Directors Who Got Together With Their Lead Actresses After Calling “Cut!”
You never know what's going to happen next in Hollywood, especially when it comes to celebrity relationships. With beautiful, talented people at every turn, Tinsletown is a tough place to keep a marriage together.
It's not easy to tame the wandering eye... Here we put together a list of directors who were so impressed with their lead actresses that they ended up getting married to them after the film! Charlie Chaplin and James Cameron are just two of the big names on this list!
Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw
Director Steven Spielberg was married to actress Amy Irving when he was casting a lead actress for Indiana Jones. Spielberg picked actress Kate Capshaw for the part, and the two had instant chemistry.
Spielberg divorced Irving and married Capshaw in 1991. She even converted to Judaism for the marriage, and the couple is still together today. Happily married, they have two children from previous marriages, adopted another two children together and also welcomed three of their own. It must have been fate!
Orson Wells And Rita Hayworth
Director Orson Wells was producing and acting in The Mercury Wonder Show when he met actress Rita Hayworth, who was also cast in the film. The two snuck off and were married on September 7, 1943. They didn't tell anyone of their plans to get married, and simply returned back to the set to continue filming just hours later.
In 1947 the couple worked together again in The Lady from Shanghai, but by 1948 the romance was fizzling out and the couple called it quits.
Tim Robbins And Susan Sarandon
When Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon got together, they were a true Hollywood power couple. Best known for playing the character Andy from The Shawshank Redemption, Robbins also directed Bob Roberts, Dead Man Walking, and The Cradle Will Rock.
Sarandon is a six-time Emmy Award nominee, Academy Award winner and has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards. The couple met on the set of Bull Durham, and began dating. Their marriage lasted 21 years before they called it quits in December 2009.
Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland
Another relationship that didn't start out in the most honest way was between Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland. They met in 1944, on the set of Meet Me in St. Louis. Both of them were married, but they began dating anyway. A year later, they both decided to call it quits with their spouses and get married to each other in 1945.
After they welcomed their daughter Liza, Garland developed postpartum depression and turned to another man. Minnelli filed for divorce after six years of marriage. Garland went on to marry three more times.
Stanley Kubrick and Christiane Susanne Harlan
Director Stanely Kubrick cast German actress Christiane Susanne Harlan in Paths of Glory, released in 1957. Kubrick was married to actress Ruth Sobotka at the time but was wowed by Harlan's beauty and dramatic performance in the film.
After the film was released, Kubrick divorced his wife and married his leading lady. They stayed together for forty years until Kubrick's death. While it may not have been the sweetest start to the relationship, there was true love between them.
Charlie Chaplin And Lita Grey
The marriage between Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey wasn't a fairy tale romance. They first met when Grey was just eight years old, and first worked with him when she was ten. Chaplin cast Grey in his movie The Gold Rush, and although she was twenty years younger than him, the two got together.
They were married in 1924 after Chaplin found out that she was pregnant. Chaplin told his friends that marriage was better than prison, as she was only sixteen years old at the time. They got a divorce just three years later. In the divorce filing, Grey claimed that Chaplin was "cruel and inhumane". They share two sons.
Charlie Chaplin And Paulette Goddard
Yes, Charlie Chaplin had a thing for the women who he cast in his films. Chaplin and actress Paulette Goddard had met previously when he cast her in his 1936 film, Modern Times. After filming wrapped up, Chaplin and Goddard took off on a vacation around the Pacific Rim. That same year, they were married.
Chaplin cast Goddard again, this time in his first talkie, The Great Dictator, in 1940. By 1942, the couple was divorced.
Ben Stiller And Christine Taylor
In 1999, Ben Stiller cast Christine Taylor as his lead actress in a TV show, Heat Vision and Jack. During filming, the two clicked. The pilot ended up being too far-out for Fox to air, so it ended up becoming an internet cult video.
However, Still and Taylor's relationship quickly heated up, and they were married the following year, in 2000. The two continued working together and appeared onscreen for Zoolander, DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, Tropic Thunder, and more. After 17 years of marriage, the couple called it quits, although they remain on good terms and continue to raise their two kids together.
Martin Scorsese And Isabella Rossellini After Blue Velvet
Martin Scorsese and Isabella Rossellini were married from 1979 to 1982. They didn't date for very long before making the decision to get married, and Scorsese had been married twice before.
Just a year after the split, Rossellini remarried to Jonathan Wiedemann and Scorsese married twice more, including to producer Barbara De Fina in 1985. This is another Hollywood relationship that should have stopped with dating, instead of walking down the aisle.
