Celebrity Couples Married the Longest: See Then and Now Photos!

True love is hard to find in Hollywood, but maintaining a strong relationship is a whole other story. That isn’t the case for Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, however. The Hollywood lovebirds are just one example of the longest celebrity marriages, and it appears their enviable romance is just as magical now as it was back in the day.

For Tom, there’s no question whether or not he’ll spend forever with the Sleepless in Seattle alum. “I view my wife as my lover, and we have a bond that goes beyond words like wife or girlfriend or mother. I can’t imagine my life without her,” he gushed at the Golden Globes in January 2020, noting he still tries to make Rita feel special after more than 30 years together.

“I often leave notes for her near the phone or somewhere in the kitchen. I wish her a good day and stuff like that. I type notes for her using the antique typewriters that I collect,” the Captain Phillips actor explained. “And also, I have a habit of sending a photo report of my day to Rita. I take pictures of everything around me when she is not with me: what I eat for lunch, who I meet, what I shoot. I think she likes it.”

There are plenty of other longtime pairs in showbiz like Tom and Rita, including Meryl Streep and Don Gummer; Lisa Kudrow and Michel Stern; and Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan. Goldie Hawn and her decades-long love, Kurt Russell, also fit into this category considering they’ve been together since 1983.

However, Goldie and Kurt have never had any interest in making their love official. The Overboard alums, who were both previously married before connecting in the 1980s, explained why they have yet to exchange vows despite building a life and a family together over the years.

“Marriage didn’t work for either one of us,” Goldie explained during an appearance on Today in November 2020. “I’m not saying that it wouldn’t work again, but I didn’t think that we really needed to get married. I mean, what marriage ended up being, in many ways, is big business.”

The Snatched actress added, “For people like us, the marriage certificate wasn’t going to create anything that otherwise we wouldn’t have.”

For more of Hollywood’s longest marriages, keep scrolling below to see photos of your favorite duos then and now!

Meryl Streep and Don Gummer

The two married in 1978, shortly after Meryl’s first love, John Cazale, died of bone cancer. After only dating for six months, the Devil Wears Prada actress tied the knot and haven’t left each other’s sides since. The duo is the parents of their kids, Mamie Gummer, Grace Gummer, Henry Wolfe and Louisa Jacobson.

Lisa Kudrow and Michel Stern

The couple met in 1989 when Michel was dating Lisa’s roommate, but because she didn’t want to overstep, Lisa waited six years until making the first move. The Friends alum and Michel dated for two months before tying the knot in 1996. “The minute I saw him I went, ‘Well, that’s it, there he is,'” she said in 2015, according to Daily Mail.

Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan

After meeting on the set of Family Ties in the mid-80s, Michael and Tracy later reunited on Bright Lights, Big City. They tied the knot a few years later in 1988. While chatting with Closer in 2014, Michael said letting Tracy “have the last word” is the secret to their marriage. The pair share Sam Michael Fox, Esmé Annabelle Fox, Schuyler Frances Fox and Aquinnah Kathleen Fox.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith met in 1995 when the actress auditioned for the part of her beau’s girlfriend in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She didn’t get the part, but luckily for Jada, she got to be Will’s real-life girlfriend instead! The two got married in 1997 and are the parents of their kids, Jaden Smith and Willow Smith.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick

After meeting on the set of Lemon Sky in the 80s, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick married in 1988. Kyra says the secret to her successful marriage is passion. “When he walks into a room, I’m still … I mean, my heart gets a little fluttery,” she told Redbook in 2012. “I think, ‘Oh! He’s so cute. He’s so hot!'”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall are college sweethearts, who met at Northwestern University in the early ’80s and have been married since 1987. Julia said back in 2013 that she knew he was the one “almost immediately.” The two have been inseparable ever since, even starring in Saturday Night Live together in the 80s before Julia landed her iconic role in Seinfeld. They have two sons, Charlie Hall and Henry Hall, together.