A look at Ted Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen, and their romantic timeline
Ted Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen, is a renowned American actress known for her work in films such as Last Vegas, Step Brothers, Back to the Future, and Time After Time. The couple's presence in the public eye is marked by their artistic pursuits and philanthropic work in various causes, including environmental advocacy, arts funding, and humanitarian efforts.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Profile summary
- Meet Ted Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen
- A look into Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen's relationship timeline
- 1983: Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen meet
- 1990: Mary Steenburgen divorces Malcolm McDowell
- 1993: Ted Danson divorces Casey Coates
- 1993: Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen reconnect
- 1995: Danson pops the question to Mary
- 1995: Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen marry
- 1996–2022: Danson and Steenburgen continue to shine as married costars
- 2017: Divorce rumours surfaces
- 2020: Couple celebrates 25th wedding anniversary
- 2021: People's Love Issue feature
- 2025: Ted and Mary honoured with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award
- FAQs
Key takeaways
- Ted Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen, is an Academy Award-winning actress, producer, singer, and songwriter.
- Hollywood actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have been married since 7 October 1995.
- They first met in 1983 and later reconnected ten years later, in 1993, during the filming of Pontiac Moon.
- The couple's union is a blended family that brought together four children, two from each of their previous marriages.
Profile summary
| Full name | Edward Bridge Danson III |
| Common name | Ted Danson |
| Nickname | Sweet Cheeks Teddy |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 29 December 1947 |
| Age | 77 years as of September 2025 |
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Place of birth | San Diego, California, United States |
| Residence (s) | Santa Monica, Los Angeles, United StatesFlagstaff, Arizona, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Height in centimetres | 189 |
| Height in feet | 6'3" |
| Weight in kilograms | 78 |
| Weight in pounds | 172 |
| Hair colour | Grey and white |
| Eye colour | Grey |
| Father | Edward Bridge Danson, Jr. |
| Mother | Jess Danson |
| Siblings | 1 |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse | Mary Steenburgen |
| Children | 4 |
| Profession | Actor |
| Most notable work | Cheers |
| High school | Kent School |
| Higher education | Stanford UniversityCarnegie Mellon University |
| Net worth | $80 million |
| Social media | Facebook, Instagram |
Meet Ted Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen
American actress, comedian, singer, and songwriter Mary Steenburgen was born on 8 February 1953 in Newport, Arkansas, United States, to Maurice Hoffman and Nellie May Steenburgen. She is 72 years old as of 2025, and her zodiac sign is Aquarius.
She attended Northeast High School and North Little Rock High School, where she graduated in 1971. Her higher education was completed at Hendrix College and Lyon College, where she received an honorary degree in Fine Arts and Humane Letters, respectively.
Source: Getty Images
Mary's artistic pursuits began at a young age, with tap dancing at talent shows and school functions. She was a member of the North Little Rock High School's drama club, Chargettes, Pep Club, and French Club.
Her early work includes Goin' South, Time After Time, Ragtime, Melvin and Howard, Peter Coyote, and Cross Creek. Most recently, she has appeared in Easy's Waltz, Bulldozer, Book Club, and Mr. Mayor. In addition to acting, she is an art enthusiast and a philanthropist.
A look into Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen's relationship timeline
Mary has been married to Mulligan actor Ted Danson since February 1995. At the time of this writing, the couple whose union has created a blended family of six has been married for thirty years. Here is a deep dive into each milestone in their history as a couple.
1983: Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen meet
Source: Twitter
Ted Danson and Mary first crossed paths in 1983 during his audition for the part of her on-screen husband on Cross Creek. However, the pair did not begin their romantic relationship until a decade later.
At the time of their initial meeting, both actors were married to other people. While Danson was married to American activist Cassandra 'Casey' Coates, Steenburgen was married to English actor Malcolm McDowell.
1990: Mary Steenburgen divorces Malcolm McDowell
1 October 1990 marked the end of Mary Steenburgen and Malcolm McDowell's marriage. Ten years after tying the knot, the couple who met and fell in love during the production of Time After Time ended the marriage on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. They share two children, Charlie and Lilly McDowell.
1993: Ted Danson divorces Casey Coates
Source: Getty Images
Ted Danson's divorce from Casey Coates is considered one of Hollywood's most expensive divorces. The highly publicised divorce case was reportedly caused by the couple's difficulty in reconnecting after Coates' major health crisis following the birth of their first child, Kate Danson. In a conversation with NPR, The Good Place actor said,
I didn't really grow up emotionally until I was in my 40s, and I was a bit of a liar in my relationship. I'll leave it at that.