Tim Burton And Helena Bonham Carter
Although Director Tim Burton had a girlfriend at the time, Lisa Marie, sparks flew in 2001 when he met actress Helena Bonham Carter on the set of Planet of the Apes. Burton and Smith broke up and he made his relationship with Carter official. Marie made a showing of the break-up, selling Burton's belongings in an auction.
Burton and Carter continued to work on many films together and welcomed two children, Carter and Drew. In 2014, they broke up and told the public that they were getting a divorce. However, there's no evidence that they were ever officially married.
Roger Vadim And Brigitte Bardot
When actress Brigitte Bardot was just eighteen-years-old she married director Roger Vadim. It was 1952 and Bardot had just appeared in her first feature film. Four years later she was cast in Vadim's ...And God Created Woman.
The marriage only lasted five years. Reportedly, it was Bardot's affairs with other men that led to the divorce. Somehow, after the split, they continued working together on movies. Bardot would go on to marry three more times, and Vadim, four.
Len Wiseman and Kate Beckinsale
In 2003, Len Wiseman was the director of Underworld, starring Kate Beckinsale. The two quickly hit it off and married just one year after they met. They also continued to work together as director and actress.
However, it wasn't made to last, as the Hollywood couple filed for divorce in 2016, admitting that they had separated even before that. It seems as though it wasn't because they weren't in love anymore, but rather they had conflicting schedules.
Sam Mendes and Kate Winslet
Director Sam Mendes and actress Kate Winslet met in 2001 when filming Revolutionary Road. Their romance blossomed quickly and while vacationing in Anguilla in May 2003, they spontaneously decided to get married. In fact, it was so spontaneous that Winslet even said they "hadn't been planning to do it" before they took the trip.
It may have been a spontaneous decision, but the couple stayed together until 2010. That's when they called it quits, although there's no hard feelings between them. Both talented folks remarried.
Tony Scott And Donna Wilson
British director Tony Scott met his future wife, actress Donna Wilson on the set of Days of Thunder in 1990. Scott also directed Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, The Last Boy Scout, and Enemy of the State.
The 24-year age gap between them didn't phase the two talents and they began dating. In 1994, they walked down the aisle and in 2000 they welcomed twin sons. The couple remained together until Scott's devastating suicide in 2012.
Woody Allen And Diane Keaton
Do you remember when Woody Allen and Diane Keaton got together? Allen cast Keaton in his Broadway show, Play It Again, Sam in 1969. They began dating during filming but ended their relationship just a year later.
However, Keaton continued to be cast in Allen's films, and the two have remained close friends over the years. Allen was even the one to present Keaton with the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
Woody Allen And Mia Farrow
This list wouldn't be complete without Director Woody Allen and actress Mia Farrow. The two met in 1979 and began dating the following year. Allen cast Farrow in 13 of his films from 1982 until 1992. Farrow already had seven children when the couple decided to try to have a child together.
When they were unsuccessful in getting pregnant, Farrow adopted a child. Then in 1987, she had another child, Ronan. However, Farrow admitted that Ronan could "possibly" be the biological child of Frank Sinatra. Allen and Farrow broke up in 1992 and Allen shocked everyone when he went on to marry Farrow's adopted daughter. The marriage is still a controversial topic in Hollywood today.
James Cameron And Suzy Amis
Not every relationship is a fairy tale, and that includes this one, although they're still going strong today. Director James Cameron and actress Suzy Amis met on the set of Titanic. Cameron was dating Terminator actress Linda Hamilton at the time, but he ended up having an affair with Amis.
Hamilton must have trusted that the affair was over because she and Cameron went on to get married. Cameron couldn't get Amis out of his head, however, and after eight months of marriage, he left Hamilton and married Amis in 2000.
Danny DeVito And Rhea Perlman
Actress and author Rhea Perlman first met Danny DeVito in 1971 when she attended a play that he was in called The Shrinking Bride. The two had a connection and in 1973 DeVito directed The Sound Sleeper, a short film for which Perlman wrote the script.
The couple married in 1982 and welcomed three children together. They announced that they had chosen to separate in October 2012, but by March 2013, they had reconciled. Another separation was announced in March 2017, and although they no longer live together, they are still married.
Joel Coen And Frances McDormand
This happy couple met when actress Frances McDormand auditioned for Joel Coen's directorial debut, Blood Simple. However, McDormand was in a relationship at the time with a soap opera actor.
Once McDormand was cast in the role, however, she and Coen began dating in 1984 and even married before the film was released! The couple is still married, and McDormand has starred in several Coen brothers films and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Fargo.
