:32:38Z")
No one has mentioned Sonny and Cher? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/85 "2015-11-21T22:11:56Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I seem to remember their real relationship actually occurred during the first year or so of shooting the series, before their on-screen one did. And their real one had ended by the time their pretend one started. Knowing this and watching those later episodes concerning them being together on one hand gives me great respect for what it takes to be a professional actor. But at the same time it creeps me out a little, knowing that they probably lived thru most of the stuff for real together that they were now pretending to go thru as actors together (a relationship starting, flourishing, then breaking up and ending)… They started dating in the summer (2004) before the series premiered, during the production of the early episodes. They called off their engagement in August 2007. In the season 5 finale (May 2009), Cameron and Chase had their wedding. Awkward. They didn’t stay together long in the show. Divorce papers show up in episode 17 of season 6. Morrison had not appeared in 8 episodes earlier that season. There was plenty of time for the writers to take the Cameron/Chase thing in a different direction but they didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/86 "2015-11-23T00:16:13Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. In Charlie’s Angels, Tom Green and Drew Barrymore were sort of a couple as they were in real life. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/87 "2015-11-23T00:21:12Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Elvis Presley and, apparently, every leading lady he ever had, most enviably the young Ann-Margret. Presley was quoted as saying, “every leading lady except one.” Both Ann-Margret and Mary Tyler Moore claimed they were the “one.” ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/88 "2015-11-23T17:23:47Z")
From _Sherlock_, Martin Freeman (Dr Watson) and Amanda Abbington (Mary Morstan) have been partners since about 2000 according to Wiki. To keep it all in the family on _Sherlock_, Benedict Cumberbatch’s real-life parents appear in the series as Sherlock’s parents. So they are a two-fer - married couple playing a married couple who are also playing roles as parents to someone they are real life parents to. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/89 "2015-11-24T07:29:20Z")
Not sure if this has been posted already. In the NBC comedy _ **Undateable** _, the characters Leslie and Mike are dating. In real life, the actors playing them, [Bianca Kajlich](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bianca_Kajlich) and [Mike Catherwood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Catherwood), are married. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/90 "2015-11-24T07:53:55Z")
Now broken up, but Banderas and Griffith. Did either her or her mother ever work with Don Johnson? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/91 "2015-11-24T12:31:43Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Now broken up, but Banderas and Griffith. Did either her or her mother ever work with Don Johnson? A quick look shows that Johnson supposedly started dating Griffith when he was working on _Harrad Experiment_ with her mother. [This](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2973022/PICTURE-EXCLUSIVE-Don-Johnson-Melanie-Griffith-reunite-eight-years-depart-NYC-daughter-Dakota-make-SNL-debut.html) says she was 14. Griffith and Johnson worked together in [_Paradise_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102631/) which I don’t remember at all. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/92 "2015-11-24T13:06:36Z")
Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman, and then Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis. ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/93 "2015-11-24T13:21:03Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker, in **L.A. Law** and about another dozen TV and stage productions. > > Tom Cruise and and Nicole Kidman, in **Far and Away** and **Eyes Wide Shut** , not being very convincing as a couple in either. Cruise and Kidman were also in “Days of Thunder”. Not sure if it counts because I think that is where they met and I don’t know when the relationship started. Similar comment would apply to the “Once” stars. I wouldn’t count anyone appearing as themselves - i.e. Sonny and Cher - versus playing a role. ETA: Any relationships that started on a set last? Since all marriages end, either by death or divorce, pick an arbitrary number of five years. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/94 "2015-11-24T13:35:14Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > ETA: Any relationships that started on a set last? Since all marriages end, either by death or divorce, pick an arbitrary number of five years. Travolta-Preston Hanks-Wilson Fox-Pollan Benning-Beatty Jackman-Furness Ripa-Consuelos Stiller-Taylor Gellar-Prinze Denisof-Hannagan Affleck-Garner (now done but well over 5 years) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/95 "2015-11-24T14:23:18Z")
Susan Clark met Alex Karras in 1976 when they costarred in the TV movie, Babe, in which she played the all time greatest ever athlete Babe Didrikson and he played her husband, professional wrestler George Zaharias. They remained married until his death on October 10, 2012. ---
**Author:** ![smokey78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@smokey78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smokey78)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/96 "2015-11-28T01:53:12Z")
Couples where the characters’ wives guest starred on their husband’s shows: (so they didn’t meet on the set but got word-of-mouth hires) John Slattery’s wife played Roger’s first wife on Mad Men George Wendt’s wife played Vera on Cheers (the Thanksgiving eppy where Diane hits her with the pie. Sherilyn Fenn guested on 21 Jump Street pairing up with her then-BF, Johnny Depp. I’m hearing same situation with Jake Mcdorman on Limitless, his GF, Analeigh Tipton is playing…Jake’s character’s girlfriend ----A recently wed couple who met on the set, Amber Stevens and Andrew J West on Greek in 2009. They got hitched a year ago. She played Ashleigh and he played Fischer, the guy who cheated on her. Incidentally, also on Greek, the actor who played Rusty dated the actress playing Rusty’s first girlfriend for awhile. Also, the actress playing Rusty’s sister, Casey, dated the executive producer (Spencer Grammer and Shawn Smith) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/97 "2015-11-28T02:37:29Z")
Robert Wagner and Jill St. John were a couple when they did a _Seinfeld_ episode years ago. They did a TV movie, _Northpole_, last year but I’m not sure if they’re still a couple. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/98 "2015-11-28T23:18:55Z")
Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush married and divorced during the course of their starring on One Tree Hill. Their characters were off and on together. Reportedly Paris “worthless trash” Hilton had something to do with it after he worked with her on a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/99 "2015-11-29T01:05:06Z")
The [scene in _Orphée en Enfer_](https://youtu.be/yi6SDINpeTw) where Jupiter disguises himself as a fly to seduce Eurydice? In the Opéra nationale de Lyon production, they were humping and grinding so intimately I thought “Only in France…” After watching, I learned that they were played by Natalie Dessay and Laurent Naouri, who are totally married to each other in their offstage lives. Well, he kind of gave it away how he kissed her at the end; it looked like a real marital kiss instead of a stage kiss. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872/100 "2015-11-29T04:25:12Z")
William Daniels and his wife Bonnie Bartlett on “St. Elsewhere”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-screen-couples-who-are-or-were-real-couples-too/737872.md?page=6)