William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett are truly putting the phrase “couple goals” to shame as they mark another milestone in their relationship.
On June 30, the couple celebrated 75 years of wedded bliss, not only taking them past a major marriage marker, but also cementing their status as the longest active marriage in Hollywood.
William, 99, and Bonnie, 97, met at Northwestern University in the late 1940s, where they both studied acting. A relationship soon began, and they tied the knot on June 30, 1951. This was before either of them had made their screen debuts, although they did have stage experience by then.
William and Bonnie’s relationship milestone
William, best known for playing Mr. Feeny in the popular sitcom Boy Meets World, took to his social media page with a rare photo of the couple at their home, and it’s clear the love between them still runs deep.
“Happy 75th Anniversary to my wife Bonnie. It doesn’t even seem that long, it just seems like this is my life. And it’s with each other. How lucky am I?” he sweetly captioned the post.
Many fans were in disbelief over how long they were married, while some others only just realized that two of their favorite TV stars from the ’80s and ’90s were actually a couple. Or as one fan put it in the comments section: “No way Grace Snider is Mr. Feeny’s wifey!”
Another gushed: “Happy 75th anniversary!!!! What an incredible feat to accomplish, but to see the love you both continue to share is remarkable and inspiring,” while William’s Boy Meets World co-star Danielle Fishel sweetly commented: “Happy birthday, Bill and Bonnie!! We love you so much.”
© Getty ImagesThe St. Elsewhere stars look back on 75 years
They’ve played on-screen love interests multiple times as well, most memorably in St. Elsewhere, which nabbed them both Primetime Emmy Awards in the very same year. Speaking with the Daily Mail recently, Bonnie called their long union “amazing, especially in our business.”
“I wouldn’t be with anyone else in my life than this woman sitting next to me,” William gushed, to which his wife added: “It just happened. You don’t plan for it. You really don’t plan for it. I’m not at all romantic or anything like that. I’m a big believer in today, you know? And then all of the sudden it’s 75 years.”
© Getty ImagesWere William and Bonnie in an open marriage?
Bonnie also addressed the idea that the couple were in an “open marriage” for the first years of their relationship, which they’d each opened up about in their memoirs. “It’s funny, the press will pick up on something and make more of it than it was.”
“There was never any discussion as to what we were going to do, but in 75 years, the two of you together, you know, it would be abnormal if you… weren’t attracted occasionally to other people,” she admitted.
© Instagram“So there have been times, yeah, both of us, on both sides, yeah, and that is in the book,” she continued, but confirmed that it was not something either of them had ever talked about wanting to actually do. “We just don’t. We just live our lives. And if he’s away for a year, he’s away for a year.”
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