1993: Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen reconnect
A decade after their first meeting, the couple reconnected after they were both cast in 1993's Pontiac Moon. In an interview with People, Danson reminisced over their initial meeting, expressing his gratitude for not getting the part in Cross Creek, saying,
Which is a miracle, because, man, I was a hot mess back then.
Source: Getty Images
He added,
We both said the same phrase to ourselves, which was, 'Obviously, we cannot be in a relationship.' I could ruin anything. I'm not relationship material.
However, a river canoe trip and picnic Ted organised in Mendocino, California, USA, sealed the deal. Their previously platonic friendship blossomed into romance, an experience he called magical.
1995: Danson pops the question to Mary
Danson proposed to the Blunt Talk actress on her birthday in February 1995. At the time, she was travelling to Texas, USA, where she was filming the 1995 coming-of-age drama, Powder. He described the proposal in a YouTube interview.
I was so clear that I didn't want to be with anyone else. I couldn't imagine not being with her at all times. I got the ring made, and I kept walking around, practicing in my head, 'I want to marry you, I want to marry you.' Literally, for like a month.
1995: Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen marry
Source: Instagram
Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen married on 7 October 1995, on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The ceremony was attended by 150 guests, including famed friends such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tom Hanks, and Woody Harrelson.
The couple has a blended family and has continued co-parenting with their former spouses. While the pair have maintained a strong family support unit, they have kept personal details of their children and grandchildren out of the limelight.
1996–2022: Danson and Steenburgen continue to shine as married costars
In 1996, Danson and Steenburgen co-starred in Gulliver's Travels, where they played a married couple, Dr. Lemuel and Mary Gulliver. Between 1996 and 1997, the pair got the chance to wow fans with their skills on Ink, where they played divorced journalists. Other films and TV series include Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Place, Mr. Mayor, and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.
Source: Getty Images
2017: Divorce rumours surfaces
Confusion exists over a potential split that happened in 2016 between the Hollywood couple. The mix-up originated from a storyline carried by their recurring roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Season 9 to Season 12, where they both played fictional characters with their actual names.
When the on-screen couple got divorced, friends and fans believed they were actually separating. Later, Steenburgen and Danson publicly refuted the claims and assured the public that their characters' divorce was simply a storyline on the show.
2020: Couple celebrates 25th wedding anniversary
Danson and Mary celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on 7 October 2020. Steenburgen marked the milestone with a sweetly comical tribute to Danson on Instagram. The anniversary post featured a selfie of the couple with a piece of salad visibly stuck in Danson's teeth. In the caption, she wrote:
Happy 25th Anniversary! This was supposed to be a sweet, loving anniversary photo, but you have a big piece of salad in your teeth. So there it is. Thank you for making me laugh today and every single one of the last 9,125 days. You are the goofiest, wisest, and kindest dreamboat in the world.
2021: People's Love Issue feature
The couple was featured on the cover of People's first-ever Love Issue in February 2021. The feature not only marked their 25th wedding anniversary but also explored details of their relationship.
2025: Ted and Mary honoured with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award
In September 2025, the couple was awarded the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 77th Emmy Awards. The award recognised their philanthropic work with causes such as Oceana, the Elizabeth Glazer Paediatric AIDS Foundation, No Kid Hungry, Heer International, Pathway to Kinship, Angels at Risk, and the Progeria Research Foundation.
FAQs
- What happened to Ted Danson's first wife? Ted Danson's first wife was actress Randell Gosch.
- Was Ted Danson married when he met Mary Steenburgen? The Hollywood actors were both married to other people at the time they met.
- When was Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson's wedding? The Hollywood couple tied the knot on 7 October 1995, in Massachusetts, United States.
- What was Ted Danson's wife's age? Born on 8 February 1953, Mary is 72 years old as of 2025, and her zodiac sign is Aquarius.
- What is the age difference between Ted Danson and his wife? Ted Danson is five years older than his wife, Mary Steenburgen, as he was born in 1947, while she was born in 1953.
- Do Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have any children together? The pair have a blended family and do not have any children together.
- Are Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen still married? The It Must Be Love co-stars are still happily married at the time of this writing.
- Were Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg married? Ted Danson and EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg had a highly publicised affair but were not married.
Like her husband, Ted Danson's wife, Mary Steenburgen, is a seasoned Hollywood actor with well-known works in performance, as well as film and sound production. After their first encounter in 1983, the couple found their way back to each other in a fairy-tale-like love story and today celebrate nearly 30 years of marriage.
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Cash Warren, a film producer, and Jessica Alba met in 2004 on the set of Fantastic Four and remained together until their separation in 2024. Read on for more details of the couple's journey through love, marriage, and separation.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