Taylor Hackford and Helen Mirren
In 1997, actress Helen Mirren and director Taylor Hackford met while filming The Devil's Advocate. While Mirren said she'd never planned on getting married, that changed when she met Hackford. They dated for eleven years before deciding to tie the knot.
Their honeymoon, however, offered a strange beginning to their marriage. They stayed at a historic castle in Scotland called Castle Stewart where the newlyweds say they were scared by ghosts in the old structure. However, maybe it brought them even closer, as they're still married today.
John Carpenter And Adrienne Barbeau
John Carpenter was the director of Someone's Watching Me! released in 1978. While the film wasn't very successful, at least he met his future wife, actress Adrienne Barbeau. Feeling instant chemistry, the couple married the following year in 1979.
They worked on several films together including The Fog and Escape From New York. However, by 1984, they were divorced. Barbeau ended up marrying actor Billy Van Zandt, but it didn't last.
Luc Besson And Milla Jovovich
Ukrainian actress and supermodel Milla Jovovich met Luc Besson when she auditioned for The Fifth Element. Jovovich must have caught Besson's eye, as she was chosen for the role that a total of 8,000 actresses auditioned.
In fact, the couple says that they instantly felt a connection, and married just one year after The Fifth Element was released in 1998. Although they had an incredible wedding ceremony, complete with skydiving, it wasn't meant to last. The couple divorced one year later.
Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann
Producer Judd Apatow was head-over-heels for actress Leslie Mann from the first time they met. Mann was auditioning for the role on The Cable Guy in 1996. When she walked out of the room, reportedly, Apatow said, "There goes the future Mrs. Apatow."
Sure enough, the couple married one year later in 1997. They also continue to work together on films including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Funny People. They're also one of the couples on this list that are proving their love is made to last. They've been together for over 20 years!
Paul Thomas Anderson and Maya Rudolph
Director Paul Thomas Anderson and actress Maya Rudolph are very quiet and content with their relationship. It's believed that they first met in 2000 on the set of Saturday Night Live when Rudolph was apart of the cast and Anderson stepped in to direct a short.
They've now been together for over 20 years, and are raising their four children together. Even though they're not officially married, Rudolph calls Anderson her husband and has told the New York Times, "People know what it means. He's the father of my child, and I live with him, and we are a couple, and we're not going anywhere."
Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich
While her first (and second) marriages didn't last, another love was waiting right around the corner for Milla Jovovich. Coming off the huge success of Resident Evil in 2002, Jovovich got together with producer and director Paul Anderson. She said that Anderson came over to her hotel to discuss the script, and the two felt a connection.
After what was possibly a premature proposal in 2003 (who wouldn't be skeptical after two recent divorces) they decided to make it official in 2009 and have been happily married ever since.
Sam Esmail And Emmy Rossum
Director Sam Esmail cast actress Emmy Rossum (most well-known for Shameless) in his film Comet. They dated for two years and became engaged in August 2015.
They married on May 28, 2017, at a reform synagogue in New York City. Still married today, they're both growing their careers. Esmail most recently directed the psychological thriller Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts. Rossum is also a musical artist and has released three albums.
Elia Kazan And Barbara Loden
Another scandalous start to a relationship, Director Elia Kazan and actress Barbara Loden were both already married when they began working together in 1960 on the set of Wild River. They also worked together in another film, Splendor in the Grass.
A 23-year-old age gap between them, Kazan and Loden didn't start a relationship right away and weren't married until 1968. Kazan must have inspired Loden, as she directed a film herself, Wanda. Once the couple married, they stayed together until Loden's death in 1978.
Michel Hazanavicius and Bérénice Bejo
This is a true Hollywood love story, French style. Director and screenwriter Michel Hazanavicius met actress Bérénice Bejo in 2006 on the set of OSS 117: Le Caire, nid d'espions. They seemingly fell in love instantly, getting together that same year.
The couple married in 2008 and continued making films together, including The Artist in 2011. Bejo also starred in Hazanavicius's The Search in 2014 and Redoubtable in 2017. They're still happily married and have two children together.
Robert Rodriguez And Rose McGowan
Director Robert Rodriguez (most well-known for Sin City) and actress Rose McGowan met in 2007 on the set of Planet Terror. Then, McGowan was cast to star in Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse later that year. By that time there were rumors that the two were dating.
Rodriguez and McGowan confirmed the rumors when they appeared at the Cannes Film Festival together. Their romance was on the fast track, and by the end of the same year, 2007, they announced that they were going to get married. However, that plan fell through, and they broke up in October 2009
Darren Aronofsky And Rachel Weisz
Director Darren Aronofsky had already met Rachel Weisz and the two were dating when she was cast in The Fountain, released in 2006. Four years after they began dating, they were engaged to be married and welcomed a son together in May 2006, living in the East Village of Manhattan.
