Meet Matthew Modine’s famous wife of 46 years and their two children – including his daughter who’s an award-winning actress

Matthew’s long-term wife Caridad Rivera was born in the Lower East Side of Manhattan and is of Puerto Rican descent. She works as a makeup and wardrobe artist. Caridad and husband Matthew are still going strong four decades in. 

The actor told Closer Weekly: “I’d been in a few relationships and wanted someone to be friends with. What’s most important is to have a partner you share interests with, who challenges you, who is smarter than you.” He added: “Then the physical side is a bonus. I hit the jackpot and got both!

Matthew met his wife when he was working as a chef at a restaurant in New York and instantly fell head over heels. The actor married Caridad Rivera on 31 October 1980, beginning a partnership of nearly 46 years. 

He recalled in a 2007 interview: “I came out of the kitchen wearing my chef outfit, my chequered pants. I went up to tell her to go down to the deli down the street and when I saw her I was completely smitten”.

Born on 8 November 1985, Boman Modine is the only son of Matthew and Caridad. He has found success behind the scenes as part of the visual effects team on The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and in the production department on Whiplash (2014). 

His most recent credits include working as assistant director on Get Fast (2024) and as director of 2025 short The Worst of Us. His 2015 short Merry Xmas was nominated for awards at both the Tribeca Film Festival and Oldenburg Film Festival.

Like her father, Ruby has opted for a career onscreen. She’s best known for credits in Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025), Dead Giveaway (2025) and Shameless (2016-2018). Her role in Dead Giveaway won Ruby an honourable mention at the Philadelphia Film Festival for Best Chemistry.

She got her onscreen start in short films Somebody and Plastic Jesus, starred in four-time award winning short I Am What You Imagine and appeared in 2017 horror Happy Death Day as well as its 2019 sequel Happy Death Day 2U. According to her IMDb, Ruby currently has three new projects in the works. 

Primetime Emmy-nominated actor Matthew Modine is best known for his roles in movies like Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Cutthroat Island (1995). Matthew is also a recognisable star for credits in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises and Birdy (1984).

Born 22 March 1959, Matthew got his start, like many actors of the time, on ABC Afterschool Specials before a triple run of roles in 1983 and 1984. In 1984, he appeared as the titular Birdy alongside Nicolas Cage in the story of two friends who return home from the Vietnam War.

Matthew hasn’t slowed down since his roles in ’80s classics like Vision Quest. He has more recently appeared in multiple episodes of Netflix hit Stranger Things, Christopher Nolan epic Oppenheimer and appeared in all eight episodes of The Better Sister with Elizabeth Banks and Jessica Biel.

According to his IMDb, Matthew is due to appear in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova (2027) and is currently filming Vivien & The Florist in which he appears as Jacob Penn.