They have discreetly maintained one of the most successful and long-lasting marriage in the history of Hollywood.
On November 21, Westworld actor Ed Harris, 73, and actress Amy Madigan, 73, who is best known for her part in Field of Dreams, with Kevin Costner and Ray Liotta, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary alongside Kevin Costner and Ray Liotta. Harris is best remembered for his appearance in Field of Dreams.
When Madigan first saw Harris perform in Sam Shepard’s play Cowboy in Los Angeles in 1980, she told Life in 1985 that the experience was “like something you see in a movie or hear in a song.” Harris had been playing the role of a cowboy in the play. “All of a sudden, I realized, ‘Oh, OK, there he is.’ It seemed glaringly evident to me that we would cross paths again.
The wedding took place in 1983, when the pair was on the set of the movie Places in the Heart, which they both starred in together. During the course of their 40-year marriage, they have appeared in at least nine films and many plays on Broadway alongside one another as leading characters.
When asked about working alongside his wife, Harris said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 1985 that “the acting thing is so intimate and personal.” You won’t be able to provide a very good account of your day if we aren’t working together, which means we need your help. However, when you are working together, there is a lot that is shared, a lot of silent thought and emotion that goes into the task, and because of this, it truly brings you closer to one another.
Madigan has said that “the closeness of being married gives us the ability and the freedom to do those kinds of things” in reference to the few onscreen love situations that they appear in together. If you wanted to work with another actor, it would take a significant amount of your time and effort to get to know them first.”
After a long and successful acting career, Harris was finally nominated for four Academy Awards for his parts in films such as Apollo 13 and The Truman Show, as well as Pollock and The Hours. In addition to that, he gained widespread recognition for his performance as Julia Roberts’ husband in the film Stepmom, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award.
In the meanwhile, Madigan rose to fame after appearing as Annie Kinsella in the film Field of Dreams (1989) and starring alongside John Candy in Uncle Buck (1989). Both of these films were released in 1989. In addition, she played the lead part in the critically acclaimed HBO series Carnivale. She was also considered for an Emmy award for the part she played in the television movie Roe vs. Wade, which aired in 1989.
Lily Dolores Harris, who is now 30 years old, was the couple’s sole child and was born in 1993.
Madigan has said that everyone has long thought that they got married after having a whirlwind romance on the set of their first movie, but she has contradicted that, claiming that they had been together for two years previous to being married. Madigan was speaking about their marriage.
“It’s a nice Hollywood story, but it’s not true,” she said to the Chicago Tribune. “It’s a nice Hollywood story.”