In November 2010, the couple announced that they had been split up for months and had called off the engagement. However, they're still committed parents to their son. Weisz is now married to David Craig, who she started seeing a month after announcing the split.
Ingmar Bergman And Liv Ullmann
After meeting in Stockholm in 1964, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann worked together on the film Persona two years later. Their relationship lasted five years, until 1970. There seemed to be some overlap with their relationship and Bergman's marriage to Kabi Laretei.
Together they welcomed a daughter, Linn Ullmann. They ended up breaking up, but remained close friends after the separation, raising their daughter together. (Bergman has nine children in total.) He unexpectedly passed away in 2007.
Rupert Sanders And Kristen Stewart
So... here's another messy relationship that happened on a film set. Although actress Kristen Stewart was in a relationship with her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson at the time, sparks flew between her and director Rupert Sanders on the set of The Huntsman in 2012. Not to mention that Sanders was married to Liberty Ross at the time.
When the two were spotted and photographed kissing, the actress and director both issued a public apology for their actions. Sanders and Ross split in 2014.
Jennifer Lawrence And Darren Aronofsky
Director Darren Aronofsky and actress Jennifer Lawrence met on the set of Mother!, Aronofsky's psychological horror film, in 2016 and began dating that September. Although there was a 21-year age gap between them, that didn't affect their relationship.
The couple broke up in November 2018 and Lawrence is now engaged to art gallery director Cooke Maroney. Aronofsky, on the other hand, is still single. Maybe his next leading lady will be his forever-girl.
Sam Taylor-Johnson And Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson and actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson fell in love on the set of Nowhere Boy in 2009, which was Sam's directorial debut. Aaron was 18-years-old at the time, while Sam was 42.
The unlikely relationship certainly got some attention, and even more so when the couple announced at the film's premiere that they were getting married. They wed on June 21, 2012, and are still happily married with two daughters together.
Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson
Sometimes it's more infatuation than love that brings a couple together. Lead actress Emma Thompson caught director Kenneth Branagh's eye while she played the princess in the film Henry V. The couple rushed to the altar the very same year, in 1989.
But then, in 1995, Branagh allegedly had an affair with actress Helena Bonham Carter and the couple split. Thompson moved on and said she channeled the experience into her character in Love Actually when their partner cheats on them.
Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt fell in love as co-stars on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005 but insisted that they didn't have an affair while Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston. In January 2006, Jolie announced that she was pregnant with his child, acknowledging that they were in a relationship.
A few weeks before their marriage in 2014, Jolie directed By the Sea, starring Pitt as well as herself. The film didn't do as well as they had hoped, only receiving a limited release. After twelve years, "Brangelina" separated in September 2016 and were officially divorced on April 12, 2019.
Danny Boyle And Rosario Dawson
Director Danny Boyle and actress Rosario Dawson met on the set of the 2013 crime drama Trance. The two began dating and even though fans were interested in their personal lives, they managed to keep their relationship out of the public eye.
When it seemed like they split up, Dawson said, "It's not like we announced our relationship, so it's not like we're going to announce our breakup [...] "I love Danny. He's wonderful and we dated longer than people think we did." Dawson is now dating U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Cory Booker.
Jenna Fischer And James Gunn
When actress Jenna Fischer moved to Los Angeles, her childhood friend introduced her to his brother, James Gunn. The director of Gilmore Girls, Gunn fell for Fischer and they married in October 2000. Sadly, they separated in 2007 and were divorced by 2008.
However, it appears that they're still on good terms with each other, as Fischer convinced Gunn to cast her Office co-star Rainn Wilson for his film Super. Fischer is now married to screenwriter Lee Kirk.
Peter Bogdanovich And Cybill Shepherd
Director Peter Bogdanovich and actress Cybill Shepherd met on the set of the film The Last Picture Show in 1971. Bogdanovich cast Shepherd, then a mostly unknown actress, after seeing a photo of her in Glamour magazine.
Although he was married to producer Polly Platt, Bogdanovich couldn't help himself and began having an affair with Shepherd. This led to him leaving his wife. The couple never married and broke up after a few years of dating, but still remain friends.
Ridley Scott And Giannina Facio
Director Sir Ridley Scott met his future wife in 1996 on the set of White Squall. Surprisingly, the couple dated for 19 years before marrying in June 2015.
Scott is clearly infatuated with his wife, Costa Rican actress Giannina Facio, as she has appeared in nearly every film that he's directed. Facio has also tried her hand at producing, including Matchstick Men. She also co-produced Tristan & Isolde with her husband. They're still happily married today.
