Two Hollywood Icons Were Married For Nearly 70 Years Without People Ever Realizing
Celebrities are followed so closely that it’s nearly impossible for them to keep anything private. Whether it’s Ariana Grande or Alec Baldwin, the second something good, bad, or ugly happens to stars, it’s usually blasted across the tabloids before their PR teams even have a second to formulate a message. Nothing is off limits, from personal tragedies to relationships. So, it was naturally shocking to learn that two Hollywood legends managed to keep their marriage to each other a total secret — until now.
Secret Lovers
So, without further ado: Remember George Feeny and Lily Bolander from Boy Meets World? They were married in real life! Actors William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett have been husband and wife for almost seven decades – imagine that – but they maintain low-key-enough profiles that many people don’t even know. So what’s their secret to such a long-lasting marriage?
Something in common
Bartlett and Daniels first met at Northwestern University, and they had something in common right away. Both were determined to make it in the acting world. Daniels had been performing on Broadway since the age of 14, and Bartlett wished to follow in the footsteps of her Shakespearian actor father.
A lucky move
Daniels told On Call: The Official Newsletter of the St. Elsewhere Appreciation Club in 1997, “I was 20-21. I don’t think I would have gotten into Northwestern if I hadn’t already been on Broadway because I wasn’t much of a student. Also I was on the GI Bill... I never would have gotten to Northwestern without it, after I spent two years in the Army.” But if he hadn’t, he’d never have met Bartlett.
Turning point
Bartlett likewise might never have gone to Northwestern had things in her life been different. She told the Edge Media Network website in 2019, “Growing up, I performed in school plays and local theatre. After high school, I enrolled in Northwestern because my father wouldn’t let me go to New York.”
